Repentance Leads to Renewal, Reconciliation and A Renewed Commitment – Part 2

One of the benefits of reconciliation is it leads to forgiveness. It can become background noise in a life filled with complacency. We must remember what Christ had to go through to reconcile us to Him. We should never take our salvation for granted. Being that we are reconciled unto God, it is each one of our mission to reconcile others to Christ as well. Let’s take a look at II Corinthians 5:17-21

5:17) “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” I thank God that he has chosen me to be His child. I thank God for a new heart, a new life. I can now put on the mind of Christ. I don’t have to fall back into sin, and I can continuously move forward in this new life, a new way of living with God and for Him. We should be progressing in the things of God and not regressing, stuck, or at a standstill. Have you removed yourself from the place you should be, and you now long to be there? You don’t know how to get back to that place. If we are aware that we are in this place, then it’s up to us to get up, ask for help, and get back to the place God has entrusted us with.

5:18) Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, We have been given the ministry of reconciliation. This is the work believers have been given to do and the message they declare to others. You can have a restored relationship with God through Jesus. God has reconciled us to himself in the Messiah. He did it for me, and He can do it for you too. God has given us a responsibility, a work of making peace between himself and others. We share the mystery of the faith with them. Those that we interact with are, to tell the truth. We are to share this message of hope, the forgiveness of sin, and restoration, and it is available to all in Christ and Christ alone.

5:19) that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation. This is a gift from God, who brought us back to Himself through Jesus. We thank God for the gift of repentance, reconciliation, and Jesus! Blessed is the one against whom the Lord will not count (or not “reckon”) his sin. Again, Paul is making the point that God’s decision to not count the sins that we are guilty of against us is a gift of His grace. Paul rejects any idea that we somehow pay off our own sins by doing good works to balance them out. We can’t do enough good works even if we want to. Jesus has paid it all on the cross. That’s the beauty of it all. We don’t have to. All we have to do is obey God.

5:20) Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God. Reconciliation is focused on restoring broken relationships between God, ourselves, and one another. Be ye reconciled with one another. Fix it, get it right, and humble yourself.

5:21) For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. My sins have been imputed upon Jesus, He knew no sin and because of Jesus, I am the righteousness of God. I am in the right standing with God. Thank God for Jesus. I am clean, I have been purged, and I have gotten rid of those things that have impeded my relationship with God by repenting. Thank God for another chance.

II Corinthians 4:16) “Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, the inward man is being renewed day by day.” Thank you, Lord, for newness in life. Thank God that we are being renewed day by day. God is a keeper!

I John 1:9) “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” When I confess, I am being reconciled back to God over and over again. Thank you, Jesus! God is faithful to cleanse us and purify us from all unrighteousness. Thank God for His faithfulness, thank God for the cleansing and washing of us with His Word. God’s Word is all about the forgiveness we have through Christ’s death on the cross and being reconciled to God.

Reconciliation brings forgiveness and restoration. God is pleased with us as we continue on this journey of faith, with an attitude of repentance. Thank God for the gift of renewal, reconciliation, and refreshing. Let’s take a look at Ephesians: 4:17-19, 22-32.

4:17) This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind, We are not to do the things of the world. Yes, I know it looks, fun, it looks innocent, it looks like it won’t hurt me but don’t be deceived by the deception of the enemy. We can’t go through life thinking that there will not be any consequences to the things we do or don’t do. To the things we say or don’t say. I no longer have to live the way I used to live. I no longer have to do those ungodly things I used to do. I no longer have to think the way I used to think.

4:18) “having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart;” As children of God, we know that the world can’t understand the things of God because they do not have His spirit. They are strangers and enemies of God, but we want to be friends with them. We can’t be friends with the world. They think that they are wise but they are ignorant. We can’t look at them and think they are getting away with anything because their day is coming. Their minds are darkened, and their hearts are blinded. They can’t see what is before them. We can thank God that we are not alienated from God and our hearts are not blinded. We are not ignorant of the devices of the enemy, his schemes, his ways. We are also not ignorant of those things that we like that don’t please the Lord.

4:19) “who, being past feeling, have given themselves over to lewdness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.” In their spiritual apathy, they have become callous and past feeling reckless and have abandoned themselves as prey to unbridled sensuality, eager and greedy to indulge in every form of impurity that their depraved desires may suggest and demand. They don’t even have control anymore because they have yielded their bodies to the devil. They have a continual lust for more evil and wickedness.

4:22) “that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts,” We have put off our old ways, old mindsets, and desires. Like the song says I won’t go back to the way it was yesterday. Tell somebody I am not going back, tell the devil I am not going back, tell yourself you are not going back. Self I am not going back.

4:23) “And be renewed in the spirit of your mind,” We are to be constantly renewed in the spirit of our minds and have a fresh mental and spiritual attitude. Continuously! There is no stopping this process of our minds being renewed. God desires to show us something new in His word.

4:24) “And that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.” Put on the new nature the regenerate self-created in God’s image; Godlike in true righteousness and holiness.

4:25) “Therefore, putting away lying, “Let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor,” for we are members of one another.” We must reject all falsity and lies, and be done with it now. Let everyone express the truth with his neighbor, for we are all parts of one body and members one of another. Just tell the truth.

4:26) “Be angry, and do not sin”: do not let the sun go down on your wrath,” When angry, do not sin; do not ever let your wrath, your exasperation, your fury, or indignation last until the sun goes down. I heard one preacher say you have until 5:59 PM to get it right. Don’t go to sleep with that anger in your heart.

4:27) “Nor give place to the devil.” Don’t leave any place, no room, no area in your life, no foothold for the devil. Don’t give him an opportunity to move in.

4:28) “Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need.” Work for what you want and stop stealing. We are to make an honest living and it’s not just for us and our families. It is for those who have a need also. We don’t have to scheme and manipulate to get what we want.

4:29) “Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers.” We always like to look at curse words but when I gossip, slander, speak down to, criticize to harm, ridicule, and exaggerate, I am speaking corrupt communication. We are to speak edification to one another. Yes, there will be times of correction through our words but we will use words of grace so they will hear us.

4:30) “And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.” Every time we sin we grieve the Holy Spirit and we become separated from God until we repent. Are you tired of going in circles with the same sin that so easily besets you? We are drawn away of our own lusts. Get rid of all wickedness and evil thoughts in your mind. You have the power to stop it within you.

4:31) “Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice.” Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor [perpetual animosity, resentment, strife, fault-finding] and slander be put away from you, along with every kind of malice [all spitefulness, verbal abuse, malevolence. We should not intentionally harm others with our anger. I am not speaking to you, don’t talk to me. Grow up, saints.

4:32) “And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.” Be kind and helpful to one another, tender-hearted, compassionate, understanding, forgiving one another, [readily and freely], just as God in Christ also forgave you. As we are reconciled to one another, we are reconciled to God. We come back to one another, and I treat you as if the offense never happened.

Because I have been reconciled with God, I don’t have to yield my members to do any of these things. Think back to when you first got saved and how you were on fire for the Lord. Think back to when you were so excited to be in ministry. You were committed to the cause. “I am committed to the cause of Christ, and nothing can separate me from the love of God.  For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:38-39

I was tearing up some old papers, and as I was looking at some of them. I was witnessing to people everywhere I went. I took my bible to work, and my coworkers at the time were asking me questions, and I was answering them. The Bible informs and instructs us that aligning and recalibrating ourselves to God’s will begins in the heart (Proverbs 3:5-6): “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.” We have to trust God in all things.

I Corinthians 15:58, “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.” Your labor for the Lord is not in vain.  We are to always be abounding in the things of God. Spiritually strong, unwavering, and firmly committed to God despite our hardships or trials. Repentance leads to Renewal, Reconciliation, and a Renewed Commitment to the Lord. We come out of this season with a renewed sense of recommitment to the Lord.