Sermon Tone Analysis
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Flawed reconciliation
From April 12, 1861 to May 26, 1865, the United States of America faced it’s biggest task … remaining a nation.
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.
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.
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