HoHum:
When Elizabeth married the famous poet Robert Browning, her parents were so upset they disowned her. She and her husband settled far from home in Florence, Italy. Elizabeth loved her mother and father and did everything she could to be reconciled with them. Several times a month she wrote expressive, loving letters. After 10 years without any response, finally, a package came from her parents. It was a happy moment for Elizabeth as she opened it. But inside she found all of the letters she had sent- unopened. Like her husband, Elizabeth was a poet and her letters of reconciliation were eloquent. They have been called “some of the most beautiful and expressive in all English literature.” But her parents never read them. Jesus Christ, like Elizabeth, went to extreme measures in a reconciliation attempt. He died so sinful men could be reconciled to God. It breaks his heart that many refuse to even read the letter of Calvary’s love.
WBTU:
Today is Palm Sunday. Remember Jesus’ entrance into Jerusalem where he was riding on a donkey, the people padded his path with coats and palm branches, the crowds were chanting, “Hosanna! Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” There was quite a commotion. Jesus came into Jerusalem like a King, the Messiah, Christ.
Must remember that later in that same week, he was crucified as the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. What a turn of events!
Leading up to Easter we are talking about the atonement. The “At One” Ment. Last week we talked about Christ’s death on the cross, and how this redeemed us from slavery to sin and set us free to serve God. Sunday evening we talked about how Christ’s death on the cross turned away God’s wrath from us. This is called Christ’s propitiation for our sins.
This morning we are talking about reconciliation. Reconciliation means “restore to friendship”, “make up after a quarrel”. This is not a word of good relations. It means good relations followed by enmity (hatred). Friendship, then enmity, then friendship again.
Thesis: Reconciliation brings out 6 thoughts
For instances:
1. Sin is the barrier to reconciliation
Sin is the problem in the relationship between God and man so reconciliation must begin here
Had man not sinned there would be no need for reconciliation, but all mankind has and continues to sin. The evil we do puts a barrier between us and God.
Sin also alienates us from each other but the worst is that it alienates us from God. This needs emphasis in a day like our own when people take sin so lightly. It does not worry us and for the life of us we cannot see why it should worry God. But the Bible is clear. Sin forms an impassible barrier. Sin keeps us away from God. “But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear.” Isaiah 59:2.
2. Sin must be dealt with if there is to be reconciliation
At the heart of reconciliation is the idea that getting people together means dealing with whatever it was that was keeping them apart.
The cross reminds us that there can be no real fellowship between God and us until the barrier of sin has been taken out of the way.
It will not go away by wishing. Sometimes we believe that, if we sit quietly and wait, any unpleasant thing will go away. It will not. This does not happen regularly in ordinary life and it does not happen in the matter of sin that separates us from God.
This is difficult for many to accept. It is not difficult for us to see that we must change our attitude and turn away from such things as selfishness. But that sin forms a real barrier shutting us off from God, and that this must be dealt with, is not obvious to us
The NT keeps telling us that it was the death of Christ that effected reconciliation, that it was the cross that made peace between God and man. “We have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,” Romans 5:1, NIV.
3. There is real hostility between God and sinners
Wrath of God is not just figure of speech but real. God hates every evil thing.
“God expresses his wrath every day.” Psalms 7:11, NIV. Why? God wants us to be the best we can be, and when we make ourselves into lesser people we arouse his wrath and destroy all hope of fellowship with him.
Real love will always be opposed to evil in the beloved. E.H. Gifford said, “Human love here offers a true analogy: the more a father loves his son, the more he hates in him the drunkard, the liar, or the traitor.” We must not overlook the fact that real love has its stern side toward the beloved.
Also sin puts in the wrong with God. When we sin we set ourselves in opposition to him and we invite His wrath against us. We make ourselves into God’s enemies- Romans 5:10
This is serious, because of what it does to sinners. It removes from us the simplicity and the love for others for which we were meant to have. It makes us into people concerned primarily with our own success. It really makes us less than people. It leads us to produce a world like the one we have today. The evil we do is our ruination. It cuts us off from the full and rich life that God wants to give us. Sin limits us, stops us from being the best we can be, prevents us from enjoying life to the full.
Sin goes against our original purpose. We are not made to sin. We are made to live in harmony with one another and with God. When we turn to sin, we alienate ourselves (Colossians 1:21) from all that we ought to be and from the God who made us and has given us so much to enjoy. There is a deep and real hostility brought about by the sin of mankind.
4. Reconciliation is God’s work
We cannot bring about the reconciliation with God. We created the barrier that separates us from God and we cannot break it down.
The NT insists that something must be done about sin. Sin has established a continuing enmity. For reconciliation to take place that hatred must be dealt with.
This is what Christ did. Other words talk about how this was done through the cross. Words like redemption, and justification (tonight). All of this talks about the atonement (at one ment) where Christ did what needed to be done.
Something that only Christ could do. Man is so immersed in sin that we could not imagine wanting to leave it, let alone do away with it. It is beyond us. It is not beyond Christ. “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” 2 Corinthians 5:21, NIV.
God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself (Vs. 19) is all the more amazing when understood in light of what happened on the cross. While Jesus was dying, an awesome spiritual transaction took place. The Father lay upon the Son all the guilt and wrath our sin deserved, and Jesus bore it in Himself perfectly, totally satisfying the wrath of God for us.
It is the measure of His greatness that he was able to accomplish this great task and he did. “But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility,” Ephesians 2:13, 14, NIV.
Only through the cross. 1 Corinthians 1:23: We preach Christ crucified.
5. Reconciliation comes from the love of God
God took upon himself to remove the barrier because he loves us. “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him!” Romans 5:8-9.
Love and reconciliation go together. Reconciliation is the outworking of His love.
It is love that leads God to be so hostile about our sin. If he loved us less he would not care about it. But he loves us with all the intensity of his holy nature and because he loves us he provided the reconciliation through the cross of Jesus Christ.
6. The reconciliation must be received
There is need for a human response. Without a response we are lost. Reconciliation is accomplished by Christ but it must be received if it is to be true reconciliation.
“Be reconciled to God” 2 Corinthians 5:20 is necessary part of the process. Let’s say that we have had a quarrel between us and a friend. We forsake our pride and do whatever needs to be done to break down the barrier, to make it right. But, when we eat this humble pie, our old friend will have none of it. Suppose he looks us in the eye and says, “Look, I’ve met your kind before. After what you said and did the other day I don’t care what you do to make up for it. I’ll never call you friend again.” What can we do? We have removed the cause of the trouble as far as it is in our power to do so. We have expressed our intention to be friends again. Just as it takes two to quarrel it takes two to reconcile. Reconciliation is available but because one is unwilling there is no reconciliation. Same with God.
How to respond? Steps of acceptance, plan of salvation.
Beg and plea to respond before it is too late. “I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation.” 2 Corinthians 6:2, NIV.
