The glory of the cross is presented as the ultimate work of reconciliation between God and humanity. The sermon emphasizes that reconciliation is solely God's initiative, as humanity's sin is the cause of alienation. Through Christ's sacrifice, God, who was in Christ, reconciled the world to Himself, not imputing trespasses to those who believe. This reconciliation is made possible by Christ's sinless character, His suffering for our sins on the cross, and His merit, which allows believers to be made the righteousness of God in Him. The message concludes with an appeal to be reconciled to God through Christ's atoning work.
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Beloved friends, we praise the Lord for another opportunity to enjoy the blessing of his precious word as we continue to study the blessed truth of reconciliation. And we greet you and we welcome you in the precious name of the Lord Jesus Christ. We give thanks to the Savior above for the one who came into this world, came into the world to seek and to save that which was lost, even sinners. like you and like me. We are very clearly, I trust, presented from Scripture our need, universally, if you please, the need of reconciliation.
God grant that we may realize it. Now a brief word to define the meaning of reconciliation. And let us understand one thing, first of all, as we look at the meaning of it, and that is, Never in the Word of God will you find that God needed to be reconciled to us, to the sinner. Our natural understanding of this word reconciliation and its need is usually that two parties have been offended. They may have offended each other or one may have offended the other. But when we look between God and sinners, let me raise the question.
Can you tell me of any offense that God has committed against you and against me? God never has done anything to alienate himself from man. God never wandered away from man. The offense has been by ourselves and our sins, and let me quote the words that Isaiah said and wrote in chapter fifty-nine, Our iniquities have separated us from God. So let us properly conclude. The alienation from God is man's total responsibility. And it is man who needs to be reconciled unto God.
Now let's proceed and consider then more concerning the work of reconciliation from the Word of God. Please emphasize the fact, take it in clearly. that the work of reconciliation was entirely began, as well as carried out, by God, not by man. What a merciful God, that though we all had gone astray, He Himself undertook to bring us back and reconcile us. How? Now let me go to Second Corinthians. I'm turning to Second Corinthians chapter five and verse nineteen. I wish you to know very carefully that God himself approached man through Christ in order to bring reconciliation.
Now here are the words we read. That God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself. That's just as far as we read right now. But let's take it in. God was in Christ. It was God who approached us. In and through His Son, Jesus Christ, for what reason? To reconcile the world back to Himself. And it was in that spirit of reconciliation that God sent His Son into the world to save us. It was in that spirit of reconciliation that Christ came to make it possible.
I trust that you realize this was God's attitude in Christ toward the whole world. not just to a few people, but to all the world. And you know it's true. The greatest verse in your New Testament, you may well know, declares, for God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life. John three sixteen. It was the whole world that has gone astray. They're all gone out of the way, God said in Romans chapter three. But now let's go a little further in our text in Second Corinthians five. Note another fact about God's effort of reconciliation in verse nineteen.
Not imputing their trespasses unto them. Now what does this mean? Does it mean that God will overlook our sins? No, he never will do that. Or he would not be a holy God and just. But it means this. that when God sent Christ to do the work to save us on the cross, to reconcile us, temporarily he delays his divine judgment upon sinners. He sets the judgment and punishment aside for the time being, while seeking the world to be reconciled.
Put it in some other expression. God says, I will hold back the act of judgment for a while and see if the world will come back to me. And let me assure you, my friend, that day of judgment will yet come. But then may I remind you, for nearly two thousand years, God has been seeking men and women, boys and girls to be reconciled back to Him. and to escape that coming judgment. Now, my beloved friend, what a God! Who deserve, we deserve that He should wipe us off the scene and send us to eternal doom.
But oh, the loving heart and the compassion of God! The day of reconciliation may soon end, my friend. But, oh, he still is pleading in mercy that you may come to him. Have you come? Now note another fact in our verses we go on. God hath committed unto us, writes Paul. God hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation, meaning the message of it. And Paul the apostle identified with God's servant said in verse eighteen, God hath given unto us the ministry. The service of reconciliation. What a joy to know that the whole world, by and through the gospel, is being told that reconciliation to God is available.
But why? How is it that God can invite you and me to come back to him when we've gone so far away? Here again we have the crux of our lesson. It is the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. which is God's mighty work of reconciliation. Now let's look at verse twenty-one in chapter five of second Corinthians. Listen to the words of the beloved apostle concerning Christ, his work upon the cross. For God hath made him, that is Christ. Sin. Now it doesn't say he made him do sin. No. He has made him sacrificially what we are actually. He has made him sin.
For us, he who knew no sin. that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. Now I want you to note three things especially. Referring to the Savior. Don't lose sight of the fact. The Lord Jesus here in our verses upon the cross. Bearing our sins in his own body on the tree. Take it in. To do the mighty work. To reconcile us to God. Now let me declare what we have here. Three blessed facts declared about Christ. Take them in. First of all, I want you to note his impeccability, meaning his sinless character. He knew no sin, writes the apostle.
And the one who died on the cross for you and for me, my friend, knew no sin. His sinless, innocent, and perfect character is declared. In order to be a sacrifice for us, he must be a lamb of which Peter writes, without blemish and without spot. And the three apostles, Peter, James, and John, they verify the testimony of his sinless purity before God and man. Paul in our verse says, he knew no sin. Peter, and you can read it in First Peter, two, verse twenty-two, declared, He did no sin. John in his epistle, first John three and verse five, declared, In him was no sin.
Therefore, Christ is God's perfect sacrifice, acceptable to God, being holy, harmless, and undefiled, and separate from sinners. Now there's a second fact revealed in our verse. Very important. The sufferings of Christ are revealed. He was made sin. Where? When? My beloved on the cross. Oh, may I quote Isaiah fifty-three-six quickly. All we like sheep have gone astray. We have turned every one to its own way. And Jehovah hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.
My beloved God, who alone knew all your sins and mine and the sins of the whole world, gathered them. And together they were placed at one time upon the blessed sacrifice. the Son of God when he was on the cross. No wonder he cried, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? When God turned his face and darkness covered the scene, the holiness of God could not look upon the awfulness of your sins and mine when he was there upon the cross. Christ suffered, says the Apostle Peter, for our sins.
and what God's justice demanded for our sins. He paid the price in full. What God's holy law demanded for our sins. He paid the price in full. What God's judgment demanded for our sins, for your sins and for mine. Jesus paid it in full. Now here is the third fact concerning Christ, and that His great merit The value that he now is, and why is he so valuable to you and for me? Note the words, that we, in order that we might be made the righteousness of God in him, to bring you and me in righteousness to God, reconciled by his death, through his sacrifice, by his redeeming work of the cross, we, if we will receive him, will be made holy and without blame before God in love, accepted in the beloved, made the righteousness of God in Christ.
Belovedly, may I point out to you, He puts the believing sinner in Christ, in Christ. I am not righteous in myself. My righteousness is in Christ. My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus' blood and righteousness. I dare not trust the sweetest rain. but only lean on Jesus' name. Oh, beloved, the Apostle has written that you and I, as he wrote to the Colossians, when we believe on the Lord Jesus, we are complete in him. And listen to the plea of the Apostle. 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 the words of the beloved Apostle James come so appropriately to mind. Draw nigh to God. He will draw nigh to you. My beloved friend, if you never have, why don't you come to God through the Lord Jesus Christ and his death and his work of the cross, and you will be reconciled to God. Father, sanctify the truth of thy glory and the blessing of everyone. In Jesus' name, amen.