Good Friday

RECONCILIATION

On this Good Friday morning I would like to speak about reconciliation sometimes we think about a reconciliation of convenience or even temporary reconciliation to achieve a purpose.

Maybe a couple have drifted apart and they might go to Relate or somewhere like that to work out a reconciliation, perhaps one or the other has done something wrong that the other can’t forgive  they sometimes cite irreconcilable differences, or there might be a greater reason to make peace say for the sake of the children for example, or money or belongings etc.

Or maybe two countries that are at war with each other will join together to fight a third country whom they hate more.

Or there could be two sides in an industrial dispute that need to go to ACAS to be reconciled.

In all these examples someone somewhere has to make serious compromises even if it is just for a period of time and something they are not totally comfortable with, and quite often some demands are made and conditions laid down to achieve a so called “peace.”

Easter is about reconciliation our reconciliation to God, you cannot imagine two such opposing sides an Holy God and sinful mankind, but with this reconciliation there is no compromise, no demands, no conditions.

Romans5 vs.6 ¶  For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.

7  For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die.

8  But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

9  Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.

10  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.

 

God sent the judgement for all our sin to be poured out upon His only Son so that we could escape His judgement. Jesus paid the price by shedding His precious blood at Calvary so that we could be reconciled to God. God didn’t sweep our sin under the carpet, or say it didn’t matter or that He would deal with it later He completely once and for all dealt with it through the death of His Lovely Son.

Our sin is taken away forever we sometimes sing-

 

 My sin O the bliss of this glorious thought,

 my sin not in part but the whole

 is nailed to His cross and I bear it no more

 praise the Lord praise the Lord O my soul.

 

So you can see that there is a great significance to Good Friday and although it sounds gruesome it is in fact the greatest demonstration of God’s love, He wanted so much to be reconciled to us that He sent His Son.

I am sure most of us have received some sort of gift this Easter whether an egg or a plant but we can receive the greatest gift of all reconciliation with God  through the death of His Son.

So Repent and put your faith in Him to receive this great gift.

 

Colossians 1vs.20 And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven.

21 And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled

22  In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight:

 

That is how great this reconciliation is.