Thursday, May 2, 2024

PT-2 "The Evidence of Reconciliation" (Col. 1:23)

 

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 2/6/2017 11:07 PM

My Worship Time                                               Focus:  PT-2 “The Evidence of Reconciliation”

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                 Reference:  Colossians 1:23

            Message of the verses:  “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.”

            We have been talking about perhaps the most important aspect of reconciliation, and that is to make sure that people have received reconciliation.  Let us look at John 6:66 “As a result of this many of His disciples withdrew and were not walking with Him anymore.”  Now the story behind this verse has to do with something that Jesus was talking about earlier in that chapter, and in my Spiritual Diary from this section I go into more detail as to what Jesus was talking about.  He was telling His listeners “54 “He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.”  Now they were looking at the physical meaning of this talk Jesus was saying and not looking at the Spiritual meaning which happened many times, but the point is that many of His followers could not understand this and so they walked away from following Jesus.  This kind of thing still happens today as people who here something from the Word of God and can’t understand it walk away, but this just shows that they never were truly born again and never were reconciled with God, no evidence.

            John MacArthur writes “Perhaps no passage stresses the vital importance of reconciliation more than 2 Corinthians 5:17-21:

            ‘17 Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. 18 Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, 19 namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation. 20 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. 21 He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.’”

 John MacArthur writes five truths that these verses have to say about reconciliation.

1.      “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.

2.      “It appeases God’s wrath: “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.’”

3.      “It comes through Christ:  ‘all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation.”

4.      “It is available to all who believe:  “God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself.”

5.      “Every believer has been given the ministry of proclaiming the message of reconciliation:  God ‘gave us the ministry of reconciliation’ and ‘He has committed to us the word of reconciliation.”

God is the One who sends His people out into the world as ambassadors into a fallen, lost world, bearing unbelievably good news.  Think about this believers, think of the awesome responsibility that we have through the power of the Spirit of God to tell others about Christ.

2/6/2017 11:28 PM

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