Reconciliation Series

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.