If I profess with the loudest voice and clearest exposition every portion of the truth of God except precisely that little point which the world and the devil are at that moment attacking, I am not confessing Christ, however boldly I may be professing Christ. Where the battle rages, there the loyalty of the soldier is proved, and to be steady on all the battlefields besides, is mere fight and disgrace if he flinches at that point.
Martin Luther
Grace Bible Church
Gbible.org
Pastor-Teacher
Robert R. McLaughlin
Friday,
December 17, 2021
The Third Commandment which is found in Exo 20:7 "You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not leave him unpunished who takes His name in vain.
One major principle which is "be who you are," "be who God made you to be" --- live as an ambassador for Christ and not in vain.
The Doctrine of Ambassadorship.
Point 1. Definition and Description. An ambassador is a high ranking minister of state or of royalty sent to another state to represent his sovereign or country that he has come from.
AMBASSADOR FOR CHRIST: All believers are made ambassadors for Christ at the moment of salvation, which means that they represent Him on this earth. At the moment of salvation every believer is made a citizen of heaven, PHI 3:20, and therefore is called to represent their King, Jesus Christ, in the foreign country that is the earth.
“The Grace Gifts Given At Salvation”, Pastor Robert R. McLaughlin.
40 of grace gifts given to us at the moment of salvation.
An ambassador for Christ is the believer as a personal representative for
the Lord Jesus Christ on earth.
Point 2. The Profile of the Ambassador.
Every Church-Age Believer has been called to “personally” represent TLJC here on earth.
- An ambassador does not appoint himself. We are appointed by God Himself at the moment we believe in Jesus Christ. God also gives us the power and ability to handle the job.
JOH 15:13 "Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends.
JOH 15:14 "You are My friends, if you do what I command you.
JOH 15:15 "No longer do I call you slaves, for the slave does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you.
JOH 15:16 "You did not choose Me, but I chose you, and appointed you, that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask of the Father in My name, He may give to you.
JOH 15:17 "This I command you, that you love one another.
For the 3rd time in this discourse, Jesus refers to the Christian obligation to love others (JOH 13:34; 15:12).
This obligation to love others is the basis for PSD #8 Impersonal Love for all mankind and it is given an extremely high standard (JOH 15:12) and involves a very practical approach.
JOH 15:12 "'This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you."
- Our love needs to “echo the character” of Christ's love.
We should realize the "love" Jesus speaks of is “practical, not emotional”.
We don't need to "feel warm thoughts" for others, -- but we do need to have impersonal love towards them even when they're hostile to us says Romans 12:17–21 and Matthew 5:43–48.
Difficult or not, “setting ourselves aside” is a major part of our spiritual growth.
Evil won't be annihilated from this world on this side of eternity.
This is what that principle means – “a right thing must be done in a right way” – otherwise your so called “good” works - will be part of that ash pile from that enormous barn fire… we will see someday.
- Our love needs to “echo the character” of Christ's love.
2. We are meant to “echo the nature” of Christ's love.
(ROM 5:1-5)
Those who truly love Christ -- will naturally follow His doctrines (JOH 14:15; 15:14).
Those who obey, and bear spiritual fruit, give evidence that they are connected to the
"True Vine" John 15:1, 4,
living in the PPOG.
Those who do not obey are giving evidence they're only "around" the truth, not a part of it
JOH 15:2.
- The ambassador does not support himself. The Church-age believer, as an ambassador for Christ, is provided for by logistical grace.
MAT 6:33 "But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added to you.
- The ambassador's instructions are always in written form, so they have no doubt as to what they should do. We have the policies, problem solving devices, instructions, principles, doctrines, and concepts in written form in the scripture.
- The ambassador does not belong to the country to which they are sent.
Our citizenship and home is in heaven.
We are also citizens of a client nation to God.
PHI 3:17 Brethren, join in following my example, and observe those who walk according to the pattern you have in us.
PHI 3:18 For many walk, of whom I often told you, and now tell you even weeping, that they are enemies of the cross of Christ,
PHI 3:19 whose end is destruction, whose god is their appetite, and whose glory is in their shame, who set their minds on earthly things.
PHI 3:20 For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ;
PHI 3:21 who will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory, by the exertion of the power that He has even to subject all things to Himself.
At the name of Jesus, every knee will bow and every tongue will confess (PHI 2:10–11).
He is the name that is above every name (PHI 2:9).
Jesus is equal with God (PHI 2:6) and all things are subject to Him.
- The ambassador does not live in the foreign country for his own personal interest. We live here on earth solely to serve in the interest of our Lord.
The ambassador does not treat any insult to himself as personal or most important. This is the royal ambassador's function in both spiritual self-esteem and impersonal love for all mankind.
When an ambassador is recalled, his recall is tantamount to a declaration of war. This is analogous to the Rapture of the church. The Tribulation is analogous to the period of war.
Point 3. The Royal Ambassadorship is Specialized and Intensified in the gift of pastor‑teacher.
All communication gifts become critical and specialized functions of the royal ambassadorship because they communicate spiritual truth.
EPH 6:19-20, for which [in verse 19 "mystery of the gospel"] I am an ambassador in chains; so that in proclaiming it [the mystery doctrine of the Gospel] I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak or "I might communicate with confidence as I ought to speak."
Point 4. The Royal Ambassadorship is Directly Related to the Evangelism of the believer, 2CO 5:20.
2CO 5:14 For the love of Christ controls us, having concluded this, that one died for all, therefore all died;
2CO 5:15 and He died for all, that they who live should no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf.
2CO 5:16 Therefore from now on we recognize no man according to the flesh; even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him thus no longer.
2CO 5:17 Therefore if any man is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.
2CO 5:18 Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ, and gave us the ministry of reconciliation,
2CO 5:19 namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation.
Reconciliation is bringing again into unity, harmony, or agreement what has been alienated.
2CO 5:20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were entreating through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.
2CO 5:21 He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
“Ambassadors for Christ” be reconciled to God through faith in Christ.
God is not holding the sins of those who come to Him through faith in Christ against them.
This verse may be the most concise presentation of the gospel in all of Scripture: 2CO 5:21 He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
Instead of "being sin" ourselves, we are given credit for Christ's righteous, sinless life.
We "become God's righteousness" and are reconciled in our relationship with Him… that's what it means to be "in Christ."
One of the main functions of the believer is to evangelize.
We are not to witness only through our lifestyle - but also through our words. -- This is our action through words…
This is dedicated to those who say "I don't say I'm a believer, I live like I am one" …
What does that mean?
An atheist can be moral.
A Muslim can quit certain sins.
A Buddhist can refrain from immorality.
PSA 50:14 "Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving, And pay your vows to the Most High;
PSA 56:12 Thy vows are binding upon me, O God; I will render thank offerings to Thee.
PSA 61:8 So I will sing praise to Thy name forever, That I may pay my vows day by day.
PSA 76:11 Make vows to the Lord your God and fulfill them; Let all who are around Him bring gifts to Him who is to be feared.
PSA 116:18 I shall pay my vows to the Lord, Oh may it be in the presence of all His people,
Matthew 5 – refers to the “Mosaic Law”
James 1 – refers to the “Law of Liberty” which is the “Law of Love”
MAT 5:13 "You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how will it be made salty again? It is good for nothing anymore, except to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men.
MAT 5:14 "You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.
MAT 5:15 "Nor do men light a lamp, and put it under the peck‑measure, but on the lampstand; and it gives light to all who are in the house.
MAT 5:16 "Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.
MAT 5:17 "Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish, but to fulfill.
MAT 5:18 "For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass away from the Law, until all is accomplished.
Despite claims of His critics like in Matthew 12:2, when the Pharisees accuse Jesus by saying His disciples were doing something “unlawful”: working on the Sabbath. His purpose was not to cast aside the words God gave to Israel.
His mission was to complete the exact mission those words were meant to explain (HEB 8:6–8).
Our Lord Jesus Christ has come to earth (MAT 1:18) with the mission of accomplishing everything in the law. Much of this He will do through His teaching, sacrificial death, and resurrection (MAR 8:31). The rest, He will finally and fully complete in bringing the kingdom of heaven to earth in the end times (MAT 26:64).
“Iota” Greek: “ιώτα”
is the smallest letter in the Greek alphabet.
Modern English continues to use this as a metaphor for the tiniest measure of something.
The word "dot" is translated from the Greek term “keraia”, referring to a tiny stroke of the pen.
In Hebrew, similar tiny marks differentiated one letter from another.
Jesus' point (MAT 5:18) is that every letter of every word in the law would remain in effect until He accomplished everything in it (HEB 9:10–11; 10:1–4).
JAM 1:21 Therefore putting aside all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness, in humility receive the word implanted, which is able to save your souls.
JAM 1:22 But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude [or doop, misguide or mislead] themselves.
JAM 1:23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror;
JAM 1:24 for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was.
JAM 1:25 But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man shall be blessed in what he does.
Why look, if you're not going to act on what you see?
Why look, if you aren't going to remember what you just saw?
James is not calling believers to see legalistic rule-following as the path to being blessed.
Jesus fulfilled the Law of Moses by obeying it perfectly Himself and in Christ, the Word has been planted in us (JAM 1:21).
That’s the “Word” that is the perfect law, the law of the love of Christ, which brings freedom.
It means that we need to stop underestimating ourselves and be the ambassadors for Christ, that God made us to be!
Point 4. The Royal Ambassadorship is Directly Related to the Evangelism of the believer, 2CO 5:14-21, EPH 6:19-20.
No matter who you are, where you have been, what you have done… You can be that light to the world!
EPH 6:19 to pray on his behalf, that utterance [expression, articulation, verbalization] may be given to him in the opening of his mouth, to make known with boldness [confidence] the mystery doctrines of the gospel,
EPH 6:20, "For which [gospel] I am an ambassador in chains, that in this [proclaiming the mystery doctrine], I might communicate with confidence as I ought to speak."
Point 5. The Royal Ambassadorship mandates the function of spiritual self‑esteem and impersonal love, Philemon 9.
PHILE:9 "Yet for love's sake, I rather appeal to you, since I am such a person as Paul, the ambassador, and now a prisoner of Jesus Christ."
When your momentum takes you to personal love for God, you now have spiritual self-esteem. And with this spiritual self-esteem comes impersonal love for all mankind. Virtue‑love is one of the great problem-solving devices.
The flesh no longer dictates us… God knows our hearts. This is the giant step to spiritual growth in the Christian life.
While personal love for God is the function of our royal priesthood, spiritual self-esteem and impersonal love for man are the function of our Royal ambassadorship.
Every believer, therefore, makes a pulpit out of his circumstances in every area of life.
Your ambassadorship is basically made up of two factors: How you live, and what you say as a result of what you think.
In private, you function under your priesthood;
In public, you function under your ambassadorship.
Point 6. The Royal Ambassadorship is also related to the Angelic Conflict.
Angels observe and rejoice when ambassadors lead others to Christ, LUK 15:3‑10.
LUK 15:3 And He told them this parable, saying,
LUK 15:4 "What man among you, if he has a hundred sheep and has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety‑nine in the open pasture, and go after the one which is lost, until he finds it?
LUK 15:5 "And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing.
LUK 15:6 "And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!'
LUK 15:7 "I tell you that in the same way, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents, than over ninety‑nine righteous persons who need no repentance.
LUK 15:8 "Or what woman, if she has ten silver coins and loses one coin, does not light a lamp and sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it?
LUK 15:9 "And when she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin which I had lost!'
LUK 15:10 "In the same way, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents."
Fallen angels are organized to resist and oppose your ambassadorship and your growth in grace, JOB 1:6, 2:1‑3; EPH 6:12.
JOB 1:6 Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them.
JOB 1:7 The Lord said to Satan, “From where do you come?” Then Satan answered the Lord and said, “From roaming about on the earth and walking around on it.”
JOB 1:8 The Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered My servant Job? For there is no one like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, fearing God and turning away from evil.”
JOB 1:9 Then Satan answered the Lord, “Does Job fear God for nothing?
JOB 1:10 Have You not made a hedge about him and his house and all that he has, on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land.
JOB 1:11 But put forth Your hand now and touch all that he has; he will surely curse You to Your face.”
JOB 1:12 Then the Lord said to Satan, “Behold, all that he has is in your power, only do not put forth your hand on him.” So Satan departed from the presence of the Lord.
JOB 2:1 Again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them to present himself before the Lord.
JOB 2:2 The Lord said to Satan, “Where have you come from?” Then Satan answered the Lord and said, “From roaming about on the earth and walking around on it.”
JOB 2:3 The Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered My servant Job? For there is no one like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man fearing God and turning away from evil. And he still holds fast his integrity, although you incited Me against him to ruin him without cause.”
JOB 2:4 Satan answered the Lord and said, “Skin for skin! Yes, all that a man has he will give for his life.
JOB 2:5 However, put forth Your hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh; he will curse You to Your face.”
JOB 2:6 So the Lord said to Satan, “Behold, he is in your power, only spare his life.”
The fact that angels are watching you as an ambassador is also found in 1Co 4:9 For, I think, God has exhibited us apostles last of all, as men condemned to death; because we have become a spectacle or a theatron] to the world, both to angels and to men.
The isagogic translation would look something like this:
1Co 4:9 "For I think God has exhibited us apostles last of all as men condemned to death [last ones into the coliseum], for we have become an amphitheater to the world, both to angels and to men."
The "amphi" of amphitheater means "on both sides" in Greek.
1TI 5:21 I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus and of His chosen angels, to maintain these principles without bias, doing nothing in a spirit of partiality.
EPH 3:10 "In order that the manifold wisdom of God might be made known through the church to rulers and authorities in the heavenlies [angels]."
The revealing of the mystery in their generation had great implications (EPH 3:3–6).
EPH 3:3 that by revelation there was made known to me the mystery, as I wrote before in brief.
EPH 3:4 By referring to this, when you read you can understand my insight into the mystery of Christ,
EPH 3:5 which in other generations was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed to His holy apostles and prophets in the Spirit;
EPH 3:6 to be specific, that the Gentiles are fellow heirs and fellow members of the body, and fellow partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel,
This specific revelation is made to "rulers and authorities in the heavenly places."
Who are these rulers and authorities?
EPH 6:12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.
In EPH 6:12, the mention of heavenly places includes the spiritual realm (EPH 6:12).
Those in the spiritual realm could only include God [Father, Son, and Spirit], holy angels, Satan, and demons.
God's wisdom is becoming known, even among angels of the spiritual realm, as a result of what is taking place through the church.
Angelic beings are not omniscient; they can learn and grow in wisdom.
1PE 1:12 "It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves, but you, in these things which now have been announced to you through those who preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven things into which angels long to look."
1PE 1:12 … "Things into which angels are watching intently."