New Message of Reconciliation

Title: Message of Reconciliation

Text: 2 Cor. 5:18-21

Intro: During the revolutionary war there lived in Ephrata Pennsylvania a pastor by the name of Peter Miller. Although Miller was greatly loved by everyone in the community, there was one man who lived near the church who hated him and had earned a distasteful reputation for his abuse of the minister. This man was not only a hater of the church, but also turned out to be a traitor to his country and was convicted of treason and sentenced to death.

The trial was conducted in Philadelphia, and no sooner did Miller hear of it than he set out on foot to visit General George Washington and interceded for the man’s life. But Washington told him, “I’m sorry that I cannot grant your request for your friend.”

Friend! Miller cried. “Why that man is the worst enemy I have in the world!”

“What?” the general exclaimed in surprise. “Have you walked sixty miles to save the life of an enemy? That in my judgment, puts the matter in a different light. I will grant him a pardon for your sake.”

The pardon was made out and signed by General Washington, and Miller proceeded at once on foot to a place fifteen miles distant where the execution was scheduled to take place that afternoon. He arrived just as the man was being carried to the scaffold, and when he saw Miller hurrying toward the place, remarked. “There is old Peter Miller. He has walked all the way from Ephrata to have his revenge gratified today by seeing me hung.” But scarcely spoken the words when Miller pushed his way through to the condemned man and handed him the pardon that saved his life.

As Pastor Peter Miller interceded for someone who had wronged him and hated Him. Jesus intercedes for those who hated Him and brought a pardon made out and signed with His blood, and as Pastor Peter carried this message of the man pardon believers in Jesus carry the message of Jesus’ pardon.

CPS: Through faith Jesus reconciles us to God and then we proclaim to the world Jesus’ reconciling work.

Body

God saved us and committed to us the ministry of reconciliation Vs. 18-19

“All things are of God”

Vs. 18 starts

There is no room for human boasting we are a new creation as presented holy before God and unblameable because of God’s grace.

We are now not of this world but of God.

How?

Eph. 2:8-9 by grace through faith not a work of yourself but it is a gift of God.

By faith (steadfast firm belief) in Jesus The Son of God we are reconciled with God by His blood

Vs. 18 “Who has reconciled us to Himself by Jesus”

Reconciled (Katallasso), past tense verb to show that used to speak to those who have been saved or reconciled

To be restored to a favorable or friendly relationship with another.

In this case the other is God.

Since the 1st sin found Genesis 3 we have been rebellious towards God, now we are put into a right relationship with God

NB) Either Jesus saves or there is no salvation. You don’t have any part of the work done to reconcile you. Jesus did that work on a cross at Calvary.

We have no reason to boast, if reconciliation was left to us we would never find peace with God. Because we are sinful, it’s our nature. Reconciliation is completely unmerited, underserved, and can only be received as a gift from God.

Now that we are at peace with God and restored to His family we have a responsibility.

He has given to us the ministry of reconciliation.

Vs. 18 “Hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation”

He has saved us and caused us to be ministers

By faith are we saved to glorify God and bring others to a repentance and that same faith.

By faith I tell others about the reconciling work of Jesus.

God did this work in Christ

At the cross Jesus made atonement available for the sins of the whole world

Now His atoning work is done and He has given us the work of telling the world about it

Vs. 19 “To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself,”

God seeks to reconcile the world by our testimony of the work He did in Jesus

God makes it possible for us sinner to cross over to a place that before we were unable to get to.

At the cross where Jesus died He became our propitiation

Propitiation “Mercy Seat”

Vs. 19 “not imputing their trespasses unto them”

By faith in Jesus God does not count your trespasses against Him, instead He moves it as far as the east is from the west.

He wants the world to understand this.

Vs. 19 “and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation”

So He appointed the believer to be the minister or the word of reconciliation

What is this word? THE GOSPEL THE GOOD NEWS of JESUS

We are to be agents of God’s saving activity as He acts to reestablish a friendly relationship with His wayward children.

Why? Because He loves us!

Because He loves us!

He created us, mind body and soul and souls are important to God

Illustration: RG LEE Souls valuable to God

God empowered us to the ministry of reconciliation Vs. 20

Since God saved us and committed us/believer to the ministry God through our faith has empowered us to speak on His behalf.

He gave us the authority to act.

Vs. 20 “Now then we are ambassadors for Christ,”

Ambassador (Presbeuo) Present active verb – To act as an authorized representative of one sovereign ruler or country to another.

In the case – the sovereign ruler Jesus

If you have been reconciled to God then you represent the King of kings and the Lord of lords

Whoever accepts your testimony of Jesus accepts Jesus, and whoever accepts Jesus accepts God

Matthew 10:40 He that receiveth you receiveth me, and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me.

By the authority of our sonship and the Holy Spirit in us, we call for a lost world to be reconciled to God by faith

Vs. 20 “as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God.”

As though God did beseech you by us

Beseech (Parakaleo) Present Active verb - to ask or request earnestly

Pray you (Deomai) – to Beg

Through us God is earnestly requesting the world to come to Him and be reconciled

And we are to beg others to come to Jesus

Because Jesus is the only way to restore the lost and spare them from eternity in a sinners hell

Illustration: As we heard earlier about Pastor Peter Miller bringing the pardon to the condemn man gives us a great illustration of what an Ambassador looks like. Peter Miller was General George Washington’s representative as he brought the good news of the man’s pardon. We bring the good news of Jesus’ pardon so that others will be saved.

A soul can be saved by the message God entrusted to us.

Have you told anyone?

Have you seen anyone come to Jesus by your testimony?

You say, I’m just one person what can I do, even if someone is saved that’s one person

JESUS TURNED THE WORLD UPSIDE DOWN WITH JUST A FEW MEN IN HIS SERVICE.

And one can be counted for as many

Andrew brought Simon his brother (Peter), just one. But, that one was many, for under God, Simon Peter brought 3000 to Christ in one day.

Ezra Kimball, a Sunday school teacher, in the back of a Boston shoe store, brought Dwight L. Moody to Christ. Just one, but that one was counted as many! For Christ rocked 2 continents Through Moody.

It is credited that Dwight Moody shared the Gospel Message with 100,000,000 people.

J. Wilbur Chapman was converted at a Dwight L. Moody evangelistic meeting;

Billy Sunday was converted at a Chapman meeting;

Mordecai Ham was converted at Billy Sunday meeting;

and Billy Graham was converted at a Ham meeting.

Through the preaching of Billy Graham 2.2 Billion people heard the saving news of reconciliation through Jesus and 2.2 million people responded to his invitation

Well we all aren’t Billy Graham, D.L. Moody, or Billy Sunday.

But we all can be an Ezra Kimball

Tell someone about Jesus and how He saves because you are His earthly representative.

The message of reconciliation Vs. 21

What is this message?

God made Jesus His only begotten Son to be sin on our behalf

Vs. 21 “For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin”

The perfectly righteous Son of God became what was foreign to Him

He became sin….. Sin on Him not in Him

The sins of the world was charged to Him and He paid every last of one them

John 1:29 The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.

Why is this important?

Because reconciliation with God means we exchange our unrighteousness for Jesus’ righteousness

Unrighteousness has no part of God’s eternal Kingdom

Vs. 21 “that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.”

Illustration: Court room

Once reconciled to God by faith in the atoning blood of Jesus, God no longer sees the rebellious sinner

But now sees Jesus and His blood covering us

Our sin debt owed to God is canceled like a paid off Bank Loan

You no longer owe a debt for your sin

Romans 6:23 The wages of sin is death

The payment for your sin was death and Jesus died that death

By faith you receive a gift from God, Eternal life.

Application:

1st be reconciled to God

Gospel presentation

Put down your arms

Why? Because He loves you

2nd Tell someone this gospel message

Tell how you came to faith your story

Tell them over and over because it is urgent

3rd Make it your life work to tell others about Jesus

You are a missionary a minister of the message of reconciliation

Statistic 95%

This is urgent

Pray for the Lost

Pray for opportunities the be ready to jump on them

Conclusion: God is actively reconciling the world to Himself through Jesus and He chose to use those who believe in Him to carry His good news, His Pardon