Sermon

Ep 372 | Reconciliation - Zach Elliott 9-6-20

Church of Christ - Bakersfield, Ca

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  1. It's so good to be here with you all this morning.

  2. I on behalf of my family. I'd like to say that we are so

  3. happy to be able to be here with family friends.

  4. Those I haven't seen in a very long time, You may count it your

  5. constitutional right? To gather here to worship, which

  6. it is in this country. But it's much more than that.

  7. It's much more than just a constitutional ride.

  8. It is a privilege of ours to be able to be here to be able to

  9. gather together as Brothers and Sisters in Christ and worship

  10. our Lord. Worship.

  11. Our God. Our God truly has given us so

  12. many gifts, so many things to be thankful for in our lives every

  13. single day. But this morning, I'd like to

  14. talk to you about one gift. One thing that we hear of word

  15. that we're familiar with its simple.

  16. But on the other hand, it can be very complicated and can turn

  17. into a study, that takes an entire lifetime and and really

  18. beyond that, something that we might never truly fully

  19. comprehend. And that is the topic of

  20. reconciliation. We know that reconciliation is

  21. good. We're happy.

  22. When Children are reconciled to their parents when husbands are

  23. reconciled to their wives when brothers and sisters, come

  24. together and reconcile with each other, for the first time in

  25. years. Every time we hear something

  26. like that, that's great. We're very happy to hear that

  27. people reconcile with each other.

  28. And how much better it is in reconciliation with God.

  29. That's a big word, six syllables.

  30. But as we entered as I just said, it's it's some kind of a

  31. simple idea. That relationship between man

  32. and God is even bigger than the word sick.

  33. Second Corinthians chapter 5 and verse 18, and 19 tells us and

    2 Corinthians 5 chapter mention

  34. all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by

  35. Jesus Christ and hath given to us the ministry of

  36. reconciliation to wit that God was in Christ.

  37. Reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their

  38. trespasses unto them. It has committed unto us, the

  39. word of reconciliation and we'll do our best this morning to try

  40. and explain this huge topic. This big thing in a tiny

  41. nutshell will simplify it as best as we possibly can, and I

  42. hope the Lord willing, you can take something away from this or

  43. be strengthened by it. Reconciliation means to restore

  44. Harmony between two parties. Your according to Webster's

  45. Dictionary, the renewal of a friendship.

  46. So first of all, the word reconciliation itself, we

  47. learned that all men and women were at one time.

  48. Time at peace with God to be reconciled means that at one

  49. time, there was a good relationship there.

  50. But that relationship at some point or another has fallen as

  51. Fallen apart. Well, when was this, when were

  52. men and women at peace with God, when were we able to be in that

  53. relationship? What has to be a time of

  54. Innocence? There has to be a time of

  55. innocence in our lives and that would be perhaps in our

  56. childhood and Mark chapter 10 and verse 14 and 15.

    Mark 10 chapter mention

  57. It says, but when Jesus saw it, he was much displeased and said

  58. unto them suffer, the little children to come unto me and

  59. forbid them. Not for of such is the kingdom

  60. of God, verily. I say unto you whosoever shall

  61. not receive the kingdom of God as a little child.

  62. He shall not enter Are there in now?

  63. There are many. In fact, I believe the majority

  64. of those who consider themselves to be Protestant believers.

  65. They believe in something called total hereditary depravity but

  66. we are not depraved as children. We were innocent according to

  67. the Lord Jesus, I know that sometimes my daughter can cause

  68. me some grief and some trouble, but I know that she's sweet.

  69. And innocent. She doesn't mean any ill will

  70. buy anything that she does yet. But at one time that word

  71. reconciliation tells us that while we were innocent.

  72. It also tells us that there was a time when we decided to do

  73. wrong while we were innocent at one time.

  74. We once also chose to do wrong in our wrongdoing, took away our

  75. innocence. It took away, our good standing

  76. relationship with God. The Father, we were no longer in

  77. harmony with him. Romans chapter 3.

    Romans 3 chapter mention

  78. And verse 23, says that all have sinned and fallen short of the

  79. glory of God, Isaiah chapter, 59, and verse 2, says that

  80. iniquities or sins, our sins separate.

  81. Us. They separate Mankind from God.

  82. It was of our own choosing that is to say it was our own doing.

  83. It's our fault. It's not God's fault.

  84. It's on us. As a true holy and righteous

  85. being God, literally cannot have a relationship with sin or with

  86. one who does sing, but God wants that he so eagerly earnestly

  87. wants to have a relationship with all Sinners with us with

  88. you. And with me, And because of

  89. that, we're so thankful that even though we disobeyed him,

  90. even though we turn our back on him and disobeyed his will, we

  91. are thankful that God took the necessary step to restore our

  92. relationship with him to wash our sins away, making it

  93. possible to be reconciled to him.

  94. And that's probably the most important thing that I want to

  95. point out this morning to you. Is that this Is God's gift.

  96. The reconciliation we did nothing to deserve it.

  97. God didn't have to give it to us if he didn't want to.

  98. It is a it is completely a gift. From God.

  99. Paul wrote in Colossians chapter 1 and verse 20 through 23, and

    Colossians 1 chapter mention

  100. having made peace through the blood of his cross by him to

  101. reconcile, all things unto himself by him.

  102. I say, whether they be things in Earth or things in heaven, and

  103. you, that were some time, alienated at that were

  104. sometimes, alienated and enemies in your mind by Wicked Works yet

  105. now hath he reconciled. In the body of his flesh through

  106. death, to present you, holy and unblameable and Unruh provable

  107. in his sight. If you continue in the faith,

  108. grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the

  109. Gospel, which ye have heard and which was preached to every

  110. creature, which is under heaven. Where for I, Paul am made a

  111. minister on. That is why we are here this

  112. morning, that's why we we've gathered here.

  113. It is our blessed privilege. It is a gift to be able to stand

  114. together as the Lord's Church. A reconciled body to God in

  115. peace and harmony with him to worship.

  116. And to praise the one who has made our Salvation from sin

  117. possible. John chapter 3 and verse 16 is a

    John 3 chapter mention

  118. well-known verse that we cling to and that we we love because

  119. of the truth that is found there in for God.

  120. So loved the world. He gave his only begotten.

  121. Son, that whosoever believes in Him.

  122. Should not perish. But have everlasting life.

  123. It was Jesus, it was Jesus shedding of blood.

  124. It was Jesus. Brutal death on the cross that

  125. made reconciliation with God possible.

  126. We'll take our last reading this morning from Ephesians chapter 2

    Ephesians 2 chapter mention

  127. and verse 16 through 22, where the Apostle wrote and that he

  128. might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having

  129. slain the enmity, thereby and came and preached.

  130. Peace to you which were afar off or Gentiles and to them that

  131. were nigh or Jews for through him.

  132. We both have access by one Spirit unto the The father.

  133. Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners but

  134. fellow citizens with the Saints and of the household of God and

  135. are built upon the foundation of the Apostles and Prophets.

  136. Jesus Christ himself being the Chief Cornerstone in whom all

  137. the building fitly framed together, groweth unto an Holy

  138. Temple in the Lord in whom ye also are builded together.

  139. Foreign habitation of God through the spirit, that one

  140. body that Paul wrote of is the church.

  141. The body is the Church of Christ, which is United, it is

  142. United, both Jew, and Gentile to God as one people.

  143. As Christians. And all who came in that one

  144. body, the church, they all came in the same way.

  145. They were all reconciled to God by God's plan.

  146. By the gospel Plan of Salvation, the way taught in the holy word

  147. of God. But perhaps you were here and

  148. you are not a Christian, perhaps you have not received that great

  149. gift of God, you have not been reconciled to him and if you

  150. have not, then you are living in sin.

  151. Why don't you choose to be reconciled to God?

  152. Then you have heard. The word is Romans chapter 10

    Romans 10 chapter mention

  153. and verse 17 says. So, then faith comes by hearing

  154. and hearing by the word of God. Now, you must believe is Jesus

  155. said in John, chapter 8, and verse 24.

    John 8 chapter mention

  156. I said therefore unto you that ye shall die in your sins.

  157. If you believe not that, I am he ye shall die in your sins.

  158. Then you need to repent of your past sins acts, Jack chapter 17

  159. and verse 30 says, and the times of this ignorance, God winked

  160. at, but now commandeth all men everywhere to repent.

  161. Then we confess then you confess and believe, Jesus is the son of

  162. God just as the Ethiopian eunuch in Acts 8 and verse 37.

  163. And Philip said, if thou believest with all thine heart,

  164. thou mayest Mayest. And he answered and said, I

  165. believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.

  166. And then, according to the scripture, you must be immersed

  167. in water. Baptized for the remission of

  168. your sins. Mark chapter 16 and verse 16

    Mark 16 chapter mention

  169. says he that believeth and is baptized shall be saved, but he

  170. that believeth not shall be damned or perhaps you were

  171. already a Christian. Perhaps, you have been

  172. reconciled to God, but you have sinned in some way and you want

  173. to make that relationship right again.

  174. You want to be in peace in, good standing with god.

  175. Well, the Bible says that it, if you come forward, confess your

  176. sins will pray with you and for you.

  177. And God is just and willing to forgive We thank you for

  178. listening to our podcast, put on by the Church of Christ at 22:15

  179. plans. Road in Bakersfield, if you

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