Communion Message
Reconciliation Means Restoration
December 7, 2003
Pastor Leighton Sheley

Paul writes to us in Romans 5 speaking of what Jesus accomplished in His life and suffering and death and resurrection: Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice even in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character produces hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.

You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Now very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, although for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through him! For if, when we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! And not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

It is through Christ that we can enjoy reconciliation with our Creator, our God, and our heavenly Father. Reconciliation means the restoration of relationship. The restoration of the relationship that mankind enjoyed with God before the advent of sin in the garden. And yet we also recognize as did this apostle, Paul who writes about it only two chapters later, that as long as we are in these temporary tents of flesh in which our souls reside there remains the struggle between the new nature and the old nature.

Paul himself asks, who will save me from this death that I carry within my members, this sin? And it is Jesus Christ. The Scriptures say if we confess our sin He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sin and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. At times like this we should examine our self, and I'd like to invite you, if you are physically able, to join with me now as we kneel in the presence of our Lord and Savior.

Lord, today we thank you for loving us with an everlasting love. We thank you for coming into this world and living a life that was an example, revealing to us the mysteries of that which we cannot see, of going to Calvary's cross and paying the wages of our sin, of leaving an empty tomb as proof that You were and are who You claimed to be, and that You accomplished what You came to accomplish -- paying the wages of our sin and reconciling us to our heavenly Father. We ask You this day to forgive us our sin and cleanse us as we partake of these elements in remembrance of You. Let's partake of the bread and also the cup.

Thank you Lord for Your faithfulness to us, in Jesus' name we pray, and all God's people said...amen.