Take your Bibles with me, please, and turn to 2 Corinthians chapter 5. If you're just joining us this evening, we've been in a series of messages through our church covenant. While we're very aware that the covenant is from time to time amended by necessity and edited and even revised, we realize that our covenant is only a covenant that's good if it's reflecting principles and truths from God's Word. And unfortunately, in many churches, a covenant becomes something that people ratify when they form a church, and then they may even review when they join a church. But after that, it's often forgotten. And so we've tried to remember these commitments in order to live accordingly and know the blessings of God here at Colonial Hills Baptist Church. This evening, we're going to be looking at a commitment to reconciliation. A commitment to reconciliation. As you open your Bibles to 2 Corinthians 5, we read beginning in verse 18, And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to Himself by Jesus Christ, and has given to us the ministry of reconciliation. To it, or that is, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world to Himself, 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, that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him." I'd like to speak this evening on the theme of commitment to reconciliation. I trust the Lord will use His Word tonight to cause us as a congregation and individuals in it to live for Him daily. Father, now I pray You'd use Your Word Thank you for a covenant that has been for these many years, a guidepost along the way for a church that seeks to bring you glory. Thank you for the singing tonight, the warmth of heart that it brings, that you indeed do make all things beautiful in your time. Lord, we know that there are times when the ups and downs come. This evening, I pray that you'd make some heart tender about the need to be reconciled. Someone who's in this service tonight would live according to the covenant that we take often for granted and often lightly, that we take it seriously this evening as we see it reflected in the pages of your Word. For it's in Christ's name we pray. Amen. There are many sociologists who are not surprised at all to see From the redefining of marriage today, even moving forward to see that redefinition inclusively bringing along homosexual marriage. After all, marriage has been an institution under attack in America for really a number of generations. The concept of no-fault divorce. Many people would look to that to say that it was instrumental in redefining marriage. And those who study the concept of no-fault divorce go back to about 1918, after the Bolshevik revolution in Russia, as social engineers came along with the question, how shall we change a culture? How shall we change a society? In fact, in 1925, a Soviet conference debated the need to, ready for this, register marriage. We would say have a license for a marriage. And as they talked about that, they noted that without a registration of marriage, there would be no need for divorce, and so it would be much more easily approaching the idea of moving beyond what we would consider to be a nuclear family. It was in 1968 that the state of California with Governor Ronald Reagan became the first state in the country to allow no-fault divorce. I read a number of years ago of kiosks that were set in place in Las Vegas where couples could just handle the divorce electronically on a kiosk. I think you all agree that when it comes to the matter of family and when it comes to the matter of culture, we're living in a time of social separation. We're living in a time of isolation. We're living in a time of increasing dissolution of relationships and rejection. People talk about electronic social networks, but electronic social networks will never be able to compare to the reality of real relationships, and nothing can compare to the reality of a real Christian relationship with a brother and a sister in Christ. Ours is a culture that knows very little of reconciliation. The Colonial Hills Baptist Church has a covenant that speaks directly in the last paragraph of the covenant to the topic of interpersonal relationships. Specifically, our covenant says, we further engage to watch over one another in brotherly love, to remember each other in prayer, to aid each other in sickness and distress, to cultivate Christian sympathy and feeling and courtesy and speech, to be slow to take offense, always ready for reconciliation, and mindful of the rules of the Savior to secure it without delay. When we talk about reconciliation, we understand that reconciliation means the restoration of a good relationship between enemies. Restoring enemies to a good relationship. Specifically in Baker's Dictionary of Theology, it's a change of personal relationships. A state of enmity and estrangement is replaced by one of peace and one of fellowship. Real reconciliation allows those who were once enemies now to embrace. Again, our world knows much about separation and knows little about reconciliation. But all we have to do is open the early pages of the book of Genesis and discover that our God has a heart for reconciliation. Having sinned in the garden, Adam and Eve are hiding themselves. And as God approaches with the question, where art thou, Adam? He approaches with a heart that's being revealed in His heart. is even to be reconciled with mankind who has fallen so far from His original creation as to allow death to come into His life. Skirmishes and battles and relational breakups really are proof positive that our hearts are sinful. Proverbs 13 says in verse 10, only by pride cometh contention. James 4 says in verse 1, from whence come wars and fighting among you? Come they not hence out of your own lusts? The Word of God has called us to walk in the Spirit and not fulfill the lust of the flesh. And this evening as we look at our church covenant, we look at a theme that needs to be addressed regularly, carefully, personally, practically, convictionally. We need to have a philosophy of reconciliation that's deep down within us. I believe our philosophy of reconciliation must begin with an understanding of the heart of God. We need to understand that God's very heartbeat is a heartbeat of reconciliation. When God came into that garden calling, Adam, Adam, where art thou, Adam? He demonstrated for all of us to understand that His very heartbeat is for reconciliation to be boldly reconciled with those who have boldly sinned and terribly disappointed. In fact, the Bible contains God's message of reconciliation to man. And in the pages of God's Word, we discover God's plan to restore a relationship that's been marred and broken. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son. that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved." As we began a philosophy of reconciliation, we come to discover first that God is the author of reconciliation. God is the author of reconciliation. 2 Corinthians 5, all things are of God, verse 18, who hath reconciled us to Himself by Jesus Christ. We do not reconcile ourselves to God. God has not done anything wrong. James says in chapter 1, God cannot be tempted to do evil, neither tempteth He any man. So we're not in the business of reconciling to ourselves a God who somehow has disappointed us. Sometimes I've been in conversations with people that sound like this. God has kind of handed me a raw deal. I'm disappointed with God. God is not lifted up to my expectations. Such conversations are not well grounded in God's Word. We don't reconcile ourselves to God. We are absolutely without power. For Titus says in chapter 3 and verse 5, it's not by works of righteousness that we have done, but it's according to His mercy that He saves us. Take a moment, put a mark here in 2 Corinthians and come back with me to the book of Romans. Romans chapter 5. Romans chapter 5. It is God who does the work of reconciling. Romans chapter 5. Look with me beginning in verse 6. For when we were yet without strength in due time, Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely, verse 7, for a righteous man will one die, yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth his love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more than being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. 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." The truth is, from the moment of our birth, we were in a feud against God. I've got to be careful. I know there are some West Virginians in the congregation, and this morning I already said something that put me at some measure of risk. In fact, after the morning service, I had a number of people correcting me over any number of things. It was a really interesting experience in the foyer. No one said anything to me about West Virginia, so I got to go out on a limb this evening, and I think I can take it. Most are familiar with the feud between the Hatfields and McCoys. It was a real feud. It transpired between 1881 and 1891 between two families. Randall McCoy of Kentucky had nine sons and six daughters. The Devil Ants, they called him Devil Ants Hatfield of West Virginia, had nine sons and four daughters. People believe that the feud began over who owned a pig. There are all kinds of opinions about how the feud began. But it became so famous that it actually ended up in the Supreme Court of the United States of America. And before it was done, nearly a dozen family members were killed, 10 others were wounded, and many people were injured. Devil aunts and old Randall, fathers of large families, they taught their families how to fight, but they didn't teach their families how to reconcile. There's a wonderful truth. The Bible tells us in Ephesians chapter two, when we were born, we were born into a kingdom of darkness. And the gospel of John tells us in chapter eight that we were of our father, the devil, and my, how he has taught us how to fight. But how good to know that Ephesians 2 says we've been taken from that kingdom of darkness and we've been planted in the kingdom of God's divine light. And now in that kingdom of God's divine light, he has placed upon us his very image and placed within us his very spirit. And folks, when we come to the topic of reconciliation, we need to just glory in the fact that our God is the author of reconciliation, that when we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. May that family image be upon us. May it press upon us the need to walk peaceably and lovingly as we seek to minister, not only with one another, but to a world that's lost and in sin. Come back with me, please, to 2 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians chapter 5. As you come back to 2 Corinthians chapter 5 and build a philosophy of reconciliation, you see that God the Father is the author of reconciliation. And we discover also that God the Son is the agent of reconciliation. For we read in verse 18, all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to Himself by Jesus Christ, and has given to us the ministry of reconciliation, that is, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto Himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them. He has rather committed unto us the word of reconciliation. So I look at this passage, I'm reminded of the scope of His reconciling work. The scope of his reconciling work is universal. That is, God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself. I've read theological tomes, that's probably the best use of the word for them, that have spent page after page after page trying to redefine the New Testament word world. The redefinition usually goes like this. When you see the word world, you should put by it in parentheses, Christians. that God was in Christ reconciling Christians unto himself. Because after all, as the elect, the ramifications of Christ's substitutionary work are limited. The atonement is limited to the elect. And so this reconciliation work is for us to enjoy, but round about us, it's very unfortunate. But a strong Calvinistic position will actually teach that the word world means just Christians. God was reconciling Christians. How can we say otherwise? After all, the rest of the world's not yet reconciled. I went out to lunch one time with a fellow. We took a very strong view on the topic of how far the atonement benefited our race. And as we sparred with each other, I brought up 1 John 2, a classic verse on The ramifications of the atonement where we read he is the propitiation for our sins, but not for ours only, but for the sins of the whole world. Of course, he entered into a dialogue of the world means the Christians. Before it was over, he actually said this to me. He said, you probably preach in your church on Sunday that Christ died for you because you believe Christ died for the whole world. He said, I have to confess that I preach Christ may have died for you. Well, I want to boldly say that I still preach Christ died for you, that He is the propitiation for our sins and not for ours only, but for the sins of the whole world. The scope of His reconciling work is universal. So that brother, that sister, that mother, that father, that friend, that colleague at work, that person that seems most destitute and without hope, that person that you think you've prayed for for so long and it seems hopeless, Christ died for them. I was taught in sales that when I knocked on doors, if you saw a sign up front that said no solicitation, that sign was an indicator of an easy sale. What? My boss said, if it said no solicitation, knock on that door for sure, because that wife probably bought something when her husband wasn't home at a different time, and he just posted that she was an easy sale. So knock on that door for sure. Now, I never did that, okay? You don't have to ask me. I didn't do that. But I learned along the way that sometimes our read is a wrong read. And dear Christian friend, when the word of God tells us that God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself, who could imagine that he could use the incident like someone carrying the cross of the Lord who is constrained from the crowd, Simon of Cyrene. And bring that one, incidentally, coincidentally it would seem to us, to a point where the Gospel of Mark not only names Simon of Cyrene, but the Gospel of Mark also tells us Simon's son's names. And as you look in the book of Acts, the 13th chapter, you see one Simon who is listed right next to another man who was a Cyrenian. And most historians believe that Simon of Cyrene was well-known by the apostles, well-known in the early church, and that his sons also came to Christ. Who was this man? He was a man in a crowd constrained to take the cross, but at that moment God was bringing him to reconcile him to himself. When we do the work of reconciliation and go into the world to preach the gospel to every creature, God is on our side. His desire for reconciliation is a universal desire. And the sacrifice for reconciliation that's spoken of here is an ultimate sacrifice. It's a once and for all, forever accomplished sacrifice. He made Him, verse 21, to be sin for us who knew no sin. That we might be made the righteousness of God in Him. So I discover in this passage the blessing of knowing that that sacrifice is ultimate. and that that sacrifice is universal, but also obviously saying that that sacrifice is undeserved. He made him to be sin for us who knew no sin. You see, reconciliation is all a work of God. The only thing that I contribute to God's work of reconciliation is my sin. The songwriter said, not the labors of my hands could fulfill thy law's commands. Could my zeal no respite know? Could my tears forever flow? All for sin could not atone. Thou must save, and thou alone. It's wonderful to review this. God the Father is the author of our salvation. In eternity past, he planned to send the agent of our salvation, the Lord Jesus Christ, into this world. so that the offer of salvation could be universally applied. And then he makes us the ambassadors, the ambassadors of this good work of reconciliation. Now then, verse 20, we are ambassadors for Christ as though God did beseech you by us. We now pray you in Christ's stead be reconciled to God. I love that song that sings about the angels. Holy, holy, holy is what the angels sing. And I intend to help them make the courts of heaven ring. But when I sing salvation's story, they shall fold their wings. For angels never knew the joy that my salvation brings. People often ask, why is it in God's plan that the angels are not the messengers of salvation? Why is it in God's plan that he doesn't write it in the stars or write it in the skies? Why is it in God's plan that he uses feeble, unable, often intimidated vessels of flesh? Because angels never know the joy that my salvation brings. There's something wonderful in being able to be an ambassador of experience, an ambassador of grace, an ambassador of blessing, who can say to the world that's round about and listening that there is One who gives hope and there is One who gives forgiveness. So consider your task. Consider your task. God has committed unto us that great work of reconciliation. Take that task seriously. Consider the title God has given to you in a world so filled with grand and grandiose titles. He has called us ambassadors of heaven, ambassadors of salvation, ambassadors of Christ. And consider the trust that you receive, not the grace of God in vain. ye that are spiritual are to be involved in the work of restoration. There's an interesting story in 2 Kings 6 about the days when Ben-Hadad ruled. And the Syrian king sent his armies against Israel. You remember the story? How that Elisha was able to tell the king of Israel, who was with his kingdom starving within the gates of his city, Within a very short time, God would provide for the people a bounty from heaven. At that very time, Ben-Hadad had torn his robes because some of the starving citizens of his city, two women, had come and they'd said, we had become so famished in our hunger that we made a covenant with each other that each of us would kill our own son and eat his flesh. The Bible tells us in those days the hunger and the starvation was so desperate that for a teaspoon of doves dung, four pieces of silver. And the one woman was complaining that she had boiled her son and they had eaten her son but now the other woman wouldn't give her son. And outside the gates were the Syrians. And God discomfited the Syrians, the word of God tells us. They heard noises that God had sent, and they ran away, and they left behind not only their munitions, but also their supplies, an enormous bounty of supplies. And 2 Kings 6 tells us of four lepers, who of course were not allowed in the city, who also were starving, who decided that it would be better for them to appeal to the Syrian army than to starve to death, and so they went expecting to be met by the Syrian army and probably be executed. And instead of fighting the Syrian army, they found nothing but an empty campground when it came to people, but a full campground when it came to bounty. And they sat and they ate and they ate and they ate. We can't even imagine. They just gorged themselves on the Syrians' food. And then they looked at each other, these four lepers, and they said, whoa, whoa, whoa, time out. We're out here enjoying all of this. And there are people still in the city. We need to go tell those people. We need to go tell those people. What a powerful story to remind us of our task, to remind us of our title, that we are ambassadors, to remind us, if you don't mind, of our time, that our time is short. This is a message that needs to be shared. And now is the accepted time. Today is the day of salvation. There are those round about us in this great city of Indianapolis that has enjoyed such great ministries for so many wonderful years that are today spiritually starving. In our prayer hour tonight, we shared a wonderful time praying for governmental authorities. That's an appropriate prayer. And praying especially for some of the decisions even now being wrestled with with our city officials. And I'm reminded this evening that we have a responsibility beyond prayer. That reformation of a city is not going to happen without the regeneration of the people in it. The only way to really see a city transformed and a light brightened is for the light of the gospel to shine in some heart. And friend, the only way for that to happen is for us to take our title seriously. You are ambassadors of Christ as lepers who have been fed the goodness of the gospel. Now we have a responsibility to go and tell, and someday we'll stand responsible. It's been a blessing to I've talked to a number of our members of L.A.T.E. who have teasingly said, I think I'm keeping Diana Hamrick, our church secretary, at work. She's got to constantly fill up the track rack for me. I'm empty in that track rack and sharing so many of them and probably keeping Dan Elkins at work, too. And we all appreciate that as he prints some of those tracks. But in all seriousness, there's a responsibility that we ought to be preparing for every Lord's Day. The Lord's Day is a day when God's people come together to recommit and reconsecrate and be refueled so that we as ambassadors can go out together with a message of reconciliation. We absolutely cannot overstate the importance of fulfilling this covenantal responsibility to practice reconciliation. Having considered then the philosophy of reconciliation, how about the priority of it? We've already alluded to that. Once we understand our theology, we ought to also understand the priority. For after all, our covenant says we would secure reconciliation without delay. Take your Bibles and go back with me to the book of Matthew 5. Matthew 5. And as you're turning back there, can I give you an assignment in your mind right now? Would you ask yourself the question, is there someone in my church with whom I'd just rather not talk. Is there someone in this congregation with whom I'd rather not fellowship? I've heard it said that the average church member who's faithful in attendance will come to know about 83 people in the church that they attend. The reality is in a larger ministry, sometimes people use that to their advantage. I can choose the 83 that I want to know. The rest of them forget it. They don't expect me to know them anyway. But when it comes to the priority of reconciliation, our covenant says we're to secure that reconciliation without delay. We don't live with a hardened mind. We live with a tender heart. It says if I'm out of sorts with someone, I've got something to deal with. So I read from Matthew 5. Matthew 5. And I begin in verse 23. Agree with thine adversary quickly. While you're in the way with him, less than any time, the adversary deliver thee to the judge, the judge deliver thee to the officer, and you be cast into prison. Verily I say unto you, you should by no means come out thence till all has been paid even to the othermost farthing. You've heard that it was said in old time, and it continues on. There's a responsibility here. You see, the priority is necessary because if you're not reconciled with those that you know to be estranged from you, you risk ineffective worship. Agree, leave your offering, go and agree with your adversary, and you risk unexpected consequences. God has an amazing way of settling and reconciling accounts. What a terrible risk to live under because you haven't moved beyond your comfort zone to make sure that that relationship is right. At the end of a Lord's day, there's no greater blessing than to be able to say, I went to church today, I gathered with God's people to have a focus on my heavenly Father and say thank you to my Savior for the blood that was shed and answer to the Holy Spirit of God who within me dwells. It's not about me, it's about Him. I worship Him. And on this day that we worship Him, He has said, if you go there to worship and you have an estrangement, Leave your gift. Make it a priority. You don't know when the shoe's going to fall, but what you sow, you're going to reap. Friend, if there was in your mind that image of that person from whom you've been estranged, the counsel of God's Word is be careful. One of the consequences that becomes evident in many people's lives is the consequence of bitterness. Be angry and sin not. That's righteous indignation. Don't let the sun go down on your wrath. If there's been an explosion that's caused a separation, take care of it. My father's diabetic. He's been taking insulin, I guess it's over 40 years. I watch his morning routine. Every morning he has to get the insulin ready, Make sure that the place where he's going to put the insulin is clean. Have you ever watched a person self-administer insulin? You pretty much cringe when that needle hits the flesh and you think, oh, dad, how do you do that every day? He does it every day making a painful decision every day because he knows he needs it for his physical health. When it comes to the topic of reconciliation, let me encourage you to do some physician work this evening. The Word of God says you are at risk, dear friend. You are at risk. If you believe that somehow you can live the Christian life with power while not reconciling with those from whom you've been estranged, you're deceived. Leave your gift. and make sure of that brother. Else the consequences that God somehow will give and the bitterness that could afflict your soul be the ultimate payment for a stubborn and hardened heart. You see, without reconciliation we're at risk. Without reconciliation, we're really disobedient. 1 Thessalonians says in chapter 4 and verse 9, but it's touching brotherly love. You need not that I write unto you, for yourselves are taught of God to love one another." God teaches this lesson. 1 John says it this way in chapter 3, and this is the commandment that you should believe on the name of His Son, Jesus Christ, and love one another as He has given us commandments. You shouldn't be waiting. for somebody to make the first move. It's up to you to make every possible attempt to minister reconciliation. James 4 says, to him that knoweth to do good and doeth it not, to him it's sin. So I ask you again, is there someone from whom you've been estranged? Is there someone in your family? Someone in the church? Someone who's a former friend? And the Spirit of God is tugging at your heart this evening. It's an important consideration. After all, there's a purpose that ought to be considered. When the local church body in general and the members in particular are practicing biblical reconciliation, an amazing purpose is fulfilled. There's a witness of our relationship to our brother. John 13 says in verse 35, By this shall all men know that you are my disciples, if you love one another. When Christians walk in spirit-wrought harmony, there comes a spirit given power. I feel like over the last several weeks in hospital visits and four-year conversations, I've had the privilege as a pastor to experience a little bit of that God-wrought spiritual power in relationships so meaningful and so filled with prayer and so filled with ministry that really there are people around about who say, what's the deal over there at Colonial Hills Baptist Church? You guys have something special. Yes, it's the work of the Spirit. It's a wonderful thing to review a church covenant this evening and say, this is not a reactionary review. This is a purposeful review. There's no need that I'm aware of. There's no personality that's in my mind when I share this message tonight. But I do know the way of the Spirit of God, that He provokes, that He challenges, that He unearths situations. This matter of reconciliation is a witness of our relationship to the Savior. It shows that we're walking in the light as He is in the light. 1 John 4 says, "'Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God, and everyone that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God, and he that loveth not knoweth not God, for God is love. In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because God sent His only begotten Son into this world, that we might live through Him, here in His love, not that we loved God, but He loved us.'" Reconciliation. And sent His Son to be the propitiation of our sins. So what is it that our covenant says? It says it this way. We further engage to watch over one another in brotherly love, to remember each other in prayer, to aid each other in sickness and distress, to cultivate Christian sympathy and feeling and courtesy in speech, slow to take offense, always ready for reconciliation, and mindful of the rules of the Savior to secure it without delay.