Good morning and welcome in today. Today we’re going to look at some scripture from Matthew chapter 5. We’re going to talk about how God commands reconciliation in the church.
Matt 5:23-24
23 Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee;
24 Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.
Before you bring an offering to the church or put money in the offering plate or offering bag, and you remember that somebody is upset with you or that they have something against you because you have wronged them, you are supposed to go make up with them first before you bring your gift.
We’re going to talk about reconciliation today.
The word reconciliation means to restore relationships between people. Reconciliation is ultimately the end of estrangement caused by original sin between God and humanity. When somebody is estranged, it means you are no longer close or affectionate to somebody else. You are alienated.
When you are estranged from a wife or a husband, you are no longer living with each other. Estrangement means a loss of former closeness and affection for each other. The closest relationship that I think you’re going to have on this Earth is with your spouse because you are married to them and you become one flesh with each other. A marriage is not something that your mother can share, or your dad, your siblings, or other relatives.
Marriage is referred to as holy matrimony. When you get married, the two of you belong to each other. It’s the closest relationship that you’re going to have while here upon the Earth. The truth is that God does not want estrangement, with Him, or between us in a marriage or in the church.
The truth is that God wants reconciliation. The reason why I say that is because that’s what He does for us through Christ Jesus and his Mercy. It’s referred to as a Ministry of reconciliation. We are no longer a estranged from God, but we are reconciled unto him. We are in a renewed relationship with Him while in the past we were at enmity with him.
This is why it’s so important to be reconciled with other people in the church whom you have wronged. The only way that is going to happen is if you sincerely make up with them and if they truly forgive you from their heart.
One of the dictionaries that I have says that estranged means the loss of affection or a turning away from somebody else. When a couple separates we often refer to them as being estranged. As a Christian we are no longer estranged from God. We are brought back to Him through what Jesus did for us at the cross. That’s why Christ demands that we be reconciled with others whom we have wronged in the church. We are all sinners who have wronged God, but yet Christ reconciles us to God through His mercy. That’s why you have to be merciful with others or He will not be merciful with you.
He demands reconciliation to others before you bring him a gift in the church. If you can’t do that, how can you really claim Christianity as your faith? Reconciliation is everything that Christ stands for! If you cannot reconcile with others, forgiveness never really happened in your heart.
Some synonyms for the word estranged means to alienate, to divorce or to separate. Estrangement is something that God does not want to happen in the church or in marriages. If you really believe that, you are believing a lie. God desires is reconciliation.
I think reconciliation happens when you realize that you’re just a big a sinner as everybody else. Knowing how much God has forgiven us, you learn to be forgiving and patient with others faults. You learn how to forgive others from your heart. That is the heart of Christ.
reconciliation requires that you’re capable of saying I’m sorry in admitting fault. It also requires that a person forgives as Christ has forgiven them. True forgiveness will forget the past and it’s events has God forgets our past and cast them behind his back. That’s why reconciliation is so important to God.
A lot of people can’t do that in the church because even after people apologize, they still harbor feelings of resentment and bitterness. They simply do not want to forget the past and reconcile. That is a false gospel that is being preached in the world today. It’s being said there’s no need to reconcile with others that you have wronged. That goes completely contrary to what Christ taught.
You have to realize, that 1 sin in your life is enough to have your cast away from God’s presence in the Kingdom of Heaven. When God forgives us, He doesn’t hold any resentment or bitterness towards us. What happens is we begin a new relationship with Him. It happens through the kindness of his grace and forgiveness. When you forgive others, reconciliation must happen. If it doesn’t, it’s just a false form of Grace.
The Lord teaches,…
Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee;
24 Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.
Before you even bring an offering to the church, you are supposed to first be reconciled to a brother whom you have wronged.
When something is first, it means coming before all others in time or order. It means the earliest. It is formost in position, rank or importance. Reconciliation is first in importance to God with others that you have wronged. He wants us to be friends. He wants us to have relationships with each other again. He wants us to forgive each other. He wants us to forget the past mistakes that we have made.
Christianity is based on the cross of Christ who died for our sins. If you don’t understand reconciliation and forgiveness you are missing the entirety of Christianity.
Another dictionary says first means coming before all others in time or order. It is the earliest thing to do. It is the most important thing and preceding all others. With that in mind, how do you think the Lord Jesus Christ feels about reconciliation? He says first be reconciled to thy brother.
Reconciliation is rejoining the relationship that you had with somebody in the past. It’s like something never happened that had kept you apart. Reconciliation is the process of bringing people back together and to be in a friendly relationship once again.
There are many examples of this in the Holy scriptures.
Luke 15:11-32
The Lord Jesus teaches a parable about the Prodigal Son who left home and wasted all of his inheritance that had been given to him by his dad.
Later on he admitted his thoughts to his dad. This is what we’re supposed to do.
1 John 1:9
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Confession is a part of reconciliation.
The son told his dad that he was no longer worthy to be called his son. Immediately when he admitted that, the father reconciled the son to himself and completely forgave him.
If the father hadn’t reconciled with the son, they would never have had dinner together, or had a celebration together with him. Those things are called reconciliation.
In the parable of the Prodigal Son you can see confession, admission of fault, forgiveness, and Reconciliation. Anybody who cannot see these things happening are missing the entirety of the Christian faith.
The prodigal sons brother was angry, unforgiving and unmerciful.
If you study the story of Joseph you will understand about reconciliation. The book of Philemon in the scriptures is also about reconciliation. The Apostle Paul knew that there was a change in the slave’s heart and Paul was a part of that reconciliation process. It’s bringing two people together after they’ve been estranged.
Reconciliation can happen after you admit the truth of the wrongs that you have committed, when you admit the truth of how you’ve hurt somebody else, and when you apologize to them sincerely.
They also have to forgive you and admit their own faults back to you and apologize. It can be a two-fold project.
The truth is, reconciliation is taking a look back at the moment in your life when you were both friends and in a happy relationship, things were going great, and then start from that point in your life and find out what went wrong and work it out.
You need to work on forgiving each other and apologizing for what happened. The prodigal son left home, took his inheritance and walked off on his dad. That was the point in which he had turned away to do his own thing. Later on through reconciliation he came right back to the point that he had left.
Reconciliation is so important to God that he demands that you do it first before you even bring an offering unto Him in the church. He doesn’t want your money. He doesn’t want your possessions. He does not want your gifts. He wants people to kiss and make up with each other. He wants people to forgive and reconcile. He wants people to forgive the past as he does.
A Christian professes to be in a reconciled relationship with God the Father. How can you profess Christianity, but not be reconciled to a brother you have wronged? How can you be reconciled without true forgiveness? How can you be reconciled without Mercy in your heart? Without reconcilliation there is nothing left but a bitter, resentful, hardhearted person.
Ephesians 4:32
32 And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.
If if somebody confesses and says I’m sorry for what I did and you can’t forgive them, God is not going to forgive you. God does not dangle forgiveness in front of us like that. He freely forgives.
Corinthians 5:18
And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation;
People who do not understand reconciliation really do not understand forgiveness or the ministry that God gave the apostles.
Romans 5:10
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.
Colossians 1:20
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.
Luke 17:3-4
3 Take heed to yourselves: If thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him.
4 And if he trespass against thee seven times in a day, and seven times in a day turn again to thee, saying, I repent; thou shalt forgive him.
Repentance or confessing your sins to God is simply to admit that you were wrong and in error by what you did. God doesn’t demand a changed life before he forgives you, otherwise salvation would be by works instead of by His grace.
Our verse teaches us today that you are supposed to be reconciled to a brother first before bringing God a gift. Maybe you have a lot of money and want to do something good with what you have, but God requires that you first be reconciled to a brother in the church. God wants us to be merciful as He is merciful.
Hosea 6:6
For I desired mercy, and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.
Matthew 9:13
But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.
Psalm 40:6
Sacrifice and offering thou didst not desire; mine ears hast thou opened: burnt offering and sin offering hast thou not required.
God wants us to be merciful. That is what leads to reconciliation. God i
Doesn’t want anybody to perish, but that all come to repentance.
2nd Peter 3:9
The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
Psalm 51:16
For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it: thou delightest not in burnt offering.
God ultimately wants us to love one another and to be forgiving with each other. He wants us to reconcile with each other again, as He does with us. He does not want estrangement, He wants us to show mercy to each other, forgetting what’s behind.
Without these things in the Christian life, you are missing the entire Christian faith.
How difficult does God make it for you when you say the Lord’s Prayer and ask him to forgive you of your tresspasses? After all it’s the Lord’s prayer that he taught his disciples.
How difficult do you make it for other people? If you do not forgive you are not going to be forgiven by God. If you cannot kiss and make-up then you’re missing the truth of what Jesus taught.
God does not want a gift from you unless you can love others from your heart and makeup and forgive. After all, this is what he does for us.
Think on those things for today and Lord willing we’ll talk to you some more tomorrow.. till then bye-bye everybody.
Teufer Lake King James Bible Church 