Bible Reading Part 2, Reconciliation — Unknown Speaker

Reconciliation Through Christ’s Death

Well, let's open the scriptures to Romans chapter 5. First of all we consider reconciliation. Romans chapter 5 verse 6. For when we were yet without strength in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die at pared venture for a good man some would even dare to die.

But God commended his love toward us and that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us Much more than being now justified by his blood. We shall be saved from wrath Him for if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his son Much more being reconciled.

We shall be saved by his life and not only so but we also joy in God Through our Lord Jesus Christ by whom we have now received the atonement or should be the reconciliation. Now, let's read also in 2nd Corinthians chapter 5.

Let's begin at verse 17. 2nd Corinthians 5 verse 17. Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature. All things are passed away behold All things are become new and all things are of God who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ.

And given to us the ministry of reconciliation to wit that God was in Christ Reconciling the world unto himself not imputing their trespasses unto them and hath committed unto us the word of Reconciliation now then we are ambassadors for Christ as though God did beseech you by us.

We pray you in Christ's dead Be reconciled to God for he hath made him to be sin for us who knew no sin that we might be made the righteousness Of God in him and Colossians, please chapter 1. Let's begin at verse 19.

For it pleased the Father that in him should all fullness dwell and having made peace through the blood of his cross by him To reconcile all things unto himself by him I say whether they be things that in earth or things in heaven and you that were sometime Alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works yet now hath he reconciled in the body of flesh through death To present you holy and unblameable and unapprovable In his sight.

We've only got an hour left. So with this skip any sort of a fortune will just dive into this anybody got any opening thoughts.

Forgiveness Removes Guilt, Reconciliation Removes Enmity

So forgiveness is the release or that dismissal? Reconciliation is removal of barrier removal of something that is causing the enmity or causing the improper relationships that relationship.

More definitions could be a thorough change or an adjustment Strong says of a difference. Bring together same idea.

An example of of Joseph's that brought up in forgiveness. Joseph forgave long before there was reconciliation. Joseph kept dealing with his brother. All the food He sent back to Egypt from the cups and all in the prison time for singing.

All that work and accomplishment Wasn't for forgiveness. It was for reconciliation. Relationship to be established. God leave man or man leave God.

Man left God. All right, God doesn't need to be reconciled. Man needs to be ready. That's right.

Who sought after who sought after Adam? He knew there he knew where they were, but he wanted to put that knowledge what they were. Why were they hiding? That's the way we were. We're on the broad road.

We're leaving God back. Turn to God and the Holy Spirit stopped us in our tracks and turn us around.

God and sins are never reconciled. It's the sinner. It's the person has nothing to do it with the sins.

Which basis is the love of God that in Romans chapter 5 or 6 by God amended his love for. That while we were yet sinners Christ died for us. Then following on from that is reconciliation.

Isn't it awesome that all in all these truths of the gospel we've studied so far. God is always the source. It's not it doesn't begin with us ever that is wonderful.

David, Saul, and the Pattern of Reconciliation

There's a picture of reconciliation in the first sentence of chapter 29. It's the first time that the word reconciliation is used in our Bible. Well, I should say there are a couple of times that it's used in the biblical, but it really means atonement in those cases.

But in 1st Samuel 29 and verse 4 we read about David when he's among the Philistines. And Achish has him as one of his captains and David is going to To their war council and the Philistines are upset with Achish and they said unto him, make this fellow return that he may go again to his place which thou hast appointed him.

Let him not go down with us to battle lest in the battle he be an adversary to us. Wherewith should he reconcile himself unto his master? We have to understand that the Philistines were understanding the conflict between David and Saul as something that David had done against Saul.

And David has a problem and Saul is not willing to forgive or to Saul has got an issue with David and They're understanding that if they were to lose their heads at David's hand. And he was returned to return to Saul that he would be reconciled with Saul.

So their deaths would accomplish a reconciliation back with David's master. That's a beautiful picture of reconciliation with us, isn't it? That through the death of the Lord Jesus Christ we can be reconciled with God.

And David wasn't the one that needed to be reconciled there.

Yeah, we can get it through the eyes of the Philistines. Right, right.

When Moses When he was hungry the Lord fed him. When he was thirsty the Lord gave him drink. When he was attacked the Lord gave him victory and the Lord forgave him. So is this the same as reconciliation?

When you were attacked I forgave you. He the Lord won the battle for Moses. If you were attacked I gave you victory.

I don't know would that carry with it the thought of being brought back or would that be just the Lord's provision? The Lord's provision would.

Yeah. Keep in mind that there's an enmity that there's a change of relationship somehow must be must be dealt with. There's a barrier an enmity. The three barriers that were against us was our sin was a law and The flesh the old man all that was against us and God.

He removed those barriers out of the way. By the cross what the Lord Jesus did the cross. And then he says now come unto me be reconciled. All the barriers are removed. Now he says be reconciled. So he's in a sense he's saying he's laid out the peace terms on the table.

He says now come and surrender and change your relationship. So in reconciliation there needs to be that change of relationship from a place of enmity. Beforehand. So I think.

So God has removed that hostile hostility based on the death.

And beautifully he's thoroughly removed it. There's Nothing, that's not answered.

The Cross as the Basis of Reconciliation

In our readings we read the different ways by which we reconciled in Romans. It's by the death of his son in Colossians. It's by the blood of his cross and by Ephesians by the cross. We didn't in Corinthians.

It's by Jesus Christ, and so that's a pretty heavy lineup.

So there's no that heavy lineup shows that there's no excuse to the sinner not to be reconciled. It's a matter of a stubborn will that we have. I will not bow to God's way. And God says the way is open.

Just come. And the rebel sinner doesn't know. I won't I will not surrender.

So to understand first of all really again. Where we were we were enemies. But that sink in for a while. And it was God's desire. That we would be reconciled to him now that that blows my mind. Total enemies.

And God wants us to be in full relationship with him. And is that. Will not God get great pleasure from that. To enjoy his creation how he intended to intended it to be really in a new time.

Really forever in Colossians, of course, it's looking from the God review of it alienated enemies in your mind. God Knows what's in the mind. He knows that your mind is that entity with him. So it's not God that created that in your mind.

It's not God that needs to be reconciled to you. God looks at you and says you need to reconcile to me. I can see right through your mind.

That's where it starts and then it was carried out in the works when we when we start in Romans. We're enemies by nature. We come to Colossians. It says Enemies in your mind by wicked works and so it's not only the nature that we were amity with God.

But our works and God has dealt with both the nature and the sins. It's tremendous.

I Think right to say brother that repentance is my change of God to align my thinking with God. And reconciliation is God changing his mind in the way he views me. I Was once an animation, but now I've become a son.

Could you repeat that first part? All right, but when I change my mind to be in line with God I see myself as God sees me. So you're agreeing with God. I'm agreeing with God and then salvation occurs and then God's mind is changed with respect to how he views me.

There's no longer is he looking at me. He's looking at his son. I'm a son. This is mind change or is this action for me change? That's viewpoint is changed because he's we were in the mind of great mind of God for the Romans.

So here he is. We're coming to his place of purpose for us now his action toward us comes out. If his heart is open, there's the barriers are gone. Now he's able to flow toward us and marvelous wondrous grace mercy kindness compassion everything.

So he's. His heart is open and there's nothing to hold it back anymore. He said, okay, everything has been removed. You've come you've repented here. You're getting all the. That's up. I just said it's my being changed.

It's actually part of you. Okay. Yeah. Thank you for correcting that. I'm not correct. I don't know that's good. Yes, but he sees me in my sin. Yeah.

Repentance is more than I would say that just a change of my thinking to God. Back to Luke again. This is a parable. A parable doesn't stand on four legs. I know it stands on three so you can't push. The prodigal son First of all says he came to himself.

He realized that I am the cause of where I am. What's going on. So the first act is a recognition of sin. Then he says I Will arise and go. Wow, is it turning from sin? Okay. I hate this life. I. Do you?

He just was fed up with sin. It's like Turns from sin. Then it's a turning to Christ. Turns to the bottom. It's turning to God.

There's a change of mind. First of all change the mind towards himself.

Then he says I will say I Have sinned against him. He turns to Christ the only one that can say Turning from sin. Turning to Christ. The only one that can say that's their person sees he's lost and helpless hopeless.

He turns to God and then he says I will say I've sinned against heaven. I told you I have no more worthy of all my son. I am going to go to the father and I'm going to cast myself upon his mercy. That's what people can say if I'm going to be saying it God will have to save me.

I am doomed. I'm lost. Thank you sir. He cast himself on mercy. That's genuine defense and God saw all that. And then there's full Reconciliation comes into view which is a wondrous beautiful thing. Two parties that are totaled.

Forgiveness, Onesimus, and the Prodigal Son

Another beautiful illustration of this Is in that lovely little book. Onesimus was forgiven and then what happened he was reconciled back.

In the prodigal there's full forgiveness. There it says he fell and he's not getting kissed again. In the original You'll read like this. It says he kissed him.

Tenderly. When you want to go back to sin you go back to Genesis. What did Adam do?

Adam Didn't depend on God anymore. He Wanted to be his own God. Satan told him he didn't have fruit. You ought to be your own God. So when we get saved we go from Independence back to dependence just the opposite what Adam did.

That's how God brings us back. God made man to dwell within. That's why we're here. To dwell within to manifest him on this earth while we're here. And he does that through the Lord Jesus Christ the Spirit of God.

What he does he uses our bodies as a living sacrifice. And using our hands and serve with our mouth to speak the love of God with and to think about God and the things of God to manifest him to the people we meet every day in the grocery store where we work wherever we're at.

That's where God is working through us to do this. That's his work instead of being Christ here at one spot. We've got all Christ's in every believer. He's throughout the world. He's working bringing people back to himself.

That's why we're here. We're not here to get rich. We're not here to build up pleasure. We're here to serve him to love him to worship him and serve him. That's why we're here. And it was his desire. Yeah, that's what we're here for to satisfy his desire his will and that's his purpose.

Total Surrender and the Ministry of Reconciliation

Study reconciliation. Would it be true to say that? There is a victor and.

That he has put forth all of the Details of the agreement.

And we. As we came to God we agreed with everything that he said. It's completely. Completely. We were completely submissive and not that we can save ourselves. But we're in that state where we understand That he is God and his requirements with us.

That's the idea of total surrender in relation to an enemy. Reconciliation s is doing there's an enmity. It's not just a dislike. It's not just that. Oh, I don't like careful. It's an animosity. It's a hatred of God.

And so when God says, okay, here's here's here's the demand that I have. It's just you totally surrender as an enemy to lay down lay down all the weapons of warfare and you say God is right. It's like the Japanese did and the end of World War two.

They had to lay down their weapons and come and sign that that that the peace treaty. They totally surrendered.

Reconciliation. There is two parties there. There's two parties at odds, so there's an offense. And what Has offended is sin. Sin has offended God. That sin must be removed. Brought into that harmony fellowship with God and that's what happens in the person saying there's forgiveness.

Wonder and beauty of We as believers. Who is given to us the ministry of reconciliation that we're given is Stewardship. Writing to an assembly is actually given to the assembly as believers. God has given to us the great task of going forth to the Gospels.

He directs.

So could someone give us can't maybe you could help us on this. What it means that God was Reconciling things to himself and then the sphere of it the all things. Where does that take us?

It's us into eternity and I think Even in our human relationships if we don't come to a reconciliation. It's. It's in a sense defeat. We have not completed the whole circle. We're not come back where we should have.

That's why God is going to have all things reconciled. He is not going to be defeated when sin came in it brought in enmity barrier between God and man. Man couldn't bridge it. He had done wrong. He had no desire to bridge that gap.

He had no power because sin is the gap and without shedding of blood. So it couldn't be removed otherwise. So God has is working in this day of grace to reconcile Individual sinners and come through the Sun because we're reconciled to God by the death of his son and then.

That's not the end of it. God is he's not finished yet because he's still got a world that's plunged under the dominion of sin. That's it's groaning and prevailing. It's waiting for me for the adoption for the full extent of the work of Christ and The eternity all things are going to be reconciled.

It doesn't say things under the earth. They had opportunity in this day. Seeks you in place to be reconciled to God you fail that there is no option, but Looking back from eternity. God says everything's reconciled.

It's all done. It's all been done by the one who came in flesh and suffering like that.

So the glory of God will be. God will be extremely glorified in the completion of this. Is it is it right to think of it as bringing it back to its original state. Or how does that. How does that fit in brother?

You know I got in grief God in creation and Dwelling with his people and then now sin has come in and that's all been Taken out. Is there what's the connection or what's it going to be like compared to Adam's day?

The the privilege that we have and being reconciled is greater than what Adam received in the garden. Because because without the sin The forgiveness couldn't have made the love of God could not be displayed in the same way.

So there's a better blessing will receive a better blessing for all eternity and what could have been.

So then when people ask why did God allow sin into the world? We look at it now from what we're studying today, and we can see God getting more glory through the whole thing. The way it the way it went then he ever would have a sinner never come in.

Would that be right statement.

Would you rather take worship from a robot or a person that commits himself.

That's basically what you're talking about. Those that are forgiven my problem.

Commit. He gives us a free will and we commit our will unto him. We're talking about All this stuff. What's going to happen during a millennium Kings? What's that going to be like? Is that going to be like the garden of Eden?

No. He's gonna rule.

Yeah, no, I'm gonna rule. Okay, not only that but there's there's Unredeemed that are in the world that will be manifest in the at the end of the millennium. So those are can't brought it out in terms of it's an eternal thing.

After the millennium, they're gonna be under rule the Lord Jesus Christ. He's gonna be king of King of Lord of Lords. All the people going to the millennial kingdom are saved. What what people are born after that then they have a choice.

That's true.

He said a rule of righteousness. That's right and righteousness will reign in the Millennium. Righteousness will dwell in the eternal state. Reconciliation isn't. It's a view of God coming out to remove these barriers and on the basis of his righteous action.

To bring about a blessing to the people that once were enemies and that's what he has done for us. Thought in part in the look of Romans there's a reason why reconciliation doesn't come in till chapter 5.

Guilt proven we have righteousness. We have justification. We have forgiveness. And there was this chapter begins therefore being justified by faith. We have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

That's what reconciliation is. Is peace and so peace is a reconciliation term and it has to be founded on the basis of Guilty sinners who are justified freely by God's grace through the redemption. So was.

Reconciliation, Resurrection, and Eternal Life

With Adam in the truest sense of the word was Adam and Eve really truly reconciled to God. Like we are today. I Would say no, no, he drove them out of the garden and we're accepted in the blessing. The MSU.

They removed with us were bid to draw near. Right, so it's a picture but all all old Testament pictures and types faith when you come to Christ. And that was an innocence and he chose a sin we Will verse class I told we will at the rational we'll be given a body look on his body and glory.

That's what God's done for us from being enemies to that.

Yeah. There's tremendous scope in this word. Reconciliation just launches our thinking way beyond ready to determine a definition of sin is sin robs God. But there has been reconciliation brought in and God is going to receive more glory and Even in the millennial reigning you'll see Reconciliation as far as physical world, but then it goes beyond.

Got God in Christ has brought in a complete new order of things and that's what we're moving towards this reconciliation. I.

Wonder if the free gift and continuing with Romans 5 is our brother camp brought out. There's Beginning in five and they're justified by faith. There was sin as we come through Romans and then we come to the this part in chapter 5, but Not as the offense.

So also the free gift and I wonder if that free gift isn't reconciliation. Or is it just the fullness of salvation? I don't know.

We have such a blessing the summary of this section on Reconciliation in verse 11 and not only so but we also joy in God Through our Lord Jesus Christ By whom through whom we have now received the reconciliation so.

Yeah, that's something beyond all testing and that's something perhaps beyond our experience to joy in God. We are no longer enemies. We're made not.

Through our Lord Jesus Christ. Kind of interesting when we take into consideration How he is the one who wants to rebel. God spends money and things that the worldly person wants to do. Did he realizes that he has nothing.

Did he realizes that his father has something so he wasted too. But yet what about the older brother, you know, a lot of times we think about the sins of the flesh. What kind of sin did he have? What was he thinking?

He had sins of the spirit. Oh.

So, what do we have in Romans 5 in verse 10. We're talks about already being reconciled. We shall be saved by his life. Does someone help us on that taking us even a little further? That'd be the idea.

It's a resurrection. It's vital to.

Reconciliation when you got saved what you receive.

Forgiveness of sins eternal life to your cheap life, right? I came to have life and more abundantly. So what we received in the life of Christ. That's eternal life because he is eternal and the life we live is his life in us.

He uses our body to move around him and that's his life not ours anymore. We're dead. That's what I realize we're dead now when these things stir up. We just say the Lord that must be the must be the flesh that's doing it and we just say anything that Doesn't satisfy.

God is the flesh. It tells you that deletion what the work of the flesh is what the work of the spirit is. And what you want to do is write that list off and put it on the refrigerator. And when you get angry and everything upset look at the list and find where it's under.

It's the flesh. That's the biggest enemy self. A lot of us, you know go around playing the devil, but it's not the devil. It's ourselves. That's the biggest enemy. We have is our self the point self.

Thinking about this question of verse 10. So at Calvary, it's not just Calvary. That's where the payment for our sin was made, but it's the resurrection of our Lord. Jesus Christ is light. That we've been given.

As we've heard. But you know, I think verse 11 is a very interesting person that was touching on it. He also joy in God. So really I think the heart of God is he wants us to get to the person of Christ.

That's where he wants this Reconciliation to the pathway to take this to his son. Get to him and all of his fullness. Perhaps a simple way to Look at verse 10 is this if God would do this for his enemies.

How much more will he do for his friend. Because first verse 9 says we shall be saved from wrath through him that's tribulation wrath coming on his enemies and Of work when we were enemies were reconciled.

God by the death of son much more being reconciled. We shall be saved by his light. He lives.

Yeah, he's not going to he's already dealt with.

We've acknowledged we were enemies he's already dealt with us in the person of his son on a righteous basis in Removing the guilt dealing with all those things about our sin. Now, we're friends now we're his we have a relationship with him.

We're going to be saved from tribulation wrath by his life. He is. We're going to heaven with him. We're gonna be with him forever. It's not just that he rose from the dead the word by and verse 10 is actually in his life.

It's in his Immutable life it's in his fact that his life can never end. It takes me back to over the Romans 6 verse 10 for in that he died he died once on the sin. But in that he liveth he liveth unto God.

Likewise reckon ye also yourself to be dead indeed on the sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Now, where are you alive then? Well, you're alive where Christ is alive. Where is he alive?

He's before the father. That's what the Bible says right here he is unto God in life. He lives there the word God say to see me. He sees me there with Christ. Your reconciliation is sealed in him. It's in his life.

It's eternal. That's where we live brother. That's where God sees us. We're Beyond the veil we are in the most holy place. That's positional.

Colossians 1 .2 says in the in the body of his flesh through death to present you only unblameable and unreprovable in his sight.

So when we talk when we when we get these fleshy. My doc is bringing up these fleshy thoughts or ideas come into my mind or I have a problem with forgiving my brother. Remember where where you are. You're in the life of Christ standing before the face of God.

That's where God sees me. That the flesh can't live there nothing can survive. That Both both knowledge brings that grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord Savior Jesus Christ. Worldly knowledge will do that brother.

It'll puff us up a spiritual knowledge of my position before God humbles me.

I think that my study should be more concentrated. I'm taking me more like our Savior. Paul said that I might know Christ. Thank you, brother. Kevin probably answered that way. Recorded that verse 11.

It's that way joy more and God our Savior. Yeah, we might enjoy our salvation more. Yeah, and It's quickly like first you look candidly, but as believers we appreciate about that versus this we were enemy.

We were going away from God. The last thing for an enemy is what to Reconciliation that says we were reconciled now to God. We're reconciled there would mean be brought back to God. Back to God. Through the death of his son if we were reconciled by his death much more.

Being reconciled. We should be saved by his life. My brother is because Christ lives. Because he lived if I've been reconciled by him He lived. So much more. I'm saying I would say I'm being saved and I will be saved.

I'm being saved today because. That's the joy of that verse. Saved by his life. You believe in Predestination the believer is predestinated to be conformed to the image and likeness of his son. That's why we're here today.

The more you know about him the more you love him the more you appreciate him. That's the thing you have to do if you've got develop that love relationship. God. That's the most important thing to get.

It's Christ in you the hope of glory. And that's what we're what we're here for. To know more about him and the more you realize how much I have a hard time Pattern how much God loved me that he had sent his son to die for a wicked sinner like me.

And that draw and the love I have is what I received from God. But I never know what love was until God came into my heart and gave me his love. Sometimes it seems as though we can take into consideration having Opportunities to speak with people and we could be perhaps a little bit heavy and lower Opportunity to lead the individual to the Lord.

However, when we take into consideration how our Savior dealt with people He always dealt with them in a manner that was loving. Sometimes I can get too heavy with people and I want to guard against that.

The Ministry of Reconciliation for Every Believer

All right, let's get back to reconciliation.

Okay. We looked at Romans chapter 5. Let's go to the 2nd Corinthians chapter 5 so we can learn there. Okay, we've read it. We've read in verse 17 that we've Been he may be in Christ. He is a new creature.

All things are passed away. Behold all things are become new all things are of God who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ and have given to us the ministry of Reconciliation so we've got a little bit different aspect here.

It seems to be there's a responsibility coming in upon us this ministry Reconciliation. Could someone help us with that, please. Is this just for certain Christians? Is this for everybody is this just for preaching brethren and what is this ministry.

He's writing it to the Corinthian believers, okay, and so it would be all of us. This is a service that we have to know that God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself. Not imputing their trespasses unto them and have committed unto us the word of reconciliation.

So there's the ministry of reconciliation verse 18, it's the word of reconciliation verse 19. So it seems to be that we've got an obligation to use our mouth in this in this service.

Doesn't sound like it would justify a Gospel of predestination to damnation. Because we have a ministry of reconciliation. God is coming out to the rebel forces and say I've made provisions for your reconciliation and giving my son to the death of the cross.

Will you have it? Say it like you mean it. We have a word of reconciliation.

And then in verse 20 we are ambassadors so we are representing Christ. We should be that picture of Christ because that's what an ambassador is in your country. We represent the country we represent Christ.

So really verse 19 tells us what we need to know in this ministry does it not. It says to know or to wit that God was in Christ Reconciling the world to himself. So he's really telling us very simply what?

What we need to say what we need to represent or present to the people.

First verse 19 is as though God is working. Well, God is working through Christ making The peace terms available. But in verse 20 God is entreating through Christ's representatives that the peace terms are.

Then God is doing the work. Through Christ doesn't mean that here's a here's a passage. It means that Christ's God that's really not not fixed. God was In Christ work as an agency through Christ and his work to make reconciliation for us and make that available.

Now we and on the basis of that we preach that the peace terms have been made available now. The sinner must be reconciled. What we say is peace surrender. Unconditional surrender to the terms of God's lay down.

Lay down stop fighting in terms of who this is written to. It's a sovereign choice that God has selected us to take his Gospel message out. I mean that was his choice to take the name sinners and he's put into us the word of reconciliation and.

So, I know I just want to try to underline what the sergeant said. Each one of us needs to do this. No matter what sphere of life we are.

We need to understand really what's taken what has taken place in order for us to communicate effectively to other people.

So if we are if we don't understand reconciliation and we are not showing it in our relationships We are misrepresenting God's View or God's presentation of reconciliation. Because we're not living it.

It's living the truths of what God has already made us for the people so that when they see us they say, you know. There's reality in that individual. They really it has really meant a lot. It means it to them.

They know what forgiveness is. They know reconciliation is and so then they're drawn to that over. They say well He says this but he lives that. I don't. I want nothing to do with that. See that's a misrepresentation.

I'll get the message.

And it goes back to what our first section about preaching with us with a bitter spirit.

Misrepresentation see our view. Well, I'm just giving it just a little bit. Are we on right terms in our relationship with each other or do we need to be reconciled with each other? See there are barriers that are involved and we're saying oh, there's no barrier.