Motivated by Love    2 Corinthians 5:14-21

I. The Motive for Sharing Reconciliation (5:14-15)
 “Christ’s love (agape) compels us . . .”
      Christ’s love for ______.
      Our love for _________.
      Christ’s love through us for _________.
  Agape is sacrificial love; it is love for the unlovely. The world’s love is based on how people treat us.
  Christ’s love is undeserved toward the undeserving. God showed his love by sending his Son to die in our place on the cross.
II. The Model who is sharing reconciliation (5:16-17)
  What kind of person effectively shares this message of reconciliation?
III. The Ministry of Sharing reconciliation (5:18-19a)
  Ministry means modeling reconciliation and serving people’s needs. The word, ministry, translates diakonian which literally means “to wait on tables.”
   We are called to be servants of reconciliation.
IV. The Message of sharing reconciliation (5:19b-21)
  An ambassador brings the message of someone else. It is not our message, but God’s message through us.
What is God’s message through us?
   1. God created us for a relationship with himself.
   2. We rebelled against God and broke that relationship by disobeying God’s commands revealed in his Law.
   Our sin of defying and disobeying God has alienated us from God.
3. In God’s holy righteousness, He is angry toward sin. Our relationship with God was broken.
  God and sinners are at odds.
4. Yet, God in his love and mercy initiates the restoration of relationship and extends the hand of reconciliation.   The Bible, God’s Word, declares that God has initiated reconciliation.
  • “All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation” (v. 18).
  • “God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ” (v. 19).
5. God doesn’t overlook sin, but rather in Christ, he bears the penalty for sin and removes the barrier alienating us from God.
6. This offer of reconciliation must be received in order to be made effective (John 1:12).
  • Repent of sin.
  • Receive the forgiveness of sin.
SUMMARY: God gives . . . we receive.
  God is the AUTHOR of reconciliation.    Christ is the AGENT of reconciliation.
   We have the opportunity to ACCEPT God’s reconciliation.

More Messages from Pastor Peter Mason | Download Audio

From Series: "God’s Big Plan, for our lives today "