Main Point: We are reconciled to God through the cross; we are called to a ministry of reconciliation.
The God-Man was born.
John 1:14
14 “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the father, full of grace and truth”
God Reconciles Humanity to Himself.
Colossians 1:15
15 “The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.”
Colossians 1: 20
20 “Through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.”
Romans 5:18-19
18 “Consequently, just as one trespass resulted in condemnation for all people, so also one righteous act resulted in justification and life for all people. 19 For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.”
We are ministers of reconciliation.
2 Corinthians 5:17-21
17 “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! 18 All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: 19 that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. 20 We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. 21 God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”
As an ambassador, there are three things for you to remember:
1. You have been sent
2. You have been anointed by God with a ministry of reconciliation
3. You are on assignment from Him, not your feelings, personal convictions, or culture
Barriers to reconciliation
- Offense
- Bitterness
- Resentment
Reconciliation in Action
John 7:53
53 Then they all went home,
John 8:1-11
1 but Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. 2 At dawn he appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them. 3 The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group 4 and said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. 5 In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?” 6 They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him. But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. 7 When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” 8 Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground. 9 At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. 10 Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” 11 “No one, sir,” she said. “Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.”
Genesis 1:28
28 “God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it”
Conclusion: The curse has been reversed in humanity, over mankind and all of creation. As we look at our lives, there are relationships that need reconciliation. There are situations that need reconciliation. How can we be ambassadors for Christ this week?
Recent Comments