Again, it's good to be with you
this morning, and oh how I thank God that we even want to be here. Let's take our Bibles and turn
with me to the book of Colossians chapter 1. Colossians chapter 1. I'd like to deal with verses
21 through 23. Colossians 1, 21 to 23. The Scripture says, And you that
were sometime alienated in enemies in your mind by wicked works,
yet now hath he reconciled in the body of his flesh through
death. to present you holy and unblameable
and unreprovable in His sight, if you continue in the faith,
grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope
of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached
to every creature which is under heaven, whereof I, Paul, am made
a minister." When Adam fell in the garden,
when Adam disobeyed God, all mankind that was in his loins
was ruined. All mankind was ruined in that
disobedient act. The Scripture says, for as by
one man's disobedience, many were made sinners. Through the
one man's disobedience, there was one man on earth, and one
man's disobedience ruined The race of mankind, the order of
man, ruined. All men in Adam died spiritually,
came forth from their mother's womb, ruined, fallen. No spiritual life, no knowledge
of God, and did not care. and care. Now, if, thank God
they were not, but if all men were left in that state, every
man, every woman would perish. If God Almighty left the order
of man in that state, left them to themselves, they would perish.
God who is rich in mercy, for His great love wherewith
He loved us, that is, His people, the sheep, the ones that the
Lord Jesus Christ died for, His elect, His chosen, His bride,
His people, even when we were dead in sins. have quickened
us together with Christ, by grace you are saved. By the grace of
God. Yes, found within the mass of
humanity, all mankind, found within that mass of fallen humanity,
ruined humanity, God had a people. A people that He everlastingly
loved, according to Jeremiah 31.3, a people chosen to salvation
through sanctification of the spirit and belief of the truth,
according to 2 Thessalonians 2.13, a people chosen and predestinated
unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to Himself Totally. According to God's will and God's
purpose. A remnant. A remnant that shall
be saved. Romans 11.5 says, a remnant that
is at this present time according to the election of grace. There's
a people. God has a people. This is the
reason that we preach. We please God through the foolishness
of preaching to save them that believe, those that shall hear
the gospel. Brother Gabe, all that the Father
giveth me shall come to me. Him that cometh to me, I will
in no wise cast him out. But we've got a problem. The
problem is ourselves. The problem is sin. There's an
alienation. God has a people. He's got a
people. And we know that He has a people.
And we preach the gospel, and we believe God's going to save
His people. His Word's not going to return
void. It's going to accomplish the purpose for which it was
sent. But the problem, is man. He's alienated from God. There's alienation. The problem
is our iniquities. Isaiah 59, 2, But your iniquities
have separated between you and your God, and your sins have
hid His face from you, that He will not hear. He will not hear. He is of purer eyes than to behold. Iniquity. There needs to be reconciliation
for man to have any hope. God is going to have to be satisfied.
Peace needs to be established. And Almighty God is just. And He said, He will by No means. Now you stop for a second and
think. He will by no means clear, or
that is to say, leave unpunished. He will by no means leave unpunished
the guilty. We need some good news. The declaration of the gospel
of pardon and mercy, redemption, everlasting salvation. How can
it be? Man's guilty. Man is dead. Here's the problem. Man left
God. Man left God, alienated from
God, died. That's where man is. He's dead,
blind, deaf to any hope. Turn to Job 33. He's dead, blind,
alienated, no care, no hope in himself. Oh, Job 33, verse 23. Oh, but if there be a messenger,
if there be a messenger from God, oh, but if there's an advocate
for man from God, if there be a messenger with him, an interpreter,
if there be a messenger from God, An interpreter of God's
mind. If there be an orator that reveals
foreign language, that's what that means. If there's an interpreter,
if there's one that can tell man, fallen man, dead man, if
there's one that can reveal God's eternal counsel of peace, if
there's one that can relate to man, One among a thousand, if
there's one, the chiefest among ten thousand to show unto man
his uprightness. If there's one that can tell
man of God's holiness, and God's mercy, and God's grace, If there's
one that can tell man, show man of God's uprightness, the righteousness
that is required by God's law. If there's one that can tell
man what man is in himself, totally unable. If there's one that can
relate to man who God's prophet is. and that he has satisfied
God's demand for justice and righteousness on that sinner's
behalf, then he's gracious unto him. God in Christ has been gracious
to a sinner, and according to the merits of Christ alone, The
Father who has everlastingly beheld the Lamb slain for His
people from before the foundation of the world. God who first trusted
the Father, who first trusted in Christ. The Father trusted
Him. There's the messenger. There's
the prophet. And this is what Almighty God
says to the Law. Deliver Him. Deliver that one
from going down to the pit. I found a ransom. I found an
atonement. I found a covering. I found the
mercy seat. I found Him. I'm talking about
some reconciliation here. I'm talking about a return to
favor, and we need reconciliation. We talk about reconciliation,
two parties come together and they make an agreement and they
agree on the terms and things like that. Reconciliation, that's
how we think of reconciliation. We don't have anything to bargain
with. We have nothing to reconcile with. There must be a reversal
or a change in standing between God and men for man to have any
hope. God is offended. Man's a rebel. Man left. God doesn't change.
God doesn't change. Therefore, I've got five quick
questions for you from this passage back in Colossians. Five questions concerning reconciliation. Number one, what party needs
to be reconciled? Verse 21 says, "...and you that
were sometime alien alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked
works. God Almighty has a people, but
here's His people's attitude. They're enemies against God.
Children of wrath against Him. Enemies in your mind. Who left
God? Who walked away? Who were haters
and despisers of Almighty God? Who were dead in will and power? The reconciliation needs to be
on man's part back to God in man's dead. Again, God didn't
move. Who left? The prodigal or the
Father? Who must be reconciled? Men or
God? And you? Man, by nature, has
one desire. I'm going to run farther and
farther away from God. This is man's attitude toward
Almighty God. I hate you. I hate your sovereignty. I hate your will. I hate your
purpose. I hate your Word. I hate your Christ. That's what the Lord said. He
said, they hated Me. Boy, they hated you. Here's my
second question. Who must then purpose, purpose,
and accomplish the reconciliation? The Scripture says in verse 21,
Yet now hath He reconciled. He reconciled. God Almighty has
established peace between himself and his people. But here's the
third question. How has he accomplished that
reconciliation justly? He's a just God. How can God
be just and justify a sinner? How can God Almighty reconcile
His people unto Himself in absolute justice? Justice! Verse 22, "...in the body of
His flesh through death." The soul is sinning. It will have
to die. How can God Almighty deal with
my sin and reconcile me unto Himself in peace? Through the
body, in the body of His flesh, the surety of the sheep, the
Word Himself made flesh, a body was prepared Him A body in which
there was no sin. He had no personal sin to answer
for. He came into this world made
of a woman, made under the law, made himself answerable, and was made sin. Made sin. And here was the ransom
that was found. Here's the ransom that was found
right here. The one that bore our griefs. Isaiah 53, 4 and
5. The one that carried our sorrows.
The one stricken of God, wounded for our transgressions, because
of our transgressions. Bruised for our iniquities. And the chastisement. The chastisement. No son did he ever have without
chastisement. And the chastisement of our peace
was upon Him, and with His stripes, we're healed. We're healed. The
price of reconciliation was paid in full. It said last night,
finished. I'll give them a fourth question. Why? Why did He do that? Look at verse 22 again. latter
part, to present you holy, sacred, pure. When Almighty God saw the
blood, and He eternally saw the blood, He passed over His people. No charge. No charge. Justified. The law looked Cease. No blame. All the blame put on
Him to present you holy and unblameable, no blemish, and unreprovable,
free from any accusation that will stand. Who shall lay any
charge to God's elect? God justified them. Unreprovable. in his sight, his precious bride,
the one that he said, that Christ said, you've ravished me with
one of your eyes. You've stolen my heart. He said, you look upon me now,
new heart, heart made willing in the day of God's power. He
said, you look at me. My heart is just stolen. I can't even imagine that. I
can read it and I believe it by faith. Why did He do it? To present His people, His bride,
no spot, no blemish. Father, I and the children, all
of them that You gave me, all according to that indescribable
love and mercy, robed in His righteousness, prepared, presented
to Himself a glorious church to be with Him forever, to behold
His glory. Lastly, do I have any part in
this? Do I have any part in this? What
a message. What a message from Almighty
God. Settled, and be not moved away
from the hope of the gospel, which you have heard, which was
preached to every creature which is under heaven, whereof I, Paul,
am made a minister." If Almighty God is going to show mercy to
His people, He is going to send a messenger. He is going to tell
them through the preaching of the gospel. You're going to teach
them, I am your ransom. And Almighty God by His Spirit
is going to keep them saved, kept by the power of God through
faith. They're not leaving. Lord, blessed
reconciliation. Have mercy on us for Christ's
sake. Amen.