Passover Pictures Reconciliation

Well, brethren, once again we are closing in on the Passover for this year. It's just a few short weeks away. And hopefully as God's people we've begun our focus and turned our attention towards it. Hopefully we've begun the self-examination process that Mr. Light delved into for us here a couple of weeks ago. I thought his sermon was very good in helping to get us started on that path. We need to understand what it is that God wants us to learn in our spiritual lives, not just at the Passover but every day of the year.

But as we do approach the Passover, it is time for us to stop and reflect, consider the sacrifice that was made on our account, and to look into God's Word and see, perhaps, where it is that we fall short. Look into our own lives deeply and consider where is it that I can make up ground moving forward. We can't do anything about the past, honestly, but repent where we fall short and sin. But moving forward is always a new day and it's a new opportunity to put God first and to grow. So in that way, I would say as we come up the Passover, it's almost like a reset. We examine ourselves and we see what it is we need to charge forward with in renewal this year. And so hopefully we've been doing that. In Passover is a time when we focus very directly on the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.

When we come into the service, we actually partake of the symbols of the bread and then the wine. The bread portraying Jesus Christ's bruised body that was given for us. The wine, which is the blood of the covenant, which was shed for the remission of our sins. As we're in the Passover service, we consider the, honestly, sometimes the gruesome details of what it is that Jesus Christ suffered through and what he actually had to endure on account of our sin. And so, brethren, as we approach the Passover for this year, I have a question for us. And that is, when you consider the sacrifice of Jesus Christ and what it means to you personally, what specifically comes to mind? Again, when you consider Christ's sacrifice for you, what specifically comes to mind? If you were to say that the sacrifice of Jesus Christ made it possible for your sins to be forgiven, you would be correct.

That's an important aspect of that sacrifice. If you were to say that the sacrifice saved you from the penalty of death, our sins are forgiven, were bought back, were redeemed from the death penalty under the blood of Jesus Christ. If that is what comes to mind, you would be correct also. It's another major part of the aspect of the Passover that we focus on. Romans 6, verse 23, we know it very well, but it says that the wages of sin is death. A wage is something that you earn for your efforts. If you have a job, you go out, you put in your time, you work for your employer, and you receive a wage. It's the payment for the efforts that you put forward that day. The wages of sin is death. It's the payment that we've earned for the actions unto sin. And yet, the Scripture goes on to say that the gift of God is eternal life in Jesus Christ our Lord. And so God's mercy and God's blessing and grace, then, that He is willing to pour out upon us is what comes as a result of coming under that sacrifice. So yes, again, these points of Jesus Christ died for me so that my sins could be forgiven so I could be bought back from the death penalty.

Those are important things for us to consider. But is there something more? You know, in this world, oftentimes, we hear people say readily, you know, Jesus saved me. Or I've been saved. But what exactly does that mean? To what end have you been saved? Brethren, is there something more that we need to consider in addition to just simply the fact that our sins have been forgiven? I believe that there is. It is true that Jesus Christ died for us, again, so that our sins could be forgiven and we could be saved. That is a Biblical truth. But the question we need to ask and answer is to what end? Why did He die for us? Why must our sins be forgiven? Because if we don't answer those questions, I believe we can start to look at the Passover as being about Jesus Christ only. That He's the only focus. That He's the only purpose or the only intent of that event. And you know, that's simply not the case. Now, Jesus Christ is central and specific to the Passover, specific to our salvation. And so, I in no way want to belittle that. We need to hold that standard and that understanding up very high. But, brethren, the Passover is ultimately about what God is doing through Jesus Christ. The ultimate end is what God is doing through Jesus Christ. The focus is on them both. Yes, Christ was offered on account of sin, but it was the Father who offered Him up in accordance with His will, with His purpose, and what it is You is fulfilling in the lives of each and every one of us. This time of the year, we often go back to Exodus 12, and we read about when God brought Israel out of Egypt.

And if you go through Exodus 12, you see the Passover lined out as it occurred during that event. And what we remember is the Passover land was killed. The blood was put on the doorposts. The destroyer passed over. God did not strike the firstborn of Egypt who came under—or Israel—who came under that blood. But, as we know, the firstborn of Egypt died. Now, the question is, was the Passover of Exodus 12 only about the sacrifice? Was it only about the lamb that was slaughtered? Was it only about the blood? Or was it not primarily about what God was doing to bring His people out of bondage from Egypt, delivering them, in one sense, reconciling them to Himself so that He could be their God and they could be His people? The Passover, again of Exodus 12, was about what God was doing first and foremost. Now, what God was doing included the use of the sacrifice. It included the blood to fulfill His purpose, but we can't dismiss the fact that what God was doing was specific to His will and His plan. The New Covenant Passover also portrays what God is doing to fulfill His will through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. They are both essential elements to that event. Again, if we just say, the Lord saved me, and that is an end unto itself, then we don't recognize the fullest intent and purpose why God sent Jesus Christ to be a sacrifice for us. Ultimately, it was to then fulfill what it is that the Father intended and purpose for you and I. Why did God send His Son as a sacrifice? Why must our sins be forgiven? What is God doing, and to what end? I believe the answer lies in the fact that God desires all mankind to be reconciled to Him. God desires all mankind to be reconciled to Him. The Passover points to the fact that Jesus died not only so that our sins could be forgiven, but so they could be forgiven for the purpose of then reconciling us in relationship with God. Passover pictures reconciliation in a very dramatic way. Let's go to Matthew chapter 27. Matthew 27 will look at the death of Jesus Christ. Just a couple of short verses.

In Matthew chapter 27 and verse 50, we come to the point where the Messiah is hanging on the cross, just about to give up His last breath. And let's take a look at the events that happened surrounding that. Matthew chapter 27 and verse 50. Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and yielded up His Spirit. He died. It says, Then, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. That veil, which was in the temple that separated the holy place from the holy of holies, was torn in two. The holy of holies and the tabernacle in the wilderness in Solomon's temple was where God's presence dwelt personally with His people. And as you recall, the high priest could not go behind that veil except once a year on the Day of Atonement and not without blood. If anybody were to cross that threshold, they would die. So now we have at the death of Jesus Christ, that temple veil torn in two from top to bottom. It points us to the fact that reconciliation to God is now available through the blood of Jesus Christ. A direct relationship. You can come directly into the presence of the Father. When we go before Him on our knees in prayer, as Mr. Imes discussed in the first message today, we come to the Father through Jesus Christ in His name. It is by His authority we can, in that sense, pass through that veil and have access directly to the throne of the Father. So again, brethren, the New Covenant Passover is about reconciliation.

It portrays what God is doing to fulfill His will through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.

Both the Father and the Son are essential elements to that event. The need for the Passover and that sacrifice actually came about, and it began with Satan. Satan rebelled. He introduced sin into the world, and then he brought it into this world through the influence of the first man and woman. Satan the devil, we know the story. If you go back to the early part of Genesis, he laid weight in the Garden of Eden to spread the infection of sin into the lives of mankind. And in doing so, a breach in relationship was created. A breach between mankind and their Creator, God. We know the story, so we won't turn there, but when you go back on your own and read through the first parts of Genesis, what you're going to see is that Adam and Eve's sin created an environment where the relationship with God was no longer what it could have been. After sin, they were kicked out of the Garden of Eden. They were denied access to the Tree of Life. Again, that close relationship and that relationship that could have been with God would not be the same. From that point on, the consequence of sin has plagued mankind's relationship with God in a very personal and a very direct way, all down through the ages. Let's go to Isaiah 59. Isaiah 59, it shows us the devastating consequences that sin has and the breach that is created between man and their Creator, God. Isaiah 59, beginning in verse 1, it says, Behold, the Lord's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save, nor is his ear heavy, that it cannot hear. God is all-powerful, and sometimes people wonder, well, where is God in this world? Why isn't he stopping or taking care of all the things that are going on, all the havoc that mankind has created? It says, you know, his hand is not shortened, his ear is not heavy, that he cannot hear. God does have the power to do what it is that he desires. But verse 2 says, But your iniquities have separated you from your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear. Sin is the stumbling block between mankind and God. It erects a wall of separation between us, because the Holy Righteous God is not content to dwell in an intimate relationship with sin and death.

And so as a result, there's a breach. We need to understand that that breach is created as a result of sin, and it is not God's fault. It's not God's fault. It's not like the problem lies with him in any way. The true issue for separation, for division, for a breach in relationship lies with mankind. As humans, when we have a breakdown in relationship with one another, it's generally caused by both parties. It's very rare that one party is completely clean and the other is completely at fault. Usually, you have a little bit of a mixture in that. Perhaps one would be more to blame than the other, but again, we generally, in human relationships, both sides contribute to the factor in the breakdown that takes place. As such, the reconciliation process in those human relationships needs to consist of both parties as well. It consists of both of them coming together to do what is needed to reconcile with one another, both making concessions where they need to, both willing to meet in the middle. But you know what, brethren? It's not that way between us and God. God has no right, I'm sorry, he has no wrongs to right. God is always in the right.

It's not like when there's a breach of relationship between man and God, that God stands at fault.

The fault is with man. And so then what we need to realize is that the reconciliation that needs to take place, it's not like God needs to move towards us. It's not like God has done something to offend us, and we've done something to offend God, and we meet in the middle. Now, the reconciliation that takes place in the relationships between mankind and God means we need to move over into a position where we can be made right with God.

God is always right, always has been. He has no wrongs to right. So again, verse 2 of Isaiah 59 said, Your iniquities have separated you from your God. Look where the responsibility lies. And your sins have hidden his face from you so that he will not hear. So clearly the problem is with the relationships as it pertains to the human side. We are the ones that create that stumbling block and that offense that then needs to be overcome. God is perfect.

Romans 6, verse 23 tells us that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.

And all means all. Doesn't mean anything besides that. And so what it does mean personally is that each and every one of us can share responsibility in the fact that we have contributed in a breach of relationship between us and God. And apart from the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, that would not be fixed. Again, God's never made a mistake. He's never been in a position where now he has to right himself to reconcile with us as we that need to move towards him. You and I, brethren, serve a very loving God, a very compassionate God.

He desires to be in relationship with us. He brought beings into his likeness. He created us after his likeness, according to his kind, in the physical flesh anyway, so that we would then be modeled after him with the ability to learn, to grow, become spiritual-type beings, to take on his mind and ultimately become sons and daughters in his family for all eternity.

That's why God created us. That's what our potential is. But growing towards that end requires a very close and intimate relationship with our Creator. The stain of sin on our lives is the great hindrance to that relationship taking place. Again, that lies with us. You and I, human beings, we need to be reconciled to God in order to fulfill the potential for which we were called. Apart from reconciliation with God, we cannot fulfill the purpose for which we were created, the potential that God has given us as sons and daughters in his kingdom. Of ourselves, though, we can't make that possible. We can't bridge the gap.

Even though we're the ones that need to move over out of sin into the reconciled relationship with God, of ourselves we can do nothing. It's not like we can fix the problem. The wages of sin is death. That is what is marked on each and every person apart from Jesus Christ. On our best day, apart from God, as Scripture tells us, we are carnal human beings sold under sin. Passover reminds us that God in His mercy provided the means by which we could escape the penalty of sin and death and be reconciled in relationship to Him.

What has happened through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ is that God has literally reached across the divide and provided an instrument by which then we could be drawn to Him. That instrument was Jesus Christ and His sacrifice. It's not like we righted ourselves. It's not like we brought ourselves into a position of compliance or obedience just enough that God said, okay, I can work with this person now. Of ourselves, we can do nothing. Apart from the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, we could not be reconciled to God. That is the loving hand that God extended to us to draw us then to Him in that reconciled relationship.

Let's notice Romans chapter 5 and verse 6. Romans chapter 5 and verse 6. Because, again, there is nothing of and by ourselves that we can do to be reconciled to God apart from the sacrifice. And it wasn't like we were good enough ever to receive the benefit of that sacrifice in our life personally. Romans chapter 5 and verse 6. It says, For while we were still without strength, in due time, Christ died for the ungodly.

And so at a position of time when there was nothing we could do for ourselves, when there was nothing that we could do to remove the stain and the guilt of sin from us, nothing to remove that death penalty, in that condition is when God intervened in our life. Verse 7, For scarcely for a righteous man will one die, yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love towards us, that in while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. And so the Passover sacrifice that was given for our sins, it was a result of God's love for us. Even while we were still sinners, God loved us. He didn't love us in that state, but He loved us enough to give us a means to escape. John chapter 3 verse 16 says, God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son. It was the Father who offered the sacrifice for mankind. Jesus Christ was the perfect lamb that was offered as the sacrifice. He was the sacrifice, but it was the Father who offered the sacrifice on account of sin so that mankind could be reconciled to Him. It was an act of supreme love that the Father had for mankind. And it was the love that Jesus Christ as well had for us and His willingness to lay down His life for those of us who would be His friends. Romans chapter 5 continuing on in verse 9. It says, Much more than now having been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. For if when we were enemies, you see the Bible describes us as enemies, as aliens, as cut off from God apart from that sacrifice in our sinful state. It says, While we were still enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. And not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ through whom we have now received the reconciliation. It is that reconciliation in relationship that can come only through sacrifice. Verse 12, Therefore, justice through one man sin entered the world, and death through sins, and thus death spread to all men, because all have sinned. It says, For until the law sin was in the world, but sin is not imputed when there is no law. Nevertheless, death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who had not sinned according to the likeness of the transgression of Adam. It was a type of him who was to come. So Jesus Christ was a type of Adam, He was the second Adam who came and actually was the deliverer out of sin. The restoration of that relationship comes through Jesus Christ. And at the Passover service, we acknowledge that. We acknowledge the price it was paid. We acknowledge the fact that He was brutally beaten, that He was mutilated in a terrible way beyond recognition, so that we could understand what the cost and the price of sin truly is. His blood was poured out on the ground. Again, the blood of the new covenant for the remission of sins, when we come into the Passover service, and for take of those symbols, we recognize very clearly what it is that has been given on our behalf. We also acknowledge the covenant that the sacrifice allowed us to make with the Father at baptism. Again, if you say, Jesus saved me, and that is the end of the line, and that's as far as you look, then you don't exactly recognize the fact that because Jesus saved you, you are now in covenant relationship with the Father. Who is our covenant with? It is with the Father. God so loved the world, He gave the sacrifice, reconciled us to Himself. So now, in that relationship that is no longer breached, we can exist in a covenant relationship. Don't ever be confused who the covenant is with.

Colossians chapter 1 verse 19. Colossians 1 verse 19. The apostle Paul writing, and he says, For it pleased the Father, that in Him all the fullness should dwell, meaning Christ, and by Him, Christ, to reconcile all things to Himself, the Father. By Him, Christ, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross.

Verse 21. And you who were once alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy and blameless and above reproach in His sight.

If indeed you continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and are not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which you heard, which was preached in every creature under heaven, of which I Paul became a minister. So, brethren, if we've repented of our sins, if we've accepted Jesus Christ as our personal Savior through baptism, and it is at that point then that we are presented before the Father clean, holy, and it is in that condition that reconciliation can then take place.

First Peter chapter 1, verse 13. First Peter 1, verse 13. Again, it's in that holy state that we can then begin to build that relationship with God in a more personal and direct way. But in one sense, this world would like to think that once you're saved, that releases you from obligation of obedience to the law. That somehow being saved from the penalty of death does not require you to live according to that standard of conduct and moral code any longer.

But First Peter chapter 1, verse 13 says, Therefore, to gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully on the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ as obedient children. You say, well, obedience. You mean you have to do something.

When we decide to give a gift to our children, when our children were small and we said, you know, we're going to take you to Disneyland this winter, there was nothing that they could do to earn that in terms of enough works in order to pay for that ticket and the cost and everything they were doing because that's totally out of the scope of the ability of a child to even earn that. It was a gift from us as their parents. However, they could lose that gift if they weren't compliant, if they weren't obedient, if they weren't living according to the standard that we lined out for them.

You know, that gift was not by works to be earned, but you know what? It was according to obedience. And God's grace comes to us not because of any works that we could have done on our own to earn it. We could not earn the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, but the standard that God still expects in order to receive His grace and mercy as well is obedience. Obedience and return to Him. So again, verse 14, we live as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lust, as in your ignorance, but as He who called you as holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, Be holy for I am holy.

God in His mercy that He's extended to us actually raises the level of expectation in terms of how we are to conduct ourselves. It is a very high standard. It's holiness. And you know what? That standard isn't just because the price that was paid for us was some financial or monetary sort of a sum. The holiness is expected because the price that was paid was with the holy blood of His Son.

The level of the sacrifice requires no less than our conduct, Be holy before God. Verse 17, it says, If you call on the Father who without partiality judges, according to each one's work, conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay here in fear, knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things like silver or gold from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ as a lamb without spot and blemish, lamb without blemish and without spot, says he indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you, who through him who believed in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory so that your faith and hope are in God.

Brethren, the God that we worship exists at the purest level of holiness. The sacrifice that he offered was the greatest level of sacrifice that could ever be offered. It wasn't the sacrifice of bulls or goats in that way.

The sacrifice was the sacrifice of His only Son. In Jesus Christ's life, given for us, raises the standard that we must live by to a very high level. It says, therefore, as His people, again, we need to focus our thoughts, our attentions, and our responsibility then to hold the level to the greatest degree that we can. God said, Be holy for I am holy.

It's the standard He expects from His people. That doesn't mean we won't ever stumble. It doesn't mean we won't ever mess up or fall into sin. But what it does mean is that we need to recognize when we do those things and return to God once again in repentance, seeking the blood of Jesus Christ to wash us clean, cover over those sins so we can be holy before the presence of God again. Passover portrays reconciliation with God the Father through Jesus Christ. And as we approach that event every year, part of our examination of ourselves should remind us of the part that we need to play. And the part that we play in the process is repentance. Again, there was nothing that we could do of ourselves to wipe out that penalty. But the part that we can do is the recognition of sin in our lives, the recognition of where it is that we fall short and measure the stature of the fullness of Christ.

And then what we need to do is repent before God in sincerity, seeking to change the direction of our behavior coming under that sacrifice. Ultimately, repentance involves seeking the forgiveness for sin that only comes from God. Again, there's nothing that we can do to forgive ourselves. Only the Father extends that to us as we come under the blood and the sacrifice of His Son.

Now, fortunately, at 2 Peter chapter 2, actually verse 3 verse 9, 2 Peter 3 verse 9, it tells us that God is long suffering towards us, which means He's patient. As human beings, we need patience because oftentimes we fall back into what it is that is our weak points. But God is long suffering towards us, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. Again, at 2 Peter 3 verse 9, and that's the merciful God that we serve. Loving, patient, kind, but never assume, brethren, that we don't need to be responsible in doing our part as well.

God gives us what it is that we need to draw close to Him. We need to do our part as well.

And so I guess that's what I would say is one of the most significant things we need to focus on as we come up to the Passover. What is my part that I need to play in order to draw close to God, in order to take full advantage of the wonderful gift of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ so that I can be reconciled in relationship to Him? We all need to examine our lives, see where it is that we fall short of the stature of the fullness of Christ, and then walk into the Passover with a commitment and a desire to move forward in newness of life. When we came up to our baptism, when we entered into that covenant relationship with God, going down into the water, the symbolic of putting to death of the old man, being raised back up then with symbolic of resurrection to newness of life. And yet the old man, we would like to think he's buried and washed away, would never return again, and yet it's still a process. It's still a struggle in many ways as we walk through life to become more and more according to the standard of God and less and less according to the standard of self. And that's a process. And that's why the Passover and Holy Days of God in this examination process comes around year after year after year. It never gets old, never gets tired, because for us it is always necessary. Let's use the time well, brethren, between now and Passover. Let's examine ourselves honestly. Paul says to examine ourselves, not our spouse, not our neighbor. We examine self. Again, we are the ones who are personally in a direct relationship with God. So let's use this time well. Additionally, Jesus Christ's sacrifice also points us to reconciliation with one another. Reconciliation between you, between me, between all of us in the body of Jesus Christ. Because as Christians, our relationship with God should affect our relationship with one another. If you're reconciled to God and I'm reconciled to God, should we not then be reconciled in relationship to one another? If there's not a breach between you and God, and there's not a breach between me and God, should there not be the existence, there should not be the existence of a breach between you and I?

Again, our relationship with God should affect our relationships with each other.

Now, it's true that there are differences in personality between us. We have different backgrounds. We have different areas of this life that we're coming in now together in the Church of God, and we're quite different in many ways. And it's interesting when I look around and I consider everyone who comes together as we assemble as a congregation, were it not for the common calling that we have, very likely very few of us would ever even interact in this life. And yet God's brought us together by His Spirit through a common sacrifice, and He desires us to be reconciled to one another in a relationship before Him. Let's look at Galatians chapter 3 verse 26.

Galatians 3 verse 26 It says, For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. That's the glue and the bind that brought us together and holds us together. Jesus Christ sacrificed our relationship with God and ultimately God's Spirit that He gives us. But you're all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. It says, There is neither Jew nor Greek, there's neither slave nor free, neither male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ, then you are Abraham's seed and heirs according to the promise.

And so in the relationships that exist, those who come together through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ who are part of the Church of God, which is described as the body of Christ, it's neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free man, male nor female. That doesn't mean that the roles are removed.

We do know that husband and wife, male and female, there is a role that is God-ordained. That's not removed. But it means before a God, we have the opportunity for the same level of a spiritual relationship with Him. And He's called us all together in that way. Ephesians chapter 2, here Paul addresses the reconciliation that can take place between Jews and Gentiles alike through Christ's sacrifice. Ephesians chapter 2, beginning in verse 1. Here Paul's writing to a Gentile audience, and what he begins by covering is pretty much what we walk through in the first part of this message, the reconciliation through Christ now that has taken place between you and God. But then he transitions into the fact that if you're in that relationship, then it brings you together as God's people, reconciled as well. So begin in Ephesians chapter 2 and verse 1.

And you, He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which He once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit now works in the sons of disobedience, among whom also we all once conducted ourselves, in the lust of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others. That's a pretty difficult description to follow, wouldn't you say?

Before we came to the knowledge of the truth and God called us and drew us into a relationship with Him, probably most of us thought we were doing okay. Maybe there were a few bumps or potholes in this life, but to understand that you were children of wrath, maybe we would never have categorized ourselves that way. But in relationship to a holy righteous God, that's what we were.

We were enemies cut off by sin. Verse 4 says, But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loves us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ. By grace you have been saved, and raised us up together and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace and His kindness towards us in Christ Jesus. Verse 8, For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not of works lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. As we come up into verse 11, we transition into the relationship that takes place then between Christians. It says, Therefore, remember that you once Gentiles in the flesh, who were called uncircumcision by those of what is called the circumcision, made in the flesh by hands, that at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. You know, the Gentile in that sense was distant from the relationship that the Israelites had opportunity to engage in with the Father.

There was the covenant relationship between God and Israel. Any Gentile that would come in and acknowledge that and become circumcised and be a part of the nation in that way could be in that relationship. But as a whole, the Israelites were separated from the Gentiles of this world in uniqueness to that relationship. And what Paul is saying is that now you who were once far off, verse 13, have been brought near by the blood of Christ. You've been brought into the fold, into the relationship, and now there's not a distinction between Jew and Gentile, not in the body of Jesus Christ. Says, For he himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation. What we need to understand is out in the temple courtyard during the time of the Apostle Paul, the Jews had actually erected a wall. You had a separation where you had the court of the Gentiles and they could come no further. They couldn't approach up until then where the Jewish people would come in order to present and have their sacrifices offered and worship before God. Because you see, if a Gentile crossed that line, it would be considered to be a defilement. Gentiles were unclean in the sight of Israelites, at least in that ceremonial way. As you'll recall, the Apostle Paul, that was the accusation against him. The Jews delivered him up for the Romans to kill him. They claimed that he had brought a Gentile into the Jewish area. He had not. But again, that line existed. The separation existed, and the point Paul is making is that through the blood of Jesus Christ, both Jews and Gentiles are being reconciled together unto God. And as a result, that middle wall of separation that had been erected by man was erased spiritually by the blood of Jesus Christ. There's no distinction for those who can, again, through Christ, enter past that veil to the Holy of Holies before the throne of God in a personal relationship. As such, we ought to be reconciled with one another. Verse 14, For he himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation, having abolished in his flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in the ordinances, so as to create in himself one new man from the two, thus making peace, and that he might reconcile them both to God and one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity. The sacrifice of Jesus Christ is the means by which we can be reconciled to God and one another. They both go hand in hand. Verse 17, And he came and preached peace to you who were far off, and to those who were near. For through him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father. And therefore you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief cornerstone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you are also being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.

Both Jew and Gentile. No distinction, no separation. Reconciled to God and reconciled to one another as well in Jesus Christ. Brethren, how high of a priority do we be, do we put on being reconciled with one another in the body of Christ? How high of a priority do we put on that? When there's a struggle, when there's an offense, when there's a difficulty that's occurred between a couple of individuals within the body of Christ, how high is the priority to reconcile? If Jesus died so that we could be made one, do you not think it important that we should do our part to maintain that level of unity, that level of relationship? Again, it's something we must examine as we come up to the Passover.

If we look into our own lives, into our own physical relationships here, and relationships with one another in the body of Christ, and we see that there indeed is a breach, we need to recognize that we have our part to play then to go to our brother, to reconcile, to try to make things right before the Passover. Again, we walk into the Passover with the recognition of the sacrifice that was made to heal breaches. If we don't, if we take that sacrifice lightly, then perhaps we'll take our relationships with one another and God lightly. But if we do indeed take that sacrifice in a very serious and sober manner, then, brethren, we must do our part to bring together the relationships that God has sought to bring together to the sacrifice in the blood of His Son. Notice Matthew 5 verse 23.

Matthew chapter 5 verse 23, the words here of Jesus Christ.

This is a short passage. Matthew 5, 23, says, Therefore, if you bring your gift to the altar, if you're coming before God in a manner in which you're to give Him praise and to offer Him worship, and there, remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar, go your way, first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift. Again, if we're going to walk into the Passover service with an understanding of the price that was paid for reconciliation, we must be sure that we've done all that we can do ourselves to contribute to the oneness, to the unity, to the reconciliation that must exist between us and God and us and each other. I dare say that the price that we may have to pay in the reconciliation process is actually going to be small compared to the price that Jesus Christ paid for our reconciliation. Maybe we have to be humbled a little bit. Maybe we have to eat a little humble pie that does not even compare to what the Son of God endured to bring reconciliation in this world between man and God. Ought we not be willing to do those things ourselves, humble ourselves, to reach out a hand in order to reconcile to our brother. I think it's interesting.

Again, verse 23 says, if you bring your gift to the altar, remember that your brother has something against you. That doesn't mean you remembered, oh, I offended somebody else. I would say it does include that, but it says if you remember that your brother has something against you, well, that's their problem. You know, in this society, in this world, human reasoning says, you know what, if something somebody has a problem with me and they haven't come to me to apologize, or if there's an offense and they're the ones that created it, they're the ones that need to fix it, and they haven't taken that step, so there's no way that I'm going to step across that line. It's their problem.

That's not the standard that's been set. That's not the standard that God reveals in the Word, and that's not the standard by which He's reconciling us to Him. Remember what the Scripture said, Romans 5 verse 8, God demonstrates His own love towards us, that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. It is while we were still in that state that that sacrifice was made.

But again, we need to do our part to reconcile with each other, and you can't always depend on the other person to do what it is that you know you need to do yourself. It starts with you, reaching across in that way. Ephesians chapter 4 verse 31.

Ephesians chapter 4 verse 31. Again, God did not wait for us to reach across to Him. We could not reach across to Him. God came to us while we were an offense to Him, frankly. Ephesians 4 verse 31.

Said, Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you with all malice, and be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you. Again, how did God in Christ forgive us? How did that start? It did not start with us.

It started with the one who was in the right, reaching across to us. While we were still in our sins, Christ died for us. While we were still the offending party towards God, unable to do anything about it, unwilling to do anything about it, God took that step towards reconciliation of that breech relationship. Brethren, that's the standard that's been set for you and I as well.

When we reach across to try to fix a relationship, it doesn't mean that we're content to exist with sin. If there's a sin that's come into the position that has breached a relationship, we understand God reached out to us in our sins with the hope that we would respond. However, the sacrifice of Jesus Christ is something that we have to be willing to accept. If you have a brother that you've reached across to to try to reconcile, and they're not willing to reconcile, at least you have done your part. Not everyone in this world will reach across and take the sacrifice of Jesus Christ and reconcile with God. Not every relationship will be fixed.

But again, we must do our part, and we don't do it by compromising and willing to just simply tolerate sin. But if that breach is going to be healed, it has to be the removal of sin, if that indeed is the cause. You recall the standard that Jesus set when Peter asked how many times does he have to forgive somebody who has sinned against him? You know, if you walk in the door to church and somebody says something to you that is completely offensive, how many times do you have to forgive them? How many times do you have to reconcile with your brother? What was Jesus' answer?

He said up to 70 times, seven times. Now, if we were to take that as the literal top end of how many times you had to repent, and it's not, but he was making a point, if that was the literal top end, that means we would have to forgive an offending brother or sister 490 times.

That's a lot, isn't it? So, I did a little calculation here this week. There are approximately 52 Sabbaths in a year, generally. Holy days that do not fall on Saturdays and feast days in which we assemble. You'll end up with roughly 60 days a year or a little more that we come together as a congregation, not including Bible studies, other activities as well. Now, if we take Christ's standard of forgiving somebody 490 times, if they offended us every time we walked in the door, you would have to forgive someone who was sinned against you over the course of eight years, each and every time the church assembled over the course of eight years, you walked in the door, the same person came up to you and offended you. Christ said, forgive them for eight years, each and every week, each and every Sabbath. Could you do that? Would that be a bridge too far?

You know, would that take more humility than we could possibly muster? Well, that's the standard.

You know, by our human consideration, that seems rather unreasonable, but I dare say that it can't compare with the love and the mercy that God's extended to all of us by giving His Son, by offering the greatest sacrifice that could ever be offered for a world that was not even repentant and was an enemy to God. How much more ought we be willing to extend that reconciliation to one that we would call a brother or sister?

I think that puts the bar, once again, on a very, very high standard. I think it puts things into perspective as we walk up to the Passover. If God is so dedicated to being reconciled in relationship with mankind, shouldn't we also be as dedicated to being reconciled with one another?

I believe we should.

Final point I'd like to look at today, in terms of reconciliation, is that once it's been accomplished between us and God, and I don't want it to sound like that's a one-time event, sin separates us from God. We come under the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. We're reconciled in relationship, but you know what? We need to continue in obedience. We need to continue in repentance when we fall short. It's a continual process not to have that wall of separation and that breach go up between us and God again. But once we are reconciled in that sense with God, we're reconciled with one another in the body of Jesus Christ.

Then, brethren, we should be willing to teach the principle of reconciliation to others as well.

Must be willing to teach it as well. Reconciliation was the key to the message that Jesus Christ brought to the world. It is at the basis of the gospel message. The kingdom of God is at hand.

Repent. God is coming with his kingdom to this earth. Be reconciled to God.

Repent. The kingdom of heaven is at hand. It is a message that Jesus Christ brought to this world.

It was the key to his sacrifice. And, brethren, it must be the key to our ministerial teachings and our teaching of the gospel message to this world. Final scripture for today, 2 Corinthians 5, verse 17.

2 Corinthians 5, verse 17, writing of the Apostle Paul. He says, Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is the new creation. Old things have passed away, behold, all things have become new. Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to himself through Jesus Christ and has given us the ministry of reconciliation. And what is the message of that ministry? What's the message of the ministry of reconciliation? Verse 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. Where then, 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. For he made him who knew no sin to be sin for us that we might become the righteousness of God in him.

God has committed the ministry of reconciliation to his church. As ambassadors for Jesus Christ, the example that we set, as well as the gospel message that we preach, must be one of reconciliation towards God and our fellow man. The message that Christ brought, the gospel that he taught, that which the disciples, later the apostles taught, that which the church teaches today, must be a message of reconciliation. It's a message of repentance. It's a message of becoming kingdom of God. It's a message, ultimately, that all this world will one day be reconciled in a relationship with God the Father through Jesus Christ. It's a message this world very much needs to hear. The present in the Passover service that we'll participate in in just a few short weeks reminds us of the price that was paid so that our sins could be forgiven, so that we could be reconciled in relationship to God and one another. Let us never take the gift that God has given us, the gift of his love, for granted. The Passover is about reconciliation.

As the people of God, you and I ought to be all about it as well.