Todd's Road Grace Church would
like to invite you to listen to a sermon by our pastor, Todd
Neibert. We are located at 4137 Todd's
Road, two miles outside of Manowar Boulevard. Sunday services are
at 10.30 a.m. and 6 p.m. Bible study is at
9.45 a.m. Wednesday services are at 7 p.m. Nursery is provided for all services.
For more information, visit our website at toddsroadgracechurch.com. Now here's our pastor, Todd Neibert. I'm going to read 2 Corinthians
5, verse 20 and 21. Paul says, now then, we are ambassadors
for Christ. As though God did beseech you
by us, we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God. And here is the reason. For he
hath made him to be sin for us who knew no sin that we might
be made the righteousness of God in him. Now what he is saying is, you
be reconciled to God. Quit being at odds, quit finding
fault. You be reconciled to God for
this one singular reason. He is fully, completely reconciled
to you by what Christ did on Calvary's tree. Now, everybody
he died for, he's completely reconciled to. You be reconciled
to him. I've entitled this message, Be
Ye Reconciled to God. Now, I think one of the favorite
marriages I've ever performed was the marriage of two people
who had been married and divorced over irreconcilable differences. And some years later, they reconciled
and they wanted to be married again. I enjoyed performing that
wedding so much. It's such a blessing in this
life to see true reconciliation. If you've been at odds with somebody,
isn't it a blessing when by the grace of God, you're enabled
to be reconciled to them? When men and women in a marriage
are strained and then there's reconciliation, what a blessing.
When friends are strained and become at odds and separated,
but then something takes place that they're reconciled back
together. Friends once again. Reconciliation is such a blessed
thing. But there is a big difference
in the reconciliation I just read about and the reconciliation
that I've mentioned. In all of these times when human
beings become at odds and become reconciled again, there's always
two sides. There are always both at fault. There is some culpability on
both sides where they've brought these problems on, and you can
never call it one-sided. You know, in marriage problems,
for instance, there's always two stories. There's always two
sides. As one person said, there's always two sides of one piece
of bologna. And I believe that. I've always liked that statement.
And here's the difference between that and the reconciliation I'm
talking about. In God being reconciled to the
sinner, God didn't do anything to alienate the sinner. God's
holy. God's perfect. He's never done
anyone wrong. He's never done something that
would make someone have to depart from him in anger because everything
he does is holy. This is truly a one-sided thing. He's the one who does the reconciling.
That person who's at odds with him through their own fault,
through their own wickedness, he's the one who does the reconciling. Now, in the book of Corinthians,
1st and 2nd Corinthians, actually more time is devoted in Paul's
epistles to that church than any other epistle. One of the
things that's unique going on in this relationship between
Paul and the church of the Corinthians, he was always having to defend
himself. They were always questioning
his authority. And there are some eight or 10
times throughout these two books where he's defending himself
against their accusations. Now, generally speaking, if someone
makes an accusation against you, it's best to just let it go.
If you need to be defended, the Lord will defend you. And really,
the more we try to defend ourselves, the deeper of a hole we generally
put ourselves into. And there's a scripture in Exodus
14 that says, the Lord shall fight for you and you shall hold
your peace. And that's the best policy, hold your peace. If you
need defended, the Lord will defend you. Even if you are misrepresented,
even if you are maligned, the Lord will take care of that. But the reason Paul, defended
himself is because if his authority was undermined, his message would
be undermined. You see, Paul was taught the
gospel directly by the Lord Jesus. He was brought up into the third
heaven and taught the gospel by Christ himself. He wasn't
taught by men. And there was a divine authority
to what he was preaching. And these people who were questioning
him were questioning him in the sense that if he can be questionable,
his authority, his message can be brought into question. So
keep that in mind as we begin in verse 12 of 2 Corinthians
chapter 5. He says, for we commend not ourselves
again unto you. We're not trying to sell ourselves
to you and prove ourselves to you, but to give you an occasion
to glory on our behalf rather than criticize us and listening
to those people who are criticizing us, that you may have something
to answer to them which glory in appearance and not in heart. They are concerned about how
things look outwardly and not how things are on the inside.
And you know, that would pretty much cover most of what goes
on under the name of Christianity. It's all about how you look on
the outside and not who you are on the inside. Paul goes on to
say in verse 13, for whether we be beside ourselves It's to
God, if we seem like fanatics, if we seem crazy, it's to God. He's worthy of being fanatical
about it, isn't he? And if we be sober, clear-minded,
logical, it's for your cause, it's for your benefit, for the
love of Christ constraineth us. His love to us, our love to Him. John said we love Him. because
He first loved us. And if Christ loves you, that
love never goes unreciprocated. Everybody He loves, loves Him
in return. And the love of Christ constrains,
presses on us because we thus judge. If one died for all, then
we're all dead. Now, who is referred to in the
all? Is it saying that Christ died
for all men without exception? Well, if that is what it does
mean, then all men without exception will be saved because His death
saves. But this is referring to all
of the elect, all for whom He died. If one died for all, then
all are dead. They're dead to the law. They're
dead to the demands of the law. Christ answered that for them. They're dead. Verse 15, and that
he died for all that they which live should not henceforth live
unto themselves, but unto him which died for them and rose
again. Love so amazing, so divine, demands
my soul, my life, my all, to live for him who died for them. Verse 16, wherefore henceforth
know we no man after the flesh. We don't know any man in a fleshly
way of thinking. We look at all things in light
of the gospel, not just in a worldly sense, Yea, though we have known
Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more.
Therefore, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature or creation. Old things have passed away. Behold, all things have become
new. Now, here one of the most important
concepts in the Bible is brought out in Christ. If any man be
in Christ. Now, what does it mean to be
in Christ? Well, what does it mean to be
in Adam? That means you trace your lineage
to Adam. That means you are in him. And the scripture says, by one
man sin entered the world, and death by sin, so death passed
upon all men, and that all have sinned. You see, when Adam sinned,
everybody in him sinned. It's not simply that his sin
was charged everybody, Everybody sinned in him. I personally sinned. When Adam ate of that fruit,
I ate of that fruit. You ate of that fruit. Somebody
says, I wouldn't have done it. Yes, you would have. Yes, you
would have, without any question. You would have done exactly what
he did. In Adam, the scripture says,
all die. Well, in Christ. That means you
trace your lineage to Christ himself. That means you're of
him. That means you're united to him.
That's your only hope in Christ. That's what baptism signifies.
When he lived, I lived. When he died, when I go under
the water, I'm saying when he died, I died. When I come up
from the water, I'm saying when he was raised, I was raised.
He is all my salvation. If any man be in Christ, He's
a new creation. He's a new creature. He's a new creature. Now, creation
is God's work. He didn't have any help in it.
There was no one cooperating with him. If any man be in Christ,
he's a new creature, a new creation. He is someone that he was not
before. God said, a new heart will I
give you. He doesn't change the old nature.
He gives a new nature. If any man be in Christ, he's
a new creature. Old things are passed away. Now,
I've actually heard preachers take that passage of Scripture
and say, I don't have the sinful desires and passions that I once
did before I was saved. Old things are passed away. Now,
the man who said that quite simply is a liar. That's not so. I don't
believe that for a second. I can say without doubt that
I have the same sinfulness now that I've always had in my old
man. Same wicked desires. I'm ashamed
to say it, but it's just so. And it's so with regard to you,
whether you admit it or not, it's so. My old nature has not
passed away. I'm still a sinner. A sinner
saved by grace. A sinner who's in Christ. But
I still am a sinner. So that's not talking about this
old nature no longer being with me. What's it talking about?
Well, I have my old relationship with the laws passed away. I'm
no longer guilty. I stand before the law without
guilt, justified before the law. My old hatred of God is passed
away. I love him. I love who he is. I love how he saves. If any man
be in Christ, he's a new creature. Christ said, behold, I make all
things new. Now here's what this means. It
means I have a new history and it's all good. I don't have any
skeletons in the closet. I don't have any sins to be brought
up on judgment day. Old things have passed away.
They're all gone. All things have become new. If
any man be in Christ, he's a new creature. Old things are passed
away and all things have become new. And next he says, verse
18, and all things are of God. They find their origin in God. The new creation is of God. Every aspect of salvation is
of God. He elected me. That's of the Lord. He predestinated
me to be just like His Son. That's of the Lord. justified me. He redeemed me. He gave me the new birth. He preserves me. It is He that will present me
before the Father faultless and blameless. It is He who represents
me. He is coming for me. Salvation is of the Lord. All things are of God. Look what it says next. Who hath
reconciled. He didn't say he's made reconciliation
possible. It says, he hath reconciled us
to himself by Jesus Christ and hath given to us the ministry
of reconciliation. Now, he reconciled us. Who's the us? Everybody he reconciled.
All the elect of God. Paul said in Romans 5, 10, for
if when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God. by the death
of his son. When were you reconciled? When
Christ died. That is my reconciliation before
God. The reason for anger is removed
by the death of His Son, having made peace through the blood
of His cross by Him to reconcile all things to Himself. By Him
I say that whether there be things in earth or things in heaven,
and you that were before times alienated, and 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 before God." You see, that's what his reconciling
death did. It made it to where every believer
is holy and unblameable and unreprovable before God. The reason for alienation
and anger has been removed by the death of Christ. You know,
people walk around fearing that God's mad at them. Listen, if
you're in Christ Jesus, He doesn't have any reason to be mad. You're
perfect in Christ Jesus. You're holy in His sight. Now, let's go on reading. He's
given us the ministry of reconciliation to wit. Namely, here's what it
is. That God was in Christ. reconciling the world unto himself,
not imputing their trespasses unto them, and hath committed
unto us the word of reconciliation." Now, God was in Christ, reconciled
the world to himself. Oh, that means so much. God was
in Christ when Christ stood as a surety before time began for
His people and took full responsibility for their sins. God was in Christ
when the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us. The Word
was with God and the Word was God. God was in Christ as the
carpenter who was virgin born and lived a perfect life for
thirty years in obscurity, nobody even knowing it. God was in Christ
when He came as the prophet revealing who God is. God was in Christ
as the law keeper. God was in Christ dying on the
cross. God was the one who put Him to
death. God was the one who was put to death in the person of
His dear Son. God was the one doing the forsaking.
God was the one who was forsaken. God was the one raising the dead. God was the one being risen from
the dead. God was in Christ. reconciling
the world unto himself. I love the way Christ is called
the savior of the world. And here's how he did this. Let's
go on reading verse 19. Here's how he reconciled the
world to himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them. Now some 30 some years ago, I
was very ill in the hospital. I had several things wrong with
me and thought I was going to die. They told my family, if
you want to see him for the last time, come. I was at the University
of Kentucky Hospital at the time. And I remember thinking at that
time, I'm going to meet God in this very night. What makes me
think that I'm saved? And I started looking at my life.
Now, I was a preacher at this time. I started looking my life
over very carefully, and all I could see in my life was sin. My preaching, everything about
me, all I could see about myself was that I was sin. I couldn't
see one thing in me that could recommend me to God and cause
me to go to heaven. And I remember I was so frightened,
I thought, I'm gonna wake up in hell very soon. And the Lord brought this scripture
to my mind, Psalm 32, one and two, blessed is he whose transgression
is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man to whom the
Lord will not impute sin. And I saw at that time that everything
that I thought about myself was true. But here's my hope. God doesn't charge me with it.
He doesn't impute my sin to me. Now, how could God do that? because Christ took my sin. It became His. When He was in the Garden of
Gethsemane and drank of that cup, that was the sins of all
of His people. My sin became His sin. He became guilty of the commission
of that sin. That's why the Father forsook
Him. That's why the Father killed
Him. God was in Christ, reconciling
the world to Himself by not imputing their trespasses unto them. And
He had committed to us the Word of Reconciliation. This is gospel
preaching. This is what the gospel is all
about, the Word of Reconciliation. Now then, verse 20, we are ambassadors
for Christ. Now what's an ambassador? He
doesn't speak his own opinion. He comes as the representative
of the country that he's representing. And he doesn't give his own thoughts
or his own opinions. He gives the will of that country. Now, Paul says, we're ambassadors
of Christ as though God did beseech you by us. We pray you in Christ's
stead, you be reconciled to God. Somebody says, well, I've never
been at odds with him. Well, then you've never known who he
is. Because every natural man has been at odds with him. Every
natural man has no love for God. Not the God of the Bible. They
may feel comfortable with the God they've made up. But the
God of the Bible, no natural man has any love for. We hear
of how he saves, and how he elects, and how he predestinates, and
how he's in control of everything, and we say, how can that be fair?
How can God do this? How can God let this happen?
How can a loving God let this happen? Just judging God, and
criticizing God, and calling into question his fairness, and
so on, which is so ridiculous that a sinful man would do that. I mean, he's God, whatever he
does is right, yet men, dare to call into question God in
all he does. And Paul says, you'd be reconciled
to God. Put down your arms, put down
your complaints, put down your murmurings, put down your unbelief. You'd be reconciled to God for
this reason. And let me tell you this, you
will not be reconciled to God. until you see that he is completely
reconciled to you through the death of his son and there's
nothing else that's needed. If you see that, and everybody
he is reconciled toward will see that, if you see that, you'll
be reconciled to God. And then he gives this verse,
which what one man said is the most important verse in the Bible,
and I wouldn't debate that. Everything in the Bible is important,
but listen to this verse. Verse 21, four. He hath made him to be sin. Now do you hear that? He, God the Father, hath made
him, the Lord Jesus Christ, to be sin for us as a substitute. And this one is described as
the one who knew no sin. Now Christ never sinned. He wasn't even capable of sinning.
He's God. He's immutable. lived a perfectly
holy life, holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners. He said,
I do always those things that please the Father. He knew no
sin, yet God made him to be sin. Now, if you read on the great
day of atonement when the high priest put his hands on the head
of the live goat and that goat bore the iniquity and transgressions
and sins of Israel, that's what Christ did on Calvary's tree.
God made him to be sin. You see, when God punished Christ,
he wasn't punishing the innocent. He was punishing the guilty.
Christ was made to be sin for this glorious purpose that we
might be made the righteousness of God in Him. Now, do you hear that, my dear
friend? If Christ bore your sin, it's put away. And that perfect
righteousness that he worked out just as he took your sin
upon himself, he takes his righteousness and gives it to everybody he
died for, for everybody who believes the gospel. Dare we say this,
every believer is the righteousness of God. Now, I wouldn't dare
say that if the Bible didn't say it, but my personal righteousness,
the reason that I can face judgment without fear, actually with anticipation,
looking forward to it, is because my personal righteousness is
nothing less than the righteousness of Jesus Christ. Paul said, oh,
that I may win Christ and be found in Him, not having my own
righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through
the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith. Now, you be reconciled to God. In Christ, he's reconciled to
you. May God bless this to our understanding
and we pray that God will be pleased to make himself known
to you. That's our prayer. This is Todd
Nyberg praying that God will reveal himself to you. To receive
a copy of the sermon you have just heard, send a request to
todd.neidert at gmail.com. Or you may write or call the
church at the information provided on the screen.