Beloved friends, once again we greet you in the precious name of the Lord Jesus Christ. We welcome you to the broadcast of God's precious word today. How wonderful and amazing to a redeemed saint is the blessed story of the cross of our Lord Jesus, with his divine and distinct aspects of blessing which are bestowed upon every person who places their faith in him. and rests upon his atoning finished work, which was done alone by himself when he died upon the cross. I pray that God may grant my friend, you too has been born again, and by God's grace enjoying the fruit of Christ's redemptive work when he died for you on the cross of Calvary. Today we wish to conclude that aspect of work which has so effectively provided for the whole world reconciliation. The very possibility that any and every alienated sinner can, even now, come to God and be reconciled. And like the prodigal son of the story in Luke fifteen, back from the far country, be brought home to the Father, receive the Father's kiss, his embrace, and to be clothed with the best robe, and celebrate The Joy of Reconciliation. First let us remember, as we have noted, it was God Himself sending Christ His beloved Son who approached us in the spirit of reconciliation, though we had strayed away from God, and even we had become enemies of God while in our sins. A second fact we have noted, it was Christ all alone, by Himself, both for God as well as for us, who did the work to reconcile us to God. Remember the words of First Timothy chapter two, verses five and six, which we quote, For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself a ransom for all. Not for some, thank God, but for all. The Lord Jesus Christ, in the spirit of reconciliation, came to the earth to save us, not to condemn us, not to execute judgment. Think of his very words first recorded as spoken by him when he was nailed to the cross. You know them well, I'm sure. Did he not say in a prayer, Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do? That indicated the spirit of reconciliation. that even when, with wicked hands, they nailed into that gibbet of shame. He cried, Father, forgive them. Was not the dying thief forgiven? I do believe also the centurion may have been forgiven and found in that righteous man his own salvation. But how many sins have been forgiven? We raise the question, my friend. Have you been forgiven? And then third, We noted the plea of reconciliation being heralded and proclaimed, God's ambassadors, which Paul has certainly declared by writing, Now then we are ambassadors for Christ. As though God did beseech you by us, we prayed you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God. St. Corinthians five-twenty. We raised the question, my friend, have you responded to God's plea? to stop straying away from him, to turn to his loving arms, acknowledging that Christ his Son has paid all the great debt of your sin and paid it to a holy God who demanded righteous, just, and eternal payment. And now we would consider in our closing the joy of reconciliation. We take the words that are found in Romans chapter five, verses ten and eleven, and we quote them, For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his son, much more being reconciled we shall be saved by his life. Not only so, but we also join in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the reconciliation. The authorized version uses the word atonement, I know. The Trump clearer translation and the Greek text, particularly the word should be reconciliation. Now let me please illustrate. Paul's saying, we join in God now, through our Lord Jesus, because we received the reconciliation. Let me illustrate the joy of reconciliation from the parable of the prodigal son. What better source could I use? For when the Father welcomed him home, we read that the Father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his hand, shoes on his feet, bring hither the fattest calf and kill it. Let us eat and be merry, for this my son was dead. He is alive again. He was lost, and is found, and they began to be married. I beg of you to read all of Luke chapter fifteen. Well, you have that threefold parable, the parable of the lost sheep, the lost coin, and the lost boy. But in each case, the result of being found, produce joy. The Savior said, I say unto you that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repented. Truly God the Father rejoices. God the Son rejoices. God the Holy Spirit rejoices. Yes, the angels of God rejoice when a sinner is reconciled. But there's not only joy in heaven, my friend. There is joy on earth. For did not Paul say in Romans five eleven, we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Oh, beloved, what a joy it is to joy in God. So many are afraid of God. So many fear him. So many perhaps hate him. But ah, let me say, where could you find a deeper, a greater, a better, a more abiding joy than when you can join in God through our Lord Jesus Christ? Oh, beloved, do you have this joy? Yes, may I go further to remind you, there's not only joy in heaven amongst the angels, and the persons of the Godhead. But, oh, every time a sinner comes, as a sinner may, and trusts the Savior, there is joy. Joy in his own heart. What a joy it is to be said. It's the joy of salvation. Do you have it? My beloved, if you haven't, I think of the words of a dear old hymn. I beg of you to listen to the words and to put them into practice. and say, I've wandered far away from God, but now I'm coming home. The paths of sin too long, I trot. Now I'm coming home. Coming home, coming home, never more to roam. Open wide thine arms of love. Now I'm coming home. Oh, my beloved friend, come back to God now. He waits to receive you, and surely you can say, Have you never heard, and you may have even sung the words, perhaps not in reality, but you can do it now, if you will, just as I am, and waiting not to rid my soul of one dark blood, to thee whose blood can cleanse each spot, O Lamb of God, I come, I come, just as I am thou wilt receive, wilt welcome, pardon, and cleanse, relieve, and because thy promise I believe. O Lamb of God, I come. I come. Then you will know the joy of reconciliation. But before we close our theme, I have to bring before you to be faithful to the truth of reconciliation another amazing truth. Regarding the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ and the aspect of reconciliation, And the words we quote now are taken through Colossians chapter one, verse twenty, telling concerning Christ that having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself, by him I say whether they be things in earth or things in heaven. Now let me be very faithful and clear to explain the meaning. Through the blood of the cross of our Lord Jesus, all things are to be Reconciled to God, and if you note the text, it declares whether they are on earth or whether they are in heaven. Now what reconciliation does this mean? Oh, it is one that is not yet accomplished. It is in the future, my friend. But it includes all creation in the universe. The heavens and the earth will be completely delivered from the power of evil. Can I repeat that? In the present creation of the heavens and the earth, everything is in disorder. It is a groan in creation. Satan with his wicked spirits and demons dwell in the heavens, above and around us, defiling. But the death of the cross has paid a purchase price to cleanse that universe from evil, as well as upon the earth. And it will be done when Christ comes back to the earth. and all things will be under his feet. Satan will be judged. The ungodly will be punished and banished. And then the heavens and the earth will be delivered. Please let me state it. It's going to be a universe without sin. When everything has been accomplished. When the wicked have punished forever in the lake of fire and banished. When Satan and his angels are there in their eternal doom. Gone. And the heavens, the new heavens, and the new earth will be sinless. Reconciled to God. You know, I'm looking forward to living in that. How about you? It does not mean that Satan will ever be saved. It does not mean that fallen angels will be saved. It does not mean that the wicked dead will be saved. But, oh, my friend, the more important fact, this moment is this. Right now, waiting for you. is reconciliation. If you will come to God in repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, you too will be reconciled to God. Well, did the words of an old hymn and the chorus of it say, This is the message that I bring, a message angels saying with sing, O be ye reconciled, thus set my Lord and King. O be ye reconciled to God. Oh, beloved, look at the cross of the Lord Jesus. And I beg of you, take in the message today, not only reconciliation for every one boy, girl, man, woman, who will in repentance and faith come to the Lord Jesus, but ought to think that by the death of his cross someday, he's going to clean up the universe and it will be sinless. I'm looking forward with keen joy to be living in that universe of eternal bliss. My friend, why don't you get saved? Why go to hell when God made it possible to escape it and be forever blessed and reconciled to him? Father, bless thy word in Jesus' name. Amen.