UNWRAPPING THE GIFT OF RECONCILIATION
Posted by Pastor Greg Allen on December 20, 2020 under 2020 |
Bethany Bible Church Christmas Sunday Message; December 20, 2020 from Colossians 1:19-23
Theme: Christmas is the gift of reconciliation between God and sinners.
(All Scripture is taken from The New King James Version, unless otherwise indicated).
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I love the traditions of Christmas. Even though during this particular season, there are lots of things that are put on hold, we can still enjoy many of them in smaller ways. We can still sing the carols; and enjoy the food; and set up the decorations. And even though we have to limit our gatherings and meet on screens, there are still many ways that we can celebrate together.
But the unusual limitations that we are under this year force us to re-examine the true significance of what Christmas is. It certainly involves those things that we feel like we are missing this year; but it’s good to be reminded that it isn’t really ultimately about those things anyway. It’s about the Christ who was born to the virgin in Bethlehem. And even then, if we think only about the Babe that was born—if we think only in sentimental ways about the star, and the manger scene, and the beauty of that event; as worthy as those things are to think about—we’re still not thinking of Christmas in its truest sense. And these difficult times we’re living in can really help us to set our minds on the basic, fundamental truth of Christmas.
Christmas—above all else—is the story of how God, in infinite love, became one of us in order to save us.
The Bible teaches us the mysterious truth that God exists in three Persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; all three co-equal and co-eternal in divine essence and power and glory. It tells us that God created all things; and that He created Adam and Eve, the first man and the first woman from whom all of humanity was born. It tells us that when Adam and Eve fell in sin, they thus brought all of their offspring into a condition of alienation from the God who made them. It tells us that all of the troubles that we see in this world have come about because of that fall.
But the Bible also tells us of how—at just the right time in human history—God the Father, in love, sent forth His Son to be conceived in the womb of the virgin Mary by the Holy Spirit; to be born as a full member of humanity and to be the true Head of humanity as the second Adam. It tells us that His Son lived a sinless life upon this earth on our behalf to make us righteous in the sight of God, and then to die on the cross in our place to atone for all of the sins of the human race. It tells us that Jesus was from the dead to show that our justification has been accomplished in God’s sight. It tells us that Jesus Christ now sits at the right hand of God the Father—a glorified human being who is both fully God and fully Man forever—and that He continually intercedes for us who have believed on His sacrifice. It tells us that one day, He will bodily return to this earth and reign as King of kings and Lord of lords; and that we who are ‘in’ Him by faith will dwell with Him in blissful fellowship with His Father—through the bond of the Holy Spirit—forever and ever.
If we have to miss out on a few of the traditional celebrations this year, we can be somewhat sad about it. But if our trust is in the One who was born of the virgin to bring all of this about for us—if we are united to Him by a personal faith in Him—then we are missing absolutely nothing of the true substance of Christmas. No circumstance, no lack, no experience of suffering or need on this earth, can ever really take that true significance of Christmas from us.
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Now; we can talk about many of the glorious things that God has accomplished for us in the true, eternal story of Christmas. By it, He has made it possible for sinners like us to be 100% forgiven of all guilt and washed clean in His sight through faith in Jesus. By it, He has adopted us who believe on His Son, and has declared us to be His own sons and daughters—with all the rights and privileges that come from being His children. By it, He has promised to share with us the eternal inheritance of Jesus—an inheritance that is incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for us.
But this morning, I’d like to focus in upon just one of those great things that God has accomplished at Christmas—something that makes the other blessings possible. And that is our reconciliation with Himself.
‘Reconciliation’ happens when two parties, who had been at enmity with one another, are brought together into a condition of loving and peaceful fellowship. The thing that had caused the division is taken out of the way; and the way is now clear for the two parties to become united. And in sending His Son to be born into the human family as one of us, God the Father has brought us into a state of ‘reconciliation’ with Himself.
We’re told about this in Colossians 1. In that particular portion of God’s word, the apostle Paul tells us about the glories of Jesus Christ. He tells us that
He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist. And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence (Colossians 1:15-18).
This is Jesus Christ—the Son of God—the One whose birth into humanity we celebrate on Christmas. And then, the apostle Paul goes on to tell us about the ‘reconciliation’ that was accomplished by that birth;
For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell, and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross. And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight—if indeed you continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and are not moved away from the hope of the gospel which you heard, which was preached to every creature under heaven, of which I, Paul, became a minister (vv. 19-23).
Did you hear it? After describing the glories of Jesus, Paul goes on to declare how God the Father has reconciled us to Himself through His Son. ‘Reconciliation’ is mentioned twice in that passage.
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ; whatever else we may celebrate about this season, let’s be sure that we celebrate the fact that Christmas is the gift of reconciliation between God and sinners. Like the grand old Christmas carol says,
Hark! the herald angels sing,
“Glory to the newborn King!
Peace on earth, and mercy mild,
God and sinners reconciled.”
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Now; let’s look closer at this passage and—as it were—”unwrap” this glorious gift of ‘reconciliation with God’.
First, the apostle Paul teaches us that …
1. IT’S A GIFT GIVEN BY JESUS’ INCARNATION.
‘Incarnation’ is a word that means ‘to be enfleshed’. The Bible teaches us that the Son of God—the eternal Word—“became flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:14). In order for God to be reconciled to sinners, the distance between Himself and fallen humanity needed to be bridged. And God did this by the ‘incarnation’—the ‘enfleshing’ of His Son in full humanity. The way that the apostle Paul puts this is found in verse 19; where he wrote, “For it pleased the Father that in Him [that is, in Jesus] all the fullness should dwell …”
This is an amazing thing. But what does it mean? We find a clue from Colossians 2:9-10. It was there that Paul said this about Jesus;
For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power (Colossians 2:9-10).
First, notice that all of the fullness of the Godhead—the wholeness of God’s eternal being—dwells in Jesus. God has chosen to sum Himself up in Jesus; so that if we know anything about God or receive anything from God, we have it through Him. And second, we ourselves are complete in Him. In Him, we have all we need. If we receive anything from God, it is through Jesus; and if God accepts anything from us in return for all that He has given us in Christ—our worship, our thanks, our obedience, our love—He accepts it only in and through Jesus. And finally, notice that this is all summed up in Jesus ‘bodily’—that is, in His full humanity—in a body of flesh and blood like ours that walked on the earth and lived among us.
Think back with me to that wonderful story that we love from Luke 1. I think of it as ‘the Christmas story of all Christmas stories’. It’s the story of how
the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. And having come in, the angel said to her, “Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!” But when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and considered what manner of greeting this was. Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.” Then Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I do not know a man?” (Luke 1:28-34).
And especially listen in wonder to the angel’s explanation of how this could be:
And the angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God. Now indeed, Elizabeth your relative has also conceived a son in her old age; and this is now the sixth month for her who was called barren. For with God nothing will be impossible.” Then Mary said, “Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her (vv. 35-38).
Dear brothers and sisters; reconciliation with God is an inexpressibly glorious gift. Sinners like you and me can now enjoy a restored relationship with the God who made us—from whom we were separated by the fall, but to whom we are now invited to draw close. And this is a gift that was brought to us by the incarnation of the Son of God—born on Christmas. As it says elsewhere in the Bible,
For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus (1 Timothy 2:5).
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Now; another thing that Paul tells us in Colossians 1 about this gift of ‘reconciliation’ is that …
2. IT’S A GIFT MADE EFFECTUAL BY JESUS’ CROSS.
Reconciliation with God can only happen by means of the cross. And in fact, we can only really understand and appreciate the significance of the Christmas story if we view it from the standpoint of the cross. The Babe that was born on Christmas was born as one of us in order to die for us as the atoning sacrifice for our sins. He was born to be ‘The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29).
The apostle Paul stresses this to us in this morning’s passage. In verse 19, he wrote, “For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell …”; and that, as we have seen, speaks of Jesus’ incarnation. But then, Paul goes on to say in verse 20, “and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross.”
Do you notice that Paul says that God thus reconciles “all things to Himself”?—including things on earth and things in heaven? Do you notice that, somehow, Creation itself was not at peace with Him until Jesus was born into this world in order to die on the cross? If Jesus died for fallen humanity, how is it then that “all things” are reconciled to God by Him?
Well; remember that Adam was made by God to be the steward of this created realm. All things were placed by God under his dominion. When Adam fell in sin, he brought this whole created realm under the effects of that fall. Thorns and briars began to come forth; and death began to occur; and all of life on this created world became hardship and toil. And while there is a great mystery to it all, there is a sense in which—until fallen humanity is reconciled to God—all of Creation suffers.
The apostle Paul wrote about this in Romans 8. He said;
For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope; because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now. (Romans 8:18-22).
When Jesus was born into this world as the incarnate Son of God, He came as the atoning sacrifice for the sin of all humanity. And when Jesus returns to this earth as the fully glorified representative of humanity—and when He brings with Him all those whom He has redeemed by His blood—then all of Creation itself will be reconciled to God and be delivered from the bondage of sin. It will be as if it had come alive from the dead! This even involves ‘things in heaven’—perhaps looking ahead to the scene in the heavens in Revelation 5:12 when all the angels and beings in the heavens, and all of Creation itself, will unite with a loud voice and say, “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain …!” Like another great Christmas carol has it;
No more let sins and sorrows grow,
nor thorns infest the ground.
He comes to make His blessings flow
far as the curse is found …
Just think of what a great, far-reaching thing this gift of reconciliation is! And it was made effectual by the sacrifice of the incarnate Son of God upon the cross for us.
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So; Christmas is the story of the gift of reconciliation. It is brought to us by the incarnation of Jesus; and it is made effectual by His cross.
But it’s also a story that is personal to you and me. Paul goes on to show that …
3. IT’S A GIFT THAT RESTORES US TO THE FATHER.
In verses 22-22, Paul made it personal. He wrote, “And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight—“
The opposite of ‘reconciliation’ is ‘alienation’. And in our sinful condition—before we believed on Jesus and trusted in His sacrifice for us and were washed clean by His blood—that’s what we were toward God. We were ‘alienated’ from Him. We were far away from Him. We lived our lives in enmity toward God in our thinking and in our lifestyle. The apostle Paul described Ephesians 4, in horrible detail, the life of ‘alienation’ that we once lived. He wrote that we were like those who walked around …
in the futility of their mind, having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart; who, being past feeling, have given themselves over to lewdness, to work all uncleanness with greediness (Ephesians 4:17-19).
There’s no way we could have fellowship with God in that condition. We needed to be reconciled to Him. And Jesus, in the body of His flesh—because He was born on Christmas as one of us—was able to reconcile us to God by His atoning death on the cross. And now—when we personally place our faith in what He did for us—we ourselves are no longer in an irreconcilable condition before Him. The Lord Jesus is able to present us in Himself to the Father as “holy” and as “blameless” and as “above reproach” in the Father’s sight as He Himself is.
That’s why Christmas is so important to us personally. People may wonder why it is that we make such a big deal about the birth of a child born long ago. It’s not out of mere sentimentality and tradition that we do so. Rather, it’s because that Baby was the Son of God born into the world to bring about our own, personal reconciliation with God. His birth was for us; and we have experienced it in a personal way. As people who are now—by faith—’in’ Him, His righteous life has become our own righteous life; and His death on the cross has become our own death to sin. His resurrection has become our own resurrection unto new life; and His ascension to the right hand of the Father in glory means that we ourselves are seated there with Him. His eternal fellowship with the Father will be our own eternal fellowship with the Father.
Jesus’ birth means our own, personal reconciliation to God the Father! We now stand holy and blameless in His sight—washed completely clean! No wonder this day is such a cause of celebration!
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But there’s one more thing to notice about this gift of reconciliation. And that’s that …
4. IT’S A GIFT THAT IS OURS BY FAITH IN THE GOSPEL.
Paul goes on to say in verse 23 that reconciliation by the blood of Jesus’ cross becomes a personal reconciliation, “if indeed you continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and are not moved away from the hope of the gospel which you heard, which was preached to every creature under heaven, of which I, Paul, became a minister.”
This wonderful gift of reconciliation with God isn’t given to everyone. It is only given to those who place their faith in the whole story of Jesus—the whole message of the gospel. We must place our trust in the fact that what the angel told Mary was absolutely true—that Jesus is the Son of God incarnate; born of a virgin; God in human flesh. We must place our faith in His sinless life for us and in His blood shed on the cross for us. And we must continue in this faith; and be grounded in it, and not shaken from it or moved away from it. Only those who have placed their faith in the reconciling work of Jesus for us—and who keep it there—receive the gift and are fully reconciled to God. The fact that they continue in that faith shows that they are truly reconciled to God.
But the wonderful news is that this means that reconciliation with God is available to all who wish it—whoever they may be. Christmas has made this gift available to all.
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So it may be that there are a lot of things that we cannot enjoy this holiday that we ordinarily do. But the real significance of Christmas cannot be lost to us. As this passage shows us—no matter what else may happen—we who have our faith in Jesus Christ are now fully reconciled to God. We have peace with Him. We are welcomed to draw near to Him and to enjoy everlasting fellowship with Him through Jesus His Son.
I hope that this Christmas, you will whole-heartedly rejoice in the gift of reconciliation that God has given us through His Son. As the apostle Paul puts it in 2 Corinthians 5;
Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God. For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him (2 Corinthians 5:18-21).
EA
