Prayer Guide from 2 Cor. 5:17-21...

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5:11–6:2 The Ministry of Reconciliation.

God reconciles sinners on the basis of Christ’s atoning death, which appeases his holy displeasure against their sin,

removes the enmity between them and him, and restores their relationship with him (cf. ; ).

God entrusts to Paul and his fellow evangelists the task of announcing this divine act and appealing for a human response: “Be reconciled to God” (5:20).

Reconciliation is integral to Paul’s (and the NT’s) central theme of God the Father’s salvation through Christ and the Spirit.

In that salvation, God justifies sinners and thereby reconciles and adopts them as his sons and daughters.

The Messengers of Reconciliation. Although only God brought about reconciliation (5:18),

he appeals to people through his co-workers, who are Christ’s ambassadors, to be reconciled to him (5:20).

Moo, D. J. (2015). The Letters and Revelation. In D. A. Carson (Ed.), NIV Zondervan Study Bible: Built on the Truth of Scripture and Centered on the Gospel Message (p. 2367). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.The Messengers of Reconciliation. Although only God brought about reconciliation (5:18), he appeals to people through his co-workers, who are Christ’s ambassadors, to be reconciled to him (5:20).

"That is, in Christ, God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and he has committed the message of reconciliation to us.” ()

Moo, D. J. (2015). The Letters and Revelation. In D. A. Carson (Ed.), NIV Zondervan Study Bible: Built on the Truth of Scripture and Centered on the Gospel Message (p. 2368). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.

"That is, in Christ, God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and he has committed the message of reconciliation to us.” ()

"Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, since God is making his appeal through us. We plead on Christ’s behalf: “Be reconciled to God.”” ()

v19 In the person and through the work of Christ, God “was reconciling the world” of human beings “to himself.”

So God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself; meaning that it was only because all God’s fullness dwelt in Christ (; ) that God accomplished reconciliation.

v20. The ambassador is sent, not from man to God, but from God to man.

God was in Christ and Christ sends His ambassadors and makes His appeal “on Christ’s behalf.”

Pray that the content of their message to others would be altogether of and from God. Because it’s God who is “reconciling the world to Himself” in Christ (v19).

God cries out to lost men through saved men. So that from the first thought of reconciliation, right on through the provision of the atonement, to the

Pray that the people would receive it as “God is making His appeal” through them (v20).

Oh yes, may God stir up the hearts of His reconciled children.

Be stirred up because you owe all of what it is to being reconciled to God.

v18 says that “Everything is from God.” So we ought to render thanksgiving unto the Most High! And never attribute our salvation to our own wills or any sort of supposed goodness in ourselves!

“ Everything is from God, who has reconciled us to himself” (v18)

Pray that all of those that gather at the church (those that have been reconciled), that their hearts may be stirred up to thanksgiving and zeal to evangelize!

Yes beloved, when we “plead” (v20) with you to be reconciled to God, we don’t prop ourselves up above you as though our nature is superior to yours before conversion.

Are you sinful? So were we!

Are you rebellious against God? So were we!

Is your heart hard? So was ours!

So we plead not from a high platform that’s above you, but glad that we can speak to you of the evil that used to vex us and afflict us.

God might have sent angels to you but when you find that they can’t know your misery and degradation as we do you’d grow cold to their outreach.

Plus, they wouldn’t have care to come near to you because their purity would have caused them to avoid you like a healthy person avoids the leper.

But we have no such feelings, we have a horror of your sin but not of you;

and looking at you as being what we once were, we say to you, brothers by nature,

we trust you will yet become brothers by grace, and

that the blood of Christ, which has made peace between us and God,

may also reconcile you to the great Father in heaven.

Pray that as they evangelize, that they will remember that they to, were once enemies of God. “Everything is from God, who has reconciled us to Himself.” (v18).

They are no strangers to the reconciliation which they have to preach, for they have been reconciled themselves.

Yes, we were by grace divine made to feel the evil of sin;

we were led to know its bitterness in our inmost souls, and

we were led to the cross, and led to look to the Savior nailed there for human sin:

our guilt disappeared,

our burden, rolled from our shoulders, and

we were free; and

now we feel no enmity towards God, but, on the contrary,

but, on the contrary, a love to him which we desire you to feel. We have no quarrel now with our Maker; we desire that he should always do what seemeth him good, for we are sure that his will is always kindness, and wisdom, and love towards his people: and now as God’s friends we speak to you, and tell you that he is a good Friend and a kind Father, that he is willing to forgive, and does forgive most freely, all those who come to him by Jesus Christ.

a love to him which we desire you to feel.

We have no quarrel now with our Maker;

for we are sure that His will is always kindness, and wisdom, and love towards His people:

and now as God’s friends we speak to you, and tell you that he is a good Friend and a kind Father,

that He is willing to forgive, and does forgive most freely, all those who come to Him by Jesus Christ.

Pray that they would see that they have a message to deliver which has been given to them. “and has given us the ministry of reconciliation.”

Having been reconciled to God, we have a message to deliver that’s been delivered to us.

v18 “…and has given us the ministry of reconciliation.” and is repeated in v19b “and has committed the message of reconciliation to us.”.

You see, we have nothing to tell you but what God has told to us.

We don’t have to

stand in our pulpits in churches or

sit on a couch in a living room and

utter original ideas, or to invent a gospel for you;

no, we are simply the bearers of a message which God would have us deliver to you,

and it is at our peril that we add to it or take from it.

You cannot reconcile yourself to God by weeping and lamentation on account of your past sins.

There is no You cannot reconcile yourself to God by weeping and lamentation on account of your past sins.

Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.”

There is no potency or power in regret to blot out transgression.

There are many in history, who went about to establish their own righteousness, and

Spurgeon, C. H. (1873). God Beseeching Sinners by His Ministers. In The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit Sermons (Vol. 19, p. 425). London: Passmore & Alabaster.

would not submit themselves to the righteousness of Christ; and

therefore they failed utterly, of reconciliation with God.

Pray that we’d understand the subject of our message. That reconciliation is only to be obtained towards God on the ground of substitution.

“God was reconciling the world to himself.” (v19)

Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.”

"He made the one who did not know sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” (v21)

“since God is making His appeal through us. We plead on Christ behalf.” (v20)

We’re not just trying to influence the intellect! But our plead is to the heart of a person!

Warning sinners and pleading with sinners is our labor!

There is no You cannot reconcile yourself to God by weeping and lamentation on account of your past sins.

You know how a beggar bows his knees, and implores you when he is starving, that you will give him food:

with like earnestness we are bound to plead others to be saved.

Spurgeon, C. H. (1873). God Beseeching Sinners by His Ministers. In The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit Sermons (Vol. 19, p. 428). London: Passmore & Alabaster.

There is no potency or power in regret to blot out transgression.

Spurgeon, C. H. (1873). God Beseeching Sinners by His Ministers. In The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit Sermons (Vol. 19, p. 421). London: Passmore & Alabaster.

Pray about the manner in which we speak to the lost of Christ.

Pray that we’d “plead” with others.

God does much pleading in Scripture. One of the times is found in and we hear how imploring it is...

"Listen, heavens, and pay attention, earth, for the Lord has spoken: “I have raised children and brought them up, but they have rebelled against me.” ()

For several verses the Lord lays out their sins before them, opposes them and then pleads...

"“Wash yourselves. Cleanse yourselves. Remove your evil deeds from my sight. Stop doing evil. "Learn to do what is good. Pursue justice. Correct the oppressor. Defend the rights of the fatherless. Plead the widow’s cause. "“Come, let us settle this,” says the Lord. “Though your sins are scarlet, they will be as white as snow; though they are crimson red, they will be like wool.” ()

Oh what tenderness is that invitation to reason together.

There was first a burst of righteous indignation to arouse the mind, and then came the voice of tenderest pity to allure the heart.

What matchless pleading!

Here we have a high standard set before us of how we’re to plead with others!

We are to plead with folks with a boundless freedom of invitation and gentleness!

Pray that we’d plead with others as though “God is making His appeal through us.” (v20).

Pray that we’d plead with others as though “God is making His appeal through us.” (v20).

Pray that we’d speak as though Christ Himself were speaking to the lost person. “on Christ’s behalf.” (v20)

Pray also, that we’d press the matter of salvation home, “Be reconciled to God.” (v20)

There is life in a look at the Crucified One.

Spurgeon, C. H. (1873). God Beseeching Sinners by His Ministers. In The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit Sermons (Vol. 19, p. 432). London: Passmore & Alabaster.