The “IF” of Reconciliation



Title: The “IF” of Reconciliation
Sermon Text: Colossians 1:23
Date Preached: 1/29/17

What the Bible says, is what we often observe; People appear to turn from their sin and trust in Jesus and begin to walk and grow in the Lord. But down they road a short, or a long, distance they have blowout and roll over into the ditch, or they develop a slow leaks in all their tires and their faith goes flat.



Paul spoke to Timothy about those who have rejected the faith and a good conscience and suffered shipwreck in regard to their faith. (1 Timothy 1:19)



As we consider those we know personally, those who have fallen by the wayside, we are often looking for assurances that they are saved because of some past profession of faith or commitment to Jesus. This is often a grasping at straws based on wishful thinking more than what God says in His Word. For us to conclude that a consistently willful disobedient person is saved flies in the face of clear teaching of the Bible.



Alternately some conclude that they were saved before (based on their past profession and actions), but somehow they have lost their salvation. Such a perspective raises a whole different series of different questions like:



  • If it is possible for that person to lose their salvation, might I lose mine?
  • What sins, or what level of sin, or what duration of sin, are the threshold that might cause a person to become unsaved?After all, I sin, you sin, we all sin. If loss of salvation is in the balance, when is that balance tipped and we slide into the abyss of eternal separation from God?
  • If a person can lose their salvation, then how is a person actually saved? Etc, etc.



These are questions that plague some Christians. These are questions about which there are strongly held and staunchly positions that sometimes cause division within churches and among Christians.



 Today we come to a verse of scripture touches on the answers to these questions. It is a verse that helps us understand some things about our salvation. We do not find here, nor in other places in the Bible, answers to all the questions we may have. But we do find this clear proclamation – “those who continue with the Lord are those who have been saved.”



There are implications regarding the unfaithful. Yet, the focus is not on the unfaithful, but upon those who continue consistent with their salvation.



You see, the believers at Colossae were being pulled in various directions way from a singular focus on and devotion to Jesus. This letter was written to help them understand their salvation in Jesus. Colossians 1:23 is part of a section on reconciliation. It is telling us that true reconciliation is evidenced by continued faithfulness to Jesus. 


                                               Sermon Handout

On a scale of 0-100%, how much of a person's salvation depends on God?


On a scale of 0-100%, to what degree do the above answers depend on your opinion?


Depend on the clear teaching of the Bible?


Colossians 1:22-23 says that “. . . He has reconciled . . . if . . .”


Why does Paul write this?


Identify and describe 4 evidences that a person has been reconciled to God.
1


2


3


4


To what degree does your life evidence that your have been reconciled to God?

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