Sermon Outline: Sage vs. substitute Achieving vs. receiving (2 Cor. 5:16-17) Retribution vs. redemption (2 Cor. 5:18-19) Self-expression vs. self-sacrifice (2 Cor. 5:20) The Good News (2 Cor. 5:21) [Sage vs. substitute]: Fundamentally, did Jesus come to teach us (sage) or to save us from the penalty of sin (substitute)? Jesus as a sage leads to a false gospel of good advice. Jesus as our substitute leads to the true Gospel of good news. [Achieving vs. receiving]: Because Jesus takes our place and gives us His righteousness, our identity is not something we anxiously achieve. Instead, it’s something we humbly receive. We are no longer defined by our worldly list of “data,” like socio-economic status, legal record, or pedigree. We are a new creation in Christ by the power of the resurrection. [Retribution vs. redemption]: God’s heart toward us is so compassionate. He delights in not holding our sins against us. He reconciles us to Himself through Christ, and He invites us into the ministry of reconciliation. The false gospel of good advice will cause us to fixate on retribution toward others: “I’m following Jesus’ advice, why aren’t they? I can’t wait for God to teach them a lesson.” But the true Gospel of good news softens our hearts so we long to see others redeemed: “If God delights in not holding my sin against me, if He is deeply compassionate toward me, why would I withhold that from others?“ [Self-expression vs. self-sacrifice]: We are ambassadors for Christ. We represent Him. The Gospel frees us from the exhausting work of representing ourselves – discovering ourselves, finding ourselves, expressing ourselves, fulfilling ourselves, satisfying ourselves: this is the language of our culture, and it traps us in such a small world. Instead, the good news empowers us to joyfully deny ourselves for the sake of faithfully representing the heart of God. [The Good News]: The most beautiful Person in the universe became radically ugly so we could receive His beauty. He who knew no sin became sin, so that we could become the righteousness of God. Sample Questions for GCs: In your own words, work together on answering this question: Why is Christianity a horrible burden if Jesus is primarily a sage or teacher instead of a substitute? Read verse 16. What does it look like to know someone from only a worldly perspective? What worldly “data” are you tempted to judge people by? Consider this question – If you relentlessly expressed yourself and your inner desires so that people around you could experience the “authentic you,” would that be more of an act of love toward them, or toward yourself? Now discuss some differences between being an ambassador for yourself vs. an ambassador for Christ. In Jesus Christ, you are the righteousness of God! How does this good news help you make progress in fighting your sinful tendencies and character flaws with joy?