Reconciliation Through Christ

The South, feeling like they were being manhandled by their friends in the North, seceded from the United States, forming their own nation, the Confederacy.

The fight was over state rights, slavery, and the authority of the federal government.

It was brother against brother.

Families at war.

In the end about 620,000 Americans died.

The war ended, but it’s hard to say there ever was full reconciliation.

Some still fly the Confederate flag.

Racial tension exists.

Slavery is a painful memory.

A distrust for the North is still present in the South.

The war may be over, but full reconciliation was never achieved.

The Bible speaks of another war.

It’s not a battle of brother against brother.

It’s a battle of the Created against Creator.

Human reconciliation is flawed.

We have a hard time letting go of past sins.

Even if those sins were hundreds of years ago, their memory remains.

God’s reconciliation is complete.

Psalm 103:12 says, “As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us.”

When God reconciles, sins are gone.

Today, we continue in Colossians 1.

Today we will be in Colossians 1:19-23, and we will learn about this perfect reconciliation.

Specifically, we will see 5 details of reconciliation that increase your hope in Christ.

Let’s look at Colossians 1:19-23 now.

Colossians 1:19–23

For it was the Father’s good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him, and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross; through Him, I say, whether things on earth or things in heaven. And although you were formerly alienated and hostile in mind, engaged in evil deeds, yet He has now reconciled you in His fleshly body through death, in order to present you before Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach— if indeed you continue in the faith firmly established and steadfast, and not moved away from the hope of the gospel that you have heard, which was proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, was made a minister.

First, look at the Plan of Reconciliation.

This is found in verse 19.

We see that reconciliation begins with God’s good pleasure.

God’s good pleasure.

What does that mean?

It means that there is something that God desired to take place.

God’s good pleasure is a plan, a strategy of how man would be united to his God..

This plan began in eternity past.

The Members of the Trinity, the Godhead, covenanted together to form this plan of reconciliation.

The Reformers called this a Covenant of Redemption.

There were those that the Father elected.

There were those that the Spirit would convert.

And there were those that the Son would die for.

In order for Jesus to die for them, He first had to live like them.

This was the plan.

Jesus would become man.

This was the pleasure of God.

In no way did this lessen Jesus’ divinity.

Some think that when Jesus put on flesh that He:

Lost some of His divinity.

Became less God.

He temporarily removed His Godness while in the flesh.

Philippians 2:7 is often quoted, that Jesus “emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men.”

Don’t misunderstand that verse.

The emptying was not a lessening of Who Jesus was.

It was an addition.

He became man and adopted the weaknesses of man.

But He remained fully and completely God.

Look at Paul’s language here in Colossians, all the fullness of God dwelt in Jesus.

Not a portion of God, or a slice of God.

But the fullness.

He was completely God.

And it dwelt in Him.

This becomes a word picture of sorts.

In the Old Testament, after the Tabernacle was built, the presence of God entered and dwelt in the Tent.

It was a real presence.

It was the fullness of God.

God so filled the Tabernacle, that those in Tabernacle had to leave.

It was like the fullness of God pushed them out.

The same thing happened when the Temple was built.

God in all His glory, entered the Temple.

His presence dwelt in the Temple.

It pushed those serving in it out.

Now that same language is used of Jesus.

The fullness of God dwelt in Jesus.

He was not a lesser form of God.

He was the fullness of God.

The pleasure of God was that fullness of God, means that Jesus is fully able to reconcile those that the Father had given Him.

This was the plan of reconciliation.

Second, there was a Purpose to Reconciliation - v. 20

Look at verse 20, “and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross; through Him, I say, whether things on earth or things in heaven.”

Sin brought division into the world, man was separated from His God.

So Christ entered the world, and the purpose was reconciliation.

I want you to notice the direction of reconciliation.

The situation is not man seeking to have peace with God.

Man is rebellious and wants nothing to do with God.

Romans 3:11 says “There is none who understands, There is none who seeks for God;”

Man is not a neutral party living life ignorant of God.

According to Romans 1:18 , man is well aware of God, but he suppresses that truth.

He rejects what he knows to be true -

Which is God is sovereign and He makes the rules.

Why is man so opposed to the God of the Bible?

Romans 8:7 says, “because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; …”

Look at the direction here, it is man who is pushing God away.

That is suppressing the truth.

Think of the action of sin.

Sin is the product of a person thinking that God has no authority over his life.

Look at verse 20 and look at the direction of reconciliation.

“and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself …”

It is through Jesus that reconciliation happens.

Jesus entered into His own creation to bring to Himself the one who is hostile … that is us.

The direction of reconciliation is Jesus bringing the rebel to Himself.

God is also angry at man.

This anger is because of man’s sin.

Nahum 1:2 says God is “A jealous and avenging God is the Lord; The Lord is avenging and wrathful. The Lord takes vengeance on His adversaries, And He reserves wrath for His enemies.”

In our sin, we declare war on God and become His enemies.

While man’s anger towards God is unjust and wrong, God’s wrath towards man is deserved.

It is because of sin.

Man is completely deserving of God’s anger.

Jesus came to bring reconciliation.

He sought sinners who wanted nothing to do with Him.

People have attempted reconciliation before.

Nations have made treaties, only to be broken.

Humans have patched up relationships, but memories of past wrongs linger.

The reconciliation that is described here is a complete reconciliation.

The word for reconciliation a perfect participle, which means that the action is done.

Think of Jesus’ last words on the cross, “It is finished.”

Romans 8:1 says “Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”

Why is there no condemnation?

Because reconciliation is complete.

God was justly angry at sin, but that anger is completely gone.

Never to be brought up again.

Think of the confidence of this.

You have sinned, you do sin and you will sin.

But for those that Jesus reconciled to the Father, the Father will never condemn.

Romans 8:38-39 says, “For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Nothing will be able to separate you from the Father … that is complete reconciliation

What could have happened to make such a secure reconciliation?

For example, World War I was nicknamed, the war to end all wars.

World War I ended in 1918.

But that peace was short-lived.

21 years later, under the leadership of Adolf Hitler, Germany would march into Poland, and begin World War II, and begin the deadliest war the earth has ever seen.

The peace that ended the war to end all wars was not secure.

What makes the peace that Jesus made more sure?

Verse 21, “having made peace through the blood of His cross ...”

Only through the Cross of Christ.

Isaac Watts wrote about the wondrous cross.

We wear crosses as jewelry around our necks.

Some decorate their homes with the Cross.

But we must never forget what the Cross is and why it’s essential in our reconciliation with God.

The Cross is where God’s anger towards sin was given for God’s elect.

In God’s holy justice the only way to remove this sin is by death.

The sins of God’s people were placed upon Jesus.

He assumed the sinner’s debt and paid for it with His life.

God’s righteous judgment was given to Jesus.

Man’s reconciliation to God happened on the Cross.

Paul is the only one to use this unique Greek word for reconciliation.

Some think that He might have invented it.

It means to remove something, or do away with something.

And in this sense it was the wrath of God upon sinful man that was done away with.

And for the first time ever, peace was secured.

Never before had this kind of peace existed.

Throughout the Old Testament there were sacrifices.

They were repeatedly made all year round.

A person would sin, and he’d offer a sacrifice.

But these sacrifices never actually made peace.

They never made any lasting change.

They were largely ineffective.

Hebrews 10:4 says, “For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.”

They were always anticipating and looking forward to a better sacrifice.

This better sacrifice was Jesus Christ.

We have to see Christ’s actions here.

Paul says that peace was secured “through the blood of His cross”.

This goes back to that eternal plan and the good pleasure of God.

Jesus was not a victim.

He was not someone who was at the wrong place at the wrong time.

Because of the plan that the Godhead made, Jesus willingly laid down His own life.

In fact it says this was His cross.

This wasn’t a Roman cross.

Jesus takes ownership of it, this was His cross.

He laid down His life.

Verse 20 says that He came to reconcile all things to Himself.

This was His purpose.

It was a complete reconciliation.

What things were reconciled?

Verse 20 says, “and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself … whether things on earth or things in heaven.”

Paul isn’t teaching universalism here.

Hebrews 2 limits reconciliation to only humans, not the angels.

But Paul is also not saying that all people go to heaven.

Jesus came to redeem all those that the Father had given Him.

He came for those on earth.

Those who were alive and the elect that were yet to come.

And He came to redeem those in heaven.

Who are those in heaven?

The Old Testament saints who were looking forward to Jesus.

There were those who died before Jesus, who though in the presence of God, still needed their sins removed.

They still needed reconciliation.

Eve looked for an offspring Who would crush the serpent.

Abraham looked for a promised Son.

David looked for a Son who would be King.

He was Who they looked forward to.

This was the purpose of reconciliation.

To bring sinners to Himself.

Then there are the People of Reconciliation.

This describes those that Jesus reconciled.

Look at verse 21, “And although you were formerly alienated and hostile in mind, engaged in evil deeds,”

Paul switches to 2nd person.

He says “And although you ...”

If you have been reconciled by Christ, there’s something you need to know about yourself.

You were “formerly alienated and hostile in mind, engaged in evil deeds.”

I’m surprised how many people I meet, in and out of the church, who think that they are going to heaven because they’re basically good people.

A large number of people in the church don’t think they’ve ever been alienated or hostile toward God.

Paul disagrees.

He wants you to remember what you used to be.

This will keep you humble and help you appreciate the Cross even more.

Formerly - in your previous state you were:

Alienated from God.

You were separated.

People don’t enter the world in a harmonious relationship with God.

Though we begin with a knowledge of God, we actively suppress or reject that truth.

Don’t confuse this alienation with neutrality.

For example, I live about an hour and a half from Mexico.

I could get in my car drive to Mexico and be in Tijuana.

I’d be an alien or a foreigner, but I wouldn’t be an enemy.

I’m not at war with Mexico.

Paul says that formerly we were alienated and hostile in mind.

Hostility means hatred.

Natural man is not passively separated from God.

Some describe man as a victim drowning in the ocean, seeing God on a life boat.

Man is reaching out seeking God’s help.

That’s not how this is.

A better picture is man was placed on a boat created by God.

Man sabotaged the boat, bringing irreparable harm upon it.

Then when seeing God on a boat, he finds whatever debris and throws it at God out of hatred.

Man is alienated and hostile in mind, and proves it by doing evil deeds.

No one is passive or neutral when it comes to God.

This was expressed in doing evil deeds.

Think of your sin.

In your sin you voluntarily lied.

You voluntarily lusted.

You voluntarily used the Lord’s name in vain.

No one compelled you to sin.

It was all you.

We begin to see a picture of the people that Jesus reconciled.

Jesus didn’t come to rescue good people.

These people were not POWs, heroes that were caught by the enemy.

Ephesians 2:1–2 says, “And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience.”

We were sinning and serving the prince of the power of the air.

Were sons of disobedience.

We were not followers of Christ, but in fact, children of Satan.

Alienated.

Hostile in mind.

Engaged in evil deeds.

This is who Jesus reconciled.

These were the people who were reconciled.

A fourth detail of reconciliation is there is a Presentation of Reconciliation - v. 22

Look at verse 22, “yet He has now reconciled you in His fleshly body through death, in order to present you before Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach—”

The gnostics denied Jesus having a physical body.

But what does verse 22 say about Jesus, “He has now reconciled you in His fleshly body through death.”

His body actually died on the Cross.

It wasn’t a pretend body.

It wasn’t a pretend death.

His heart stopped beating.

He was declared dead.

He was buried in a tomb.

Why did this happen?

So He could “present you before Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach –”

In the Old Testament, to see God was a frightening thing.

God told Moses in Exodus 33:20, “You cannot see My face, for no man can see Me and live!”

To see God would mean death.

It was a curse.

A priest couldn’t rush into the holy of holies.

Before Yom Kippur, the high priest had to purify himself, before he could make a sacrifice to God.

It is a deadly thing to be in the presence of God.

But here, because of reconciliation, Jesus presents you to God.

He is the one who leads you into the presence of God.

And He presents you holy and blameless and beyond reproach.

Holy

Set apart.

Cleansed.

Blameless

That means without defect or blemish.

And beyond reproach.

This word is also used describing church leaders and elders.

With a lifestyle that no one can bring any charges to.

Notice the change that takes place here.

Previously we were like the rest of the world.

Previously we were identified by our sin.

And now there is no reason to condemn.

Now you are holy, blameless and beyond reproach.

Though you may and will sin, there is no more sin on your account.

Because Jesus paid for past, present and future sins.

The confidence that we have is that Christ presents us before God and He keeps us there.

Romans 8:33-34 describes the present ministry of Christ,

“Who will bring a charge against God’s elect? God is the one who justifies; who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us.”

His ministry is one of intercession.

You sin.

And Christ, sitting at the Father’s right hand side says, “I died for Him.”

There you are presented and reconciled to the Father.

Finally we come to the Perpetuity of Reconciliation

Look at verse 23, “if indeed you continue in the faith firmly established and steadfast, and not moved away from the hope of the gospel that you have heard, which was proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, was made a minister.”

All of this is yours:

Reconciliation

Peace with God

Forgiveness of sins

Justification

A right relationship with God.

It’s yours.

Provided one thing, “if indeed you continue in the faith firmly established and steadfast ...”

What is your faith?

What Christ has done.

Notice Paul doesn’t say “if indeed you continue to live a good life.”

It’s continue in the faith.

Continue affirming and resting in the finished work of Jesus Christ.

Paul says that we are “firmly established and steadfast”.

Established means to lay a foundation.

The Greek tense for established is a perfect passive participle.

Perfect means its complete.

The action has been done.

Passive means that it is not done by you, but is done by someone else.

Our faith is that Christ is the very foundation of our faith.

He lived for us.

He died for us.

He presents us to the Father.

Paul says that our faith is established and steadfast.

Think of this like a building.

To be established is the foundation.

Being steadfast is the strength of the building standing its foundation.

The result is that you will not be swayed.

It’s as if Christ is your anchor.

There will be difficulties.

There will be sin.

There will be defeat.

There will be doubt.

But what keeps you going?

Faith in Christ.

It’s remembering Him.

Resist ever thinking that you are the source of strength or that your actions are what establish you before God.

It’s all Christ!

The perpetuity off reconciliation is never forgetting your need for theGospel.

In verse 23 Paul said we are to continue and not move away from “the hope of the Gospel that you have heard …”

It’s what you heard when you were first converted.

What saves you is what keeps you saved.

The Gospel is not just for new Christians, but for all Christians.

I’ve met Christians who’ve been Christians for many years, and they think they can leave the Gospel behind them.

Like it’s their ticket in, but once they’re in they don’t need it anymore.

You will never outgrow your need for the Gospel.

The only question left is have you been reconciled to God?

This only occurs through faith in Christ.

Have you recognized your own warfare against God?

If so, if you see your sin, then know that the only way to remove that sin is if Jesus has died for you.

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