INTRODUCTION
• SLIDE #1
• As we conclude our Rebrand series, today we are going to place our focus on something that is important for us to remember and important for us to do, we are all called to a ministry.
• It is vital that we do not forget, neglect, or set aside this ministry because it has eternal ramifications for those we know and love.
• Jerry touched on the importance of keeping the main thing, the main thing last week.
• Today we are going to build on that as we talk about the issue of reconciliation.
• The word RECONCILIATION speaks of a broken relationship being mended or to make peace after war, or the be readmitted to the presence and favor of our rightful sovereign after we have rebelled against Him.
• We have talked about how sin disrupts our connection with God, and how it severs our relationship with Him.
• We have also talked about how we need to have that relationship restored. We even have talked about how our God is perfect and holy, and because of that, we cannot be in His presence if we are defiled by sin.
• God’s perfect justice demands a price be paid for the sin that separates us, yet His perfect love requires a solution so that we can be with God.
• Today we are going to dig into the nuts and bolts of this process of reconciliation.
• Once we grasp the process and what went into reconciliation even being possible, it will give us a great appreciation for what we have in God through Jesus.
• Presenting a faithful presence to a broken world requires the church must practice reconciliation.
• We must promote reconciliation; the world needs to see that they do not have to be separated from the God who created them and loves them.
• Today we are going to be in 2 Corinthians 5:18-21.
• Within the backdrop of our text, we have the beautiful verse 17 which tells us that when we are in Christ, we are a new creation, and old things have passed away, and new things have come.
• Let’s look at verse 18 together.
• SLIDE #2
• 2 Corinthians 5:18 (CSB) — 18 Everything is from God, who has reconciled us to himself through Christ and has given us the ministry of reconciliation.
• SLIDE #3
SERMON
I. What Jesus did.
• This verse begins by telling us that everything is from God. This refers back to verse 17 where we find that when we are in Christ, we are a new creation.
• The EVERYTHING IS FROM GOD refers to the fact when we are a new creation in Christ, we are given a new set of motives and standards of judgment for life.
• We will hit this passage later in the message to deal with some other parts of it, but we want to center on now is the fact that we are told that God has reconciled us to himself THROUGH Christ.
• This is important for us to understand. The reason it is essential is that for one to be saved, one must be reconciled to God.
• This passage explains that will do that through Christ.
• The US refers to Paul and others who have been baptized into Christ.
• Part of what we need to be aware of is the fact that without Jesus, we have no hope.
• This is why Jesus tells us in John 14:6 that he is the way, the truth, and the life, and that no one gets to the Father except through Him!
• Sin has put us at odds with God. So, God’s justice and His love needed to be satisfied.
• There needed to be a way for God to be able to allow us in His presence, in His kingdom since we all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.
• In the Old Testament, we saw a significant number of sacrifices, these sacrifices did not forgive sin, they sort of pushed them under the rug until the perfect sacrifice; Jesus could come on the scene.
• God’s desire is for all to be saved and for all of us to come to the knowledge of the truth (1 Timothy 2:4).
• So that we can have the opportunity to be saved, God sent Jesus, Jesus can bring us back into a relationship with the Father.
• Our relationship that was broken can be restored by the removal of what caused the break in the relationship in the first place, Jesus did that!
• One cannot reconcile oneself to God, God had to open the door for that to happen, that door was unlocked when He sent and allowed Jesus to take the punishment we deserved and allowed Jesus to suffer the penalty that sin demands.
• We need to understand what Jesus did so that we have a passion for sharing what He did.
• People need to know that they cannot make up their own way, that being a good person in their eyes is what it takes.
• Christ is the person through which reconciliation with God is accomplished.
• The context for verses 14-15 tells us that through the death of Jesus this was accomplished.
• SLIDE #4
• Romans 5:10 (CSB) — 10 For if, while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son, then how much more, having been reconciled, will we be saved by his life.
• What a blessing! That is what Jesus did for you because He loves you!
• SLIDE #5
• 2 Corinthians 5:19–21 (CSB) — 19 That is, in Christ, God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and he has committed the message of reconciliation to us. 20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, since God is making his appeal through us. We plead on Christ’s behalf: “Be reconciled to God.” 21 He made the one who did not know sin to be sin for us so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
• SLIDE #6
II. What God did.
• In these verses, we see three things that God is doing.
• First, He is reconciling the world to Himself through the sacrifice of Jesus.
• Once again, this reveals to us HOW God can allow us to be saved from our sins and how He can open the door to heaven to us!
• John 3:16 reminds us of the depth of His love for us.
• Romans 5:8 reminds us…
• SLIDE #7
• Romans 5:8 (CSB) — 8 But God proves his own love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
• Something else needed to happen so that we could become a part of God’s family.
• When someone wrongs you, insults you, mocks you, or generally sins against you, what is something you need to do so that your relationship can be restored?
• When a husband and wife have issues, what is an essential part of the reconciliation process?
• It is the second thing we find in this passage that God does, not counting their trespasses against them.
• A trespass is a lapse in doing what is right in God’s sight.
• It is one of many synonyms used for the word sin in the Bible.
• When this was written, the word COUNTING was an accounting term used in record keeping.
• The word denoted entries posted in a ledger in the debit or credit columns.
• The word was also used of Oriental Monarchs who would use a ledger to remind them of the merits and shortcomings of their subjects.
• We see an example of this in Esther 6:1-6.
• This second action taken by God is akin to forgiving a person who is baptized into Christ.
• The idea that because of Christ God has thrown away the scorecard to calculate and justify his judgment upon each individual is the exciting news of the new covenant which Paul is so excited to share.
• The infinite quality of his sacrifice simply overwhelms the balance sheet as his credit is transferred over to undeserving humanity. Baker, W. R. (1999). 2 Corinthians (p. 237). Joplin, MO: College Press Pub.
• This is why Acts 2:38 reminds us…
• SLIDE #8
• Acts 2:38 (CSB) — 38 Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, each of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
• The third thing God did is found in verse 21, He made the one who did not know sin to be sin for us so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
• God took Jesus and placed the sins of humanity on Him.
• This is part of the message that explains what God did to be able to reconcile the word to Him.
• This thought is built from the Suffering Servant poems found in Isaiah, particularly chapter 53.
• Look at Isaiah 53:6 with me.
• SLIDE #9
• Isaiah 53:6 (CSB) — 6 We all went astray like sheep; we all have turned to our own way, and the LORD has punished him for the iniquity of us all.
• So now what?
• SLIDE #10
• 2 Corinthians 5:18–20 (CSB) — 18 Everything is from God, who has reconciled us to himself through Christ and has given us the ministry of reconciliation. 19 That is, in Christ, God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and he has committed the message of reconciliation to us. 20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, since God is making his appeal through us. We plead on Christ’s behalf: “Be reconciled to God.”
• SLIDE #11
III. What we are called to do!
• This is where it gets exciting!
• Now we see all the great things that Jesus and God the father has done, now we get to be a part of the ministry of reconciliation!
• The direct context of this passage speaks of the work of Paul and the other Apostles, but it is not only for them.
• We are here today, and we are called to represent Jesus to the world.
• We see we have been given the MINISTRY OF RECONCILIATION in verse 18. Paul went from persecuting the church to pleading with people to come to Jesus.
• We are also called to carry the MESSAGE OF RECONCILIATION. We are called to share the nuts and bolts concerning who one can go about being reconciled to God!
• I cannot tell you how good it feels to be able to lead someone down the path to Jesus!
• It changes a life for eternity, and that life can affect many others for Jesus!
• We have to live out that message so others will want to hear the message.
• The church in Jerusalem in Acts 6 was having some issues that were fundamentally racial issues.
• The Hellenistic Jews, who were Jews born of Jewish parents outside of Palestine, who spoke the Greek language and used the LXX (Greek translation of the OT) in their synagogues felt their widows were being cheated when it came time for the church to distribute food to the widows.
• They felt the Hebraic Jews, who were Jews born in Palestine who spoke the Hebrew language were getting preferential treatment.
• This could have blown up the early church. The Apostles took care of the problem by having the church appoint the first deacons to oversee the project.
• This was pleasing to all parties, and the church grew, and verse 7 tells us that many priests were becoming Christians!
• These folks reconciled their differences and demonstrated the power of unity to the world around them.
• In the church, there should be no black, white, Asian, or any other racial barriers!
• We are all one in Christ!
• Verse 20 says we are to be ambassadors for Christ!
• We get to represent Jesus everywhere we go!
CONCLUSION
• Family, we have an exciting task to carry out. You get to be someone who can change the destiny and life of another person for Jesus.
• As a church we all need to make sure we are rowing in the same direction, united by the same purpose, serving the same God!
• I cannot tell you enough how much I love serving Jesus with all of you!
• Let’s stay focused and reach our community for Christ!
