Foundations of Truth

Announcer: You're listening to Foundations of Truth, the Bible teaching ministry of Dr. Timothy Mann. Our mission is to help you build your life on the unshaken foundation of God's word. Rooted in scripture, anchored in the grace of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Each week, Dr. Timothy Mann opens the Bible to bring clarity, conviction, and encouragement for everyday life. Here now is Dr. Timothy Mann with part one of this two-part message from the "Saved: Understanding God's Work in Us" series.

Dr. Timothy Mann: Second Corinthians 5, verse 17 through 21. The Bible says, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. Old things have passed away. Behold, all things have become new. Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation. 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. Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf, be reconciled to God. For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him."

We'll stop there in 2 Corinthians. Go to Matthew 28. Matthew 28 and verse 18, the Bible says, "And Jesus came and spoke to them, that is to say His disciples, saying, 'All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you. And lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.' Amen." We'll stop there. This is God's word.

Here's a loaded question. You don't have to answer back. In fact, I'd prefer you didn't, because you might give me the wrong answer. Why do Christians share the gospel? Why take the risk of awkward conversations, of rejection, or even of ridicule? Why speak out in a world that increasingly urges, in fact, even demands us to stay silent?

I really believe the answer is simple, and it's this: because we have been saved. If you are a genuine Christian, and what I mean by that when I say a genuine Christian, if you have been saved by God's grace through faith in Jesus, we share the gospel not out of guilt, but out of gratitude. Because we're thankful. We do it not to earn salvation, but because we have received it as a gift from God. We don't want to win arguments. In fact, if that's your motivator, then you need to check yourself. We long to see others reconciled to God just as we have been.

Evangelism, which is sharing the gospel, isn't just a program or even a personality trait. It's the natural result of a new life in Christ. The Apostle Paul puts it this way in 2 Corinthians 5:17. He says, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. Old things have passed away. Behold, all things have become new." And then in the next verses, he explains why that matters. God has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus, and now He has entrusted us with the message of reconciliation. So we're not just saved; we're sent. We're not just blessed, although we are, aren't we? We are made ambassadors for Christ.

Jesus said the same thing in Matthew 28. He said, "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations." And so my proposal, because of the truth of God's word, is that those Christ has saved are called to be His ambassadors, joyfully sharing the gospel so others can be reconciled to God. So let's lean in today to remember what Christ has done for us and what He wants to do through us.

Let's begin by looking again at 2 Corinthians 5, verse 17 and 18. We're going to see here this miracle, really, of reconciliation. Verse 17 says, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. Old things have passed away. Behold," that's look, pay attention to this, "all things have become new. Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ and has given us the ministry of reconciliation." Before we're ever called to be Christ's ambassadors, we have to understand the miracle of what He's done in us. You can't share what you don't first possess. You can't invite someone into a new life unless you've experienced it yourself.

In Christ, we're made new. Paul says if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. Not improved, not remodeled, not just forgiven. Made new. This is the miracle of regeneration, that big Bible word that we've talked about already. That spiritual transformation that we experience. When we are born again, then we receive a new start and a new heart.

What happens is our desires change. Our priorities change. Our identity changes, and our direction changes. And this isn't superficial. This is supernatural. The Bible says here old things have passed away. That's the old self that is ruled by sin, by guilt, and separation from God. That old self is gone. And the Bible says all things have become new. You are now united with Christ, indwelt by the Holy Spirit of God, and you are now sealed with eternal hope. You are made new when you are saved and in Christ.

Reconciliation is the work of God. He says, "Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself." Paul reminds us that God did this. This wasn't our initiative; it was His. All things are of Him. Reconciliation begins with God, not us. In this context, the word reconcile means to restore a broken relationship. It means to go from alienation to friendship. It means to go from enemies to children of God. What a wonderful thing.

Romans chapter 5, verse 10 says, "When we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son." You might say, "I've never been an enemy of God." God says you were. And we didn't climb back to God; He came down to us. We were separated from Him because of our sin and our rebellion, but through Jesus, God brought peace. Jesus died on the cross as the payment for our sins, and He rose again from the dead to give eternal life to all who believe in Him. Because of that, we can be reconciled to God. This isn't just about removing hostility; it's about restoring the relationship. Reconciliation in salvation is a work of God.

And what we find out as we read this passage is that this changes everything about our identity. The Apostle Paul uses a key phrase: "in Christ." This is one of the most meaningful phrases in all of the New Testament. It's used over and over. If you are in Christ, you are accepted by the Father. You are justified with God by faith in Jesus. You are adopted into God's family. You are empowered by the Spirit, and you are secured for eternity.

That identity fuels your mission. Because you're not sharing Christ as one who has it all together. Because I'll tell you, you don't. You may try to fake it till you make it, but God knows if nobody else knows. And if you're married, I promise your spouse knows. You're sharing Christ as someone who has been made new by the grace of God.

That's why evangelism, which simply means telling the good news, isn't a guilt-driven duty. It's a grace-driven privilege. Because the more you remember what God has done for you and when you really begin to think on it and understand who you are, the more you naturally want to share with others. Your identity has been changed by salvation.

Look at this. We're not only reconciled, but we're also assigned. It says, "and has given us the ministry of reconciliation." Now this is incredible because the same God who reconciles us now sends us to share that reconciliation. You aren't just a recipient. You are a representative. You aren't just saved. You are sent. God didn't reconcile you just to secure your place in heaven. He gave you a mission here on earth. He didn't assign that task to the angels. He gave it to us, the church, to every believer who has been made new by God's grace. This is your assignment from God.

Imagine a man drowning in the ocean. Imagine that. Now let's put a spiritual perspective on it. Pulled under by the waves of sin and guilt and shame. The rescuer dives in and pulls him out and revives him and saves his life. Now, imagine that man being trained and sent back to assist others. The saved individual remembers what it felt like to sink. He understands the terror. Now he approaches others, not with arrogance, but with compassion, with understanding what that felt like. That's really just what evangelism is. It's one rescued sinner reaching for another. That's what the ministry of reconciliation looks like. This is your mission.

But first, don't miss the order. New life first, then mission. This point is crucial because God reconciles first and then He commissions. You are not sent because you are deserving. You're sent because you are redeemed. And I want to encourage you this morning. You don't have to wait until you have everything figured out. Because you're never going to have everything figured out. If you're in Christ, then you've been made new and sent. You are qualified for ministry because you've been changed by grace. This world needs to hear from people who have been truly transformed. Not by religion, but by real salvation from God. Not with pride and self-righteousness, but with humility and gratitude for the grace of God toward you.

Remember what God has done for you. You are a new creation. So let your testimony overflow as you share the gospel. Don't keep the good news to yourself. You don't need to wait until you're a theologian or a Bible expert to share with others. You've been reconciled to God, and so tell others what Christ has done in your life.

Listen, if you are not saved and you're sitting in this room, I mean if you are not genuinely a follower of Jesus, I want you to know this morning that God is not waiting for you to climb up to Him. He has come to you through Jesus. He has come through His death on the cross for your sins and His resurrection from the dead so that you can have eternal life from God. And today you can be reconciled. You can be made new. You can be made whole. You can be made His if you'll repent of your sin and savingly believe on Jesus. Do that now.

So far, we've seen the miracle of reconciliation, how God makes us new and restores our relationship with Him. But this miracle isn't just personal. It's missional. Because we see the message here now that we're to proclaim. God doesn't just save us; He gives us a message to take, to proclaim.

Second Corinthians 5:19 through 21 says, "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. Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf, be reconciled to God. For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him."

This is the message. The message is that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself. The gospel is not about how we find our way to God, but how God came to us in Christ. If you don't know this morning for sure who Jesus is, you need to know that He wasn't just a good man or a wise teacher. He was God in human flesh sent to reconcile sinners to Himself. That means that the gospel is God-centered from start to finish. God sent, God pursued, God reconciled, God saves. Evangelism isn't about promoting a religious option. It's about proclaiming the only way to be reconciled to God. And that's through Jesus Christ.

The message is also this: that God does not count our sin against us. It says, "not imputing their trespasses to them." This is the core of the good news. God doesn't ignore our sin. He doesn't just dismiss it. What He does in the gospel is He takes it away. He doesn't pretend we're innocent. We're guilty. Instead, what He does is He declares us righteous when we trust in Jesus because Jesus paid our debt that we owe God because of our sin. That's justification by faith. When that happens, God no longer counts our sin against us because Christ took it for us. The Bible says in Psalm 103:12, "As far as the east is from the west." Do east and west ever meet? No. North and south? You go north long enough, sooner or later, you're going to be going south. Unless you're one of those wacky people that believes in flat earth. That's a dumb idea. The Bible says otherwise. You head north, sooner or later, you're going to be heading south. But if you head east, you're always going to be heading east. I'm grateful this morning that the Bible says that as far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed my transgressions from me. Hallelujah.

And we declare this message. You don't need to carry your guilt. Your sins can be forgiven. Your record can be erased. God is not counting your sin against you if you are, in fact, in Christ. If you are saved. The Bible says here that we have been entrusted with the message. "And committed to us the word of reconciliation." This is an amazing truth, that God has entrusted us with this saving message. He didn't write it in the clouds. He didn't give it to the angels. No, He gave it to redeemed people. Sinners turned saints, which by the way, does not mean perfect. It's what God calls His children. He gave it to us to proclaim it to the world.

This word of reconciliation is the gospel. Christ died for our sins. He was buried. He rose again. And everyone who repents and believes will be reconciled to God. That's the message. It's a message that we must know, that we must love, and that we must proclaim. Why? Well, because we're ambassadors for Christ. Look what it says. "Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us." An ambassador speaks on behalf of the one who sent him. They don't deliver their message; they deliver the king's message. As Christians, we're not just witnesses. We are representatives. We're ambassadors. So you know what that means? You are representing Jesus to your family. How's that going?

You're representing Jesus to your friends, to your coworkers, to your fellow students at school. You're representing Jesus to your children, to your grandchildren, to random people you meet. When you walk out that door and you carry the name Christian, you're representing Jesus. Not yourself. Not even this church. First and foremost, you're representing Jesus. How'd that go this past week? How'd it go yesterday? Maybe some of you all need to answer the truth and say, how'd it go this morning, even? You're representing Jesus to your wife, to your husband, to fellow church members, to the cashier at Walmart. You're representing Christ as an ambassador of Him every single place you go. If you say you're a Christian, don't carry His name in vain. And when we speak on behalf of Christ the Savior, the Lord, the Messiah, we're speaking on His behalf to a world that desperately needs to hear Him. When we actually speak the gospel, God is speaking through us. When we share our testimony, we carry heaven's authority. When we plead with someone to believe, Christ's heart pleads through us. That should give us both confidence and urgency. You are an ambassador for Jesus, the King of kings.

Announcer: Thanks for listening to Foundations of Truth with Dr. Timothy Mann. If you'd like more resources or to listen to this program again, go to furn-foundations.org. You can also listen weekdays at 10:00 a.m. on 990 AM 101.5 FM, The Word Orlando, Florida. We are a listener-supported program. Your donations help keep us on the air. You can give a gift right now at furn-foundations.org. And thank you for listening. The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of God stands forever.

Dr. Timothy Mann: Before we close today, I want to tell you about a resource that I believe will be a genuine help to you. I've recently published my first book, *Saved: Understanding God's Work in Us*. In over 30 years of pastoral ministry, one of the questions I've encountered more than almost any other is this: how can I know that I am truly saved? It is a question that deserves a careful, biblical answer, and that is exactly what this book is designed to give. If you want to understand salvation more deeply, stand on firmer ground in your faith, or be better equipped to share the gospel with someone you love, then this book was written for you. You can find it on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Books-A-Million, and pretty much anywhere you buy books. *Saved: Understanding God's Work in Us* by Dr. Timothy Mann. I pray it strengthens your faith.

Thanks for being with us today. God bless you. Hey, this is Dr. Timothy Mann and if you are a regular listener to the program, I would like to speak specifically to you right now. I would appreciate it if we could hear from you. Send me an email at timothymann@furn-foundations.org. I would love to know what has been a help to you, what you'd like to hear more of, and just get to know you a little more. So feel free to reach out. I'd like to hear from you very much. God bless you.