Let's turn to get on our Bibles at this point to 2 Corinthians chapter 5. We thank our brother again for being with us today, for laboring in the Word to our benefit this morning. We'll turn to 2 Corinthians chapter 5. As you turn there, I'm just going to welcome you again. It's the first time that we have taken the Lord's table together since the beginning of March. It's been a long time. This is a means of grace to the souls of God's people. And we understand that it is vital, indeed, for the well-being of the people of God to share in this particular occasion. So with that in mind, we thank the Lord. And we're glad you can be here tonight. And I trust that all our hearts will indeed be knit together. first and foremost with our Saviour and also with each other as we break bread together in that communal sense of our fellowship in the things of Christ. I think one of the things that has been so manifest in these recent times is, as our brother said this morning, how quickly the devil can go into the church and bring about much division. It is our prayer that as we share these elements, that we remind ourselves again that we share one bread, one cup, we are one body in Christ Jesus. And though our opinions may vary in various matters, it is important that we keep our eyes upon Jesus. And so we pray to that end tonight. Please do remember our service this week. Keep in mind also the prayer time on Wednesday evening at seven o'clock, and then also next Lord's Day, the regular meetings at 11 a.m. and 6 p.m. Again, just for your information, those of you perhaps who weren't able to come to the funeral service yesterday, that service is available on Sermon Audio, and you can watch that service and share it with others if that is required. So reading from 2 Corinthians chapter 5, I should say, Daniel, we are finished with singing for now. Just you're gonna sit there for a long time. If I don't let you know that. 2 Corinthians chapter 5. 2 Corinthians chapter 5, and we'll read together from the verse number 11. Knowing, therefore, the terror of the Lord, we persuade men, but we are made manifest unto God. My trust also are made manifest in your consciences. For we commend not ourselves again unto you, but give you occasion to glory on our behalf, that ye may have somewhat to answer them which glory in appearance and not in heart. For whether we be beside ourselves, it is to God, or whether we be sober, it is for your cause. For the love of Christ constraineth us, Because we thus judge that if one died for all, then were all dead, and that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them and rose again. Wherefore henceforth know we no man after flesh, yea, though we have known Christ after flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more. Therefore, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature. All things are passed away, behold, all things have become new. And all things are of God, who has reconciled unto himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation, to wit that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, and not imputing their trespasses unto them, and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. 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. For he hath made him to be sin for us who knew no sin, and that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. Amen. May God indeed bless his word to your hearts. Let's pray together again for a word of prayer to come to study the word at this time. Eternal God, our Father in heaven, we're so thankful for the gift that you've given to the church of the inspired and inscriptured word. We thank you we can read these words, knowing them to be the very word of God. And so we come asking for the help of the spirit of God to illuminate our minds that we understand the word of God to our prophet tonight. May the word even be used of thyself to prepare our hearts to rightly receive the elements, and that we would receive them with faith. We pray for those who are unsaved tonight watching on. We pray that as they are shown afresh the death of Christ, we pray, O Lord, you'd work in their hearts. Soften, open hearts. cause hearts to receive the engrafted word. So bless our hearts now we ask in Jesus precious name. Amen. Wednesday past we began a section of our studies in the tabernacle looking at the table of showbread reflecting upon those items of furniture in the holy place. And the first one that's given, that we're given instructions of in Exodus is the table of showbread. And as we began to consider that subject, I made the point that the concept of table in the Bible carries the thought of communion and fellowship. sharing around a table, sharing bread around a table. All of this in the Bible has this sense of fellowship. And I turned your attention to 1 Corinthians 10. And in 1 Corinthians 10, you have a reference to the table, the Lord's table. It says in verse 21 of 1 Corinthians 10, you cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of devils. You cannot be partakers of the Lord's table and the table of devils. And the reference to the Lord's table there in 1 Corinthians 10 follows along with the instructions of Paul in an earlier verse where he speaks of the cup of blessing, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ and the bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ? Fellowship with the Lord. And we also know fellowship with the Lord's people are a tremendous part of what it is to meet around the table of the Lord. In other words, when we are invited by Christ himself to meet around this table, we are coming into his presence. He shared the Passover, instituting the Lord's Supper with his disciples. And thus those who have the right to receive these elements are those who are reconciled to God. Hence, I believe it is fitting to continue our studies in the subject of reconciliation tonight. We've been in this subject a few weeks now, and it is a very important and a very helpful thing to consider afresh tonight. Reconciliation. They're bringing together of two parties, once at variance, once estranged, but now brought into a new relationship of peace by the removal of the enmity. That's the essence of the biblical definition of reconciliation. And last time, when we took the time to consider the matter of our alienation to God, how that we are at enmity with God, and also God is disposed in wrath toward us. as sinners. So how do we get to the point that we can come to this table tonight? By nature, we are to end the day with God. How is it that you have a right to come to this table as those who are reconciled to God? Well, I began to get to tonight's sermon last time by thinking about the subject of initiation. God moves first. When you think of our alienation, it is most pressing and most encouraging to us that God moves in our reconciliation. Look at verse number 18 of 2 Corinthians 5. And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself. Here's the agency of God in bringing about this matter of reconciliation. He is the prime mover. We saw the same in Colossians chapter one. God reconciles all things to himself. God moves first. I remind you again of the incredible grace involved in those words. When you think about the relationship that we have towards God by nature, and we think of this matter of enmity, we realize that God's wrath toward us is just and fair, but our enmity against God is entirely unreasonable. We have no right to be hostile to God. There is no reason for us to be hostile to God. And thus there is no compulsion for God to act in our reconciliation, but in grace and in mercy, he freely and sovereignly chose to act to reconcile sinners unto himself. You have no right to be here. In and of yourself, by nature, you have no right to be here around this table. And before we go any further, let me just remind you again that the only reason you can come to this table is because of God's sovereign grace. We know it. but the devil gets into our hearts, into the church, and we begin to believe that we have done something, been saved for 20 years, 30 years, and we think, well, surely now I've earned enough favor before God to come to this table, but never. We must remind ourselves continually, each and every time we come, we come here only by the grace of God's initiation. Secondly, in this process of reconciliation, we should think about the matter of transformation. For there to be reconciliation, there has to be a change in the disposition of both parties. God, as we'll see, makes provision whereby his just wrath is appeased. But that is not all that God does in the matter of reconciliation. He changes the heart of the sinner. Turn, please, to Romans chapter five. I want to take you back to these verses we looked at last time and just emphasize again that these verses come to us in the past tense form. Verse number 10 of Romans chapter 5, for if when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God. There's a change involved here. The enmity that we have towards God is viewed as being in the past tense, and then we're reconciled to God by the death of his son. Something changes. We see the same in Colossians chapter one and the verse number 20, our text from last time. Having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself, and then verse number 21, and you that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works yet now have thee reconciled. God does something in our hearts. Once we're at enmity with God, but our hearts are so chained that that is no longer the case for those of us who are saved by God's grace. We focused last time on the matter of the mind in verse number 21 of Colossians 1. We were alienated and enemies in our minds, which leads to the matter of our wicked works. We were corrupt in our nature. Our understanding is dark, and we saw that in Ephesians 4. And the darkened understanding meant that our thoughts are not God's thoughts, therefore our ways are not God's ways, Isaiah 55. And because of the corruption of our nature, we find ourselves at enmity with God internally and then also externally. And we saw all the various sins that manifest our enmity with God. But Paul says you sometime, it's past tense. It's not true for the Colossian believers now. If you could say, Paul is saying to him, you're no longer alienated, you're no longer an enemy of God's. Yet now hath he reconciled. The mind that was against God is now open to understand the benefits of the law of God, of obedience to God, of the beauty of God, of the beauty of Christ. Our minds are opened. Our wills that are biased to sin are now inclined to righteousness. And our hearts that once loved wickedness now come to love truth and righteousness. In simple terms, we who hated God come to love God. We come to love Christ. Because to us who believe, Christ is precious. And if you are not a lover of God in Christ, then you haven't known this change. You may have experienced some sort of external reformation of character and conduct. You may be a better person socially than you were in the past, but if your hearts have not been changed to love God, then you haven't experienced this transformation, which leads necessarily to reconciliation. So turn to 1 John chapter 4, please. 1 John chapter 4. Now I've been emphasizing the matter of God's initiation, Him working in our souls unto this matter of reconciliation. And so in 1 John 4, in the verse number 19, we love Him because He first loved us. That can go in so many ways. He loved us eternally. He loved us on Calvary. He loved us even in our time of enmity that we were against Him. In all of that, the eternal unchanging love of God. so worked in our souls, whereby we come to love him. We love him because he first loved us." And then look what it says. If any man say, I love God, and hated his brother, he is a liar. For he that loveth not his brother whom he has seen. How can he love God whom he has not seen? Now 1 John 4 really is emphasizing the matter of our love for our brothers. But as John emphasizes that point, he then comes to conclusion and emphasizes, well, you cannot say you love God and still hate your brother. You can't hate those who God loves. If you hate those who God loves, then there's an issue with your heart. So keeping all that in mind, then look back to verse number seven. Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God and everyone that loveth is born of God and knoweth God. So see the point? How do we come to love God? Because we are born of God. And I understand the emphasis here is our love for the brother, those who love the brethren are born of God, but when you see at the end of the chapter, it's also dealing with the matter of our love for God. If you can be alone with God, if you can be on your knees before your Bible in prayer, and you can echo the words of Peter, you know all things, you know that I love thee, You only do that because of what God has done in your heart. You're born of God's. You didn't decide one day, I've had enough of this enmity stuff, I'm gonna start loving God. You didn't know it was a work of grace. Sometimes when I think about my testimony, I consider that day. in 1992 and I would say that I woke up that day and I did not decide to love God that day. I did not expect to end that day loving God, but God worked in my heart and everything changed. That's the glorious miracle of the rebirth. It's a wonderful thing to say you love the Lord. Our love is weak. We heard that this morning. It's not what ought to be. Our faith is weak. But I think with Peter, those who are born of God can come to the point where they say, yeah, you know all things. It's weak, it's not what ought to be, but it is real. And we say that because we're born of God. The wonder of God's transformative grace. Initiation, transformation, and finally provision. God having initiated this matter of reconciliation, he makes the provision to make reconciliation possible. The theologians, when they often refer to reconciliation, they don't tend to say much about what I've just said, if anything at all. And they do so for a good reason. Because when the Bible deals with the matter of reconciliation, it consistently brings us to the cross of Christ. and how that reconciliation is achieved because of what God does in the sending of the Son as a substitutionary sacrifice. For there to be reconciliation, both parties must be reconciled. And therefore, God who gives the sinner a new heart is also the God who has made provision whereby his wrath can be appeased, his justice satisfied, And those with whom he is angry become the object of his love. The primary issue in our reconciliation is not the removal of our enmity, it is the removal of God's alienation against us. That's the primary issue. Both are involved, I believe with all my heart, that those who are born of God, love God, they know God, that's necessary for true reconciliation. But when the Bible highlights reconciliation, it consistently brings us to the cross of Christ. Listen to these verses. Colossians 1 verse 20. And having made peace through the blood of his cross. Romans 5 verse 10. We were reconciled to God by the death of his son. Ephesians chapter 2 and the verse number 16. That he may reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross. I don't need to explain that, do I? It's simply there in the text. It's the obvious nature of the connection there is between the crucifixion of Christ and the subsequent reconciliation of sinners. Man's guilt before the law of God puts him at enmity with the Lord. Therefore, reconciliation required the removal of that enmity, and that can only take place through a substitute bearing the punishment of the law. You know this. So let me very quickly bring you through the steps by way of reminder. Sin renders you guilty before God. You're guilty before the law of God. Legally, you may not feel it, but there's legal guilt. All the world become guilty before God as the law of God is applied to the standing of the sinner. When the sinner is compared to the law of God, guilt is pronounced. But there may well be on the earthly realm a judge who can pronounce the criminal to be guilty but without there being any anger or enmity toward the guilty. Not so with God's. Those who are guilty before God have offended God's. His kindness, his justice, as our brother said, sinned against his grace and his love. And so when the sinner is guilty before God, God is angry with the sinner. We are children of wrath. And please note, Ephesians chapter two makes it clear that those who are now born again once were children of wrath. It was interesting hearing our brother pray. It's been in my mind all afternoon, literally all afternoon, no change Jehovah knows. How do you deal, how do you reconcile no change Jehovah knows with reconciliation. Reconciliation involves this change disposition, but no change Jehovah knows. How does this all make any sense? Well, God's unchanging disposition toward the sinner is wrath. But through the change of the sinner's standing legally, God's unchanging disposition towards the righteous is peace and friendship and love. So the unchanging God always unchangeably is disposed toward someone dependent on their status in the presence of God. That's why justification is so important. It is impossible for God not to be reconciled to a justified saint. Because the justified saints has in the courts of God all of their sins cancelled. Because Christ paid the penalty in full. And the justified saints in the courts of God not only has their sins forgiven, but they're also positively righteous. 2 Corinthians chapter 5 verse number 21. We are made the righteous of God in Him. And when you understand the connection with the cross and reconciliation, then 2 Corinthians 5 makes sense. Why beseech them, be you reconciled to God? Verse 20, because of the provision made for sinners. we might be made the rights of God and Him. There is a word of reconciliation. There's a ministry of reconciliation because the gospel can be offered to sinners. Those who are the children of wrath can by faith be justified. And those who are justified are therefore reconciled to God. That reconciliation, if I can take you back a couple of weeks to your definition, that involves a standing of friendship and peace with God. What a wonderful thing it is for the judge who pronounces you righteous to then bring you into his friendship. Five bleeding wounds he bears, received on Calvary, My poor effectual prayers, they strongly plead for me. Forgive him, O forgive, they cry, nor let that ransomed sinner die. I now am reconciled. God's pardoning voice I hear. He owns me as his child. I can no longer fear. The pathway to reconciliation is the pathway through the cross and the resurrection of Christ, whereby our sins are dealt with and we are righteous in God's sight. Therefore, we are reconciled. And what I want you to think about, to close this message tonight, is that that reconciliation is permanent. It is not transient. God does not unfriend the justified sinner. I understand in terms of our sanctification, we can grieve the Spirit, but our standing before God is eternally unchangeable. We believe that justification is a once and for all act. and by faith, those who trust in Christ are those who are reconciled there and then, and they are reconciled eternally to God. And so those who by God's Spirit have come to trust in Christ, they are those who are the friends of God. Guilt is removed. There is no wrath, therefore there can be no condemnation. There is, therefore, this eternal, unchangeable status of friendship in the presence of God. Therefore, you can come to this table tonight. Your feelings will vary. They will fluctuate. There are times that you will feel more unworthy than others. You'll always feel unworthy to some degree. But though your feelings may change, Your reconciliation does not depend on your feelings. Friendships often do, don't they? Young people, you're the worst at this. I don't feel like being your friend today. We're reconciled to God through the unchangeable truth of our justification. We are forgiven of our sins, we are reconciled to God. and may that encourage us. You want to know the Lord's wrath towards sinners? You see the cross of Christ. There's God's wrath towards sin. but as he pours out his wrath upon his son, showing us his wrath towards him, he also makes way whereby those who are the cause of the cross are by that same cross brought into a status of friendship with God. It's a wonderful gospel, isn't it? It's altogether glorious. And may it encourage us to eat and drink by faith tonight. Amen, amen.