Ministry of Reconciliation

INTRODUCTION

GOOD MORNING

Welcome and thank you for joining us online

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CONTEXT

How are you doing in the midst of this global pandemic we all find ourselves?

Feelings of stress begin to constrict/ squeeze us from the inside - and then out of us pops: anger, sadness, tiredness, fear. Maybe you’ve become a bit more short-tempered or sharp with your kids, spouse, co-workers.

Author Paul Tripp gives an illustration of a cup - filled with water

You shake the cup and water spills out all over the counter

We blame the circumstance, the shaking of the cup, agitating the water and making it spill out.

TRUTH - shaking the cup simply revealed what was inside

The same is true of us - the circumstances we are enduring presently are not simply causing our emotions, they are also revealing what is in our heart.

Those feelings are now harder to hold in and so they start spilling out onto others and maybe you don’t like what you are seeing.

Maybe the people around you have been hurt or wounded by what is spilling out of you.

The passage we are looking at today is going to speak to:

Healing the Heart

Healing Our Relationships

2 CORINITHIANS

We are currently studying through the book of the Bible called 2 Corinthians.

This letter was written by the Apostle Paul to a church he helped start but they have begun questioning whether they should actually listen to him or not. This has caused tension in their relationship. They are working through those tensions “IN LIGHT OF THE GOSPEL”

READ The PASSAGE

When my oldest daughter was young she loved to have book read to her. Over and over and over again. You would get to the last page and she would say read it again - the same book - again and again.

Me being the patient and loving father grew tired and a bit bored so I began to do something different to make it more interesting for her and for me.

After reading the book the first time - I would them proceed read the book backwards - every word of every sentence - backwards. She thought it was funny as I tried to read it with meaning.

Why do I say this...

I want to preach this passage backwards this morning

Not every word of every sentence but each thought. Paul is building a thought and I want to deconstruct that argument because it seems to make sense in my mind

Maybe I’ve been trapped inside too long - but I hope this process bring clarity and hope from the inside out for how we can experience healing in our hearts and in our relationships.

GREAT EXCHANGE

The passage was called the ‘Great Exchange’ by Martin Luther.

I’m a visual person - I learn and and think through abstract concepts through shapes and pictures. I’m going to overlay some graphics to this video to help you understand this incredibly import verse.

CREATION

God created man and woman in his image. Perfect and without fault, or sin, or error.

We had a perfect relationship with God and a perfect relationship with one another.

SIN

When Adam and Eve disobeyed God in the Garden of Eden - Sin entered the world

The brought about separation between God and mankind - because his is perfect and we are not. The darkness of sin cannot exist in the presence of perfect light.

This also brought about separation between mankind - our relationships with others are broken as a result of sin.

INCOMPLETE GOSPEL

You may have heard how Jesus died on the cross for our sins.

This is not a Great Exchange

This is not a full understanding of the Gospel

COMPLETE GOSPEL

Starting Point: We are sinners, separated from a perfect and holy God

The Great Exchange is this:

Jesus took our sin AND gave us his righteousness

Jesus died on the cross paying the penalty of God’s wrath for our sin

He was buried

If the story end here we would still be without hope. Still separated from God. Our hope would only be for this life but upon death there would be no hope.

When Jesus rose for the dead three days later - he conquered death.

The broken relationship between us and God is reconciled by the work of Jesus.

This is the Good News of Jesus

This is the Great Excahnge

MINISTRY OF RECONCILIATION

BE RECONCILED TO GOD

“We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled God”

Repent and Believe

By Grace - through Faith - In Jesus

Grace - you can’t do it - repent of your wrongs and your rights

By faith, trust on Jesus

There is no other name name in heaven or on earth by which we can be saved

BE RECONCILED TO ONE ANOTHER

“We are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us.”

If you have trusted in Jesus, maybe in the moment, maybe years or decades pervious

You have a job - you are an ambassador now of Jesus

You carry his name, promote his reputation, his kingdom, his rule and reign. You not only represent yourself but you represent the king or kings and the Lord of Lords.

JOB DESCRIPTION

(18) From God

Jesus reconciled us to himself

AND “gave us a ministry of reconciliation”

(19) To

God is at work - now, today - drawing people to himself, reconciling the world to himself.

(18) “Jesus has entrusted to us the message of reconciliation”

NEW CREATION

(17) “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God...”

BUT - what about who I was before Jesus...

(16) “we regard no one according to the flesh”

You are new, you are redeemed, you are reconciled

BUT - my heart, I have all this junk that keeps spilling out...

I’ve hurt others in the past and sometimes I still hurt them with my sin.

(14-15)

“The love of Christ controls us” - we have a new heart, new affections...

How do we know this:

Jesus died - we died with him -

That person you were, all those sins - died with jesus on the cross

I have been crucified with Christ - that old person was put to death and you don’t need to carry that dead body around any longer in guilt. That debt was paid.

Jesus Lives -

“that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him

Jesus arose from the dead that we might live now and forever more in his grace and mercy.

(13) sometimes it is hard and we are beside ourselves - but it is for the honor of Jesus and the joy of others.

(12) we don’t talk about ourselves or commend ourselves - we boast in jesus

What is on the inside, being change and renewed - not our external accomplishments.

(11) We live in the knowledge and fear of God so that we might persuade and implore others to trust in Jesus and be reconciled to God and one another.

CONCLUSION

Be Reconciled to God

Jesus died on the cross for your sins

He was buried and rose again

In Christ and Christ alone we live and place our hope

You are a new creation

You have been crucified with Jesus and you no longer live but Jesus lives in you

He has changed your heart, your affections, your identity

Proclaim the Good News of Jesus reconciling the world to himself.

You are an ambassador

You are now entrusted with this message of reconciliation

CALL TO ACTION

Who are you praying for?

How can your demonstrate and declare the gospel to them this week?

Take a moment to pray and think through this question and then post your response in the comments.