1. Regarding nobody through a human point of view
  1. All Authority has been taken from satan and given to the church (Matthew 28: 19)
    1. God has placed all things under his (Jesus) authority 1 Corinthians 15: 27
    2. God has put all things under the authority of Christ and has made him head over all things for the benefit of the church and the church is his body; it is  made full and complete by Christ who fills all things everywhere with himself. Ephesians 1: 22,23
    3. You gave them authority over all thingsNow when it says all things it means nothing is left out.  But we have not yet seen all things put under their authority.  Whet we do see is Jesus who was given a position a little lower than the angels and because he suffered death or us he is now crowned with glory and honor. For for whom and through whom everything was made chose to bring many children into glory.  And it was only right that he should make Jesus through his suffering a perfect leader, fit to bring them into their salvation.  Hebrews 2: 8 – 10
  1. The enemy enters our lives through agreement because he has no authority
    1. Eve and serpent
    2. We empower the liar through our agreement with is lies.
      1. When we no longer recognize who we are in Christ we are aligning to his lies.
      2. We condemn ourselves when there is no longer any condemnation Romans 8: 1
      3. We are no longer powerless to sin Romans 6: 12 – 14
      4. We can no longer understand the Bible Hebrews 4: 12, 13
      5. We have no hope for the future Ephesians 2;12
    3. As we discover who we are in Christ, we will no longer want to be anyone else.
  2. All of this is a gift from God and he has given us the task of reconciling people to himself. 2 corinthians 5: 18

2. Ministry of Reconciliation Vs 18, 19

  1. Reconciled means make right between two parties.
  2. God initiates reconciliation
    1. Romans 5: 8 god commands his love toward us while we were still sinners.
  3. God doesn’t have to use us, but chooses to use us to reconcile the world.
  4. EXAMPLE: Nehemiah and rebuilding the wall of Jerusalem
    1. Why didn’t God just make the rocks move upon each other and rebuild themselves?
    2. Notice each person did what was in front of them.(See Nehemiah 3)
      1. They just did what was in front of them and the whole wall was built
      2. God thought it was important enough task to put their names down for eternity
  5. Don’t think too big.  Be faithful with what is in front of us and we will be lead to the next step.
  6. Hard part of reconciliation is not to bring the hurt person to the table, but the offending party has to acknowledge that they were and are doing wrong..
  7. A concept is shared here that will be expanded int he next chapter.  GOD WAS IN CHRIST
    1. We also have God the Holy Spirit in us
    2. God entrust precious things to those he trusts
    3. When an honored guest comes into our homes we make adjustments for them.
  8. We who are recipients of God’s grace must share that grace with others
    1. Colossians 1: 20 – 23
    2. Must believe this truth
    3. Must proclaim it around the world.

3. We are Christ’s ambassadors Vs 20

  1. We are priests called to serve God
    1. Old Testament they were always looking forward to being a priest
      1. Exodus 19: 6 You will be for me a kingdom of Priests
      2. Isaiah 61: 6 You will be called priests of the Lord
    2. Now we are priests Revelation 5: 10
  2. A Priest has two ministries
    1. To God
    2. To People
  3. Ambassadors are not governed by the laws of the land
    1. Where ever they walk, they are brining their own nation with them.
    2. They have diplomatic immunity
  4. There can be a MISUNDERSTOOD ARROGANCE for those who really know who they are in Christ.
  5. God sends a man to answer the cries of the people
    1. Exodus 2: 15 – 25
    2. 2 Samuel 5: 1 – 12
    3. Could it be that you are uniquely positioned in this world because of the cry of other people? Bill Johnson

4. Christ died for the world Vs 21

  1. The answer to people’s problems is a heart issue
  2. We share the message come back to God.