Reconciliation: Confidence in Life and Eternal Hope
Summary
In 2 Corinthians 5:18-19, Paul speaks of reconciliation, a profound theme that addresses the human condition and our relationship with God. Life today is precarious and uncertain, with global tensions and existential threats looming large. Yet, amidst this uncertainty, the Christian faith offers a unique perspective on life, death, and what lies beyond. Christianity provides not just a way to live but a way to face death with confidence, knowing that our earthly existence is temporary and that we have an eternal home with God.
The Apostle Paul exemplifies this confidence, rooted in a transformative experience known as regeneration or rebirth. This transformation changes our entire outlook, giving us a new perspective on ourselves, others, and God. It is not merely a change in circumstances but a profound internal change that redefines our understanding of life and death.
The sermon challenges us to examine our knowledge of God. Many people know God only "after the flesh," relying on tradition, philosophy, or mysticism, which often leads to a distorted view of God. These views are ultimately inadequate because they reject the true knowledge of God revealed through Scripture and the person of Jesus Christ. True knowledge of God comes through revelation, not human wisdom or speculation.
God's revelation shows us a God who is personal, holy, just, and loving. He is the Creator and Sustainer of the universe, actively involved in the world and in our lives. Most importantly, God is a Redeemer, who, through Jesus Christ, reconciles us to Himself. This reconciliation is not just a theological concept but a transformative reality that changes our relationship with God and our eternal destiny.
Key Takeaways:
- Facing Life's Uncertainty: In a world filled with uncertainty and existential threats, Christianity offers a unique perspective that enables us to face life and death with confidence. This confidence is rooted in the knowledge that our earthly existence is temporary and that we have an eternal home with God. [03:19]
- Transformation Through Regeneration: The Christian experience of regeneration or rebirth is a profound transformation that changes our entire outlook on life. It gives us a new perspective on ourselves, others, and God, redefining our understanding of life and death. [06:12]
- True Knowledge of God: Many people know God only "after the flesh," relying on tradition, philosophy, or mysticism. True knowledge of God, however, comes through revelation, as revealed in Scripture and the person of Jesus Christ. This knowledge is transformative and life-changing. [11:29]
- God's Active Involvement: God is not a distant or passive observer but is actively involved in the world and in our lives. He is the Creator and Sustainer of the universe, and His providence and grace are evident in His ongoing work of redemption through Jesus Christ. [24:02]
- Reconciliation Through Christ: The heart of the Christian message is reconciliation with God through Jesus Christ. This reconciliation is not just a theological concept but a transformative reality that changes our relationship with God and our eternal destiny. [49:12]
Youtube Chapters:
- [00:00] - Welcome
- [00:10] - Introduction to Reconciliation
- [01:06] - Facing Life's Uncertainty
- [03:19] - The Urgency of the Gospel
- [04:21] - The Certainty of Christian Hope
- [05:44] - The Victory Over Death
- [06:12] - Transformation Through Regeneration
- [07:18] - A New View of Christ
- [08:19] - A New View of God
- [09:30] - The Importance of Knowing God
- [11:29] - True Knowledge of God
- [13:00] - The Limitations of Human Wisdom
- [20:26] - The Inadequacy of Human Approaches
- [24:02] - God's Active Involvement
- [49:12] - Reconciliation Through Christ
- [57:35] - Conclusion and Call to Faith
Study Guide
Bible Study Discussion Guide
Bible Reading:
- 2 Corinthians 5:18-19
- Romans 8:7
- Ephesians 4:18
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Observation Questions:
1. According to 2 Corinthians 5:18-19, what role does Jesus Christ play in the ministry of reconciliation? How does this passage describe God's action in reconciliation? [00:31]
2. In the sermon, how does the speaker describe the world's current state and its impact on our perception of life and death? [02:28]
3. What does the sermon suggest is the primary way people come to know God "after the flesh," and why is this considered inadequate? [11:29]
4. How does the speaker describe the transformation that occurs through regeneration or rebirth, according to the sermon? [06:12]
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Interpretation Questions:
1. How does the concept of reconciliation through Christ challenge or affirm your understanding of God's nature and His relationship with humanity? [49:12]
2. The sermon mentions that many people know God only "after the flesh." What might be some modern examples of this, and how can they lead to a distorted view of God? [11:29]
3. In what ways does the sermon suggest that true knowledge of God is transformative? How does this transformation affect one's view of life and death? [06:12]
4. How does the sermon describe God's active involvement in the world, and what implications does this have for how we live our lives? [24:02]
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Application Questions:
1. Reflect on your current understanding of God. Do you find that it is more influenced by tradition, philosophy, or revelation through Scripture? How can you seek a deeper, more transformative knowledge of God this week? [11:29]
2. The sermon emphasizes facing life's uncertainties with confidence in our eternal home with God. How can you cultivate this confidence in your daily life, especially when faced with challenges or fears? [03:19]
3. Consider a time when you experienced a significant change in perspective or understanding about God. How did this transformation impact your relationship with Him and others? [06:12]
4. The sermon challenges us to see God as actively involved in our lives. Can you identify a recent situation where you felt God's presence or guidance? How did it affect your actions or decisions? [24:02]
5. Reconciliation through Christ is described as a transformative reality. How can you actively participate in this ministry of reconciliation in your community or relationships? [49:12]
6. The sermon suggests that knowing God through revelation is essential. What steps can you take to prioritize Scripture and prayer in your daily routine to deepen your understanding of God? [33:21]
7. How can you apply the concept of regeneration or rebirth in your life to gain a new perspective on yourself, others, and God? What specific changes might you need to make to align with this new perspective? [06:12]
Devotional
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Quotes
The great Apostle is giving his own experience, and he is showing that though he is buffeted and persecuted and tried and so on, that he is not Disturbed. Indeed, he says that even if he were to be put to death, if the Earthly House of this his Tabernacle were dissolved, he's still all right. He's not troubled because he knows that he has a building of God and house not made with hens Eternal in the heavens. [00:01:29]
Christianity not only enables us to live in this world, it enables us to face death. It teaches us about the world to come. If ever there was a need of the preaching of the Gospel, it is today. Thank God that in this world as it is tonight, there comes this message, the only message that enables us to face that last question, that final event, that ultimate fact which none of us can ever evade. [00:05:07]
The way to come to this position is to undergo that profound revolutionary change which is called regeneration or the rebirth. If any man is in Christ, as the Apostle, he is a new creature, a new creation. Old things are passed away; behold, all things have become new. Now then, that's my first proposition. [00:06:07]
A Christian is a new man. He's got a new mind, new outlook, new everything. He sees everything in a different way. He's changed, not the circumstances which he faces. And what we're doing is to work out the ways in which this man's outlook is entirely revolutionized and changed. [00:06:43]
There are no shortcuts in this spiritual life. That's why I'm taking these things one by one. We've got to take this view as it is given us here, and it is essential, therefore, that there should be an entire change and revolution in our view of God. Oh, the importance of all this, my dear friend. [00:08:47]
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. Now, what we need is wisdom, isn't it? Knowledge, understanding, wisdom. What is wisdom? Well, the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, it says the Bible. Look here, we can save you a lot of trouble. If you don't start with God, you'll never arrive at true wisdom with regard to life in this world. [00:09:44]
There are only two possible knowledge forms of knowledge of God. I use the term that is used by the Apostle. There is a so-called knowledge of God which is after the Flesh, and there is this other true knowledge of God which is after the spirit, the Christian knowledge of God. [00:11:09]
The Christian always says about his knowledge of God is that it is something that he has received, not something that he's arrived at, something that he has received, something that has been given. See, that's why we call this God's book, God revealing himself. The first thing the Christian says is this: by definition, a man can never arrive at a knowledge of God. [00:33:06]
God has chosen to reveal himself, and I believe in God, and I am what I am because of God's revelation. Now, can't you see that there is a division here at the very beginning? You see, a man who says, well, now what I believe about God is what I read in the newspaper, what I hear the gentleman saying on the brain stress, what the philosophers are saying, what the scientists are saying. [00:34:28]
God is the judge of the whole earth. God hasn't made the world and then turned his back upon it. God is watching it very carefully. All things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do. God knows everything about every one of us. He knows not only our secret actions but our secret thoughts. [00:47:08]
God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself. My dear friend, I don't know what I'd be like this evening if I didn't believe this. This is my only hope. This was the thing that enabled Paul to speak as he does. This is the only thing that ever enables anybody to say if the Earthly House of my Tabernacle were to dissolve, I know that I have a building of God and house not made with hens Eternal in the heavens. [00:49:20]
God was in Christ, you see, it pled it away back before even the creation of the world, the way to save. What is he doing? Well, according to Paul writing to the Ephesians, what he is doing is this: let me read these magnificent words to you in Ephesians 1:10, that in the dispensation of the fullness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are and on Earth, even in him. [00:51:15]
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