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The Core Value of Mission ~ 2 Corinthians 5:14-21!

November 9, 2014 ~ New City Church of Calgary ~ Pastor John Ferguson!

Intro: In the summer of 2010, a handful of us were captured by the idea of what it would mean to start a church
that existed not for itself, but for others. Would it be possible to position ourselves in the city in such a way that
we could be a place where people from all sorts of backgrounds and experiences and beliefs could come and
explore who Jesus is and what he has to offer?!

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Why do we exist? New City Church is a worshiping community that exists to make the Gospel of the Lord
Jesus Christ known among all the people of Calgary in the hope of seeing the joy and peace of Christs
Kingdom come to our great city.!

We are at the end of a three part series on the core values of NCC: Gospel, Community, & Mission. These are
three gifts given to the person who believes in Jesus, but they are also three gifts that need to be unwrapped.
And oftentimes, a person doesnt understand the full implicationsIOW, there has to be a conversion to each.!

Context: Youve got to understand the man who is writing this. Paul was a religious extremist. I persecuted
the church of God violently and tried to destroy it (Gal. 1:13.).!

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14 For the love of Christ controls us, !
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1. controls = compels / constrains / urges us on. Greek = surrounds / presses in.!
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2. For Paul, the love of Christ is the atmosphere in which he lives.!
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Not the wrath of God, not the disappointment of Christ, not his embarrassment, but his love!!
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1 Timothy 1:12-13, I thank him who has given me strength, Christ Jesus our Lord, because he
judged me faithful, appointing me to his service, though formerly I was a blasphemer, persecutor, and
insolent opponent. But I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief, and the grace of
our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.!
All I Have Is Christ, But as I ran my hell-bound race Indifferent to the cost / You looked upon my
helpless state And led me to the cross / And I beheld Gods love displayed You suffered in my place /
You bore the wrath reserved for me Now all I know is grace!
Thats why we started NCC 4 years ago, b/c Christs love compelled us, and we wanted to create an
environment in which people can learn about him and come to know his love and grace. Why would
anyone resist the message of the Gospel? John 3:16! !

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because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; !
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1. concluded = convinced (NIV); remember, Paul did not originally believe this. !
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2. Christ died for all = Jew/ Gentile; rich/ poor; men / women; boys / girls; red & yellow / black & white!
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3. therefore all died = principle of substitution!
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1 Peter 3:18, For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous of the unrighteous, that he might
bring us to God.!

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15 and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their
sake died and was raised. !

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1. Jesus transforms the reason for living from self-centered living to Christ-centered living. !
2. Matthew 16:25-26, For whoever would save his life will lose it, but who ever loses his life for my sake
will find it. For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a
man give in return for his soul?!

18 All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of
reconciliation; !

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1. God took the initiative to reconcile us to himself because we were not able to reconcile ourselves to
him.!
God is holy, I am not. God is pure, I am impure. God is sinless, I am sinful. God was offended, I was
the offender. He is just, I am unjust. He is faithful, I am a rebel. He is perfect, and I am full of
imperfections. !
I once was lost in darkest night / yet thought I knew the way / The sin that promised joy and life had
led me to the grave / I had no hope that you would own a rebel to your will / And if you had not loved
me first I would refuse you still.!
2. the ministry of reconciliation = the service, the task of reconciliation. IOW, God is saying, Now that
you are reconciled, I want you to partner with me in helping others understand what I have done for
people like them. I want you to join me in helping others understand the implications of the gospel for
themselves.!

19 that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against
them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. !

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1. How does God go about reconciling the world to himself? In Christ he was not counting their trespasses
/ sins against us. The one thing that stands in the way of our reconciliation is your sin. And I gave my
Son who willingly took the sins of the world upon himself so that the obstacle could be removed. !
2. entrusting to us the message of reconciliation Brilliant move on Gods part. Why? Because those
who know the joy of being reconciled are the best ones to share the Good News of reconciliation.!
1 Timothy 1:14-16, The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus
came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost. But I received mercy for this reason,
that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those
who were to believe in him for eternal life.!

20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on
behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. !

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1. The ambassadors task: clearly communicate the message. God is making his appeal through us. !

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Main Idea: We value mission because God has entrusted to us the ministry of reconciliation. !

2. The message: be reconciled to God. He is willing to not count your sins against you. He is willing to
grant you a full pardon. He longs to give new lifeeternal life. He desires reconciliation.!

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Application: !

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Be reconciled to God.!
Turn from living for yourself; trust in what Jesus has done for people like you.!
If God reconciles you are reconciled!!
Live intentionally for Christ.!
(1) A Christian is a person who follows Christ, who adopts Christs agenda for his / her own life. A Christian
is one who strives to bring every area of life under the lordship of Christ. We live for him who loved us
and gave himself for us. !
(2) The person who grasps the gospel now says, Christ died for me. Therefore, I will live for him.!

Adopt a missional mindset. !

(1) We exist for mission and not for comfort.!
(2) The reason why there is a mission in the first place is because God is a missionary God. The reason
why there is a ministry of reconciliation is because God is a reconciling God. This is his heart. This is
his mission. And he calls us to participate. !
Its not so much that God has a mission for his church but that God has a church for his mission. !
NCC is a missional outpost to this city. Weve been entrusted with the message of reconciliation. !
(2) John Dickson, The Best Kept Secret of Christian Mission, The best kept secret of Christian mission is !
that the bible lists a whole range of activities that promote Christ to the world and draw others to him. !

with our prayers for the mission, for our friends and neighbor, for more workers!
with our financial partnerships in supporting the work of the gospel!
by adorning the gospel with our lives, (lives worth questioning & offer answers worth hearing)!
in our daily conversation; let your conversation be always full of grace (Col. 4:6)!
through our public praise!

Conclusion: Weve looked at our three core values that comprise the DNA of NCC: gospel, community, and
mission. !

These are all gifts given to the Christian, but in a very real sense, we need to be converted to each one. IOW,
we need to buy in to all three. !

Where are you in terms of your buy in to these three core facets of what it means to be a Christian?

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