1) Paul persuades people by knowing God and their conscience, not commending himself. 2) He is controlled by Christ's love who died for all, so all can be made new in Christ. 3) God reconciles all to himself through Christ's death and makes us ambassadors to spread reconciliation.

1. RECONCILIATION
2 Corinthians 5.11-21

2. PERSUADING PEOPLE
2 Corinthians 5.11 Therefore, knowing the fear of the
Lord, we persuade men; but what we are is known
to God, and I hope it is known also to your
conscience.
 Knowing how to fear God
 Knowing that God knows us
 Knowing others through our conscience

3. COMMENDATION
2 Corinthians 5.12 We are not commending ourselves to you
again but giving you cause to be proud of us, so that you
may be able to answer those who pride themselves on a
man's position and not on his heart.
 We persuade men to come to Christ
 We are not commending ourselves
 We commend people not based on their social status or
appearance but what is in their heart

4. COMMENDATION
“We do not say this, as if we thought there was any need
of again recommending ourselves to you, but to give you
an occasion of rejoicing and praising God, and to furnish
you with an answer to those false apostles who glory in
appearance, but not in heart, being condemned by their
own conscience.”
(from John Wesley's commentary on the whole Bible produced
between 1754 and 1765)

5. UNDER CHRIST’S CONTROL
2 Corinthians 5.13 For if we are beside ourselves, it is for
God; if we are in our right mind, it is for you. 14 For the
love of Christ controls us, because we are convinced that
one has died for all; therefore all have died.
How others may see us:
 We are beside ourselves (not in character; strange; over
passionate)
 We are controlled by the love of Christ
 We are convinced that one has died for all

6. UNDER CHRIST’S CONTROL
“For if we are transported beyond ourselves - Or at least,
appear so to others, speaking or writing with uncommon
vehemence. It is to God - He understands (if men do not)
the emotion which He himself inspires. If we be sober, if I
proceed in a more calm, sedate manner, it is for your sakes
- Even good men bear this, rather than the other method,
in their teachers. But these must obey God, whoever is
offended by it.”
(from John Wesley's commentary on the whole Bible produced
between 1754 and 1765)

7. CHRIST DIED FOR ALL
2 Corinthians 5. 15 And he died for all, that those who live might
live no longer for themselves but for him who for their sake died
and was raised. 16 From now on, therefore, we regard no one
from a human point of view; even though we once regarded
Christ from a human point of view, we regard him thus no
longer. 17 Therefore, if any one is in Christ, he is a new creation;
the old has passed away, behold, the new has come.
Because Christ died for all:
 life in Christ is possible for all
 life is no longer for ourselves but for Christ
 life is renewed and recreated

8. GOD RECONCILES US TO HIMSELF
2 Corinthians 5.18 All this is from God, who through Christ
reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of
reconciliation; 19 that is, in Christ God was reconciling the
world to himself, not counting their trespasses against
them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.
Through and in Christ:
 God has reconciled us to Himself
 God no longer count our sin against us
 God gives us a new responsibility, that is, to bear the
message of reconciliation to others

9. AMBASSADORS OF CHRIST
2 Corinthians 5.20 So we are ambassadors for Christ, God
making his appeal through us. We beseech you on behalf
of Christ, be reconciled to God.
Having reconciled us to Himself,
 God makes us ambassadors of Christ
 God makes His appeal to others through us
 God enables us to implore urgently, to beg eagerly to be
seek reconciliation with God

10. THE MESSAGE OF RECONCILIATION
2 Corinthians 5 .21 For our sake he made him to be sin who
knew no sin, so that in him we might become the
righteousness of God.
The righteous God is able to reconcile sinners such as us to
Himself because:
 Christ who knew no sin, was made sinful with our sins
 Christ made it possible for us sinners to become the
righteousness of God instead