Sermon: God for Us

Take our passage for this afternoon from Second Corinthians in chapter five and just the very beginning of verse 18

in Corinthians chapter five, verse 18. Really the first clause of it

all, this is from God who through Christ reconciled us to himself.

All this is from God who through Christ reconciled us to himself.

There are different holidays on which we, we give each other gifts. Uh, good Friday, not so much. Um, mother's Day is an example of such a holiday where gifts are given, uh, it is a great holiday, great gifts or other holidays in which we don't give gifts. Father's Day, for example, uh, there's sometimes there's a box and there's wrapping paper on it, but usually it's let's find something with dad's money and buy it for him.

That makes us laugh at Dad. Not exactly a gift. It's nice to receive, uh, any gifts, but the gifts that really hit home and that matter are gifts, especially where they meet a given need and especially when that need is great, that makes them especially meaningful. Today, what we are celebrating, what we've gathered here in this place for, and uh, what we're doing yet again another year, is that we're reflecting upon the greatest gift

that we have ever or ever shall receive. And it's because of the greatest need that we have. I wanna look at that just a little bit here this afternoon. What's the need? What's implied in the gift given? He tells us that the gift that we have received is the gift of reconciliation. And if there is a gift of reconciliation, that implies that there is a need for reconciliation because there is a conflict. And if there is a conflict, the inference is, is

that there are at least two parties that are engaged in a conflict with one another, and so therefore there is a conflict and there is the need for reconciliation of that conflict. Well, who is the conflict between? Well, he tells us, says, God has reconciled us to himself.

Here's the need and here's the gifts, the greatest of gifts.

It surprises, I think many to hear that they are in conflict with God.

I think if you asked the average person on the street today, on the Easter weekend and you asked them and you said it, what is it that you think about God? What? When you think of God, what do you think about God? And I think if they were honest, the average person would say, well, I don't think a lot about God, But when I do think about God, I think good thoughts about God. I have positive thoughts about him.

But that's contrary to what the scriptures tell you. And I, Paul says in Romans eight, for the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God. The old word there is enmity. There is a, a hatred towards God. And what the scriptures are arguing is that every single one of us as a child of Adam born into this world, every single one of us is born into this world at enmity against God. James will say it this way, do you not know that friendship

with the world is enmity with God? Therefore, whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. He's our enemy. When you are born in this world, you are not in a neutral relationship with your maker. You're absolutely not in a good relationship with your maker. It's one of hostility. Why 'cause of our sin.

We often talk about sin in slight ways and uh, with very little kind of heart palpitations as we talk about it, but you realize that sin is cosmic rebellion. It's an attempt by us. Every sin that we commit, it's an attempt by us to dethrone God and to place ourself in his place, us for God.

So there is enmity.

There's the need for reconciliation. The greatest of gifts are gifts that meet the greatest of needs. And this is such a gift, but it's not just the greatest of gifts because of the need, but because of the giver of this gift. Paul says, all this is from God. What is the all this? Well, he has just finished speaking about it in verse 17. The all is the work of new creation. If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.

The old is gone, the new has come. New life, new creation, new existence, new relationship,

and all of this is a gift.

Remember, as a small child on another holiday where you get gifts, the greatest of holidays where you give gifts Christmas. Remember, as a small child, I would get that stack of presents would be set before me and regularly I would turn to those gifts and I can remember on multiple, multiple occasions where I'm ripping through the paper and trying to get into the box and throwing the paper over my shoulder, my mom saying, but,

but who's it from?

Stop. You have to read who's it from. It matters who it is from all of this. Paul says, all of this is from God. All this reconciliation, all this new life, all of this new creation, all of this is from God. It's not achieved, it's not procured, it's not taken, it's not even demanded. It's all from God. The greatest of gifts has been given to meet the greatest of needs by the greatest of givers. God, how well notice that this greatest gift meeting our greatest

of needs from the greatest of givers is through the greatest of sacrifices. He says, all this is from God through Christ.

The gift that has given to you and I that that we think upon on a, on a good Friday, it's the most costliest of gifts.

A father who has eternally loved the son and has eternally dwelt with him. The the father sends the son into the world and he sends the son into the world that that he might procure for him. Those who are his,

The son, he comes into the world willingly, became flesh. The creator adorned himself with creatureliness

and he walks through this world and you heard it multiple times in the texts that were read. He is insulted. You and I when we are insulted, oh, it stokes all kinds of fires in us. How dare someone say that to me? And yet they could say a thousand times worse than they haven't even touched on my iniquity and my sin. They insulted him and there was nothing bad in him. There was nothing evil in him. They mocked him as we read this morning.

They slapped him,

they scoured him. They beat him with their fists. They whipped him. They crowned him with a crown of thorns and they put nails through his hands and then they mocked him even at the foot of the cross

casting lots for his garments. As was read this morning,

the Lord of Glory

and all this because the sons, the father sent him, but it, it wasn't just that the father sent him, the son willingly came to live so that he might die.

He said, I lay down my life that I may take it up again. He says, I came not to be served but to serve and to give my life as a ransom. For many. He willingly, willingly goes to the cross.

God gave through Christ and Christ gave himself his greatest gift, meeting our greatest of needs from the greatest giver through the greatest of sacrifices through Christ.

He sang that line just a few minutes ago.

Thus, might I hide my blushing face while his dear cross appears, dissolve my heart and thankfulness and melt my eyes and tears?

How does that not afflict the heart and stab the eyes with tears?

Just think through this just a little bit more in a sister passage to this in Colossians one 19 through 20, Paul says this, for in him meaning Christ, for in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell and through him to reconcile same word, to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross. Again, the gift reconciliation again through Christ. But note how the passage begins, he says,

for in him meaning Christ, for in Him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell. It's not a only that the Father sent the son, there's an insoluble union between God, the Father and God, the Son

and him. The fullness of God was pleased to dwell.

As we will confess, the Son is very God of very God. Light of light. And it is this mysterious unity of the Father and the Son, which provides for the possibility of God as one theologian said for God at wants to endure and to inflict penal suffering,

penal meaning punishment for God to save us, to reconcile to himself, to do so completely, to do so fully. To do so sufficiently sin had to be paid for our cosmic rebellion. It had to be paid for. The offense had to be taken away, the guilt had to be carried, and it had to be more than a mere man suffering. And yet it had to be a man suffering because it was our sin. In so God, God gave this great gift in the only way

that he possibly could. He gave himself,

he chose to substitute himself for us

both to inflict and to endure the penal suffering.

The this gift of reconciliation. God flipped the script.

Think about it like this. In sin, we substituted ourselves for God and salvation. God substitutes himself for us.

The great defense causing this conflict, us substituting ourselves for God, The great gift of securing our salvation. God substituting himself for us

greatest of gifts, meeting our greatest of needs from the greatest giver through the greatest of sacrifices. It's the greatest act of love.

Can't be surpassed. Amazing love. How can it be thou, my God should die for me

to be reconciled to this God, all you have to do is receive the gift. It's just reception. It's not procured, it's not done through your effort. It's just reception.

If you've received Christ, then you have to know today your punishment has been endured. The punishment for your sin has been endured. You're never punished. Christ bore the punishment for your sin and you have complete, full finished peace with God can no more be taken away and Christ can be kicked off of his throat. It's yours. Let's pray.

God, we are amazed.

You are a giver of such a costly and good gift That you would reconcile rebels like us, that you would do so

the most giving of sacrifices. Greatest act of love that could ever occur that you gave yourself for mere creatures such as us.

Uh, we pray that there would not be a soul in this room that does not one know this gift and have received it. And second, not dwell in the complete peace and reconciliation that is enjoyed as a result of it. Truly, it is amazing love we give you praise and thanksgiving. You a good giver. The greatest of gifts. We pray this in the strong name of Christ. Amen.