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  RECONCILED WITH GOD AND WITH EACH OTHER
  by Alan Martin
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Summary: This sermon emphasizes the importance of unity, love, and
reconciliation among believers, focusing on stripping away harmful
attitudes and clothing oneself with compassion, kindness, and humility.
The message highlights the need to be perfectly one in Christ, putting
off divisive behaviors and embracing a spirit of forgiveness and unity.
The goal is to create a church family where all are valued, respected,
and unified in love, reflecting the image of Christ and promoting peace
and wholeness.

Topics: "Unity in Christ", "Compassion and Forgiveness"
Scripture References: 2 Corinthians 5:14, Colossians 1:19, Hebrews 3:12, John 17:21, Colossians 3:12

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DESCRIPTION
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This sermon emphasizes the importance of unity, love, and reconciliation
among believers, focusing on stripping away harmful attitudes and
clothing oneself with compassion, kindness, and humility. The message
highlights the need to be perfectly one in Christ, putting off divisive
behaviors and embracing a spirit of forgiveness and unity. The goal is
to create a church family where all are valued, respected, and unified
in love, reflecting the image of Christ and promoting peace and
wholeness.

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CONTENT
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If you'll turn with me to 2nd Corinthians 2nd Corinthians chapter 5 I'm
going to start reading in verse 12 2nd Corinthians Chapter 5 verse 12
But we do not commend ourselves Again to you, but give you an
opportunity to boast on our behalf That you may have an answer for those
who boast in appearance and not in heart But we are if we're beside
ourselves it is for God and if we are of our sound mind it is for you
And follow with me here very closely for the love of Christ is what
holds us together is what compels us or what constrains us literally it
More literally should be holds us together the love of Christ holds us
together Because we had judged this And here's why I would encourage all
of us to come to this judgment Because once you come to this judgment,
you will not look at other people the same ever again Follow what Paul
said for we have come to this judgment that one died for all Therefore
all died that's the judgment Christ Jesus died for all Every person you
or I encounter Christ Jesus died for them and that needs to be the
controlling judgment in our response in our relationship with them and
he died for all it says that those who Live should no longer live for
themselves, but for him who died for them and rose again Ah Therefore it
says from now on this is verse 16 Now that we have come to the judgment
that one died for all and all died Therefore from now on we no longer
know anyone According to the flesh our old way of relating to people is
no more We don't look at them just with our natural eyes and our natural
propensity and our natural thought That's the past Now that we've come
to the judgment that Christ died for all we no longer know anyone
according to our natural selves but according to the spirit or if any
man is in Christ that man is a New creation whether they spent however
many years in jail Whether they're covered with tattoos from top to
bottom whether they had whether they have more piercings and you and I
can imagine Whatever however many times they might have been married
whatever they were in their past If they are in Christ Jesus, we do not
know them according to the flesh We know them according to the spirit
and if any man is in Christ Jesus He is a new creation and what do all
things do if you're in Christ? All things pass away and all things
become new and now all things are of God who has reconciled us to
himself through Jesus Christ and Given us the ministry of reconciliation
What is this word reconcile to reconcile means to be brought to the same
place to be brought into agreement to be restored to a relationship of
unity and Harmony and what God has done Through sending his son as he is
he's reconciling the world to himself And look what it says how he does
this in verse 19 That is God was in Christ Reconciling the world to
himself not reckoning their sins to them That's the word impute or
reckon or take into account. So how is God? reconcile men to himself by
not Taking their sins into account By not counting it against them by
not making it a record and You know what? This is how God reconciled the
world to himself and you know what he's done. He's given that ministry
of reconciliation to you and I That's the ministry he's given us and how
did he go about reconciling the world to himself he was not Counting
their trespasses against them He's not considering them.

It's not imputing their trespasses. That means he came to say Sinners
It's not the healthy that need the doctor. Jesus said I didn't come to
call the righteous.

I've come to call sinners to repentance to reconcile those who are not
right with God To be with God as a matter of fact all of us whether we
realize it or not at one time We're enemies of God Turn with me to
Colossians the first chapter Colossians is right after Ephesians of flip
of Philippians Colossians Paul's letter to the church of Colossae
chapter 1 Then I'll read in verse 19 Colossians 119 I'll start there for
it pleased the Father that in him and that is in Jesus all the fullness
of the Father should dwell and By him to reconcile all things to himself
by him whether things on earth or things in heaven Having made peace
through the blood of his cross and you who were once alienated from God
Alienated is the opposite of reconciled when you're alienated from
someone you're not in a relationship All of us at one time were
alienated from God And we're enemies in our minds because of our wicked
works What does that say? All of us at one time had this view of God
that he is taking things from us. He's arbitrary He wants to keep us
from having fun He says know the things that we enjoy and we don't want
to give them up because in our mind Doing these things that we thought
were so good and so pleasurable Made us hostile in our mind to God
Thinking he's the big killjoy the one to take away our liberty and we
don't want to become one of those holy rollers Who never have any fun in
your mind? You did not have the correct view of God that he's pure
goodness pure kindness Pure love and would never desire a single thing
for any of us except what is Absolutely best for us in every way and if
God said do not do something It's because he knew that thing would take
more from you than it would ever do for you But we didn't have that
mindset. We needed to be Reconciled to God and Jesus comes to to do this
work in us to Reconcile us to God to change the way we think do we
realize our father is? Good, our father is perfect.

Love and our father Created these bodies of ours Our father created this
world and our father knows How these bodies work He knows the things
that are good for us and he knows the things that are bad for us he
knows that they certain things need to be handled very carefully in
moderation and Certain things shouldn't be handled at all because
they're toxic and they have an effect on you. That is not good When we
understand that this is the heart of our father Then we enjoy his
instruction and We receive his guidance and we look for it and count it
as a treasure We want his help. We enjoy his light We seek him for
understanding and we seek to grow and know how good he is Because we no
longer trust Ourselves as a matter of fact, this can happen even as
Christians if you want to turn with me to Hebrews chapter 3 Look what
can happen? Because when you begin to experience Reconciliation when you
begin to see God for who who he really is how good he is How wonderful
he is and how much he wants your life to be abundant He wants your joy
to be full.

He wants you to be to live in his peace When you begin to see and
understand this Your life begins to experience his blessing But if
you're not careful sin and the environment we're in can begin to mess
with your heart and Corrupt the way you see God. That's why the in the
book of Hebrews the writer says this in Hebrews chapter 3 verse 12 Watch
out or be on the lookout Brothers lest there be in any of you an evil
heart of unbelief That means it could happen. I mean some of us here
Could suddenly begin to think not God's too hard.

God's a killjoy I've tried to serve him. I've tried to pray. I've tried
to follow those things and it just doesn't work for me I don't get
anything out of the Bible It's just But I'm done See what's happened is
something is affected your heart because the Bible says without faith.

It's impossible to please God Those who come to him must believe that he
is and he is a rewarder of Those who diligently seek him you seek God
because he's good You seek God because every good and perfect gift comes
from him Seeking God and knowing God is where fullness of joy is We're
perfect. Peace that guards our hearts and minds is Those who know him
Correctly and have a heart of faith and trust come to him and are drawn
to him But when the heart has been affected by the evil of unbelief The
way the Lord is hard if you we become like that servant who was only
given the one talent remember him Remember his attitude toward the
master when he came back and he he said here master Here's the one
talent you gave me because I knew you to be a hard man And that you reap
where you didn't sow and you harvest where you where you hadn't
scattered and the master called him a wicked and Lazy servant. He said
I'll judge you by your own words.

Oh, so you you knew me to be hard Well, then why didn't you take my
money to the bank? So I could at least have it back with interest Take
that take the talent from him and give it to the one who has ten and
throw that worthless servant out Well, if you knew me to be hard, I will
be hard. I Don't know if it's in the Psalms, but it says God to the
pure. God is pure to the faithful.

God is faithful To the righteous God shows himself righteous, but to
those who are perverse those who are crooked God shows himself
unpredictable Unreliable Because that's just that's what they think he
is and that's how that he just lets them have it their way And this is
where you and I need to be careful That we do not allow that type of
unbelieving evil heart to work in us and he goes on the next verse he
says but exhort one another daily encourage one another exhort is almost
a word like a like a the sergeant would Speak to his troops Encouraging
them to be strong to hold their position to remember their training to
not give way Maintain their order in the face of attack We are to exhort
one another daily So that none of us would be hardened by the
deceitfulness of sin What is the deceitfulness of sin? All sin is
pleasurable For a season and And The sin that was introduced in the
garden remember how the serpent Deceived the woman into partaking of the
fruit of the tree of the knowledge a good needle that the Lord has said
you're not to Touch or take He tried to make it like God is holding out
on you God didn't want you to experience the goodness of this and That's
what this this deceitfulness of sin does to the heart Somehow we begin
to think we're missing out on something that these things that God is
trying to save us from Really are enjoyable and that these things will
somehow enrich our lives we and our Relationship with one another is to
make sure that that is not happening to any of our hearts because it
can't and It does happen and most of us here know Someone in our lives
or in our family that no longer no longer attends no longer gathers when
Saints gather No longer attends church. No longer serves the Lord no
longer seeks the Lord Oh, they may think God exists, but he might as
well be a million miles from them because they have no relationship with
him that's a heart that has been affected been hardened by the
deceitfulness of sin and has become an Evil heart of unbelief because
when you no longer see God as good and you're drawn to his goodness You
know what you do you do with the scriptures and you stand away you begin
to stand away and you stop drawing near because the Bible says draw near
to God and he will Draw near to you. But if you stand away and you walk
away from God, what do we want God to do? We want him to tackle us Is
that what we want just to come up from behind and just grab it by the
legs and take us down and Just grab us by the scruff of the neck and
just drag his back to himself.

Is that what we want? No, God's a gentleman and God sends the invitation
come Come unto me all you that are weary and heavy laden I'll give you
rest, but God's not gonna force you to serve him or force you to follow
him He will prepare a banquet and he will send out invitations, but he
won't drag you there and force you to eat He will send servants. He will
appeal but he'll give you that opportunity to make your decision and As
believers were to help one another make sure we don't develop this
Sinful unbelieving heart that's been hardened by the deceitfulness of
sin Because what what we're seeking to do is to be fully reconciled to
God Now not only to be fully reconciled to God We're to seek this
beautiful reconciliation with each other You remember what Jesus prayed?
That John recorded in John 17 Jesus prayed something for his disciples
and for those like us who would come to believe later Through the
disciples. Do you remember what he prayed? One thing particularly was on
his mind Who could tell me what he prayed there in John 17 for all of
those who had come to believe in him through the Apostles That they may
be one and here's what he said Rudy not just that they may be one that
they may be one as you And I are one Oh Jesus and the father were
perfectly one Jesus knew the father could never sin Jesus knew the
father never had a bad thought Jesus knew that the father's commands are
eternal life.

That's why Jesus said I only do what the father shows me to do I only
say what the father tells me to say and the world must learn that I love
the father and I always do what He says we are perfectly one and that's
the oneness that he desires us to experience with him being reconciled
to him and He wants us to experience this same oneness with each other
He said that they may be made perfect in one He says that the world may
believe that you sent me now Here's what the world knows or here's what
the world expects When the world looks inside a church, you know what
they expect to find Attitudes Clicks Little opinions Little little
groups here there all because that's in everywhere in the world They're
not perfectly one They're not a family that just perfectly loves one
another pure and free from any prejudice pure and free from any opinions
Pure and free from any I'll just tolerate you but I really don't care
for you to see a place where the oneness of the Holy Spirit and the
unity of the Holy Spirit has been brought about by the power of God is
Miraculous It's the clearest evidence That God is in a place That people
as different as we are are perfectly one nothing against each other
Everyone with the same respect same value same esteem same appreciation
same care for same love a Oneness that is only possible by the power of
the Holy Spirit at work in our lives And to this end if you have your
Bible, I want you to see that Paul is seeking this in Colossians and
Guys, so you'll know it's okay for babies to be in church So anyone
who's thinking they should take that baby to the name to the nursery
just stop It's okay with me. I Love the sound of a baby All right, we
can handle that, right? All right. Good.

I'm good Let's let that mom enjoy hearing what the Word of the Lord
says. All right Plus just chapter 3 Let's just start from the beginning
there If then you were raised with Christ seek those things which are
above where Christ is seating at the right hand of God Set your mind on
things above and not on things of the earth For you died and your life
is hidden with Christ in God When Christ is our life appears, then you
also will appear with him in glory therefore put to death your members
are upon the earth members are those things that tie us to and
Especially these are things that tie us to that lower nature and that
sinful nature that tie us to the base things of the earth put to death
fornication uncleanness passion evil desire and covetousness Which is
idolatry because of these things the wrath of God is coming upon the
sons of disobedience Disobedience there is the wrath of God is coming
upon those who have not been persuaded in God's goodness And they
continue to walk in those things that are destroying the society and
ruining lives They're continuing to walk in those things and God is
eventually going to destroy those things to preserve his creation But
are those people who are convinced that no those things are good while
they're actually destroying society the wrath of God is coming there So
we can you don't have any part of that Put the death your members are
upon the earth then he goes on in which you yourselves once walked When
you lived among them many of us walked in those things in the past Now
verse 8 and please listen very carefully, but now you yourselves Put off
these Listen to these. All right, I and I mean this as a pastor if
you're hearing my voice I want every single one of us to put off every
one of these things Put them off the word put off me strip it off Rip it
away from you and throw it away Okay, you with me.

We're gonna do that together. All right, remembering what God's after
Rip away from you anger wrath malice Blasphemy that's hurting others
with your speech filthy language out of your mouth Do not lie to one
another put off the old man with his practices Why is he saying that
here's why That list just look at that list with me again anger wrath
malice speaking against others with your words Inappropriate language Do
not do not lie to one another You need to put off the old man with his
practices that list anger Wrath malice blasphemy filthy language. You
know what they basically saying Strip away from you anything that could
harm anyone else Anything that could harm anyone else get it off of you
Your anger just hurts people your malice just hurts people your opinion
about Republicans just hurt people your opinions about Democrats just
hurt hurts people your opinions about race just hurt people Your opinion
about police officers just hurts people your opinion that come from your
passions, is not safe for God's people.

Strip off everything from your life that could possibly hurt someone
else, so that God's people in God's house can be perfectly one. Because
you know what these things do? Opinions, they form schisms. They divide
people.

Republicans are not Democrats. Liberals are not conservatives.
Calvinists are not Arminians.

Strip away from yourself anything that is harmful to others. Because God
wants his family to be perfectly one. No divisions.

No opinions about each other that are not Christ-like. Look what he goes
on to say. Not only are you to strip off everything harmful.

Look at the next verse. Verse 10, Colossians 3.10. And put on the new
man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of him who
created him. Now, who was the Son of Man? Jesus Christ is the Son of
Man.

So that's what God designed man to look like. What does God want you to
look like? He wants you to look like the Son of Man, Jesus Christ. Put
on that image.

Everything that is harmful to someone else, strip it off of you, and put
on the image of the Lord Jesus Christ. And look what it says in verse
11. Isn't it fascinating? Once you do that, if you strip away everything
that is harmful to someone else, and you clothe yourselves with the
image of his Son, then there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcised or
uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave nor free, but Christ is all
and in all.

No distinctions. In the same church, there's not Greeks or Jews, just
Christ. In the same church, there's not Republicans or Democrats, just
Christ.

In the same church, not Calvinists or Armenians, just Christ. In the
same church, not liberals or conservatives, just Christ. Not black or
white, Christ.

Not Mexican or Negro, Christ. Christ is all and in all. No distinctions.

That's what the world is supposed to see when they step inside these
doors. Jesus gave a new commandment to his disciples. A new commandment
I give unto you, that ye love one another as I have loved you, and by
this the world will know you're my disciples.

And Paul didn't even stop there. He's going to continue. Verse 12.

Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies,
kindness, humility, meekness, long-suffering, bearing with one another,
and forgiving one another, if anyone has any complaint against anyone.
So not only are you to put off everything that is potentially harmful to
someone else, you are to make sure you clothe yourselves with
compassion, kindness, humility, long-suffering. You bear with one
another.

These words should never be uttered by a child of God towards a child of
God. I can't stand that person. We should never say that person or think
that person makes me sick.

Never. And even every one of us who has, because it says forgiving
whatever complaint, in the Greek it's any legitimate grievance. I give
it to you.

Some of you out there, you may be holding on to something that someone
actually did or said to you, and you've got a legitimate grievance. I'm
talking to you. Let it go.

I don't care how legitimate it is. Paul said for the church of God, get
rid of it. Let it go.

You forgive. Let it go. Whatever it is, you forgive them like Christ
forgave you.

How many of us remember the end of the Lord's Prayer? The end of it.
What do we think the end is? Tell me what you think the end is. Ah,
that's what most people think.

For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. But it's
not. The end of the Lord's Prayer is, and if you forgive not men their
trespasses, neither shall your Father in heaven forgive yours.

That's the end of the Lord's Prayer. Because he knew there was not a
single chance for perfect oneness in the church if his people were
allowed to hold faults with one another. There's no place for it here.

There's no place for a single one of us to hold fault towards anyone
else regardless of what they've done or how many times they've done it.
But what if they've done it 70 times 7? Well, then we forgive them 70
times 7. I tell you what. For those of you, maybe I'll give you an out.

Let's say those of you say, No, I just can't do that. I cannot forgive
this person. Okay, that's fine.

As long as you understand that the Lord will not forgive you and you
won't go to heaven. If you don't really want to go to heaven, you can
hold on to your grievance. Take it to the grave with you.

Now, I just wouldn't recommend doing that. Because that does not produce
the oneness in the body of Christ. You know, I don't think people
consider it serious.

I really don't know how to explain what has happened to me. But I just,
I come up here and I realize something. These are not even my ideas.

A long time, most of us have had this Bible a long time, right? I'm not
even telling you any. Most of you, there's maybe a few new ones. I'm not
telling you something you haven't heard.

But how is it that we could be in the Lord this long and not walk in
these things? How is it possible for there to be churches where there is
divisions and cliques and groups and lack of respect and people who
would say things behind people's backs? You know, in this church, there
should be no fear of that because it just wouldn't happen. God forbid
that any one of us will say anything about any other of us behind our
backs or to our face. And if that's going on, I pray in the Lord's
kindness that He bring it out in the open so that we can get healed of
it.

Because that's like cancer to the body of Christ. And opinions like
that, and attitudes that form, condescending. And you know, I'm going to
be honest.

It is among us. Usually, you only hear it if the person that holds the
attitude kind of thinks that you probably will agree with them. Right?
Birds of a feather, locked together, right? So, you know, you're not
going to come up to someone's best friend and tell them what you're
going to say to someone who kind of struggles with them like you, right?
No, no.

You'll comfort one another over here about brother so-and-so. Or you'll
comfort yourselves over here about sister so-and-so. And I'm just
telling you, no.

No. No more, not ever. And I'm asking all of you to not give your ear to
any such conversation.

Lovingly, patiently, kindly say, that's not Christ. That's not loving
like Christ loved us. You are not loving if you just sit and listen.

And this goes for husbands and wives at your table. Husbands, brother
Joe, all you husbands, don't listen to that kind of conversation with
your wife and wives. Don't listen to that kind of conversation with your
husband.

It's not appropriate anywhere, anytime. Private is not off limits. When
is any of your conversation private to the Holy Spirit? Didn't Jesus say
that men are going to give an account on the day of judgment for every
word spoken? For by your words you will be acquitted and by your words
you will be condemned.

So I am doing you a favor as your pastor. I am saying if you repent now
of ever using your mouth as a critical means to criticize or share your
opinion about someone else, that if you repent and ask God to forgive
you, He will cleanse that from you. And you won't have to answer.

He'll forget it like it never happened. And then we can start with a
clean slate. And we can do what Paul said.

We can let no unwholesome talk come out of our mouth. Only what's good
for building others up according to their needs and that gives grace to
those who listen. And that we can create in here a family, a oneness, a
unity that is safe for God to send people who need help.

Because when they come in covered with their tattoos or they're piercing
or smelling like they haven't had a bath in a week because they don't
have running water and they're living under a bridge somewhere and they
speak like a barbarian. You know the Greek word barbarian, do you know
what it was the term meant for? The barbarian? In Christ there's no
barbarians. The barbarians were those who didn't speak Greek.

They didn't speak the Greek language or appreciate the Greek culture.
You know there's people who don't know church culture out there. They
may come in flip-flops or cut-offs.

And they don't need you looking your nose down at them because they're
barbaric. That person is barbaric. They can learn.

But they should learn from loving kindness and patience. They shouldn't
feel that in our mind, we as this refined Christian culture, looking
down upon them because they just haven't been exposed to what we have. I
believe that God is just as wise and loving as most of you mothers were.

What do I mean by that? When most of you mothers, especially your first
baby, maybe it gets a little bit less as you have five, six, or seven,
or eight, but when you're first baby, you're very careful to get that
nursery ready, aren't you? And you want to make sure that there's not
anything there that can harm that child. Right? What do you think God
our Heavenly Father is that wise? Do we want Him to add to our midst the
sick, the needy, the barbaric, the non-Christian cultured people, those
who need salvation the most. Do we want Him to add them? You think He's
smart enough to know I'm not bringing anybody here that's just going to
run into a carnal opinion instead of my love.

Right? A few places, and it was even rare in the New Testament, when all
the believers were together, and all the believers were of the same
mind, one in spirit and purpose. Remember what happened? Powerful
spiritual manifestations happened. Buildings were shaken.

Entire congregations were filled with the Holy Spirit. Supernatural
manifestations of God took place. Because the believers were one.

They were in perfect agreement. The word for that perfect agreement in
the New Testament is sum phoneo. Sum phoneo.

Sum is with, and phoneo is sound. The sound means to sound the same.
Most of us have an appreciation for good music.

We don't often expect to find it in the 6th grade band, do we? They have
fun playing, and sometimes if the director is really good, because
they're just learning, they're just beginning, he can get them to
actually follow the music. But if you'll notice something, and I love
music, and I was in the band all through middle school and high school,
so I'm not picking on the band members. This was probably my experience
too.

One of the things that's more difficult for someone who's just beginning
to play an instrument is to play the instrument and be in tune. You kind
of have to develop an ear for it. And you know what happens when you're
playing along but there's that one person that's just out of tune.

It's like, that's the only thing you hear. It's kind of like the guy
drawing on, scraping your fingers and nails across the chalkboard, you
know? It's kind of difficult. Listen, please don't be that in the
church.

Don't be the person who's so out of tune with Christ that you're what
stands out, and what someone hears when they come in here. They pick up
your attitude. They pick up on some kind of pride, or they pick up on
some kind of opinion that you have.

And it just, it ruins the unity for them. This is something that we as a
people are to be, and I feel very compelled as your pastor to guide us
in this way. First of all, holding myself accountable.

Because I want to commit to you. I'm not going to entertain a thought
towards you that does not come from the heart of my Heavenly Father for
you. Can I say that again? I'm not going to entertain a thought towards
you that did not come from my Heavenly Father's heart for you.

So whatever you're doing, whatever your needs are, wherever you're at, I
want my Father's heart to be in control of every thought I have towards
you. And that's the goal for us. I want to set that example.

I want to walk in that for you. And I want a commitment from my brothers
and sisters, especially those of us who are older in the Lord. For those
of us who are older in the Lord, it's already past time that we have
walked this way.

Right? Past time. We should be those who... We can put that band
director, if he's smart, he can take a young, inexperienced musician,
and if he wants them to be in tune, what can he do? He can place them
beside someone who's good. And that someone who's good can not only hear
what the tune is, they can tell when the other person's out of tune a
little bit and help them adjust.

Here, bud, you're a little flat. Or that's a little sharp. Let's just
adjust a little bit.

Seeking everything to be in tune. And I'd like us to assemble, whether
we're in Sunday school, whether we're visiting outside, whether we are
here worshiping together, that we walk in that kind of commitment
towards each other. Perfect unity.

Perfect respect. Perfect appreciation. Perfect esteem.

That's just... So that the Lord can have the testimony. Because remember
when Jesus prayed, that they may be made perfect in one, that the world
will believe that you sent me. Because the world needs the evidence.

They need to see it. And where do they need to see it? Look, we're
different enough, aren't we? Aren't we? We're different enough. And if
God can make us a beautiful family, having the same love, doing nothing
out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, in lowliness of mind,
considering others to be even better than yourself, if God can make that
a reality here, then the world can see God's work.

And then, you know what will happen? You know what happens as that
process, is you become peacemakers. The Greek word for peace, Irenae. In
Hebrew, it's Shalom.

In Greek, it's Irenae. It has the idea of wholeness. Wholeness.

You know what a real peacemaker is? A peacemaker is someone who causes
everyone around them to fit into a beautiful hole. He's not divisive. He
doesn't make opinions.

He doesn't cause schisms. He doesn't get his little click around them.
He's for everyone.

And he works for everyone. And he's there for everyone. Because he wants
the hole to be clean.

And the hole to experience God's goodness. He's non-divisive. A
peacemaker is just the opposite of the person that... It actually says
in Proverbs chapter 6, as it lists these things that God hates, the last
thing in the list that God hates is one who sows discord among brothers.

Wow. So God so desires for us to experience oneness and unity. Having
the same love.

Being one in spirit and purpose. Having the same mind. Seeing every one
of us, seeing every other one of us as our brothers and sisters in
Christ.

All of us with the same goal. All things passing away. All things
becoming new.

Stripping away from us everything that is potentially harm. All human
anger, passion, strife, malice, deceit, covetousness. Stripping all of
that off.

Clothing ourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ. Putting on compassion,
kindness, tenderness, humility. So that we become peacemakers.

We enable people to be together, to dwell together. In peace, oneness,
this beautiful family. And experience good blessing of God.

Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called the sons of God.
The sons of God. So, just let me finish with this again.

And I'm going to give you an opportunity to respond today. I'm going to
sing a song first. But then during the song I'm going to ask for a
commitment from you.

And you don't need to come forward. But here's what I'm going to ask you
to commit to. I'm going to ask you to commit your life to Jesus Christ
again.

I know many of you have been followers of Christ. But I'm asking for a
commitment. That you will commit to strip away from you everything that
could be harmful to another person.

Strip it off. And I'm asking you to commit yourself to clothing
yourselves with everything that would be so life-giving, so edifying, so
unifying, so beneficial to others. I'm asking for that commitment in
your heart.

That you be like Jesus. You love others like Jesus loved you. Alright?
I'm going to sing this song first.

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Video: https://sermonindex2.b-cdn.net/BTPpXlu5k2g.mp4
Source: https://sermonindex.net/speakers/alan-martin/reconciled-with-god-and-with-each-other/
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