Speaker 1: This weekend, I want us to look at the word ambassador.
Speaker 1: The Bible says in Second Corinthians five point twenty, we
Speaker 1: are Christ's ambassadors. If you're taking note, circle that word.
Speaker 1: We are Christ's ambassadors. Now, what is an ambassador. Well,
Speaker 1: an ambassador is a representative send out on a mission
Speaker 1: to build relationships. That's usually what an ambassador is, a
Speaker 1: representative sent out on a mission in order to build relationships. Now,
Speaker 1: there are political ambassadors, there are economic and business and ambassadors.
Speaker 1: There are cultural ambassadors, there are goodwill ambassadors. And the
Speaker 1: Bible says there are spiritual ambassadors. And we are Christ ambassadors.
Speaker 1: If you are a follower of Christ, the Bible says
Speaker 1: you are an ambassador for Him in the world. So
Speaker 1: what I want us to do this week three things.
Speaker 1: I want us to look at the role of an ambassador.
Speaker 1: I want us to look at the responsibilities of an ambassador.
Speaker 1: And I want us to look at the rewards for
Speaker 1: being an ambassador of Jesus Christ. Let's get right into
Speaker 1: it first. What is my role as an ambassador? Well,
Speaker 1: what it means. Number one, it means that if I'm
Speaker 1: an ambassador, I am a representative of Jesus. I am
Speaker 1: a representative of Jesus. I represent Jesus in the world. Now,
Speaker 1: to understand this, you need to understand the difference between
Speaker 1: your career and your calling. You need to know the
Speaker 1: difference between your job and your vocation. Now, the word
Speaker 1: vocation comes from the Latin word vosay, which is the
Speaker 1: word for voice. We get the word vocal from it,
Speaker 1: like a vocalist or a vocation. It means you're calling.
Speaker 1: It has to do with your voice. Now. I was
Speaker 1: talking to somebody a while back and I said, what
Speaker 1: do you do? It's a person I just met us,
Speaker 1: and what do you do? And they said, well, I'm
Speaker 1: actually an ambassador for Jesus disguised as a businessman. I
Speaker 1: talked to a woman one time. She said, I'm an
Speaker 1: ambassador for Jesus disguised as a professional basketball coach. So
Speaker 1: what's your disguise. You are an ambassador for Jesus. If
Speaker 1: you're a follower of Christ, that's your primary calling. You're
Speaker 1: an ambassador for Jesus. But you may be disguised as
Speaker 1: a mom, as a nurse, as a truck driver, as
Speaker 1: a mechanic, as a realtor, as a salesman or whatever.
Speaker 1: That's your job, that's your career, but that's not your calling,
Speaker 1: it's not your vocation. The Bible says this on the
Speaker 1: screen tewod Timothy Chapter one. God saved us and called
Speaker 1: us to be his own people, not because of what
Speaker 1: we have done, but because of his own grace and purpose.
Speaker 1: And I notice it says he is called. He has
Speaker 1: called us. What's your calling? This week? I looked up
Speaker 1: the phrase calling and what we're called to do in
Speaker 1: the Bible, and the Bible says this in Romans one seven,
Speaker 1: and we're called to be his people. John fifteen, we're
Speaker 1: called to be God's friend. First Corinthians one, we're called
Speaker 1: to be holy, and we're called into fellowship. The Bible
Speaker 1: says in Second Corinthians five, we're called to speak for Christ.
Speaker 1: Galatians five were called to serve each other, and Colossians
Speaker 1: three were called to live in peace. Romans eighth, chapter eight,
Speaker 1: verse twenty eight says we're called in verse twenty nine,
Speaker 1: called to become like Jesus for God's purpose. Verse Peter two,
Speaker 1: we're called to suffer for him. In First Peter three,
Speaker 1: we're called to bless those who curse us Firs. Timothy
Speaker 1: one says we're called to eternal life, and second Thessalonians
Speaker 1: two says we're called to share His glory. That's your calling.
Speaker 1: It's not your career, but it's your calling. If you
Speaker 1: are a follower of Jesus Christrist, you are a representative
Speaker 1: of Jesus Christ. You are an ambassador. You have an assignment,
Speaker 1: and your assignment is to build relationships. Now, if you're
Speaker 1: going to follow Jesus as an ambassador, it's going to
Speaker 1: have to affect the way you live. It's going to
Speaker 1: radically change the way you live. In fact, the Bible
Speaker 1: says this Philippians one twenty seven, be sure that you
Speaker 1: live in a way that brings honor to the good
Speaker 1: News of Christ. Says, if you're going to be ambassador,
Speaker 1: you're going to be a representative of Jesus. You got
Speaker 1: to live like it. You can't just name the name
Speaker 1: without playing the game. You've got to back it up
Speaker 1: with your life. We need to remember that we represent Jesus.
Speaker 1: Many years ago, when I was a high school student,
Speaker 1: I was selected as one of eight students in this
Speaker 1: state in California to be ambassadors to the International Congress
Speaker 1: on Science and the Environment. And they said it's going
Speaker 1: to be eight high school students and you're going for
Speaker 1: a week, all expenses paid. We're giving an unlimited credit
Speaker 1: line and no chaperones. What a life. And so I'm
Speaker 1: one of the eight ambassadors from the state of California
Speaker 1: as a high school student to go to this Congress.
Speaker 1: As I'm walking out the door, my dad says to me, son,
Speaker 1: remember who you represent. Remember who you represent. I didn't
Speaker 1: just represent California. I represented the Warren name. And I
Speaker 1: didn't just represent the Warren name. I represented Jesus Christ.
Speaker 1: I think it's a good phrase we need to ask
Speaker 1: ourselves quite frequently as we get up in the morning,
Speaker 1: when you're going out for the day's remember who you represent? Now,
Speaker 1: the Bible says the Ephesians, Chapter four, this live a
Speaker 1: life worthy of the calling you have received. And I
Speaker 1: have been called to represent Jesus in the world, and
Speaker 1: so have you. This is not just for pastors, it's
Speaker 1: for every believer. Now, Number two, an ambassador not only
Speaker 1: represents someone. Number two. I've been given a mission. That's
Speaker 1: the second thing an ambassador does. You're given a mission.
Speaker 1: Ambassadors are sent on diplomatic missions. In fact, the embassies
Speaker 1: where ambassadors work are called permanent missions. I've been in
Speaker 1: many of them around the world, in many capitals of
Speaker 1: different countries. I've been to the American embassy. And usually
Speaker 1: when we go into a major city, a major like
Speaker 1: a capital, we'll get invited to the embassy just to
Speaker 1: meet with everybody. And they're called the permanent mission, the
Speaker 1: permanent mission to China, the permanent mission to Australia, the
Speaker 1: permanent mission to Israel, mission whatever. Because the word mission
Speaker 1: is what an ambassador does. Now, Jesus said this in
Speaker 1: John seventeen. He said, in the same way that you
Speaker 1: Father gave me a mission in the world, I give
Speaker 1: them a mission in the world. Did you know that
Speaker 1: you have a mission that the moment you step across
Speaker 1: the line spiritually and you become a follower of Jesus,
Speaker 1: God has a mission for your life, and that is
Speaker 1: to be his ambassador. Now, when you're on a mission, friends,
Speaker 1: that's all it matters. You're not there to see the scenery,
Speaker 1: you're not there to take pictures, you're not there to
Speaker 1: try the local cuisine. As an ambassador, you're there on
Speaker 1: a mission. Now of all of the missions in the world,
Speaker 1: the most important mission of all is helping people get
Speaker 1: to know God and settle their eternal destiny, because they're
Speaker 1: only going to be on earth for sixty eighty years,
Speaker 1: but they're going to be an eternity for trillions of years.
Speaker 1: And so our mission, the mission of ambassadors of Christ,
Speaker 1: is more important than any other mission, than a mission
Speaker 1: to the moon or a mission to some other country.
Speaker 1: The Bible says this. Paul says, I don't care about
Speaker 1: my own life. The most important thing is that I
Speaker 1: complete my mission, the work that the Lord Jesus gave
Speaker 1: me to tell other people the good news about God's grace.
Speaker 1: He says, my job is to complete my mission. At
Speaker 1: the end of his life, Paul said, I finished the race.
Speaker 1: He completed his mission. He said, I did what God
Speaker 1: told me to do. Are you going to be able
Speaker 1: to do that? One day, when you stand before God,
Speaker 1: He's going to say, did you complete the mission I
Speaker 1: gave you? Oh? Oh, I didn't even know I had one? Well, yeah,
Speaker 1: you did you think I put you on earth just
Speaker 1: to live for yourself? No, I put you on earth
Speaker 1: for a mission. Now, the Bible says, not only am
Speaker 1: I given the responsibility of representing Jesus. And not only
Speaker 1: do I have a mission number three, this is really important.
Speaker 1: I have been given authority to speak. I've been given
Speaker 1: authority to speak. Now. Sometimes, you know, we don't feel
Speaker 1: very confident in talking about God to other people, and
Speaker 1: maybe we feel a little insecure or a little unsure,
Speaker 1: a little timid, little hesitant. We go, who am I
Speaker 1: to talk to anybody about Jesus? You know, I don't
Speaker 1: know what to say. I don't know how to say it.
Speaker 1: I'm not a professional witnesser or whatever. I don't know
Speaker 1: what to do. But God says, nope, you're authorized. And
Speaker 1: he says, whenever I ask you to do something and
Speaker 1: I ask you to represent me, and I ask you
Speaker 1: to have a mission, and I ask you to speak
Speaker 1: for me, he said, I'm going to empower you to
Speaker 1: do it. And in Matthew twenty eight, Jesus said this,
Speaker 1: I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth.
Speaker 1: Circle the phrase all authority. I've been given all authority
Speaker 1: in heaven. Obviously, God has all the authority in the universe,
Speaker 1: and he says He's given it to his son Jesus Christ.
Speaker 1: And he says Therefore, because I've been given all authority,
Speaker 1: he says, I'm going to authorize you. Therefore, go to
Speaker 1: all people everywhere and make them my disciples, baptize them
Speaker 1: in the name of the Father and the Son and
Speaker 1: the Holy Spirit, and teach them to obey everything I've
Speaker 1: commanded you. And he goes, you can count on this.
Speaker 1: I will be with you always. Now that verse is
Speaker 1: called the Great Commission. It is our commission. It is
Speaker 1: our mission in life. And the Great Commission was not
Speaker 1: given to pastors, it was not given to missionaries. It
Speaker 1: was not given to priests or elders or professional evangelists.
Speaker 1: The Great commission Jesus gave to every one of his followers.
Speaker 1: It's your commission. And one day God's going to say,
Speaker 1: did you do the commission I gave you? Did you
Speaker 1: do the mission? Somebody gave you the good news because
Speaker 1: they represented me to you. Did you pass it on?
Speaker 1: Did you share it with anybody else? And he said,
Speaker 1: I have all the authority, and I'm authorizing you to speak.
Speaker 1: One of the things that God wants us to do,
Speaker 1: and he says that over and over scripture is to
Speaker 1: practice gratitude. I don't know if you've ever noticed that
Speaker 1: the more grateful a person is, the happier they are.
Speaker 1: That's the power of gratitude. Now I've put together a
Speaker 1: brand new Bible study called the Power of Gratitude, and
Speaker 1: in it you'll find scriptures and teaching and exercises that
Speaker 1: will help you develop the habit of gratitude. You'll discover
Speaker 1: how to state in God's will, how to defeat discouragement,
Speaker 1: how to conquer complaining, how to reduce stress, and how
Speaker 1: to experience God's blessing through gratitude. So, today, when you
Speaker 1: partner with me by giving a gift, a financial gift
Speaker 1: to Daily Hope to help us take the certain hope
Speaker 1: of Jesus to people all around the world, I'm going
Speaker 1: to have my team send you the Power of Gratitude
Speaker 1: Bible Study. I just want to say thanks to you.
Speaker 1: I'm going to be grateful for you. You know your support
Speaker 1: is essential for us taking the Daily Hope message of
Speaker 1: Jesus all around the world. There's a term that's often
Speaker 1: used in foreign affairs called plenty potentiary. It's a Latin
Speaker 1: phrase that literally means full power. And what a plenty
Speaker 1: potentiary is is it's somebody who is authorized to represent
Speaker 1: a government with offers without having to check back with
Speaker 1: anybody else. A plenty potentiary is someone who can negotiate
Speaker 1: on the behalf of a country without having to say
Speaker 1: I'll get back to you. During the Revolutionary War, John
Speaker 1: Adams and Benjamin Franklin were both plenty potentiaries to both
Speaker 1: France and to England, which means they were authorized by
Speaker 1: our young government to sign treaties well that haven't even
Speaker 1: to be approved by Congress. That's how much power they
Speaker 1: were given. And they were saying, we give you the
Speaker 1: authorization to make the offer in our behalf without having
Speaker 1: to check back with us. Now, historically, the people who
Speaker 1: have this ability, there's a word for them. They're called ministers.
Speaker 1: Now when we think of minister today here in America,
Speaker 1: we think of pastors and we think of people in churches.
Speaker 1: But around the world minister is often a potentiary. For instance,
Speaker 1: we talk about a minister of State or a minute
Speaker 1: mister of commerce, or a minister of foreign affairs or
Speaker 1: a prime minister. We don't use these terms in America.
Speaker 1: We use the term president. We use a secretary of State,
Speaker 1: secretary of commerce, secretary of foreign affairs things like that,
Speaker 1: But most of the world uses the word minister, and
Speaker 1: a minister is somebody who has been authorized to act
Speaker 1: on behalf of somebody else. Well, that's really a cool thing,
Speaker 1: because the Bible says that you you are authorized as
Speaker 1: a minister of Jesus Christ. Every Christian is an authorized
Speaker 1: minister of Jesus Christ. You're not a pastor, you're not
Speaker 1: a priest, you're not a full time Christian worker, but
Speaker 1: every believer is a minister. The Bible teaches us over
Speaker 1: and over and he says, you are authorized to speak
Speaker 1: on my behalf. You don't have to go check with
Speaker 1: anybody else. You can talk in the name of Christ
Speaker 1: to other people. And he says, you represent me. I've
Speaker 1: given you a mission, and I'm giving you the authority
Speaker 1: to speak. Now, there's one other thing you need to
Speaker 1: remember as an ambassador number four, and it's this, I
Speaker 1: serve in a foreign culture. You've probably never thought about this,
Speaker 1: but if you are a believer, a follower of Jesus Christ,
Speaker 1: your home is not on earth. Your home is in heaven.
Speaker 1: Your homeland is in heaven, and your identity is in eternity.
Speaker 1: So he's saying this isn't my home. And as an ambassador,
Speaker 1: I'm simply on a short term assignment. Now, where does
Speaker 1: an ambassador live in their home country or in a
Speaker 1: foreign country? They live in a foreign country. So for instance,
Speaker 1: America's ambassador to China lives in China, and America's ambassador
Speaker 1: to Japan lives in Japan. They don't get to live
Speaker 1: in their home country. Ambassadors don't live in their home country.
Speaker 1: They live in somebody else's country. In fact, they often
Speaker 1: live in enemy territory. During the Cold War, American ambassadors
Speaker 1: lived in all the communist nations even though they were enemies.
Speaker 1: And we're actually trying to bring us down. And so
Speaker 1: an ambassador will often live not just in a foreign
Speaker 1: country or culture, but in an alien or enemy culture.
Speaker 1: And he says, that's what you are as an ambassador
Speaker 1: of Jesus Christ. This world is not your home. You're
Speaker 1: just passing through. He said, you were made for eternity,
Speaker 1: you were made for heaven. If you want to go
Speaker 1: out and read on this. In the first seven chapters
Speaker 1: of Purpose Jove in Life, I talk about this in detail,
Speaker 1: and the Bible says this in one Peter chapter one.
Speaker 1: Here on the screen if you call God your father,
Speaker 1: he says, live your time as temporary residents on earthbassador.
Speaker 1: And I've met a lot of ambassadors around the world.
Speaker 1: They don't buy a permanent home, whether they live in
Speaker 1: Paris or in uh you know, Rio de Janeiro or
Speaker 1: anywhere else. They rent. Why because they know I'm just
Speaker 1: an ambassador. And when the next administration comes in, they're
Speaker 1: going to appoint a new ambassador, So they say, we're
Speaker 1: not going to stay here for the rest of our lives.
Speaker 1: Nobody moves to a country and then lives there their
Speaker 1: entire lives. If they're an ambassador, you're there on short
Speaker 1: term assignment, and you're in a foreign culture, and you're
Speaker 1: not really in your home homeland. What Jesus is saying
Speaker 1: here is, don't get too comfortable living in this world.
Speaker 1: You're just an ambassador. You're just an ambassador. Don't get
Speaker 1: too comfortable. Don't think that this life is all there
Speaker 1: is here on Earth. Don't get sucked into the myth
Speaker 1: that you know all there is is the hearing now,
Speaker 1: And don't forget your role. Your role is not to
Speaker 1: create a little cushy pad and make your life as
Speaker 1: comfortable as possible. That's not your role. Your role is
Speaker 1: an ambassador. Your role is to represent me, to fulfill
Speaker 1: your mission, and to speak in My name with authority,
Speaker 1: and you're doing it in foreign territory. The Bible says
Speaker 1: this in Philippians chapter three. Here on the screen, comparing
Speaker 1: believers and unbelievers, he says, all the other people think
Speaker 1: about is life on earth. They're not thinking about eternity.
Speaker 1: They're not thinking about what's after this. They're just thinking
Speaker 1: about here and now. Get all you can, can all
Speaker 1: you get, sit on the can and spoil the rest.
Speaker 1: You know, the one with the most toys wins. Now
Speaker 1: the one with the most toys still dies. And your
Speaker 1: valuable and your value is not have nothing to do,
Speaker 1: and your self worth and your net worth have nothing
Speaker 1: in common. Life is not about the acquisition of things.
Speaker 1: So he says, don't get caught up in the thing
Speaker 1: that you think that life is all about things. The
Speaker 1: greatest things in life aren't things, he says. Other people,
Speaker 1: they're always thinking about what life is like here on earth.
Speaker 1: He said, you are citizens in heaven. We are citizens
Speaker 1: of heaven where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And this
Speaker 1: really isn't our ultimate home. We really, our ultimate home
Speaker 1: is in heaven. You're only going to be here for
Speaker 1: eighty years. You're on temporary assignment. Now, what am I
Speaker 1: supposed to do while I'm here? Have you ever thought
Speaker 1: about this? After you become a believer, after you accept
Speaker 1: God's salvation, once your sins are forgiven, and you know
Speaker 1: you're going to heaven, why didn't God just take you
Speaker 1: on right then? Have you ever thought about that? I mean,
Speaker 1: once you're saved, why didn't God just kill you? Yeah?
Speaker 1: I mean because ultimately you're going to heaven anyway, why
Speaker 1: should he leave you here for another twenty thirty, forty
Speaker 1: or however many years? It is with all its sins, suffering, sorrow, sadness, depression, despair, discouragement, problem,
Speaker 1: pressures and difficulties and trials and tribulations and tears. And
Speaker 1: if you're gonna go to a perfect place anyway, why
Speaker 1: doesn't He just take you there the moment he knows
Speaker 1: for sure you've accepted the invitation. Once you're in, why
Speaker 1: does he leave you here on earth? To be an ambassador?
Speaker 1: That's why, to be an ambassador. You see, there's only
Speaker 1: two things you can't do in heaven you can have
Speaker 1: fun in heaven. You can sleep in heaven, you can
Speaker 1: rest in heaven. You can fellowship with other people in heaven.
Speaker 1: You can pray, you can worship, you can be creative
Speaker 1: in heaven. You can eat in heaven, and no calories.
Speaker 1: All right, there are only two things you cannot do
Speaker 1: in heaven. One of them is sin, because it's a
Speaker 1: perfect place, and the other is be an ambassador to unbelievers,
Speaker 1: tell people who don't know the good news the good news.
Speaker 1: So there's two things you can't do in heaven, sin
Speaker 1: and share your faith. Which of those two do you
Speaker 1: think God leaves you here to do? Hmm, let's just
Speaker 1: think about that one for a minute. Why does he
Speaker 1: leave you here on earth? He leaves you here to
Speaker 1: tell somebody else you're going to go to heaven because
Speaker 1: somebody told you. Have you been an ambassador to anybody else? Now,
Speaker 1: that's the role of an ambassador. I'm a representative, and
Speaker 1: I am you know, I'm authorized to speak, and I've
Speaker 1: been given a mission to tell the good news to
Speaker 1: other people. And I got to remember that it's just
Speaker 1: a temporary assignment and this really isn't ultimately my home.
Speaker 1: So what am I supposed to do well. The Bible
Speaker 1: says three things. So let's look at it. As an ambassador.
Speaker 1: You have three responsibilities here on earth, and these are
Speaker 1: the things that God wants you to do as an ambassador.
Speaker 1: Number one, I must be an example. I must set
Speaker 1: an example for other people. The first thing God wants
Speaker 1: you to do is help other people know what God
Speaker 1: is like by being example of his character qualities love, joy, peace, patience, gentleness, goodness, faithfulness, kindness, meekness,
Speaker 1: self control. Now, the Bible says this in First Peter,
Speaker 1: Chapter two. People who do not believe are living all
Speaker 1: around you. That's kind of obvious. People who do not
Speaker 1: believe are living all around you, and they might say
Speaker 1: you're doing wrong. So live such good lives that they'll
Speaker 1: see the good things you do, and we'll give glory
Speaker 1: to God. What's he saying there? The first job of
Speaker 1: an ambassador, whether it's of a country or of Jesus,
Speaker 1: is you set a good example. He set a good example. Now,
Speaker 1: I took a team to Latin America, and we went
Speaker 1: to Columbia and to Brazil, into Uruguay and a bunch
Speaker 1: of different places. One of the places we went to
Speaker 1: was Argentina. And while we were in Argentina, we were
Speaker 1: in Buenos Aires and the US embassy heard that the
Speaker 1: team from Saddleback was in town and they asked us
Speaker 1: to come over and meet the ambassador who wanted to
Speaker 1: meet our team. So we went over to the embassy
Speaker 1: in Buenos Aires, and the guy was quite a nice guy.
Speaker 1: He had been an ambassador to several different countries in
Speaker 1: his lifetime, stationed at different missions, and so I was
Speaker 1: asking about what it was like to be an ambassador,
Speaker 1: and I said, what is the most difficult part of
Speaker 1: being an ambassador? He said, the fact is you're never
Speaker 1: off duty. You're always being watched. He said, no matter
Speaker 1: what I do, I represent Jesus Christ. My job is
Speaker 1: not an eight hour not a Jesus Christ. I represent
Speaker 1: the United States of America. He was a Christian, but
Speaker 1: that wasn't what he was saying. He was saying, everywhere
Speaker 1: I go, people look at me, and for many people,
Speaker 1: I'm the only American they know, so they look at me.
Speaker 1: And he said, if I had an eight hour job,
Speaker 1: I can go home at night and that. But he said,
Speaker 1: if after work I go out to a restaurant, people
Speaker 1: are watching isn't that the ambassador of the United States,
Speaker 1: And they see if I'm cranky to the waitress, if
Speaker 1: I'm an ugly American and I'm demanding and I'm grouchy,
Speaker 1: or if I'm egotistical or act like a prima donna.
Speaker 1: He said, We're always on, We're always being watched, We're
Speaker 1: always representing our country. What if you lived your life
Speaker 1: like that, that you realize that you're always on as
Speaker 1: an ambassador of Jesus Christ, then no matter where you go,
Speaker 1: you are the only Christians some people will ever know.
Speaker 1: One of the things that God wants us to do,
Speaker 1: and he says that over and over scripture, is to
Speaker 1: practice gratitude. I don't know if you've ever noticed that
Speaker 1: the more grateful a person is, the happier they are.
Speaker 1: That's the power of gratitude. Now I've put together a
Speaker 1: brand new Bible study called the Power of Gratitude, and
Speaker 1: in it you'll find scriptures and teaching and exercises that
Speaker 1: will help you develop the habit of gratitude. You'll discover
Speaker 1: how to state in God's will, how to defeat discouragement,
Speaker 1: how to conquer complaining, how to reduce stress, and how
Speaker 1: to experience God's blessing through gratitude. So today when you
Speaker 1: partner with me by giving a gift, a financial gift
Speaker 1: to Daily Hope to help us take the certain Hope
Speaker 1: of Jesus to people all around the world, I'm going
Speaker 1: to have my team send you the Power of Gratitude
Speaker 1: Bible study. I just want to say thanks to you.
Speaker 1: I want to be grateful for you. You know your
Speaker 1: support is essential for us taking the Daily Hope message
Speaker 1: of Jesus all around the world.