SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR
2/6/2017 11:07 PM
My Worship Time Focus:
PT-2 “The Evidence of Reconciliation”
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: Colossians
1:23
Message of the
verses: “23 if indeed you continue
in the faith firmly established and steadfast, and not moved away from the hope
of the gospel that you have heard, which was proclaimed in all creation under
heaven, and of which I, Paul, was made a minister.”
We have been talking about perhaps the most important
aspect of reconciliation, and that is to make sure that people have received
reconciliation. Let us look at John 6:66
“As a result of this many of His disciples withdrew and were not walking with
Him anymore.” Now the story behind this
verse has to do with something that Jesus was talking about earlier in that
chapter, and in my Spiritual Diary from this section I go into more detail as
to what Jesus was talking about. He was
telling His listeners “54 “He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal
life, and I will raise him up on the last day.”
Now they were looking at the physical meaning of this talk Jesus was
saying and not looking at the Spiritual meaning which happened many times, but
the point is that many of His followers could not understand this and so they
walked away from following Jesus. This
kind of thing still happens today as people who here something from the Word of
God and can’t understand it walk away, but this just shows that they never were
truly born again and never were reconciled with God, no evidence.
John MacArthur writes “Perhaps no passage stresses the
vital importance of reconciliation more than 2 Corinthians 5:17-21:
‘17 Therefore if anyone is in
Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things
have come. 18 Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself
through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, 19 namely, that God
was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses
against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation. 20
Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal
through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. 21 He made
Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the
righteousness of God in Him.’”
John MacArthur writes five truths that these
verses have to say about reconciliation.
1. “if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the
old things passed away; behold, new things have come.
2. “It appeases God’s wrath: “He made Him who knew no
sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God
in Him.’”
3. “It comes through Christ: ‘all these things are from God, who
reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of
reconciliation.”
4. “It is available to all who believe: “God was in Christ reconciling the world to
Himself.”
5. “Every believer has been given the ministry of proclaiming
the message of reconciliation: God ‘gave
us the ministry of reconciliation’ and ‘He has committed to us the word of
reconciliation.”
God is the One who sends His people out into the
world as ambassadors into a fallen, lost world, bearing unbelievably good
news. Think about believers of the
awesome responsibility that we have through the power of the Spirit of God to
tell others about Christ.
2/6/2017 11:28 PM
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