'WHAT DO WE FIND IN CHRIST?'

2 CORINTHIANS 5:14-21

What do we have to offer this lost world by becoming a Christian? I see in this passages several things a person will find in Christ.

I-WE DISCOVER A NEW RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD:

2 Corinthians 5:19a-To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself-20b-we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God. We are no longer just part of God's creation, but part of his family.

II-WE DISCOVER A NEW REASON FOR LIVING:

2 Corinthians 5:15-And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again.

We are no longer living for the big "I", but for Jesus.

III-WE DISCOVER A NEW REMEDY FOR SIN:

2 Corinthians 5:17-Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

The world has its remedy which is turn over a new leaf. But the true remedy is found in Christ.

Illustration-Oscar Cervantes is a dramatic example of Christ's power to transform lives. As a child, Oscar began to get into trouble. Then as he got older, he was jailed 17 times for brutal crimes. Prison psychiatrists said he was beyond help. But they were wrong! During a brief interval of freedom, Oscar met an elderly man who told him about Jesus. He placed his trust in the Lord and was changed into a kind, caring man. Shortly afterward he started a prison ministry. Chaplain H. C. Warwick describes it this way: "The third Saturday night of each month is 'Oscar Night' at Soledad. Inmates come to hear Oscar and they sing gospel songs with fervor; they sit intently for over 2 hours; they come freely to the chapel altar.... What professionals had failed to do for Oscar in years of counseling, Christ did in a moment of conversion."

IV-WE DISCOVER A NEW REGARD FOR OUR FELLOWMAN:

2 Corinthians 5:20a-Now then we are ambassadors for Christ

We now love people through the eyes of Jesus. We love not after the flesh(v-16) but we love like Jesus loves.

Illustration-The term posthaste goes back to the time of Henry VIII. Postmasters were given relays of horses to carry messages for the king to important cities in England. Because some couriers were irresponsible and wasted time in taverns and inns on the way, a drastic law was put into effect demanding that every dispatch carrier should "ride for his life." The king's edict meant that anyone caught delaying his messages would be publicly hanged. Often there was drawn upon important letters the figure of a man suspended from a gallows. Beneath was this ominous warning: "Haste, post, haste! Haste for thy life!" A number of men did suffer death because of their inefficiency, but in the 19th century the practice was discontinued. However, the old expression still remains as a reminder that the utmost speed and urgency is required when the king's business is involved!

V-WE DISCOVER A NEW RESERVATION IN THE FUTURE:

2 Corinthians 5:1-For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.

When a person is born into this world, they have reservation for hell. But that changes from hell to heaven when they trust Christ and are born again.

Illustration: Eric Barker, a missionary from Great Britain, spent over 50 years in Portugal preaching the Gospel, often under adverse conditions. During World War II, the situation became so critical that he was advised to send his wife and eight children to England for safety. His sister and her three children were also evacuated on the same ship. Although his beloved relatives were forced to leave, he remained behind to carry on the work. On the Lord's Day following their departure, Pastor Barker stood before his congregation and said, "I've just received word that all my family have arrived safely home!" He then proceeded with the service as usual. Later, the full meaning of his words became known to his people. He had been handed a wire just before the meeting informing him that a submarine had torpedoed the ship, and everyone on board had drowned. He knew that because all were believers they had reached a more "desired haven." Although overwhelmed with grief, he managed by the grace of God to live above the circumstances and to stay on the firing line for Jesus. The knowledge that his family was enjoying the bliss of Heaven comforted his heart.

Conclusion-In September 1985 a celebration was being held at a New Orleans municipal pool. The party was being held to celebrate the first summer in memory without a drowning at any New Orleans city pool honor of the occasion, two hundred people gathered, including one hundred certified lifeguards. As the party was breaking up and the four lifeguards on duty began to clear the pool, they found a fully dressed body in the deep end. Jerome Moody was 31 years old. They tried to revive him, but it was too late. He had drowned surrounded by lifeguards celebrating their successful season. How many visitors and strangers are among us drowning in loneliness, hurt, and doubt, while we, who could help them, don't realize it. We Christians have reason to celebrate, but our mission, as the old hymn says, is to "rescue the perishing." And so often they are right next to us.