Christ’s Work of Reconciliation

Transcript

GRM 896
Christ’s Work of Reconciliation
Col.1:15-23
4-4-04


I’m going to direct your attention to the book of Colossians chapter 1. Tremendous section in Colossians chapter 1, we’ll just be focusing on a few verses. He demonstrates the exalted person of the son of God, who He is as well as what He has done. Verse 15 of chapter 1, He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. What does it mean the firstborn of all creation? It means all creation had its beginning with Him. For by Him all things were created, and all things is explained. That means everything, the things in heaven, the things on earth, the visible, the invisible, whatever there is was brought into existence by the power of our God.

All things have been created through Him and for Him, focusing particularly on the second person of the Godhead, the Son of God who is our Savior. He has preceded everything, and it’s through His sovereign power that everything holds together. He is also the head of the body, the church. That’s what we’ve been talking about in our studies in I Timothy, the church, the body of Christ. He is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead so that in Himself He’ll come to have first place in everything. For it was the Father’s good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him. And he’s talking about all the fullness of deity. Over in chapter 2 verse 9, for in Him all the fullness of deity dwells in bodily form. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, took to Himself humanity, was born into the human race. But in no way at all was His deity diminished or lessened, He was still completely God. The manifestation of the glory that was His as God was not fully displayed. His deity was complete in that human body. As impossible as that is for us to conceive with our finite mind, all the fullness of deity dwelt in Him in bodily form.

And it was not only the Father’s good pleasure that all the fullness dwell in bodily form in Him, but through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, and the whole work of reconciliation accomplished in and through Jesus Christ. It was by His becoming a human being, becoming a man, not ceasing to be deity but now adding to His deity complete full humanity, He could become the sin bearer to bear our sins in His body on the cross so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. The point in verse 20 is He was to reconcile all things to Himself. The doctrine of reconciliation comes up a number of times in Paul’s writings—Romans chapter 5, Romans 11, II Corinthians 5, Ephesians 2. You could chase down in your cross-references reconciliation to refresh your mind. By definition reconciliation implies what? Alienation, people who were separated from one another, who were opposed to one another, who were in conflict with one another. Now what is going to happen here, you see reconciliation is to impact all things. And just as in verse 16 when he said by Him all things were created, he went to explain so you understand when I say all things, I mean all things. In verse 16 it was in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, thrones, dominions, rulers, authorities, all things created through Him and for Him.
Now in verse 20, through Him to reconcile all things to Himself. Now he explains when he says all things that means, at the end of verse 20, whether things on earth or things in heaven everything is brought into its proper relationship with God. We’re not going to delve into this in great detail, we have on other occasions. But I take it he’s talking about everything will be brought into its proper relationship to God as a result of the work of Christ. He’ll get into the personal dimension and we’re going to get into that and spend the bulk of our time in the personal dimension of reconciliation which we, the children of God, have experienced. But here it’s broader than just the realm of the believers. All creation is impacted by the work of Christ.

Jump back to Romans chapter 8, Romans chapter 8. Now this is not the personal redemption and forgiveness that we experience when we place our faith in Christ, obviously, when we talk in Romans 8 and verse 18. For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us. Now that’s talking about us as believers. But then he goes on, for the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God. Because when we are unveiled before all creation in our glorified state, then creation itself will be impacted by the reconciling work of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly but because of Him who subjected it in hope, for that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now. And not only this but we ourselves who have experienced that personal redemption agonize in these bodies that have not yet experienced their perfection. We’re awaiting the redemption of our body. That is part of our salvation. But our salvation is not complete. It is complete in that Jesus Christ has done everything necessary and we are complete in Him, but we haven’t realized it all yet. Glorification is yet to come.

So you see the creation is anxiously looking for that, that’s when what? The curse will be lifted from the creation. The desert will blossom like the crocus. So even creation will be brought into its proper relationship with God. In this sense even fallen beings will be brought into their right relationship to God. There is rebellion against God right now. Fallen angels are in rebellion against God, the devil goes about fomenting rebellion against God, fallen beings exercise their will in rebellion against God. There is coming a day when as a result of the finished work of Christ not every being will experience redemption, but the work of Christ’s reconciliation will have brought all things into proper relationship to Him.

Turn over to the book of Philippians. This is the humiliation of Christ, His willing subjection of Himself. Verse 5, have this attitude in yourself which was also in Christ Jesus, who although He existed in the form of God did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but He emptied Himself. Now note that did not mean He ceased being deity or was any less deity, but He no longer dwelt on the throne of glory as Isaiah 6 describes Him. But He took the form of a bondservant, made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. For this reason also God highly exalted Him and bestowed upon Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth. Everything will experience, if you will, that reconciling work of Christ, even though that dimension of that reconciling work does not mean they have been redeemed and saved. But every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. Even fallen, unredeemed beings, angelic and human, will some day bow before Jesus Christ. And they will be condemned to an eternal hell. And everything will have been brought into right order unto Him. There will be no beings now in rebellion against Him. Those who have been unredeemed will be under judgment in hell. They are in their proper place, their right place in relationship to God because of their rebellion. And you see the ultimate end of the work of Christ will be the judgment of the wicked and the complete redemption with glorification of the redeemed. So His reconciling work impacts everything, but not everything for salvation. But everything will be brought into right relationship. We still use that kind of concept today. Someone commits a crime and they’re sentenced to life imprisonment and there’s a sense of what. They are now where they belong, now justice has been done, now things are as they should be. Until that person has been found and properly punished there is the sense that things are not as they should be.

And so it is in creation to this point. It is not right that men should live in rebellion against the God who created them. It is not right that angels created by Him should be in rebellion against Him, stirring up opposition to Him. So in that sense ultimately everything will be brought into right relationship as it should be before a holy God.

Come back to Colossians 1 where he’s going to go now in verse 21 to focus on the personal dimension of reconciliation as experienced by the elect. How this reconciling work of Christ is brought to bear on the lives of those He has come to know. And we have to talk about the matter of sin to begin with. This is one of the most difficult areas, we talked about this in our study earlier today and it is ongoing. I read you an article where a man who is a popular preacher today said that one of the keys to growing a church is simple sermons that emphasize the positive. That’s not new. The prophets prophesied falsely and my people love to have it so, God said through Jeremiah. What did the false prophets say? Peace, peace when there is no peace. That’s a characteristic of false prophets. A positive message because we don’t like to hear the negative. Remember in our study of I Timothy, I Timothy chapter 1 verse 15 Paul said, it is a trustworthy statement deserving full, complete acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief. That’s why He came into the world, to save sinners. Oh I don’t like to hear about sin, I don’t want to be told I’m a sinner. But how can you talk about why Christ came into the world if you don’t talk about sin? He came into the world to save sinners. People of Jesus’ day found the message very offensive.

In the 18th century George Whitfield was mightily used of God, a contemporary of John Wesley and his brother, Charles Wesley. And there was a very distinguished believer, a woman by the name of Lady Huntington. And she brought one of her royal friends to hear George Whitfield preach, and the friend wrote a note after this to Lady Huntington and said, it is monstrous to be told that you have a heart as sinful as the common wretches that crawl on the earth. This is highly offensive and insulting and I cannot but wonder that your ladyship should relish any sentiments so much at variance with high rank and good breeding. Paul says we have to be careful, when he wrote to the Galatians. Those that are trying to add to the message of the cross are doing it what? To try to get away from the offense of the cross. Remember the Pharisee in Luke 18 verse 11? He came and said I thank you Lord that I am not like other people. They’re swindlers, they’re unjust people, they’re adulterers. God, I thank you that I am not like them. We understand the issue in the coming of Christ is the issue of sin.

This has already been dealt with in chapter 1 of Colossians, now he brings it back to bear in a pointed way, verse 21, to show that the sovereign God has His Son come to this earth to reconcile, redeem and save fallen, sinful human beings. Look at verse 21, and although you were formerly alienated and hostile in mind, engaged in evil deeds. Reconciliation is not only cosmic, affecting and impacting all creation, it is personal in bringing about the redemption and personal reconciliation in salvation of those who believe in Jesus Christ. And so verse 21 begins with an emphatic emphasis, an emphasis on you, which is put in apposition to give it the emphasis here. And you. We’re talking about how He reconciled all things to Himself. Verse 21, and you in particular as those who have experienced the grace of God in salvation. He’s going to describe what the Colossians were before they were reconciled. Why do we need reconciliation? You were formerly alienated. Three descriptions given here. And this word alienation, some of you are into grammar, it’s two participles, a present participle and a perfect participle. And it emphasizes this was the continuing, settled state of these people. Perfect tense is something happened in the past and the results continue into the present. Present tense is something that is ongoing.

The emphasis here, this was your settled condition, your settled ongoing condition. You were alienated from God. You want to get a hostile response, sit down with a religious person and tell them the first thing you need to know is you are alienated from God, you are estranged from Him, you are not His friend. Well that’s a terrible thing to tell people, people won’t want to come to God if that’s the way you approach them. What does Paul say? You have to understand you were alienated, you were estranged from God. There was not a friendship between you and God, there was enmity. You were alienated from God, you were hostile in mind. In their thinking they were opposed to God, they were hostile to Him, they were His enemies. There may have been a veneer over their hostility that attempted to cover it up, but at heart in their thinking they were hostile toward God. We all know this is true. That’s why we have so much going on in different methodologies today, supposedly, of how we reach the unbeliever. And you know what they all come back to? Don’t confront him about his real condition. Do you know at heart in your mind you are the enemy of God, you are hostile to Him, you are opposed to Him. No I’m not. Well there’s the demonstration. God says you are and you say you’re not. Demonstrates the condition, does it not?

Engaged in evil deeds. Now you’ll note here. Important we put this all together. Alienated from God, no relationship with God. Hostile toward God in their thinking and engaged in evil deeds. The natural outworking of those who have no relationship with God, are hostile toward Him in their thinking. They do the things contrary to His will.
So we ought not to be surprised that the world around us is deteriorating so rapidly. It is only by the common grace of God that the deterioration has not been much more rapid and complete. There is a restraining influence of the Holy Spirit of God present in the world today, otherwise things would get so bad we would not be able to bear it. We sometimes act as Christians, we don’t really believe this. After we’ve been saved a while we tend to forget what our true condition was and how great the impact of God’s work of redemption was in our lives and continues to be. Engaged in evil deeds. We won’t take the time to go through, but this expression evil deeds is used several times. Deeds of darkness would be referring to the same thing. That’s what unbelievers do, they do the deeds of darkness, Romans 3:12, Ephesians 5:11. They do the deeds of the flesh, Galatians chapter 5. Evil deeds, deeds of darkness, deeds of the flesh—they’re all talking about the same thing—the activities of those who are hostile toward God, who are alienated from God. Galatians chapter 5 verse 19, the deeds of the flesh are obvious, and these are the kind of things we’re talking about—immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, things like these. I mean this is just a sample of the list. So you get an idea of the kind of things people do that are hostile toward God, that are alienated from God. That’s why there is nothing accomplished in moral reformation activity, that’s why it’s a tragedy that the church expends its energy in trying to clean up society. I’m not saying that life is not better for people when they live to some conformity to the purpose and plans of God. There is, even for the unregenerate person. The more into sin and more open in sin, the more complete in the display of their rebellion, the more the consequences are. But the church, we don’t clean up things by just let’s get them to stop engaging in evil deeds. What about the hostility of their minds? What about their alienation from God? I sometimes get the idea that Christians are more concerned about whether this world is going to be comfortable for them than they are the true spiritual condition of a lost world. Oh my, what are we going to do? What are our kids going to do? What are my grandkids going to do? How are people going to live? Oh my, if they don’t stop these terrible deeds. But you know it’s out of the heart come all these practices, Jesus said in Mark 7.

And so he tells the Colossians you’re no different. Paul had to continually remind people of what they were. So it’s a good reminder to us. You know we become proud, we tend to think there is something different in us than the vilest of sinners. So he tells these Colossians, you were alienated, you were hostile in mind, you were engaged in evil deeds. Romans 1 verses 18-32 unfold the same ugly picture. We’re seeing in our country today debate over homosexuality and homosexual marriages. Well, read Romans 1. What is the result of those who reject the living God and suppress His truth in unrighteousness? Men burn in lust toward men, women burn in lust toward women. Are we amazed? Shocked? Surprised? No, I mean the Bible told us that this is the display of those who are alienated from God, hostile toward Him. They are committed to do whatever is opposed to His will. So we want to be careful because in minimizing the sin of people you know what we do? We minimize the greatness of the salvation of our God. A person who never commits adultery, never commits immorality, never is unfaithful to his wife is just as lost as the most promiscuous person. That’s why the lady that I read the letter to that sat under Whitfield’s ministry was so offended. I don’t want to be categorized with those kind of people. But as God saw her heart it was the same kind of heart. Didn’t display its rebellion and hostility toward Him in exactly the same way. No, it was like the Pharisee, I thank you God that I am not like other people, sinners. The pride, the arrogance, lifting yourself up against God, denying the truth of what He says is just as sinful before Him.

The picture is clear then, back in Colossians 1. This is what you were—alienated, hostile in mind, engaged in evil deeds. Yet now He has reconciled you. That’s the remarkable contrast that one alienated, hostile, pursuing wickedness, He reconciled me. God is not here to save those who aren’t so bad. He is here to save the hopeless. What did Jesus say? I didn’t come to call the righteous, I came to call sinners to repentance. We’re trying to clean up the world so maybe it will be more savable. There are none so hard to reach as the self-righteous. Didn’t Jesus say it’s the harlots, the tax-gatherers that are going into the kingdom. But it’s the what? The religious, the self-righteous, they’re excluded. He has reconciled you, the alienated, the hostile, the wicked, in His fleshly body through death. The very fact of reconciliation means we are out of right relationship with God, and of course those who are alienated and hostile and practicing wickedness need reconciliation to God. We are opposed to Him, we are in conflict with Him, we are in reality His enemies.

How will reconciliation take place? He has reconciled you in His fleshly body through death. Remember Hebrews chapter 10, building on the Old Testament? Sacrifice and offering you have not desired, but a body you have prepared for me. It was absolutely essential for the Son of God to step from the throne of glory as the creator and sovereign Lord of all, to be born into the human race, so that by His death on the cross He could pay the penalty for sin. He reconciled you in His fleshly body through death. In this body of flesh, that physical body that would be crucified, as Peter wrote in I Peter 2, He Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree that we might die to sin and live to righteousness.

Back up to Romans 5, Romans chapter 5, another great section on reconciliation. Romans chapter 5, and Romans 5 begins in verse 1, therefore having been justified by faith we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. And that faith is in Christ, at the end of chapter 4, who was delivered over because of our transgressions and raised because of our justification. Come down in chapter 5 verse 6, for while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. Verse 7, pick it up, for one will hardly die for a righteous man but perhaps for a good man someone would dare to die. The amazing thing about the death of Christ is God demonstrates His own love toward us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us. If while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, verse 10, much more having been reconciled we will be saved by His life. Not only this, but we also exalt in God through our Lord Jesus Christ through whom now we have received the reconciliation. It was the death of Christ that enabled us to be brought into right relationship with Go. Keep in mind there will come a time when the wicked will be in right relationship with God, the wicked who did not experience redemption, because they will be in hell. And that’s where the unredeemed enemies of the living God belong. But the amazing thing is the death of Christ has made it possible for us to be redeemed. God could have condemned all to hell. You understand fallen angels will be in hell, and there was never any redemption provided for fallen angels, Hebrews chapter 2 verse 14. The Son of God did not become an angel to provide redemption for angels. So angels sinned and their destiny was forever confirmed. And there’ll never be a fallen angel who repents of his sin and is forgiven by God’s grace. God is not obligated to bestow grace upon sinful beings. Grace by definition is undeserved. God has determined in His sovereign plan to bring salvation, reconciliation to sinful human beings, and that happens through Jesus Christ being born to the human race so that He might die for sinful people.

Now come back to Colossians chapter 1. We talk about people, about the death of Christ, why Christ came. Understand this is God’s complete, final solution to sin. There is no other provision and this is the complete provision. Have to be careful we have that. Remember the Judaizers, they thought it was part of the provision, that to that had to be added circumcision and keeping the Mosaic Law. We saw in Galatians 1 that means you are cursed to hell. That’s the problem with Roman Catholicism. It’s not a variation of Christianity, it is a Judaizing corruption. They say that salvation is by grace through faith, but not faith alone. It is by faith plus works. For that they are cursed to hell. The work of Christ brings about the reconciliation, the work of Christ alone.

You’ll note how complete it is back in Colossians chapter 1. Yet He has now reconciled you, verse 22, in His fleshly body through death. For the wages of sin is death, without the shedding of blood there is no remission, in order to present you before Him. I love that, to present you before Him. The Son of God presenting us before His Father in this condition, holy and blameless and beyond reproach. And it’s almost unfathomable the change that has occurred. Verse 21, those who were formerly alienated, hostile in mind, engaged in evil deeds now are presented before the throne of the perfectly holy God as those who are holy and blameless and beyond reproach. What a transformation has taken place. Alienated, hostile, wicked in activity, and now I can stand, not before men but before the throne of the God who is holy, righteous, just and be declared to be holy, blameless beyond reproach. Why? Because Jesus Christ died for me. You see why men’s desire to add their works of whatever kind to the work of Christ is such a terrible corruption? It is a denial of what God has done in His Son, as though what His Son did is part of what is needed. But here we are told He died to reconcile us. That reconciliation is complete. There’ll come a day when we will stand before the throne of God in glory and be presented by the Son, and you know what? There won't be any flaws, there won’t be anything that hasn’t been taken care of, there won’t be anything that could be spoken against in me. I will be beyond reproach, I will be blameless. That’s how complete, how powerful, if you will, the work of Jesus Christ on the cross is. It makes that kind of transformation.

Have to back up to Romans chapter 8 again. We’re going to do the book of Romans again together, I can’t refrain myself much longer. Romans chapter 8 verse 33, ought to be a passage dear to each one of us as believers. The whole Word of God is, but there are some that just, you know are amazing. Verse 33, who will bring any charge against God’s elect? God is the one who justifies. Now when God declares me righteous who can overrule God and say no, God, you’re wrong. He’s not righteous. That’s the point. 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 and also intercedes for us. I mean that’s our provision. How could we be condemned? That is an attack not on me; that is an attack on the effectiveness of the work of Christ. I am in Him by God’s grace through faith and so someone can bring a charge against me before the throne of God then would say something failed in the work of Christ. What Christ did was not adequate and sufficient to cleanse him. That’s an attack on the work of Christ, an attack on the person of Christ as well as the work of Christ. It’s an attack on the character of God as verse 33 says. Who will bring a charge against God’s elect? God is the one who justifies. Now you’re going to charge me in the presence of God? That’s an attack not on me, that’s an attack on God. You made a mistake, God, you declared him righteous. I’m here to say he’s not. That’s a work of the devil, he tries to accuse the brethren before the throne of God night and day. But it won’t stand. Jesus Christ is at the right hand of God to say no, it’s cared for. My death is sufficient. If any man sin we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous and He is the propitiation, the satisfaction, for our sins. Not for ours only, but for those of the whole world. That provision is sufficient and so no charge can be brought against us. Aren’t you glad? Who wants to think, you know you think stand before the throne of God. Even as a redeemed person I have not been perfect. I’m glad it depends on His work and not mine. I’m glad it doesn’t take my work to complete His work. You know what? I wouldn’t make it. That is a lie from hell to tell people that oh yes you believe in Christ but that alone won’t save you. I mean that’s to cast dispersions on the character of God.

Come back to Colossians 1. There is a condition attached here in 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. You know the gospel is the core or the root here, that’s what brought us salvation by the grace of God. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of Christ. Now you will be presented in this condition if you continue in the faith, firmly established and steadfast. You say oh I knew there was a condition, it was too good to be true. I’ll be unfaithful and I’ll fall on my face and I won’t make it. Well this was called first class, Greek had different ways, Greek grammar, of structuring their conditions. We do it more by the context and so on. But they had a different grammatical structure. This is what was called a first class condition and it generally assumes something to be true. And if they are genuine believers they will persevere. Doesn’t mean we never stumble, doesn’t mean I never fail. But it is the characteristic of genuine believers that they persevere. They don’t fall into sin and stay there. There is something different about a believer. You know I can’t live there anymore. I can be tempted by it, sometimes, to my shame, I even exercise my will to indulge. But you know I can’t live there, that’s not me anymore. And a person who can is demonstrating what? They’re not a child of God at all. They can be comfortable in the realm and world of sin, they can be comfortable with the devil, they can be comfortable being hostile toward God and engaged in evil deeds. No I can’t do that, I’m doing that which is opposed to the one that I love, more than that, the one who loves me. So we have here the perseverance of the saints. If you continue, and express that active perseverance, persistence. It’s not a passive deal, let go and let God. But this is the active perseverance. Sometimes, you hear the debate in Calvinism talking about the perseverance of the saints or eternal security. And the flaw that is sometimes pointed out with eternal security, it has a passive characteristic about it. I don’t do anything, I’m eternally secure. Where the perseverance of the saints more accurately reflects what the scripture teaches. The children of God continue, they persevere. That doesn’t mean it’s easy, doesn’t mean that there aren’t battles, there aren’t failures along the way. But they persevere, they stay with it.

Peter was an example. We talk about the failures of Peter. But Peter doesn’t stay there, does he? I mean we say oh Peter you did it again. But do we think of the characteristic of Peter? He gets up and goes, he’s not going to be Judas. Judas walked with the Lord physically, but he turned away and that’s where he lived and died. Peter stumbled, but no he’s got to keep on, keep on, keeping on. That’s a characteristic of a true child of God. If you continue in the faith. Parents, are we listening? We like to think our kids, oh yes they made a decision. They’re not living for the Lord now and they’re not interested in the things of the Lord, but I take my comfort in they made a decision for the Lord. Why do we like to comfort ourselves with false security? I mean the worst thing I want to believe is that one of my children or grandchildren are saved when they’re not. I want reality to be there for them. What a selfish thing that I would want to take false comfort. No. If you continue steadfastly in the faith. If I have a child that’s not living for the Lord I’d have to take him to this verse and say you know what? There is a condition on what you’re claiming, if you’ve been truly reconciled. This will be your condition if you continue in the faith. I don’t see that in your life, that means.

Firmly established and steadfast. They have a stability that comes from being firmly founded. They are like when Jesus talked about the house built on the sand and the house built on a rock in Matthew chapter 7. The storm comes, the house built on the sand is washed away. What we see in many lives. They make professions, they seem to do well for awhile. Then certain things come along, they’re washed away. Why? There was no foundation. The house built on the rock stands. Firmly established and steadfast, not moved. That’s putting negatively what we just said positively. Positively they remain firmly established and steadfast. You want to hear that negatively? It means they are not moved away from the hope of the gospel. Now it is stated clearly. They remain true to the truth, they’re not moved from the gospel, the hope of the gospel. They’re not led astray by false teachers, they’re not led astray by the allurements of the devil and the world and the flesh.

Ephesians 4:14 talks about not being led astray by the cunning deception of men. Here’s what one person said. Just as a tornado can blow a house from its foundations, so the pervasiveness of false teachers can threaten the careless and unwary. This process is continually occurring and is one of the means whereby God allows those who are not really part of the church to be removed. True Christians, however, are characterized by faithful adherence to the gospel which they have accepted. That’s it. I John 2:19, they went out from us because they were not really part of us. For if they had been part of us they would have remained with us. Same thing. If you continue in the faith, firmly established and steadfast, not moved away from the hope of the gospel. Those who abandon the faith manifest their character.

Can you believe that there is a major division in the evangelical world today over this issue? I mean, the Word of God cannot be any clearer. We’re not saved by works, but the Word of God changes your life in such a dramatic way that your life is changed. This idea that you’re no longer alienated from God, you’re no longer hostile in mind, but you still engage in evil deeds. What’s out of the heart proceed all these evil deeds. Galatians 5 told us that those who practice such things will have no part in the kingdom of God. Where do we get off telling people that you can be saved and maybe you’re living a life of sin and that doesn’t mean you’re not saved. I think the Word of God is clear.

Not moved away from the hope of the gospel that you have heard, which was proclaimed in all creation under heaven. The point of this is, there is only one gospel. It’s the same gospel that brings salvation wherever it is proclaimed. You’ll note that, whatever the culture, whatever the society, whatever the circumstances, the gospel is the power of God for salvation. Why, as we talked about, does the church keep looking for new methods? I mean not moved away from the hope of the gospel which you have heard, which was proclaimed in all creation under heaven. Doesn’t matter. Here Paul is writing to the church at Colossae which is in Asia Minor. What did he say when he went over to Greece to Corinth? Now he’s with the Greeks. I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. New methods for different people? No. Why? It’s the same gospel. We preach that no matter whether you live 1000 years ago, 500 years ago, today. If the Lord doesn’t come in 100 years it will be the same gospel, it’s the only thing that is preached under heaven for salvation. God moves you to a different part of the country, a different part of the world, it will be the same gospel. You say I have to learn all over now, what methods will I use? Determine to know nothing but Jesus Christ and Him crucified. Well I don’t know whether that will work there. If that won’t work there, God is not at work there.

Of which I Paul was made a minister. That word minister, we talked about it in I Timothy chapter 3. It’s the word deacon. I was made a diakonos. Means a servant. I was made a servant. What do I do? I go around as a servant of the living God, as a servant of His truth, not altering it, not trying to dress it up, not trying to use my human wisdom to make it more effective as we saw in I Corinthians 1. You know what I do? I go around and present the gospel.

Turn to II Corinthians chapter 5, II Corinthians chapter 5. Verse 17, therefore if anyone is in Christ he is a new creature. The old things passed away, the new things have come. What does it mean to be in Christ, how does this happen? Back up to verse 14, for the love of Christ controls us, having concluded this. That one died for all, therefore all died. He died for all so that those who live may not longer live for themselves but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf. When I place my faith in Christ, Christ comes to dwell in me and I in Him. You abide in me and I abide in you. Now I live for Him. The old things have passed away, new things have come. Now all these things, verse 18, are from God who reconciled us to Himself through Christ. The beautiful ministry of reconciliation that we have experienced. And gave us the ministry of reconciliation, namely that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them. He has committed to us the word of reconciliation. Therefore we are ambassadors for Christ as though God were making an appeal through us. We beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. That’s the message. So he says we urge you, chapter 6 begins, don’t receive the grace of God in vain. Don’t hear this message and not believe it. The grace of God has come to you, I’ve preached the gospel to you. Oh we beg you, be reconciled to God. Turn from you sin and believe in Him. The beauty of the message.

Thrilling opportunity in these days. There’ll be more people in churches next weekend than almost any other time of the year because it is Easter. What an opportunity for us to be talking about Jesus Christ to people. Do you know in this celebration, isn’t it amazing that Jesus Christ came to earth, amazing that we’re celebrating the life of Christ. I see one of the news networks is having a special on the life of Christ, I believe it’s tonight, a Man who has perhaps had a greater impact on the world than anybody else and His impact continues. We ought not to let these opportunities go by, to share with people why Jesus Christ was doing a ministry of reconciliation. Do you know what we’re talking about is we as sinful beings are separated from God. We’re really not God’s friends, we’re God’s enemies. We’re doing things that are displeasing to Him, but He loved us and had His Son come to this earth to die for us. That’s His provision. He desires to bring us into right relationship with Himself. He does not desire that any should perish, but that all should come to a knowledge of the truth. We need to be bold in love to share the truth in its simplicity. We ought not to be embarrassed to beg people to be reconciled to God. Eternity is at stake. God’s love has been demonstrated, we are privileged to belong to Him, to have experienced that redemption and now to share it with others.

Let’s pray together. Thank you Lord that the attention of the world in these days is focused on your Son, Jesus Christ. They are in ignorance, they are in darkness, they are alienated from you, they are hostile in their thinking, they love their sin. And yet, Lord, you in love have provided your Son to be the means of reconciling them to yourself. Lord, we know the power of that gospel. It has transformed us, vile, hopeless, wretched sinners deserving only of hell. And yet we have been reconciled to you. Lord, that should give us a great compassion and love for those who are yet lost in their sin, that your grace was great enough to save us and that grace is great enough to save them. May these be days of salvation for many. We pray in Christ’s name. Amen.