A. Near the end of every month I get my bank statement. I know that means. I use my debit card for most items any more, normally mark them down right away in my check book. Sometimes, I forget. There have been times when my checkbook register and the bank statement are off a few pennies, and times when they are off larger amounts. I always work my way through making sure I have not written down anything wrong, and at the end of the day, my checkbook register is reconciled to the bank statement. Only once in my time here has the bank ever been wrong.
B. But the truth is the bank statement is the standard. I don’t reconcile the bank statement to my checkbook; I reconcile my checkbook to the bank statement. The same is true of my spiritual life. I don’t reconcile God to me, I reconcile me to God. Well, I don’t really do that either, He reconciles me back to him. But still, the standard is God.
C. The phrase “to reconcile” is not used often; six times as a verb and four times a noun. In the verb is used to as a reconciliation between God and man in all but one case where it is between people. But the root of the word and its origin is not from the Bible writers, but a word used in the Greek language that had the meaning of exchanging. It was used to describe how a person or country might exchange war and hostility for peace and love. God, then exchanges his wrath for grace. But there is more to this word than just arbitrarily liking everyone who has done something wrong. The word not only brings relationships back together that were broken, but brings relationships back in like with what they should be, it is as much a restoration as reconciliation. The idea is that mankind is so transformed from sinner to saint that they are a new creation and this new creations is in line with the righteousness and holiness of God.
D. How can God take a sinner and put us on the same level as the holy, righteous, sinless God? How do you reconcile the two? Reconciliation is an important Christian teaching. Let’s examine the passage to see how we are to be reconciled back to God and what the ministry of reconciliation is for us today.
I. The Need For Reconciliation
A. Let’s start at the beginning. Go all the way back to the very beginning when Adam and Eve were in the Garden of Eden. There, in paradise, they had a constant relationship with God. They lived in harmony with him and experienced no shame, fear, doubt. Yet, in perfection, we are introduced to that serpent, the devil. Here comes Satan and his temptation to Eve and Adam is they can have more. More than what? More than perfection? Satan appeals to their pride and it is that pride that becomes man’s downfall. It is pride that makes us think we won’t sin. It is pride that keeps us from seeking or giving forgiveness. It is pride that makes us think we can be a god unto ourselves. We gave away perfection for pleasure.
B. Don’t believe me? Why do you sin? Pleasure. It might be a sickening pleasure of seeing some hurt so you can feel revenge or simply might be a pleasure of taste, greed or lust. But we swap our perfect relationship with God for the pleasures of the world that last only a little while. When we do, our relationship with God is broken. We are no longer in line with God and we need to be reconciled back to him, but we can’t. We can’t make up the difference between the legers. We can’t change the sins we have done. Often, we have decided that we would change God to make it easier for us, but that simply does not work.
C. Consider verse 16 of our text. There was a time when we considered Jesus from a human standard. We lowered our standard because it made us feel better. We had no problem judging one another or even the God-Man, Jesus. But you see, the human standard was the wrong standard. I don’t reconcile God to me, God reconciles me to Him. Why would God do that? Love. The same love God had for Adam and Eve in the Garden he has for me. The same love that allowed them a choice, a choice to break a relationship with Him, allows me a choice. I am a sinner. As Paul ended this though that we read last week, “We will all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.” As he picks up that thought in verse 11 of our text, “we know what it is to fear the Lord.” Because the Holy Spirit has opened our eyes to see and our ears to hear and our hearts to receive we see to persuade men. As verse 14 mentions, “Christ’s love compels us.” I can’t not share the good news of Jesus. In Him is the reconciliation and it is open to all who will receive Him.
II. The Old Is Gone!
A. It is the books of our life that were out of line with the righteousness of God, but “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” As Paul would tell the Romans (5:6-10).
B. Most of you can quote John 3:16. “For God SO LOVED the world that he gave his only begotten son that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
C. Paul’s statement in our text (verse 17). We are a NEW creation. It is not just the person has been made new because of what Jesus has done, but so is the relationship. The old is gone and the new has come! Do you believe that? Do you, as a child of God, really accept that the past is done away and your salvation in Jesus has created something new? God balanced the books and brought you line with is righteousness, not because of your works, but because of the working of Jesus. He seeks from you faith.
III. Telling The World
A. Listen to what Paul says in verse 18-20. Paul is a part of a ministry of reconciliation. I understand that not everyone is a gifted evangelist. But Paul tells the Christians that we, that is Paul and every Christian, are the ambassadors of Christ.
B. There is a message that this congregation should proclaim, “Be reconciled to God!” It is a call for belief, faith, repentance and devotion to those who are not yet saved. It is a call for living holy lives for those of us who are saved. We are look like Jesus. Paul has already said that we are the aroma of Christ, now we are the only Jesus some people will ever see. So how is this community judging this congregation when they know you are a member here? Are they shocked that you claim to be a Christian? Are they turned off because of our hypocritical lives? Or is the world touched by our outpouring of God’s love into their lives? Do they see something beautiful and wondrous in our faith that compels them to desire more? We are Christ in the flesh. Let’s act like him.
Conclusion:
A. If you are here today and are among the hurting, I want you to know about grace. I want you to understand that God already knows every sin you ever committed. He knows each time you used his name in vain, spoke a profane word, lusted in your heart or committed acts that would shock people in this room. He knows those and is still calling to you to come to him.
B. If you are here and know that as a child of God you have not been his ambassador, God knows that too. If you life has been hypocritical he is still calling you to come to him. In repentance, confessing your sin to him and praying with people of faith, God will give you the same forgiveness he did the day you were baptized.
C. The calling is to be reconciled to God. He will do the work if you respond in humble repentance with a sincere heart filled with faith. If we can be witness to his reconciliation in your life, please come down front as we stand and sing.
