Let's turn again now to Paul, 2nd chapter 5, and we can read verse number 18 but take
! 2nd Corinthians 5, verse 18. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself
and gave us the ministry of reconciliation and so on. Now once today and in the times that we spend
together in the next couple of months to think of the benefits of the cross of Jesus Christ
and doing so because we all recognize that we may know about the event of the cross of Jesus
without actually sharing in or participating in the benefits that flow from the cross.
And we are looking here at a typical example of the way in which the cross has become central to
the life of the Apostle Paul. And when we think of the journey that he was on, on the way to Damascus,
to at least imprison Christians, and if he could destroy the church of Jesus, Jesus met with him.
And we read in this letter itself in the fourth chapter that his reflection on that is that he
saw the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. And we want to think of
where the gospel takes us, the encounters that we have with God, and especially having this encounter with
the Lord Jesus. And through these verses, we recognize that there were a lot of people in Corinth
who questioned Paul, who questioned whether he was an apostle or not, and were ready to reject the gospel.
They didn't realize that their relationship with him actually raised a serious question about their salvation
and threatened their enjoyment of the promised salvation that God has in Christ. And he goes through these
verses to draw attention to the fact that God has empowered him and commissioned him with this gospel
which speaks of a new creation. And all of us today, whoever we are, we need a new creation in order to be saved.
And Paul goes on here to explain what that person looks like, what's true about the person who is a new creation.
And I want to carry with us the picture that C.S. Lewis had in mere Christianity.
And we want to kind of go into this Corinthian hall with the apostle Paul and see what doors are there
and see which door we must pass through in order to be saved.
And to think especially of the cross of Jesus and the message of reconciliation.
I want to think first of all of a new engagement.
People coming together who have lived apart.
That's the backdrop to this whole idea of reconciliation that God has given to Paul, the ministry of reconciliation.
Reconciliation speaks of changing an existing relationship to restore it to what it was and what it should be.
And thereby reestablish a new friendship and a living relationship.
And when we read our Bibles, that's why God made us.
Let us make man in our own image after our likeness.
We are made in and for our relationship with God.
We follow the history of the Bible.
And we see the children of Israel.
And God called them.
He formed them.
Took them from the peoples and the nations of the earth.
And made them his own people.
So that you should be mine, he says to them.
That's the purpose of God.
That's the plan of God.
But the plan has run into difficulties.
Because there is a crisis.
And the crisis has to do with what we have in verse number 19.
Where Paul speaks about trespasses.
There has been behavior.
Which has meant that those in this relationship.
Have clashed with God.
Are no longer doing the will of God.
Have rebelled against God.
And have separated themselves from God.
And that's why God says to Israel.
To the people of God in Isaiah chapter 59.
Your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God.
And we need to understand that major backdrop to everything that Paul is saying here.
That you and I have broken our relationship with God.
And the crisis is universal.
But it is also personal.
It's not about the rest of the world.
It's about you today.
That you are in this personal crisis.
Because your sin has caused a breakdown in your relationship with God.
And read through the New Testament.
And that's the picture that we have.
Paul writing to the people in the church in Ephesus.
You have no hope and without God in the world.
You are dead in your trespasses and sins.
You are children of wrath just like others.
There has been a disengagement.
There has been a breakdown.
And you and I today need to face up to that.
And embrace that.
If we are to understand what the gospel means.
We are lost sinners who have rebelled against God.
And God steps into that crisis.
He steps into that breach.
To do something about the separation.
And that's what Paul is saying here.
That in version of 18, through Christ has reconciled us to himself.
God takes the initiative.
God is not reconciling himself.
He is reconciling people like you and like me.
The change takes place on your side.
So that the relationship is restored.
And the God who is playing about the change.
He is reconciling people to himself.
It's in that wonderful, in the good news of the gospel.
That is the very core today.
Is that God intervenes in your life and in mine.
To do something about the separation.
That you and I have caused.
To remove the cause of it.
And to reestablish.
A relationship.
That is living.
And that is real.
Reconciliation.
And.
Not only is it staggering that he is doing so.
But perhaps more staggering still.
Is how he does it.
And that's what Paul speaks about in verse number 19.
Not counting their trespasses against them.
God logs.
All of our sin.
He has a record.
He has a book of our lives.
Every thought.
Every action.
Every conversation.
Marred by sin.
God has that logged and recorded.
Those who are accountants with us.
Will understand the whole idea of.
Of.
Bookkeeping.
And bookkeeping changes.
And the way in which.
There are debits.
In that bookkeeping system.
And.
As far as.
The record for you.
And for me is concerned.
There is a debit in our account.
Before God.
Before.
Because of our transgression.
And our transgression calls out.
For the punishment of God.
For the penalty of God.
For the judgment of God.
And in a stunning way.
At the heart of the gospel.
Is the fact.
That the judge.
Who should rightly.
Condemn you and me.
To eternal lostness.
Is.
Putting aside.
At this stage.
All that is written against us.
He is sitting as our judge.
He is taking out of our account.
Everything that stands against us.
And he is welcoming us back into.
A relationship with him.
And back into his family.
He is not counting.
Our transgressions.
Against us.
Reconciliation.
Paul says.
God shows his love.
For us.
In that.
While we are yet sinners.
Christ.
Died for us.
And in this remarkable moment.
The judge.
Who should condemn me.
Becomes my friend.
Who embraces me.
The judge.
Who should condemn me.
Becomes my father.
Who takes me home.
To his family.
The transformation.
That exists.
In this new engagement.
Is life and experience.
Changing.
For the person.
So reconciled.
And that's what.
What the gospel offers.
To you and to me today.
In our lostness.
In the crisis.
That we have caused.
Because of a transgression.
Against God.
the only hope that we have
is that God makes a new creation
through this new engagement with us
to embrace us as his own children
and from that moment onwards
we will be just like Paul
the old things will have passed
and the new will have come
no wonder Paul pleads with them
to be reconciled to God
to hear the message of his gospel
to hear about God's new engagement with them
and today if God has already done so
you will know in your heart that it has happened
this moment cannot go unnoticed
it's a new creation
and that's why Paul does say in 2 Corinthians 4
that the God who said
let light shine in the darkness
that creation is a God who shone in our hearts
in our dark hearts
to give the light of the knowledge
of God's glory in Christ
it cannot happen without us realising it
and if it hasn't happened today
then you will know it hasn't
and you will know you are still in the crisis
you are still in the place where God can help
but you are still in the crisis
unless you sense
that God has given you this newness
through his engagement with you
a new engagement
that deserves an explanation
and the first part of that explanation
brings me to my second point
which is the fact
there is a new event
something has happened
that never happened before
and in this new event
there is a Persian
Persian
and the Persian
has a special character
because he is special
and we come to verse 21
where we at the beginning
for our sake
he made him to be sin
who knew no sin
there is someone here
who was never in the crisis
that you and I are in
he never transgressed
he never sinned against God
he never participated in our plight
in that sense
he never shared our experience
of rebellion against God
he is the one not knowing sin
and when we seek the identity
of this person
with this unique characteristic
then we don't need to go too far
to realize
that we are face to face
with the Son of God
the Lord Jesus Christ
whom God sent into the world
Jesus
in words referred to Jesus
in Hebrews 10
we read
the way in which
Jesus himself
the Son of God
says
a body you prepared
for me
the Son of God
came into our world
the angels told Mary
that the child born to her
would be wholly
the Son of God
the unique
only Son of God
who came into this world
to be one of us
to live with us
but to be distinct
from us
there is an event
and there's a special
person
of the Lord Jesus
at its center
it's all
about
him
and that's why
Paul is
repeatedly going back
to the
to the cross
as being the power of God
to salvation
to those who believe
it's why
he keeps going back
to the cross
as a place
where he has
separated himself
from the world
and given his life
to the Lord Jesus
there's an event
and there's a passion
and he is precious
today to all those
who have the new
engagement
with God
or with whom God
has entered into
a new engagement
the new event
the special
passion
and
the penalty
God made him
to be
sin
who knew
no sin
God did
something
in one moment
he did something
down through the
Old Testament
God has the
habit of doing
things
when the people
of God
were in Israel
he did the
great act
of salvation
from Egypt
he brought them
across the Red Sea
after all the
miracles
and they rejoiced
the people of God
rejoiced in him
because of what
he did for them
God acts
to ensure
that his plan
for salvation
remains on
Cush
and here
Paul is telling us
that it is
something unique
something unexpected
something that
brings a new
experience
into the life
of a son
an experience
that was
never in anybody's
life before
and never will be
again
he made him
to be
sin
and how we
need to
in a sense
pause
and to consider
how was this
possible
that the
Holy Son
of God
is made
sin
so that you
and I
could have
peace
with
God
and in the
Old Testament
we have
the image
and the
sacrifice
of
a sacrifice
being identified
with the sins
of the people
and so when the
sacrifice comes
into the
tabernacle
the temple
it is identified
with the sins
of the people
and the priest
lays the sins
on the people
and we read
and I say
at chapter 53
that the Lord
laid on him
the iniquity
of us all
he made him
to be sin
he is the
sin bearer
he is bearing
the sins
of the world
he bore our sins
in his own body
to the tree
to the cross
at Calvary
and when we
come to
to reckon
what is
happening
we think
especially
of sin
as guilt
as penalty
and
as condemnation
what did
Jesus
experience
as a
sin bearer
he never
became a
sinner
the sins
never tinted
his person
in any way
shape or form
but he did
experience
what it was
to be counted
guilty
he did
experience
what it was
to be
condemned
he did
experience
what it was
to have that
penalty
executed
in his
own
person
and suspended
as he is
on Calvary's
cross
that's the
moment
at which
he is
paying the
penalty
for our
sin
for the
transgressions
that were
not logged
in our
account
they're taken
from our
account
and placed
in his
account
in this
moment
and he
suffers
for them
and these
transgressions
they caused
a separation
between you
and your
God
and between
me and
my God
and when I
go to
Calvary's
cross
I see
Jesus in
all of
the
solitariness
of the
moment
at which
he was
made
sin
I read
that the
disciples
fled
and left
him
I read
that he
cries out
to God
in the
midst of
the darkness
why have
you forsaken
me
the actual
exile
that is
the eternal
punishment
eternal death
that you and I
should suffer
Jesus suffered
it in these
three hours
on Calvary's
cross
he has
made
sin
for us
and that
whole image
of for us
it's
interesting
I think
just to
note
that it's
a picture
of somebody
standing
over someone
else
to protect
them
from what
may come
upon them
in any
particular
danger
and I
think it's
a powerful
image
of what
Jesus did
as our
substitute
he did
this
for us
and
he's in that
sheltering us
from all that
we should
experience
and we should
suffer
because of
our sin
a new
event
God
is the
God
who
did not
spare
his own
son
the penalty
he endured
is the
penalty
that you
and I
deserved
and in
the moment
of that
punishment
our sins
are taken
away
carried away
as they were
in Leviticus 16
and the
day of
atonement
taken away
into a
far distant
place in
the wilderness
forgotten
to draw
attention
to the
fact
of the
significance
and the
value
of the
sacrifice
that had
been
given
the new
event
today we
think of
so many
different
events
that
grow
with all
of our
attention
with
star
attractions
and so
many other
things that
throw our
hearts
and God
wants us
today to
to stop
and to
think of
the
greatest
event of
all time
and the
greatest
portion of
all time
and what
he endured
on his
own
so that
blessing
would come
to you
and to
me
and so
in the
Corinthian
hall
where we
are
joining
with
Paul
in
these
words
the
door
that
we
must
enter
is
the
door
that
speaks
to us
of
the
Lord
Jesus
Christ
Jesus
and
him
crucified
a new
engagement
a new
event
and
thirdly
a new
existence
a new
existence
for those
with whom
God
engages
a new
existence
for those
for whom
Christ
died
so that
God
did this
wonderful
thing
on
Calvary's
cross
for this
purpose
in him
we might
become
the
righteousness
of God
and just
to help
us
see that
perhaps
more clearly
to read
this
into it
so that
we
who don't
have
righteousness
may become
the righteousness
of God
in him
there's
a
becoming
and the
becoming
is the
sense
of a
genesis
of a
new
creation
and that's
what Paul
has referred
to
in this
moment
of this
new
engagement
with God
there is
a new
existence
that comes
to play
and into
place
and it
comes to
play
and in
place
in him
in Christ
Jesus
in our
relationship
with him
in our
union
with him
the union
through which
all of the
benefits of
his death
and of his
resurrection
become
ours
the union
that Jesus
himself
describes
as being
the branches
in the
vine
the union
that Paul
describes
in Romans
11
as being
grafted
into the
olive tree
so that we're
nourished by
the root
of the
olive tree
that union
that life
that relationship
that
takes place
in this
new
engagement
when we're
reconciled to
God
in Christ
Jesus
we are
found
in
Christ
we
become
the
righteousness
of God
and if
it's a
stunning
statement
that
Jesus
was
made
sin
it's
equally
stunning
that you
and I
become the
righteousness
of God
righteousness
speaks
about
conformity
to the
norms
of God's
kingdom
it speaks
of the
God
whose
kingdom
it is
and his
perfection
and his
standard
and
meeting
that
standard
which
he himself
has put
in place
for his
kingdom
it is
the
righteousness
of God
it's
defined
by God
it's
required
by God
and it is
now provided
for us
by God
the
righteousness
of
God
and when
we think
of the
righteousness
I want
to think
of three
things
as we
close
righteousness
first of
all
it's an
existence
that belongs
to the
new creation
new heavens
and the
new earth
what is
life like
in God's
kingdom
at the
end of
the day
at the
end of
the age
it is
a
kingdom
of
righteousness
where all
of the
people
have no
sin
where all
the people
stand
righteous
before
God
and their
sins
are left
behind
that's
what
existence
will be
like
in the
new
kingdom
the
new
heavens
and
the
new
earth
but
in this
moment
in the
moment
of this
engagement
when we
become
the
righteousness
of
God
it does
not speak
about
changing
us
within
and that's
why I
said
earlier
the ones
not knowing
righteousness
become the
righteousness
of God
in him
this
moment
does not
mean that
you are no
longer a
sinner
it does
not mean
that you
no longer
transgress
it does
not mean
that you
no longer
fall away
there's
another
process
that deals
with our
sin
as we
go on
in life
but this
moment
is about
declaring
two
things
it's
about
declaring
that we
are
righteous
the
judge
who
accepted
us
with whom
we are
reconciled
is a
judge
who is
declaring
that we
have a
right
standing
before him
it doesn't
say anything
about my
being
it says
something
about my
standing
my new
existence
as this
new creation
is that
I'm
accepted
as righteous
before God
for Jesus
sake
and we
think of
the image
of Joshua
and Zechariah
3 and that's
the picture
that we
have
something
that we
are so
familiar
with
Satan
accusing
us
because of
our sin
that we
cannot belong
to the
kingdom
of God
because of
our sin
and Satan
at Joshua's
right hand
accusing him
but then God
speaks
and take
the filthy
garments
off him
and put on
the new
garments
because I've
taken his
sin away
it's a
status
it's an
existence
it's a
standing
we have
peace
with God
we soon
discover
that sin
remains
but there
is no
condemnation
to those
who are in
Christ Jesus
the declaration
that we are
accepted
as righteous
and we
stand with
Jesus
in the
kingdom of
God
accepted
by God
our
father
in the
same way
as
Jesus
our
savior
is
accepted
and then
God
begins
the process
of changing
us
and transforming
us
to be
like his
son
in
our
hearts
and along
with that
there is
the
declaration
of
forgiveness
that's
what we
sang of
in
psalm
number
32
the
person
that
David
considers
to be
blessed
to be
envied
with
desire
is this
person
what is
true about
him
it's the
person
whose
lawless
deeds
are
forgiven
it's
the
person
whose
sins
are
covered
forgiveness
peace
with
God
through
the
Lord
Jesus
Christ
the
storm
the
crisis
the
coming
crisis
of
the
judgment
of
God
and
God's
penalty
being
executed
over
me
and
in
me
because
of
my
sin
is
replaced
by
the
calm
of
knowing
that
my
sins
are
forgiven
and
as
we'll
sing
in
the
last
psalm
that
psalm 103
the
sense
of
David
rejoicing
as
far
as
east
is
distant
from
the
west
so
far
is
he
removed
from
us
and
his
love
all
our
iniquity
a
new
existence
praise
the
Lord
for
such
a
new
creation
that
you
and
I
today
can
experience
this
new
existence
because
of
God's
engagement
with
us
and
because
of
what
he
has
done
in
the
Lord
Jesus
to
know
that
our
sins
are
forgiven
to
know
they
are
covered
and
that
they
are
carried
away
to
know
that
we
are
accepted
before
God
and
that
we
shall
never
be
condemned
and
no
matter
who
lays
charges
against
us
in
the
earth
in which
we live
and
from
our
enemy
Satan
himself
there
is
no
condemnation
and
if
that
is
the
case
concerning
us
we
can
go
in
peace
and
know
that
the
greatest
thing
that
can
happen
to
us
has
happened
because
of
God's
grace
that
there
is
the
new
event
that
makes
us
new
people
so
we
can
become
the
children
of
God
and
no
wonder
Paul
is
pleading
with
them
we
implore
you
on
behalf
of
Christ
be
reconciled
to
God
all
of us
today
need
to
reflect
on
the
truth
about
us
in
our
lostness
the
truth
about
Jesus
and
what
God
has
done
in
him
and
the
truth
about
what
God
does
in
people
like
you
and to
me
as he
embraces
us
and
takes
us
into
his
kingdom
may
God
bless
his
word
let
us
pray
most
gracious
God
we do
rejoice
in
you
and your
love
and your
grace
in
the
work
of
reconciliation
in
the
life
of
your
son
the
sufferings
that he
endured
on our
behalf
and the
work that
you
undertake
and begin
in the
lives
of your
children
bless us
today
with a
sense
of
realising
the
significance
and the
preciousness
of
what took
place
in the
life
of
your
son
and
help us
oh
Lord
to
seek
you
with
all
our
hearts
today
and
to
come
to
know
that
peace
with
you
and
sense
that
we
have
access
into
the
grace
that
there
is
in
Christ
Jesus
and
find
joy
and
satisfaction
and
know
that
you
have
provided
for
us
in
him
!
So
we
pray
and
hear
us
and
accept
us
we
pray
these
things
for
Jesus
sake
Amen
So
we now
turn to
singing
psalm
number
103
in
the
psalms
it's
on
page
135
and
we're
singing
at
verse
number
12
psalm
103
page
135
at
verse
number
12
and
the
tune
is
before
the
throne
as
far
as
east
is
from
the
west
so
far
as
love
has
borne
away
there
are
many
sins
and
trespasses
and
all
the
guilt
that
on
us
lay
we
stand
to sing
in
verse
12
to
the
verse
marked
18
to
God's
praise
as
far
as
east
is
from
the
west
so
far
as
love
!
Lord
is
born
away
our
many
sins
and
trespasses
And
all the
guilt
that
on
us
lay!
Just
as
our
father
loves
his
child,
so
God
loves
those
who
fear
his
name,
!
he
remembers
!
we
are
does
And
well he
knows
our
feeble
frame,
and
well he
knows
our
feeble
frame,
!
Each
human
life
is
like
the
grass,
unlike
a
meadow
that it
grows,
its
place
will
never
be
recalled,
once
over it
the
tempest
blows,
but
everlasting
is
God's
love
for
those
who
fear
him
and
their
seed,
for
those
who
keep
his
covenant,
and
carefully
his
peace
see,
and
carefully
after
the
benediction
of
main
door
please
as
you
leave.
The
grace
of
the
Lord
Jesus
Christ,
the
love
of
God
the
Father
and
the
fellowship
of
the
Holy
Spirit
be
with
you
all
now
and
forever
more.
Amen.