Reconciling with others – especially members of your family – is a battle worth fighting. For the follower of Christ, the love Christ has for us compels us to do for others what God did for us, and to pursue peace as far as it depends on us (Romans 12:18). Where there is abuse, safety and wise boundaries come first.
Relation…s#*p Series
Part 4 “Patch it Up”
What do we need to understand about reconciliation?
1. God calls us to CARE.
2. Saying “I don’t CARE” is a losing BATTLE worth FIGHTING”
Why must followers of Christ be people committed to reconciliation?
1. Christ’s love for you LIMITS your options.
For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died.
– 2 Corinthians 5:14
2. Christ’s love compels you to say no to YOURSELF, to say yes to what God is REQUIRING of You.
And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.
-2 Corinthians 5:15
– To reconcile means to take two things that are INCOMPATIBLE and make them COMPATIBLE
All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ…
– 2 Corinthians 5:18a
– Through Christ, God removed every obstacle to reconciling with US except US
3. Reconciliation is IN SPITE OF…
All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation
–2 Corinthians 5:18a
THE PROBLEM:
“You can be reconciled to God IN SPITE OF your sin – but you can’t be reconciled to me BECAUSE OF your sin.
MEMORY VERSE:
Romans 5:8
But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.