And this week we will look at Paul's further explanation of the doctrine of reconciliation.
! But we should remember first, recall that Paul did not establish the church at Colossae.
! He was not the one who preached the gospel first to them and set up the church there.
It was likely established by Epaphras, who was with Paul in Rome at the writing of this letter,
and had probably traveled there to inform Paul of some heresy that was encircling and within the church at Colossae.
We do not know the exact nature of this heresy, but Paul's letter gives us some clues to it as it is heavily doctrinal,
as most of his writing tends to be.
But what he's doing here is he's trying to establish proper doctrine amongst the church in Colossae.
Paul's letter to the Colossians is very timely for our day,
as there exists today much error encircling and within the church in America.
One particularly troubling error concerns the means and nature of salvation.
You have heard me say before, and I try not to be this person.
I want to be a glass half full kind of a person.
I'm definitely glass half empty or maybe 10% full kind of a person.
But I think with some accuracy that this comment is true that most people who think they're followers of Jesus Christ,
who sit this morning in Sunday services, are not.
They have not been regenerate.
They've had a false gospel preached to them, and they have believed that false gospel,
and that are being led astray as such.
Listen to what the Scriptures have to say concerning this.
You can mark Colossians.
I invite you, though, to turn to the book of Matthew 13 with me.
I'm normally not much for long intros, but this morning we'll have one.
Matthew 13.
I'll begin reading in verse 24.
For Jesus put another parable before them, saying,
The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field.
But while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds or tares among the wheat and went away.
So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared also.
And the servants of the master of the house came and said to him,
Master, did you not sow good seed in your field?
How then does it have weeds?
He said to them,
An enemy has done this.
So the servant said to him,
Then do you want us to go and gather them?
But he said,
No, lest in gathering the weeds you root up the wheat along with them.
Let both grow together until the harvest.
And at harvest time I will tell the reapers,
Gather the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned,
And gather the wheat into my barn.
And this parable was meant to teach the disciples that this will be the nature of the church.
There will be false converts amongst us.
What he's trying to encourage them with is that this will one day be sorted out.
Final judgment will sort out who is truly in Christ and who is not in Christ.
This is meant to be a comfort to them.
However, this wheat and tare analogy,
The wheat would have been much more plentiful in this field.
It ought not be accepted on our part,
A, well, that's the way it's going to be sort of mentality.
Because in other places we're warned against this type of thing.
Turn a couple pages back to Matthew chapter 7.
In the conclusion of what we call the Sermon on the Mount,
Beginning in verse 21, Jesus says,
Not everyone who says to me,
Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven,
But the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.
He's saying, not just the one who gives me lip service,
But the one who is obedient to the will of the Father.
Verse 22,
On that day many will say to me,
Lord, Lord, do we not prophesy in Your name,
And cast out demons in Your name,
And do many mighty works in Your name?
Fantastic things to be witnessed.
Jesus says in verse 23,
And then I will declare to them,
I never knew you.
Depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.
This is a warning against this type of apostasy.
Sitting in amongst churches,
Calling yourself a disciple of Jesus Christ,
And yet not being so.
Listen to what Dr. Jim Binney wrote in Issues of the Heart
Concerning the State of the Church.
He writes, and I quote,
Dr. Rod Bell,
President of the Fundamental Baptist Fellowship of America,
Estimates that 50% of church people are without Christ.
His estimate concurs with that of Bob Jones Sr.
In the 1940s, he also fixed the estimate at 50%.
Dr. B.R. Lakin estimated that 75% are lost.
W.A. Criswell would be surprised to see
Even 25% of his church members in heaven.
Dr. Bob Gray,
Longtime pastor of the prestigious Trinity Baptist Church of Jacksonville, Florida,
Once said that probably 75% of those he baptized were not saved.
Billy Graham puts the figure at 85%,
While A.W. Tozer and Southern Baptist consultant Jim Eliff raise it to 90%.
These are shocking figures, to be sure, but not surprising.
Many such lost people find their way into the roles of the church
through evangelism methods that are less than thorough.
In a country boasting of coast-to-coast Christianity
with thousands of church buildings and millions of members,
it is hard to realize the depth of the problem.
The reason that so many who think they are saved may actually be lost
is traceable to a misunderstanding about the means of salvation.
Many religious people are misled into believing they are genuine Christians
because of some external criteria.
This may be the form of their prayer at the time of salvation.
It can also include a dependence upon feelings going forward at a public meeting
or meeting someone's expectations in any regard about the means of salvation.
The Bible warns against dependency upon the wrong things for salvation.
End quote.
This is a serious issue before us.
And so, Paul sets right their understanding and ours
concerning the means and nature of salvation
by teaching on the doctrine of reconciliation.
So back in Colossians 1, if you're not already there.
It's our text for today, beginning in verse 21.
And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds,
he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death
in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him.
If indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast,
not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard,
which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven,
and of which I, Paul, became a minister.
This is God's word to us.
It was written for his glory and our good.
We would all do well to listen to it in order to believe its promises
and obey its commands.
Now, there are five very important words used in the New Testament
to speak of salvation.
The Scriptures tell us that we are justified.
We stand before God guilty and condemned or declared righteous.
We are redeemed.
We stand before God as a slave, but we are granted freedom.
We are forgiven.
We stand before God as a debtor, but the debt is paid and forgotten.
We are adopted.
We stand before God as a stranger, but are made a son.
But perhaps the most rich of all these explanations is that of reconciliation.
We are reconciled if we are in Christ.
We once stood before God as his enemies, but we are made his friends.
The Greek word for reconcile means literally to change in relationship.
Our status with God Almighty has been changed if we are found in Christ.
It is of great importance that we rightly understand the means and nature of our salvation.
The eternal state of our souls and of those who we minister to depend upon it.
This is an eternal, weighty matter before us.
And as such, I believe that the proper application of this text,
which I normally give to you at the end of the sermon, should be given to you now.
I want you to think with these filters on through what we're going to study together.
So the application is to firstly, be sure of your reconciliation.
Know for a fact this morning that you are eternally secure.
That you have placed believing faith in the person and work of Jesus Christ.
That God has in fact changed your heart.
Called you a friend.
Made you his son.
That you have been saved from the wrath to come.
Secondly, contend for the faith.
The last half of Jude verse 3 says,
Contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints.
In the name of the truth, so many are being led astray.
They're hearing this is what it looks like to follow Jesus Christ.
And they're being taken down a wide path.
We must warn them to flee from the wrath to come.
We must preach a pure gospel.
That people may believe and be saved.
Even those who already think that they are.
And so with those filters on, with those applications,
we'll study our text together in the following outline.
And I'll give this to you again as we work through.
But firstly, the need for reconciliation.
Second, the means of reconciliation.
Third, the goal of reconciliation.
And fourth, the evidence of reconciliation.
It is of great importance we rightly understand the means and nature of salvation.
And firstly, we need to look at the need for reconciliation.
Verse 21 says,
We once were separated from God because of who we once were if we're found in Christ.
There are many people and issues in our time that seek to divide humanity for a variety of criteria.
Gender, race, nationality, political party.
Some of these are helpful for certain conversations, to be sure.
I'm not discrediting them altogether.
But the Bible makes the most helpful distinction to aid us in understanding the world,
its nature, and the part that we play in it.
That distinction is whether or not we are a people in fellowship with God or not in fellowship with God.
Where is our status?
One of two most important.
We're saved or we're lost.
There are many other descriptors for these two categories.
Here with the doctrine of reconciliation,
you're either God's enemy or you're reconciled to Him as His friend.
Your relationship has been made right once again.
And Paul gives some understanding of what this without God,
this cut off from fellowship with Him relation looks like.
He uses the terms alienated, hostile in mind, doing evil deeds.
To be alienated means to be cut off, to be separated or estranged from.
The Colossians and all of humanity are estranged from God apart from Christ.
The metanarrative of humanity.
We all share this problem apart from the solution of Jesus Christ.
Paul writes elsewhere, like Ephesians 2.12 of this,
Remember that you were at that time separated from Christ.
Alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise.
Having no hope and without God in the world.
The creation separated eternally from its Creator.
We're also hostile in mind,
which means to be hateful toward God in thought and attitude.
It's not just that we are not particularly concerned with who God is and His ways,
but that if we're not found in Christ,
we are actually hateful toward God in our thoughts and our attitudes.
The Colossians and all humanity, apart from Christ,
hate God and His holy standards,
and express so by doing evil deeds.
That is the outcome of hearts that are evil and bent towards God.
Living in contradiction to God and His holy standards.
John 3.19-20 says,
People loved the darkness rather than the light,
because their works were evil.
For everyone who does wicked things hates the light,
and does not come to the light,
lest his works should be exposed.
So there's these important two distinctions.
Without Christ, we are cut off,
separated from, estranged from God.
We have no point and purpose in our life
because we cannot properly worship the Creator.
We cannot do the thing we were created to do.
This is the bad news of this condition.
People are either in fellowship with God or they are not.
It's bad news, beloved.
To not be reconciled to God is bad news
because God hates sinners.
And yes, you heard me right.
God hates sinners.
His wrath burns white hot
against those who are His enemy.
I do not want to be on God's bad side
on the day of judgment.
God hates sinners.
Psalm 5, 5 and 6.
Listen carefully.
This is the holy writ.
The boastful shall not stand before your eyes.
You hate all evildoers.
You destroy those who speak lies.
The Lord abhors the bloodthirsty
and deceitful man.
In the book of Psalms alone,
14 times in the first 50 Psalms,
it is stated that God hates sinners.
God is also love.
And He is perfectly love.
One time, a young lady asked Charles Spurgeon
how to reconcile the doctrines
of the sovereignty of God
and the responsibility of man.
And his response was,
why would we need to reconcile
two doctrines that are friends?
The same could be said here as well.
There's no real need for reconciliation
between the two.
God is also love.
And as such,
He has made a way
for our reconciliation in Christ.
He has made a way
to extend His love to humanity.
But you must know,
if you're not found in Christ,
God's graciousness in a particular way
is not extended to you.
In a general way, it is
because you're still alive.
You haven't already faced His wrath.
But in a particular way,
His love has not yet been received
because it must be received
in Christ.
If you're apart from Christ,
God hates you.
You have to hear it.
People want to make our sin
exterior to us, right?
The adage, the cliché term.
God doesn't hate sinners.
He hates their sin.
But if we are apart from Christ,
the sin that we do is who we are.
It's an outflow of who we are.
We are evil.
We are His enemies, right?
We with our actions say to Him,
I hate you and I hate your ways.
And God in turn says,
likewise.
And one day I will punish
and destroy you for eternity.
This is the judgment of God for sin.
We need to take sin seriously.
This false gospel
creates God's love
and never talks about
wrath and the consequence of sin
is what caused so many people
to be led astray.
The beginning of knowledge?
Fear of the Lord.
That we may know
that He will not tolerate
those who will not worship Him.
It is of great importance
that we rightly understand
the means and nature
of our salvation.
We have a need
for reconciliation.
We have a means
of reconciliation.
God's love
graciously extended
to us
in the person and work
of Jesus Christ.
The fear of God
enters into your heart.
Look to the cross
and see the love
of God
for you.
Many people today
believe that you must
simply believe
believe in something.
That right motivation
and sincerity
are the proper measure
of that belief.
And that belief itself
in some way
is salvific.
You talk to many people today
and they're spiritual people
and they believe
that they're good people.
And the measure
of that goodness
is found in the sincerity
of those affection.
But the road to hell
is paved
with good intentions.
The Bible
is constantly
and consistently
stressing
the proper
object
of belief.
Belief itself
is not enough.
You can believe
that a rock
will save me
from my sin.
But it has no benefit
to me.
There's no power
in the rock.
We must have
the proper
object
of belief.
Jesus Christ
and His sacrificial
work on the cross.
The first part
of verse 22
says,
He, being Christ,
has now reconciled
in His body
of flesh
by His death.
If we have believed
in Him,
He is reconciled
in His body
of flesh
by His death.
Us to God
and God
to us.
The sacrificial system,
the Old Testament
sacrificial system
was all meant
to prefigure
the ultimate
sacrifice
of Jesus Christ.
The way in which
animals were being
slaughtered.
The temple worship
was constant.
It was ongoing.
There was always
a flow of blood
coming from the temple
because of the sins
of Israel.
It was meant
to show us
the perfect sacrifice.
Prefigure
point to
the one
in whom
we believe.
Do you think
that God
doesn't hate sinners?
You need to listen
to Isaiah 53,
5-7.
Consider the way
in which God
turned His back
on Christ,
His Son,
perfect in every way
without sin,
laid on Him
the sins of His people
and poured His wrath
out on Him.
Hated Him
to death.
Isaiah 53,
5-7.
But He was pierced
for our transgressions.
He was crushed
for our iniquities.
Upon Him
was the chastisement
that brought us peace
and with His wounds
we are healed.
All like sheep
have gone astray,
every one of us.
We all need reconciliation.
We have turned
everyone
to His own way
and the Lord
has laid on Him
the iniquity
of us all.
He was oppressed
and He was afflicted
yet He opened
not His mouth
like a lamb
that is led
to the slaughter
and like a sheep
that before it
shears a silence
so He opened
not His mouth.
Beloved,
we have to understand
that Jesus Christ
is the means
of reconciliation.
He is the only
means of reconciliation.
His perfect life
imputed to us
that we may be found
righteous in Him
and His bearing
of our sin
on the cross
that we would be
forgiven
of those sins.
Apart from that,
the wrath
that was poured out
on Jesus Christ
will one day
be poured out
on you.
If Christ
is not born
your sin
because you have not
placed believing faith
in Him,
then it will be
one day
poured out on you
for eternity.
Christ drank up
the wrath of God
for the people
of the church
for all eternity.
And then He said
it is finished.
And He sat down
at the right hand
of the Father.
The author of Hebrews
in chapter 13,
11, and 12
reiterates this point.
For the bodies
of those animals
whose blood
is brought
into the holy places
by the high priest
as a sacrifice
for sin
are burned
outside the camp.
These animals
that were slaughtered
for the sins of Israel
burned outside the camp.
So Jesus also suffered
outside the gate
in order to sanctify
the people
through His own blood.
We've been reconciled
in His body of flesh
by His death.
Because of that work,
we have been reconciled.
Because of His activity
and His accomplishment
on the cross,
we can be,
I hope,
have been reconciled.
That we might join
with the writers
of the New Testament.
Romans 5, 11,
we also rejoice in God
through our Lord Jesus Christ
through whom we have now
received reconciliation.
Through Jesus.
What does that mean?
John 14, 6,
Jesus said to Him,
I am the way
and the truth
and the life.
No one comes to the Father
except through Me.
Ephesians 2, 8,
for by grace
you have been saved
through faith.
Faith
in the person
and the work
of Jesus Christ.
Rightly setting our belief
on the proper object.
This is the way
that we are reconciled
through Jesus Christ.
Ephesians 2, 8,
goes on to say,
and this is not
your own doing.
It is the gift of God.
Charles Spurgeon said,
reconciliation of man
to his Maker
is never achieved
by man,
but is the work of God
from first to last.
And to God
must be all the glory.
We've got to get this right.
It's of great importance
we rightly understand
the means and nature
of our salvation.
We have a need
for reconciliation.
Jesus Christ
is the means
of that reconciliation.
And there's a goal in mind.
There's a goal
of reconciliation.
The last part of verse 22.
In order
that to present
you holy
and blameless
and above reproach
before Him.
The right state
that we must be in
to enter into
the presence of God.
Set apart
from sin.
Taken away from it.
Sanctified
from sin.
To present you
holy and blameless
and above reproach.
All of these
have both
present
and future
implications.
They are realities
for this life
and
in the hereafter.
Paul says
that if we are
reconciled to God,
we are
holy,
separated from sin
and set apart
to God.
As a result
of faith
in Jesus Christ,
God sees
Christians
as united
with Christ
in His holiness.
This is that
imputed righteousness.
Jesus'
perfect life
given to us
by faith.
Ephesians 1.4
states that
God chose us
in Christ
before the foundation
of the world
that we should be
holy and blameless
before Him.
In 2 Corinthians 5.21
it says,
For our sake
He, being God,
made Him, being Christ,
to be sin
who knew no sin,
gave our sin
to Jesus
so that in Him
we might become
the righteousness
of God.
So that in Christ
we are given
Christ's righteousness.
This is what
Martin Luther called
the great exchange.
Our sin given to Christ.
His righteousness
given to us.
We are also to be
presented blameless
this is without blemish.
Reconciliation gives us
a blameless character
and above reproach
which goes beyond
this idea
of being blameless.
No one
can bring a charge
against us.
Those who are found
in Christ.
Those who have been
reconciled to God.
No one can even bring
a charge against us.
Romans 8.32-34
He who did not
spare His own Son
but gave Him up
for us all,
how will He not
also
so with Him
graciously give us
all things.
Who shall bring
any charge
against God's elect?
It is God who justifies
who is to condemn.
Christ Jesus
is the one who died
more than that
who was raised,
who is at the right hand
of God,
who is indeed
interceding for us.
Because we have
a great intercessor,
the person Jesus Christ,
and because we are
found in Him,
we have been
reconciled
to God.
And because God
has reconciled us
to Himself,
He has declared us
righteous in Christ.
And no one can leverage
a legitimate accusation
against us
that has eternal weight.
It is an accomplished,
finished work
that we would be presented
in this way
before God.
So we have a need.
We have the means.
There's a goal.
There also ought to be
evidence
of our reconciliation.
Evidence.
of that reconciliation.
And beloved,
you need to hear this.
The church today
needs to hear this.
Paul's words in verse 23.
If indeed
you continue.
If indeed
you continue.
This has been accomplished
on your behalf.
You were once
alienated
and hostile mind
and doing evil deeds,
but now
Jesus Christ
by the work of His blood
has reconciled you
to God
to present you
blameless,
holy,
above reproach,
before Him
if indeed
you continue
in this faith.
If you have
professed faith
in Jesus Christ,
His person
and His work,
and then you
continue
in this faith.
Stable
and steadfast.
Not shifting
from the hope
of the gospel
that you heard,
which has been
proclaimed in all
creation under heaven
and of which I,
Paul,
became a minister.
If you
continue
in the faith,
then here is presented
the doctrine
of the perseverance
of the saints.
Those who are truly
in Christ,
who are saints,
will
persevere
to the end.
The doctrine states
that all those
who are in Christ
will persist
in holiness
until the end,
their death
or Christ's return.
They will persist
in holiness.
Progress
in holiness.
Not found perfect
on our own.
Certainly found
righteous in Christ
before God.
Not living perfect lives,
but persisting,
moving on
in holiness.
Continually hating
more of the world
and loving more
of the things
of God.
Turning from sin
and turning to Christ.
You've heard me say
many times before
our trajectory
should be heavenward.
We should be working
in that direction.
Zoom out
from our lives
and that's the way
the graph should run.
Zoom in on any
given moment?
Maybe not.
But in a general sense,
we ought to be
pressing towards
holiness.
Some prefer to call
this doctrine
the perseverance
and preservation
of the saints
in order to express
both the proper activity,
that is,
a pursuit of holiness
of the Christian,
as well as the timeline
for that.
That God will take us
all the way
to the end.
That we are
eternally secure.
We've been sanctified
and we are being
sanctified to express
both of those things.
This must be true
of the Christian.
To know that you're
reconciled to God.
There must be some
evidence of such a claim.
Simply, those who claim
to be disciples
of Jesus Christ
follow Him.
They must follow Him.
The very definition
of the Word.
To say,
I follow Jesus Christ
and then to not
follow Him
is idiotic.
If we are disciples
of Jesus Christ,
we do what He says.
We're obedient
to the call
of the Gospel.
We take up
the promises.
We obey the commands.
We press in
to the truth.
John 3.36
Jesus says,
whoever believes
in the Son
has eternal life.
True.
Right?
Fantastic.
Oh, those words
are precious.
Whoever believes
in the Son
has eternal life.
But He helps us
understand this Greek
word belief,
which is not simply
mental cognition,
but rather the type
of belief that
changes you.
Right?
And it reorients
the way in which
you live.
And He helps us
with that in verse 36.
He goes on to say,
whoever does not
obey the Son
shall not see life,
but the wrath of God
remains on Him.
There are too many
people who claim
to know the Gospel
of Jesus Christ
and believe it
and live in
contradiction to it.
Luke 6.43-45
Jesus says,
for no good tree
bears bad fruit,
nor again does a bad
tree bear good fruit,
for each tree is known
by its fruit.
Now certainly,
occasionally,
an apple tree bears
an apple that's not
delicious.
But still it bears
apples.
For figs are not
gathered from
thorn bushes,
nor are grapes
picked from a
bramble bush.
The good person
out of the good
treasure of his
heart produces
good,
and the evil person
out of his evil
treasure produces
evil.
How do we know
this then?
How can we possibly
know,
how can we have
some indicator,
some measure of
whether or not
we have been
reconciled?
Whether or not we
are found in Christ?
We've been given a
book that you can
read,
and you can see
how it is that the
Christian is supposed
to live.
And you can not just
read the book,
but let the book
read you,
and show how you
fail at these
things.
Even though I'm
not perfect,
I have a great
confidence that I
am of God,
because when I read
the things that I
don't do well,
I am convicted by
those things,
and I want to do
those things.
I don't want to
continue in the
old Nathan ways,
the old self.
I want to be the
new self.
I want to live by
the power of God
within me to do
the things I am
supposed to do.
I love His Word.
I treasure it.
I want to be
sinless.
I so desire that,
to cast off the
burden of my sin
and all of the
consequence that
comes with it.
I want to be
perfect,
so I press at it,
and I go after it,
and this is the
evidence that Christ
is at work within
me.
Pick up the book
and read it,
and let it read
you.
Ask that God
would work in
your heart by the
power of His Word.
This is the tool
that the Spirit
of God uses in
our lives,
not your feelings.
Never your feelings.
He uses the Word
of God.
It is precious to us
for this,
that we might
measure our lives
by it.
1 John,
if you are doubting
whether or not
you have placed
believing faith in
Christ,
go read the book
of 1 John.
It is just
constantly saying
to you,
hold yourself up
to this.
Look at your life
in comparison to this.
Be sure you are
found in the faith.
Beloved,
eternal consequence
is at play here.
Don't think you're
good enough.
Know that you're
found in Christ.
That you'll never
be good enough,
but that you're
found in Christ.
And as such,
your affections have
been turned.
You're moving in a
different direction.
You have repented,
turned from sin,
and you've been
turned to God.
I have been accused
of heresy
teaching such a thing.
1 John 5.1
given as the
counterpoint.
Now I recognize
the danger in telling
you that there has
to be some measure,
some outwardly
visible thing
that's going to help
you know you're
found in Christ.
I get that.
I get the fear
it may even cause
you,
but that's a good
thing if you're
not found in Christ.
I hope the majority
of you this morning
are saying,
I'm good.
I fail,
but I'm good.
I know that I have
this eternal security
in Him.
1 John 5.1 says,
Everyone who believes
that Jesus is the
Christ has been
born of God,
and everyone who
loves the Father
loves whoever has
been born of Him.
There's the text,
the counterpoint
to this thing.
Everyone who believes,
who has professed
faith in Jesus Christ
has been born of God.
But verses 2-5
go on.
By this we know
that we love the
children of God,
when we love God
and obey His commandments.
For this is the
love of God,
that we keep His commandments.
And His commandments
are not burdensome.
For everyone who has
been born of God
overcomes the world.
And this is the
victory that has
overcome the world,
our faith.
Who is it that
overcomes the world
except the one
who believes
that Jesus
is the Son
of God?
You see what
John does for us
there?
He says,
if you believe
that Jesus is the
Christ,
you've been born of God.
But then he tells us
how it is that we're
meant to give expression
of that.
That we're supposed
to actually show
evidence forth
of that.
And then he
encapsulates with
verse 5,
who is it that
overcomes the world?
Except the one
who believes
that Jesus is
the Son
of God.
We have to hold
our lives up
to the great truth
of the Scripture.
We must
see evidence
that we're good
trees or we're not.
And then repentance
and faith.
Right?
You can be confident
this morning
that you're found
in Christ.
Repent of your sin
and turn to Him.
It's of great
importance that we
rightly understand
the means and nature
of our salvation
because we need
to be reconciled
to God
and Jesus Christ
is the only means
by which this is
possible.
We need to be
presented before God
clothed in Christ's
righteousness.
We need to ask
ourselves if we are
truly saved
and we need to
lead others
in doing the same.
Beloved,
there is a ripe
harvest to be had
in the church.
Those who are
churched,
many,
many people,
your friends
and your
co-workers.
I know very few
people who won't
say,
yeah,
I go to church.
Yeah,
I'm a Christian.
They need to be
asked smart,
probing questions.
You need to spend
time with them
and you need to
show them what
pursuing Christ
looks like.
You need to
experience it for
yourself and you
need to display it
and proclaim it
in your living.
The supremacy of
Jesus Christ in all
things to all
peoples.
will you labor
with me in that
proclamation?
I hope that you
will with our
living and with
our words in all
things to all
peoples.
I'm going to
close by reading
to you again
another prayer.
You can tell I
poked around in
this book this
morning.
This is a
prayer from,
again,
from the Valley
of Vision.
It's a collection
of Puritan
prayers entitled
Reconciliation.
Lord God
Almighty,
Thou art
beforehand with
men,
for Thou hast
reconciled Thyself
to the world
through the cross
and dost beseech
men to accept
reconciliation.
It is my
responsibility to
grasp Thy
overtures of
grace,
for if Thou,
the offended
part,
act first with
the word of
appeasement,
I need not
call and
question Thy
willingness to
save,
but must
deplore my
own foolish
maliciousness.
If I do not
come to Thee as
one who seeks
Thy favor,
I live in
contempt,
anger,
malice,
self-sufficiency,
and Thou
dost call it
enmity.
Thou hast
taught me
the necessity
of a mediator,
a Messiah,
to embrace
in love
with all my
heart,
as King
to rule me,
as prophet
to guide me,
and as priest
to take away
my sin
and death,
and this by
faith in Thy
beloved Son
who teaches
me not to
guide myself,
not to obey
myself,
not to try
to rule and
conquer sin,
but to cleave
to the One
who will do
all for me.
Thou hast
made known
to me that
to save
me is
Christ's
work,
but to
cleave to
Him by
faith is
my work,
and with
this faith
in the
necessity
of my
daily
repentance
as a
mourning
for the
sin which
Christ by
grace
has removed.
Continue,
O God,
to teach
me that
faith
apprehends
Christ's
righteousness
not only
for the
satisfaction
of justice,
but as
unspotted
evidence
of Thy
love to
me.
Help me
to make
use of
His work
of salvation
as the
ground of
peace and
of Thy
favor to
and acceptance
of me,
the sinner,
so that I
may live
always near
the cross.
Let's pray
together.