R199 The Meaning of Reconciliation

God has an encouraging word for you and me today through the Bible-based preaching of Dr. Don Wilton and a message on Reconciliation. Yes, today we'll head to Colossians chapter 1 for this message, The Meaning of Reconciliation, with Dr. Don Wilton, well-known author, pastor, seminary professor. And one of the books he's written recently is the book on his relationship after 20-plus years of being the pastor of the nation's pastor, Dr. Billy Graham.

It's called Saturdays with Billy. If you haven't seen it, you need to take a look on our website at www.tewonline.org. That's an exciting resource, but more than that, I pray that while you're there, you'll sign up for the free daily devotional from Dr. Wilton. It's called The Daily Encouraging Word. You can sign up at www.tewonline.org anytime and it'll challenge you with God's Word in your email box.

Now, Dr. Don Wilton. Please open your Bibles this morning to Paul's letter to the Colossians in chapter 1. Paul's letter to the Colossians in chapter 1. We're going to be looking at an unbelievably difficult subject for many people to understand. Our subject this morning from God's Word is The Meaning of Reconciliation.

Isn't that a great word? Reconciliation. To be reconciled to somebody. There is a great need on the part of all people to be reconciled together.

I'm going to tell you something right up front this morning. The Bible teaches us very clearly that because of the Lord Jesus Christ, that we can be reconciled first of all to God and then to our fellow man. You see, God's reconciliation in the Lord Jesus Christ not only works from man to God, but it works from man to man. I wouldn't be surprised this morning if there are many people who are listening to this message that need to be reconciled.

I've made a statement like this before and I do it again. One of the most tragic situations that you and I can encounter in life is when I find a son and a father who are no longer talking with one another. Have you ever been into a family where there is a lack of reconciliation? Have you ever been into a family where the in-laws have become the outlaws? And where they are not allowed to come into the house and she better not say anything else again otherwise I'll fix her up. Have you ever been into a family where a marriage has taken place and the children seem to have become estranged?

Have you ever been into a family where a husband and wife have become separated? You see friends, the Bible teaches us that God is the God of reconciliation. Now by the way, the word reconciliation means to be brought together again and I want to just slip that in.

I'll run it by again in case some of you had a rough night last night. Reconciliation means to be brought together again. You see it has that little prefix in front of the word, re, re means to do it again. And the Bible teaches us that to be reconciled to God means that we are being restored into a relationship that once was.

We are being brought back into the relationship that God originally intended for us to be in. You know sometimes when I counsel with married couples, at least with couples who are about to be married, I'm going to be honest with you folks, I'm not even quite sure if they're listening to one word I say. I mean they just sit there and look at each other and they just swoon. I mean it's just unbelievable.

When the fellow stands up, his legs are doing this. They'll say yes to anything. I mean just to anything. I mean they just agree to anything I happen to say.

I say you do this, say yes pastor, we'll do it. Now they haven't heard what I've said but they just read to say. Then they get married and they sow in love. I mean it's unbelievable. He walks around, opens up the car door for her. I mean he's got flowers. Where's the rose gone? He's got flowers for her. I mean he does all kinds of things.

He's just bubbling over with unbelievable joy and oneness with this bride of his life. Ten years later, why don't you open the door yourself? What seems to be your problem?

What do you mean? You see something begins to happen and folks we can look at all these things in life but you know that sometimes it becomes very serious and differences begin to creep in and tensions and all kinds of innuendo and suggestion and the next minute they become separated and then there's this horrible thing called divorce and there's a breakup and there's all this sort of stuff. I want you to know something friends that the Bible tells us that God is the God of reconciliation. He brings people together again but it begins with our relationship with God. Now I want you to look with me here in Paul's letter to the Colossians at the meaning of reconciliation. We're going to begin to read at verse 19 of the first chapter of Paul's letter to the Colossians. The Bible says for God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in the Lord Jesus Christ. I want to say to you right there at this juncture my friends that it is very important to understand that the reconciliation that we are able to enjoy in and through the Lord Jesus Christ is simply because God has put his stamp of approval on the Lord Jesus Christ and Jesus Christ has been given the full and complete authority to reconcile the world unto himself.

Isn't that incredible? In fact listen to what the Bible says. The Bible says that God was in Christ Jesus reconciling the world unto himself and when you and I come into a reconciliation with God immediately the first thing that will begin to happen is we will begin to become reconciled with one another. We are reconciled with God and then we become reconciled with one another.

Look what the Apostle Paul says verse 19. For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in the Lord Jesus Christ and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven by making peace through his blood shed upon the cross. Then in verse 21 the Apostle Paul talks about why reconciliation is reconciliation. Being brought together again he says, For once you were at one time alienated from God because you were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior but now he has reconciled you by Christ's physical body through death in order to present you wholly in his sight without blemish free from accusation. Verse 23, If you continue in your faith, the Bible says if you continue in your faith established and firm, what that means literally translated it means as you continue grounded in the faith you demonstrate the hope of the gospel that you have in the Lord Jesus Christ.

He says if you continue in your faith established and firm, not moved from the hope held out in the gospel, this is the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven of which I, Paul, have become a servant. We're going to look very briefly this morning at the meaning of reconciliation. I want us to break it down into two components from God's Word. Number one, let's discover first of all man's need.

Man's need. Then number two, let's discover God's response to man's need. So we're going to look first of all at man's need and then we're going to discover God's response to man's need. If there is a need, my friend, to be reconciled with the Lord Jesus Christ, what caused us to lose our status and our position with God to begin with?

Well, we have a look together right there in verse 21. We've got some key words here that the apostle Paul shared with the men and women at the church at Colossae. He says in verse 21, there was a time that you were alienated from God.

Isn't that incredible? The apostle Paul doesn't say that you might have been alienated from God. The apostle Paul says there was a time that you were alienated from God. Now what in the world does it mean to be alienated? To be alienated, my friends, means that God has declared you to be a non-participant in the joy and the benefits of His grace. The Bible teaches very clearly that when we were born, we were born dead in our trespasses and in our sins. We are outside of the grace of God. God created man in His own image, placed him in the Garden of Eden, man sinned, sin separated him from God, and man forfeited his right to fellowship with God our Heavenly Father and then through the Lord Jesus Christ. Now what does that mean? To be alienated from God means that you have no semblance of God in you whatsoever. It means that you have no fellowship with God whatsoever.

I remember conducting a funeral service about 12 years ago in South Louisiana. Precious man, wonderful person, I mean involved in everything that you could ever imagine. But I remember that his widow came to me and she said to me, Pastor, she said, I know that my husband never went to church. I know that my husband wasn't interested in the things of God. I know that my husband never read the Bible.

I know that my husband didn't like anything to do with the Bible. But I want you to know, preacher, that my husband was a good man. He served as mayor of the city. He was on the town council. He was on the boards, the agencies.

He was involved in charitable work. Isn't it possible that God, who is a God of love, is going to allow my husband on the basis of his goodness to come into the kingdom of God? The Bible says, my friends, that outside of the Lord Jesus Christ, you and I are alienated from God. That means that we have been declared to be a non-participant in the grace of God.

You say to me this morning, Dr. Wilton, what in the world does that mean? As God looks down upon this great congregation this morning, you know who He sees? He doesn't see men and women and boys and girls. He doesn't see black and white. He doesn't see rich and poor.

He doesn't see tall and short, round and thin. You know what God sees? God sees those who are for Him and those who are against Him. The Bible says that you and I fall into one of two categories because of the sin of man. You either belong to the Lord Jesus Christ or you don't. The Bible says you cannot serve two masters. The Bible says you and I have got to choose this day whom we will serve.

The Word of God says you cannot be a fence straddler. You either belong to the Lord Jesus Christ or you don't. And in terms of man's need, my friends, the apostle Paul writing to the church at Colossae said you were once alienated from God. Writing earlier on in Paul's letter to the Ephesians in chapter 2 and verse 12, the apostle Paul says at that time you were without Christ. You were aliens from the commonwealth of Israel. You were strangers from the covenant of promise, having no hope without God in the world.

But now because of the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, you are able to be reconciled to Him. Please forgive the interruption. We'll be back with more on today's message, the meaning of reconciliation with Dr. Don Wilton in just a moment. But Dr. Don wants us to remind you that we're here for you.

It's not just a presentation, it's a conversation. Many are using our website, www.tewonline.org, to get connected, to get interactive. As a matter of fact, many of you have signed up for the daily Encouraging Word Devotional. If you haven't, you can do that right now at www.tewonline.org. We send it out email-a-phonically, so to speak, every morning.

That's the way I enjoy reading it. But my bride appreciates the physical copy. You can have one of those for free as well if you want to call us at 866-899-WORD. That's 866-899-9673. Or again, everything's on our website. You can sign up for the physical copy or the email at www.tewonline.org.

That's www.tewonline.org. Now back to today's great teaching about the meaning of reconciliation with Dr. Don Wilton. Aliens. Well, how do we understand what it means to be an alien? How do we understand man's need before Almighty God? The Apostle Paul outlines that there are three keys to understanding the true meaning of being alienated from God.

Number one is enemy. He says it right there in verse 21, once you were alienated from God and you were enemies. You see, when the Apostle Paul talks about being an enemy of God, my friend, he identifies both the source and the effect of their disposition toward God. The Apostle Paul is identifying both the source and the effect of their disposition toward God. In other words, friends, Paul is describing the contrast between God and those who oppose God.

You cannot serve two masters. If we were to take a survey here this morning, God would say straight out to each one of us, do you belong to God or don't you? You see, the Bible says, my friends, that we're either for God or we're against God. And the Apostle Paul says here that we are alienated because we were enemies of God.

Enemies of God. But there's a second key to understanding enemy and it's right there in the next sentence. He says not only were you enemies, but you were enemies in your minds. You see, when the Apostle Paul talked about the mind, he was talking about the heart. And when he talked about the heart, he was talking about your and my personal disposition.

And what the Apostle Paul is saying, my friend, is that our actions are going to naturally arise from our disposition, from who we are in our hearts. Who are you this morning? Who are you?

Who are you really? The Bible says that man has a limited capacity in that all he can do is see on the outward appearance. But God looks upon the heart. And you see, when the Apostle Paul was reminding the Colossians here of their alienation from God, he was telling them that you were once enemies in your heart. He was saying the real person was opposed to God. Opposed to God.

In Romans chapter 1 and verse 12, particularly the Apostle Paul says, therefore God gave them up to the uncleanness through the lusts of their own heart. In other words, my friends, the way I think is going to determine the way I behave. Who are you on the inside? Have you ever heard someone say to you, boy, I like that person because what I see is what I get. Isn't that great? Have you ever met someone who's such a genuine product you can hardly stand it? I mean, they're just no different. When they love you from their toenails up, they love you from their toes. They're not this one minute and that. Have you ever met someone who seems to, the one minute they this and the next minute they like yo-yos? Up and down, up and down, up and down.

I mean, one minute they down, up, down, up. You never know where you stand, up, down, sideways. God's word says, my friend, once you were alienated because you were enemies in your hearts. The Bible says that which is in the heart will come out.

In fact, writing later on in Matthew chapter 7 and verse 16, we read by their fruit, you will know them. You see, it's not just when we seated in church on Sunday morning that speaks to the alienation of our heart before God. It's those times, my friend, when we find ourselves in the most critical position, our desperate need because of our sinfulness before God. Our hearts cry is to be reconciled with God. And did you notice here that the apostle Paul says there was once a time that you were out of fellowship with God. Isn't that great?

Isn't that most incredible, folks, to think that he could speak of these people in the past tense? That you were once alienated from God. I'm going to give you a biblical guarantee this morning. If you haven't already done so, if today you would bow your head and say, Lord Jesus Christ, I want to receive you into my heart and life, I will guarantee you instantaneous reconciliation with God.

You can do it right now. Why don't you bow your heads with me? Everybody all over the congregation.

There may be someone here right now in the middle of this message. You say to me, preacher, I need to be reconciled to God first and foremost. I'm out of fellowship with God. Why don't you say, Lord Jesus, I need to be reconciled to you by faith.

I trust in you. I repented my sin right now and I invite you into my heart right now. Would you look at me all over the congregation? Friend, if you've prayed that before God and you've said, Lord Jesus Christ, I am alienated from you. I am declared to be an enemy of yours. I have been declared to be out of fellowship with you.

I have no semblance of relationship with you. But on the authority of God's word, by the blood of Jesus Christ shed for me upon the cross, I resolve right now to receive you into my heart. Reconciliation is instantaneous. You say to me, well, preacher, how's that possible?

Well, that's the second part of this message. You say, how could God forgive me? How could God restore this relationship? How could God take my sin and cast it as far as the east is from the west? Look what the apostle Paul says.

You see, friend, it's not only discovering man's need, but we've got to analyze God's response. Right there in verse 20 and 22. The Bible says in verse 20, whether things on earth or things in heaven, how is this all made possible that we are reconciled to Him by the making peace through the blood of Jesus Christ shed upon the cross? Then go down with me to verse 22.

He says, but now He has reconciled you how? By Christ's physical body through death to present you holy and free from accusation without blemish into the presence of the King of Kings and of the Lord of Lords. You say to me this morning, Dr. Wilton, if this is God's response, why did God in Jesus Christ have to shed blood upon the cross? You see, it all focuses on the shed blood of Jesus. Why I love that song that goes, there is power, power, wonder working power in the blood of the Lamb. There is power, power, wonder working power in the precious blood of the Lamb. What is Paul trying to remind us of here? Well, when he talks about the blood of Jesus, my friend, he's pointing to the theology of the blood atonement.

Yes, the radical death of Jesus Christ upon the cross where He was crucified. But He's also identifying, listen to me, but there was one thing wrong with the substitutionary sacrifice of the Old Testament. We can look at it in Hebrews chapter 10.

We can look at it in Romans chapter 3. You see, friends, as far as the Old Testament sacrifice was concerned, it went so far, but no further. When you offered a sacrifice in the Old Testament, a blood sacrifice, God would forgive you from the consequences of your sin, but God would not remove the sin itself. But when Jesus Christ died upon the cross, Jesus Christ, the Son of the living God, and He shed His blood for you and for me upon the cross, what happened? He didn't just remove the consequences of sin. He removed the sin itself and He took your sin and my sin upon Himself and He cast our sin as far as the east is from the west and He remembers it no more. He remembers it no more.

Isn't that incredible? You know, I'm sure one day when I get to heaven, the first thing I'm going to do is go up to God and say to Him, God, thank you for letting me come into heaven. Thank you for allowing me to be in this beautiful place. But God, if you don't mind, I just want to apologize to you again for what I did when I was 17 years of age. You know what God's going to say?

I haven't a clue what you're talking about. I wonder how many people there are in this congregation who are dragging around bags of stuff that you've never been willing to accept the fact that when you are reconciled to God, that God takes your sin and He cast it as far as the east is from the west and He remembers it no more. How far is the east from the west? You know, you get that kind of feeling that you want to just keep going. You just never get there. You know why? Because you never will get there.

It is far as the east is from the west. His blood cleanses us from all our unrighteousness. We are made brand new. There are people here this morning are saying, Preacher, I've committed adultery. God will make you brand new.

He will not lay that charge against you. Reconciliation? To be reconciled to God?

The blood of Jesus Christ cleanses me from all my unrighteousness. Be ye reconciled to God. You see, friend, there are people here right now who need to be reconciled to God. God has spoken to you. You know that He's spoken to you.

There are people here this morning who are struggling so much. We're going to give you an opportunity this morning to respond to the gospel of the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. At this particular moment, many people are responding at the altar in our church.

Perhaps you need to respond at the altar of your heart right now. If you'd like to talk with someone or pray with someone about this powerful message of reconciliation, we're here at 866-899-WORD any time, day or night, 866-899-9673 or online at tewonline.org. We've heard and studied God's Word together, but now it's Dr. Wilton Steps in the studio.

I pray you'd open your heart to what he wants to share next. Are you ready to give your heart and life to the Lord Jesus Christ? Why don't you pray this prayer with me right now?

Dear God, I know that I'm a sinner, and I know that Jesus died for me on the cross. Today I repent of my sin, and by faith I receive you into my heart. In Jesus' name, my friend, I welcome you today into the family of God.

This is exciting news. Welcome back to the family of God. I'm convinced that while Dr. Wilton was praying a while ago, some of you have rededicated your life, and you're back on track with Jesus like never before. You know that reconciliation starts with us.

Some of you maybe prayed along and gave your life to Christ for the very first time. Either way, Dr. Wilton has a packet of information he wants you to have absolutely free if you'll call 866-899-WORD. That's our phone number, 866-899-9673. We'd love to put this in your hands to pray with you and encourage you. You'll also find these resources on our website at www.tewonline.org. As a matter of fact, one resource right now featuring our good friend, Dr. Charles Stanley.

Dr. Wilton and Dr. Stanley have been friends for years. It's called Following Christ. Here's Liz with all the details. What's going on in your life today? Are you thinking about giving up? Don't give up. We cannot afford to be deterred on the Christian journey.

Too much is at stake. This month, Dr. Wilton has two special resources to send you for your gift of support to the encouraging Word. You will receive Dr. Wilton's inspiring message, Pressing Forward, along with Courageous Faith by Dr. Charles Stanley. Both of these ministry resources will help fortify your faith to stay the course on the Christian journey.

Call us at 866-899-WORD. That's 866-899-9673 and request Pressing Forward and the bonus book, Courageous Faith, today. Thank you for supporting the encouraging Word. We cannot fulfill our mission without you. Our time's gone for today, but let's stay connected on our website at www.tewonline.org. If you haven't seen our video presentation of the Gospel on Daystar and other networks, you'll find the ways to connect on our website at www.tewonline.org. And thank you so very much. This is a broadcast of the encouraging Word and made possible by your prayerful and financial support. We are very grateful.