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Video Sermon 10 Minute Highlights |
| FULL WRITTEN TRANSCRIPT ILLUSTRATION: “Man in the mirror” (Jordy Davidson as "Michael Jackson")
Why the mirrors? Because this is about YOU. You might be thinking, shouldn’t a sermon be about Jesus? To which I say, not necessarily. The sermon is about you, the context is Jesus, and if life happens, the content will be Jesus as well. But the sermon is about YOU, the man or woman in the mirror.
So why is this sermon about you? Let’s connect a few dots in our series on opportunity. The Bible has at least two words for “opportunity”; one is opportunity for bad (sin), and one is for good (every good work) God’s interaction with you and me is wrapped up in “opportunity.” We have the opportunity to live in Him. We have the opportunity to be gifted by Him. We have the opportunity to be equipped by Him.
This morning, YOU and I come into focus. YOU can be an opportunity. In fact, if you desire any relationship with God, you need to realize; you are called to be an opportunity.
Everybody is an opportunity for others. And tragically, far too often it is an opportunity for bad. Even as Christians. How many times have you showed your bad side? You led others into feelings of anger or hate, or hurt.
In the days of my flying career, I was often too long away from people I knew, that has a strange affect on you. I was often extremely sleep deprived. There were even weeks where I worked right around the clock in shifts. Many of you know what I’m talking about. When that happens to your body, you tend, not to be a very nice person! There were times I was not a very nice “opportunity.” -And I am disappointed in myself for that.
But the flip side is much better, in fact, it is exciting. It is what happens when the idea of God’s opportunity, and you as an opportunity come together. According to the Bible, how does that work? 2 Corinthians 5 18. Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, 19. that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation. 20. Therefore we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ's behalf, be reconciled to God.
You are called to be a living opportunity for something. And that something is so important that it is the center of all spiritual life. The Christian’s central purpose is given in one, incredibly important word; “RECONCILIATION.”
When the author originally penned this word, “reconciliation,” what exactly did he mean? He wrote the word, “katallage” (kat-al-lag-ay'). Modern scholars give three elements of meaning and all are vital to a living Christian faith.
You cannot be missing any of these and be alive in Christ: #1 Exchange- Life in Christ doesn’t happen until you exchange the old you, for Him: your sins for His innocence; your identity as an enemy of God for His as the Son of God; your weakness for His strength; your punishment for His glory; your path for His path. #2 Adjustment- This exchange is an ongoing process. #3 Restoration- In particular, restoration to divine favor. “I am a friend of God.”
Think of this! When the lives of others come in contact with yours, all of these things are meant be exposed to them. You and I are meant to be the windows of God; when people encounter us, they should see these things in Christ. You are an opportunity for others to see “reconciliation.” ….It is not something you do. It is something you ARE!
And because of that, the author says, “therefore.” Therefore we are ambassadors for Christ. That is yet, another telltale word. But I’m not going to reveal how, just yet. Instead, we are going to take a little Biblical journey to the meaning through the….
We are told there is a “ministry of reconciliation.” It is given to people by God; but just who are these people? What is it they do in this ministry? And how do they do it? Philippians 3 14. I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. 15. Therefore let us, as many as are mature, have this mind; and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal even this to you. 16. Nevertheless, to the degree that we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us be of the same mind. 17. Brethren, join in following my example, and note those who so walk, as you have us for a pattern.
WHO is given this ministry of reconciliation? It is those following an “upward call.” Remember that term that we don’t hear much anymore, “yuppy” that essentially stood for “young upwardly mobile people.” Upward is good! -Higher education, higher social position, higher career, higher achievement; all good stuff.
But when we speak of God’s call, it is far more than good, it is eternal life. It is completing what you were really put on this earth to do. It is becoming intimate friends with God Himself. You can’t get anymore upward than that!
The people who are THE OPPORTUNITY are actively engaged in this calling. They are “pressing” toward it.
HOW? We run into another “therefore.” This time we are talking QUALIFICATIONS. The qualification for being an opportunity is, “as many as are mature.” They are qualified by becoming spiritually and morally mature. That is real upward mobility.
And that brings us back to the word “ambassador.” In short, “ambassador” means, a senior representative.
Right now, you have an “upward calling.” The upward calling is what you are becoming in Christ; that is, you are becoming an opportunity. Then that allows you to naturally do what you are called to do; which is, open up reconciliation to God.
If you become mature, that will naturally happen. But if you don’t mature, it doesn’t matter what else you do. You cannot be a real opportunity. You will never experience the prize of the upward call.
So, how do you mature? You “press toward” the goal. The root of the original word meant to pursue, but it also meant to flee. Imagine you are in danger for your life, and you are fleeing; are you worrying about comfort? What level of urgency is there to your action of fleeing? Or imagine your life depends on catching the last train or bus.
The point is; to mature means setting aside being comfortable and pursuing what we are called to do as if life itself, depends on it. –And it does! Your growing up has a direct bearing on someone else’s eternity. You are someone’s opportunity to encounter God’s reconciliation.
I’d like to tell you a little story: There was a family of young girls that were neighbors of ours for years. The girls were quite pretty but something of free spirits, so I must confess, I had some rather fearful expectations of where they would end up.
Then I heard a story of one of these girls. She had a friend with terminal cancer. And as I understand it, she had been sharing her faith with this friend all along. (I didn’t even know she had one.) And sitting at the deathbed of this young friend, she led her to Christ just days before she died. In the final hour, this young Christian served as a right-hand turn in another’s eternity. That, my friends, is being “the opportunity of reconciliation.” ….If God can use someone so young and inexperienced in life, what might He do with you?
HOW ABOUT US? You and I are called to be walking, breathing, opportunities. It is not a question of age, it doesn’t matter how young or old; it is a matter of maturity, and believe me, they are not the same thing.
BECOMING something takes effort; it takes effort to mature. It takes stretching into higher levels of Godly service; pressing to ever higher focus in connecting to Christ; it takes engaging what you have right now.
You are called to be an opportunity of reconciliation. You are given an upward calling. The singular question of your life, eternal, spiritual, and even physical, is this: Are you willing to answer that call?
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