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What Does It Mean To Be Reconciled To God? (Colossians 1:19-22)
I. The Source Of Reconciliation
II. The Means Of Reconciliation
III. The Result Of Reconciliation
Context & Hook for the Sermon:
Context:
In a world fractured by division—racial strife, social injustice, and personal brokenness—human efforts to bridge gaps often fall short. But the Bible reveals a far deeper separation: the chasm between a holy God and sinful humanity. Reconciliation is not just a social ideal; it’s a divine rescue mission. This sermon unpacks Colossians 1:19–22, where Paul declares how God Himself mended the ultimate rift through the blood of Christ, offering hope to the alienated, the enemy, and the lost.
Hook:
Have you ever felt irreparably cut off—from others, from purpose, or even from God? Imagine a division so profound that no protest, policy, or personal resolve could repair it. Yet Scripture proclaims a staggering truth: the God you once ran from has already crossed the divide to reclaim you. This sermon exposes the shocking reality of our rebellion, the costly love that pursued us, and the transformed life that reconciliation demands. Discover why the cross isn’t just a symbol of faith but the hinge of history—where God turned enemies into heirs.
Why Keep Reading?
- You’ll see sin’s separation—and why no human effort can fix it.
- You’ll marvel at God’s initiative—how He chased us down like a shepherd after one lost sheep.
- You’ll confront a urgent question: If Christ paid everything to reconcile you, how can you live unchanged?
This isn’t theoretical theology. It’s a blood-bought invitation to come home.
Table of Contents
1. Opening Prayer & Scripture Reading
- Greeting in the name of Jesus
- Text: Colossians 1:19–22 (KJV)
2. Introduction: The Meaning of Reconciliation
- Definition: Restoration of opposing parties
- Examples of human divisions:
- Masters and slaves
- Jews and Gentiles
- Husbands and wives
- Modern racial divisions
- The greatest separation: Man and God (Romans 3:23)
3. The Problem: Sin and Separation from God
- Sin’s penalty: Spiritual and eternal death (Habakkuk 1:13)
- The world’s futile efforts to moralize society
- The church’s mission: Gospel reconciliation (Great Commission)
4. The Source of Reconciliation (Colossians 1:19–20)
- God’s pleasure in reconciling creation
- Christ’s sufficiency: "All fulness dwells in Him"
- The cosmic scope: Restoration of "all things" (earth and heaven)
- Millennial kingdom prophecy (Isaiah 11:6–9; 60:19–20)
- Refuting universal salvation error
5. The Means of Reconciliation: Christ’s Sacrifice
- Peace through the blood of the cross (Colossians 1:20)
- Sufficient for all, effective for believers (John 3:16)
- Contrast with human love (Donald Grey Barnhouse illustrations)
- God’s agape love: Christ died for enemies (Romans 5:8)
6. Our Former State: Alienation from God (Colossians 1:21)
- Spiritual deadness (Ephesians 2:1–3)
- Natural hostility toward God (2 Corinthians 2:14)
- Illustration: The funeral and the unresponsive dead
7. God’s Initiative: Seeking the Lost
- Zacchaeus: Jesus’ pursuit (Luke 19:1–10)
- Three parables of seeking (Luke 15):
- Lost sheep
- Lost coin
- Prodigal son
8. The Result of Reconciliation (Colossians 1:22)
- Presented holy, unblameable, and unreproveable
- Practical sanctification: Living "in Christ"
- Avoiding accusations (1 Timothy 3:2–7)
9. Closing Prayer & Hymn
- Thanksgiving for reconciliation
- Prayer for holy living
Sermon Transcript: [46:52]
I greet all of you in the blessed name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Today, our text for the message is taken from Colossians 1:19-22. Allow me to read for you: "For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell; And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven. And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight". May God bless the reading of His holy and sacred word.
Today, we want to consider the word “reconcile”, which means restoration—to bring two opposing parties together. In life, we have seen and experienced many separations and divisions.
In ancient times,
- there was the great division between the masters and the slaves. Those who were masters looked down upon the slaves. Slaves were considered only slightly above the animals.
- There was also the great division between the Jews and the Gentiles. The Jews would look down upon the Gentiles as being inferior, impure, unclean, and they were rejected.
- There was the great division between husbands and wives. Women were considered as inferior beings.
It has been said that some Jews would wake up each morning and pray, saying, ‘God, I thank thee that I am not born as a slave, a Gentile, or a woman.’
In our modern times, there is the division between the different races, especially between the whites and the blacks, or the Caucasians and the Asians. That is the reason why people are constantly protesting against racial discrimination in the true sense of the word. People are separated and divided.
[50:26] The breach between God and man
But the greatest separation is not one human being from another human being, but between man and God. The Bible tells us that "…all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God". (Romans 3:23). No one is exempted. All men have come short of God’s glory. And because of sin, man is separated from God. This separation prevents every sinner from fellowshipping with God, who is perfectly holy and righteous. Habakkuk the prophet said, "[God is] of purer eyes than to behold evil, and canst not look on iniquity". (Habakkuk 1:13).
And the ‘wages of sin is death’. (Romans 6:23) Not just physical death, but that includes spiritual and eternal death. Reconciliation can only take place when sin is removed from the picture. And the only way sin can be removed from the picture is that the wages or the price of sin must be paid to provide the forgiveness of sin. This is made possible through the salvific work of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ on the cross of Calvary.
Today, the world is getting from bad to worse. Many politicians, governments, and other non-governmental agencies all around the world have invested all their time and resources in many of their campaigns to fight against the evil of this world: the social problems, whether it be child abuse, domestic violence, alcoholism, drug addiction, prostitution, violence, etc.
People are going into the streets to protest and try to moralise the world, to make the world into a better place. Oftentimes, Christians have been accused of being not concerned, or we do not care about such problems. ‘You Christians only preach on the pulpit. You only share the gospel and evangelise, but you do not seem to care about these social evils because you do not participate in all these campaigns.’
It does not mean that we do not care or we are not concerned. We are. But our primary Christian duty is not to try to moralise the world or try to make the world into a better place. We can never achieve that. To us Christians, whether the person is a law-abiding policeman or the drug addict living off the street—both of them, if they are without the Lord Jesus Christ, they are lost forever and ever. Eternally lost!
This is the mission of the church. This is the mission of every Christian: to bring across to the world this message that souls can be reconciled to God through the salvific work of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Essentially, this is the Great Commission. You and I are called to preach the gospel: the gospel of reconciliation. And we are to preach unto the uttermost parts of the world. The Title of Our Message: ‘What Does It Mean to Be Reconciled to God?’
I. The Source Of Reconciliation [55:44]
Firstly, we see in this passage the source of reconciliation. Let us begin with verse 19: "For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell;" The phrase "for it pleased the Father" speaks of the good pleasure for His creation to be reconciled to Himself. And the word “fulness” speaks of His divine power, attributes, and abilities. In other words, Paul was saying to the Colossians, ‘You do not need to go to any angel or any other persons to be saved. Salvation is only through God and Him alone.’
And this means of salvation—or reconciliation—was through His only begotten Son. Verse 20: "And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven." Remember, after God had finished His work of creation in the beginning, He said, “Behold, [everything] was very good." (Genesis 1:31). At that point in time, God’s creation was in perfect harmony with Him.
[57:37] The fall of man impacted the entire creation
But when Adam ate the forbidden fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, man fell into sin. That fall not only affected the entire human race but including the entire creation of God. (Genesis 3) That is the reason why Romans 8:22 says, "For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now." All the troubles, wickedness, sins—trace its roots to the Garden of Eden: when Adam fell.
Before the fall of man, there was no death: not Adam, not the animals. But after the fall, every creature is not only separated from God, but they will also experience death. (Genesis 3:21, Hebrews 9:22) This devastating effect of sin will reach a terrifying climax in the Tribulation, when God would pour out His wrath on this sin-cursed world. (Matthew 24:21, Revelation 14:19, Revelation 16:1)
At the end of the Tribulation, Christ will return and set up His Millennial Kingdom. (Revelation 11:15), And by Him, He will reconcile all things unto Himself, whether they be things in earth or things in heaven. (Colossians 1:20)
“Of things in earth”: Isaiah the prophet gave us a vivid picture of what it would mean for all the creation in the Millennial Kingdom. In Isaiah 11:6–9, he said: "The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them. And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together: and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp,”—or the cobra—”and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice’ den"—or viper’s hole.
“Of things in heaven” (or in the universe): Isaiah said in Isaiah 60:19–20: "The sun shall be no more thy light by day; neither for brightness shall the moon give light unto thee: but the LORD shall be unto thee an everlasting light, and thy God thy glory. Thy sun shall no more go down; neither shall thy moon withdraw itself: for the LORD shall be thine everlasting light, and the days of thy mourning shall be ended."
What a wonderful picture of the Millennial Kingdom! In the Millennial Kingdom, God and His creation will be reconciled like it was in the Garden of Eden. And after the Millennial Kingdom, God will create the new heavens and the new earth, where the believers will dwell with Him forever and ever.