Ministry Of Reconciliation

MINISTRY OF RECONCILIATION

2 CORINTHIANS 5:11-21

Good morning everyone and welcome again to Rosedale.

This morning as you are turning to 2 Corinthians 5 I want to speak of reconciliation- making things right within a relationship-other people and your relationship with the Lord. Most think that they have it together but truth is they don’t.

One mem I read this week said and it was on the internet so it has to be true…finally, by bills are washed, laundry is paid, clothes are baking, and my dinner is in the dryer. I’ve got this!

2 Corinthians 5:11:-21 Read from Bible

I have titled the message “The ministry of reconciliation” Apostle Paul puts great thought in what that means for us as believers and we will take a minute to unpack its meaning.

I cautiously name it knowing that some will think of people who should mind their own business and stay out of people’s lives…maybe even stay out of your life.

Paul lays the groundwork of what ministry of reconciliation looks like.

He tells us in verse 11 “since we understand the fear of the lord. We should persuade and tell others.”

As Christ Ambassadors Paul reveals his conviction that believers “have a ministry”.

You and I have a ministry- they may not be the same but each of us have one.

It is to operate in the fear (reverence) of the Lord and we have a responsibility to tell others the Good News.

If were considered crazy, we are to be crazy for Jesus.

If we are considered in our right mind, it is to let others know what Jesus has done in our life.

I want to be crazy for Jesus!

Genesis to revelation, the bible is God trying to reconcile with mankind.

From the fall of Adam and Eve, God has tried to bridge the gap between man and God.

Jesus Christ came (gave up heaven) to walk this earth and die on the cross so that a Holy God could reconcile with sinful man.

He tells us that His spirit will bear witness with our spirit that we are the sons (Daughters) of God.

Paul tell us in beginning 2 Corinthians 5:10

“for we must appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body weather good or bad.”

It is not a question of wither we will stand before Jesus and account for our lives. That is a fact. Each one of us will do that. The question is what will He say to you when you stand there.

Enter in thou good and faithful servant...

Depart from me I never knew you....

Death is a funny thing.

I know a lot of people who say they love Jesus, but most are not ready to die to see him.

I have over the years of ministry seen people ready to die and I have seen some scared to death.

I have seen some anxious and worried of the unknown, and I have seen some with a peace that could only come from God himself.

Webster’s definition of reconcile:

“To restore to friendship, or harmony”

If we understand what Christ has done for us, there should be no fear of dying.

We understand the fear of the lord is a reverence of who God is and what he had done for us, and it will compel us, to drive us, urge us, to live for Jesus and bring the message of reconciliation to those around us.

So what can we learn from this passage.

3 points / here they are

God desires to reconcile with you and I

God desires us to be new creations

God desires us to be Christ’s ambassadors

God desires to reconcile with you and I

NIRV

“All this is from God. He brought us back to himself through Christ’s death on the cross. And he has given us the task of bringing others back to him through Christ.”

NOG

“God has done all this. He has restored our relationship with him through Christ, and has given us this ministry of restoring relationships.”

MSG

Because of this decision we don’t evaluate people by what they have or how they look. We looked at the Messiah that way once and got it all wrong, as you know. We certainly don’t look at him that way anymore. Now we look inside, and what we see is that anyone united with the Messiah gets a fresh start, is created new. The old life is gone; a new life emerges! Look at it! All this comes from the God who settled the relationship between us and him, and then called us to settle our relationships with each other. God put the world square with himself through the Messiah, giving the world a fresh start by offering forgiveness of sins. God has given us the task of telling everyone what he is doing. We’re Christ’s representatives. God uses us to persuade men and women to drop their differences and enter into God’s work of making things right between them. We’re speaking for Christ himself now: Become friends with God; he’s already a friend with you.