Sunday 05:13:12

We are called not just to love people for love’s sake, but to love people for Christ. In Paul Tripp’s book, Instruments in the Redeemer’s Hands, We are called as believers not just to be conduits, but instruments of God’s change. When we are instruments in the Redeemer’s hands, we are part of His story of redeeming people. God uses us as a combination of God’s truth and love, expressed through us to transform people. God’s word is the primary tool of change. 2 Cor 5:14-21 v. 14 Christ’s love compels us – God has captured our hearts. We have experienced the love he demonstrated at the cross. We have been accepted by him. We have marveled at his loving devotion toward us, his stubborn love for us. We know his love for us is so great, it overcame our sin. His love compels us. His love has changed us forever. v. 17 Christ’s love changes you. v. 16 Christ’s love changes your view of people. We don’t view people the same anymore. We don’t view people in classes. We’re all sinners. We see everyone as, this is someone for whom Christ died. v. 18 The incarnation of Christ is not just for us to marvel at; it is to be our example. Jesus' incarnation is a calling. Jesus’ incarnation was part of God’s agenda to bring revelation of God to mankind. v. 20 Christ’s love changes your role in relationships. The incarnation is also a calling for us to be God’s ambassadors in the lives of people around us. We are called to incarnate Christ to others. God has a higher goal for relationships than our personal happiness. He wants our relationships to result in greater avenues of his grace – for you and the people around you. What is God calling you to in your marriage? To be his ambassador. What is God calling you to as a parent? To be his ambassador. What is God calling you to regarding your friends and neighbors? To be his ambassador. What is God calling you to at work? To be his ambassador. When we forget the call to incarnate the love of Christ, we take our relationships as our own. They become about us and for us and become solely for our pleasure. We get irritated at people who interfere with this. Much of our anger is due to the fact that we are relationship thieves. People do not belong to us; they belong to God. v. 15 Your relationships are not your own; they belong to God. We represent God's purposes to the people he places in our lives. The problem is we don't like to live as ambassadors. We easily slip into "my will be done." One of the purposes of the cross is to recapture our hearts to serve God alone. Sin causes us to be incredibly self-absorbed, but Christ died to set us free from this. His goal is that our lives would be shaped by worship of him and nothing else. He has sent us as his ambassadors to make his appeal for people's hearts. v. 20b Christ’s love changes the content of your conversation. Because of Jesus’ work on the cross and his resurrection, (all) people have real hope of change. Our Redeemer is pursuing us and our hearts to be our only King. This is the basis of heart change. We offer people not a process, nor principles, nor a system, but a Redeemer. He is the message of our conversations in these relationships. He is the answer for how change happens in the heart of believers. He is the hope for change. Proverbs 10:21 The lips of the righteous nourish many, but fools die for lack of judgment. Proverbs 15:4 The tongue that brings healing is a tree of life, but a deceitful tongue crushes the spirit. Running buddy – find someone you can be in conversations with – talk about God. Talk about what you’re learning in the Scriptures. Talk about how you’re learning to apply the Scriptures in your life. Talk about your struggles and how God is helping or using them in your life. Christ’s love changes - You • your view of people. • Your role in relationships • The content of your conversations