God and Man Reconciled?
Pastor Tan Thai · Dec 20, 2015
This Christmas sermon raises two essential questions: why humanity needs reconciliation with God, and whether that reconciliation has truly taken place. Sin has separated mankind from God, but through the incarnation and death of Jesus Christ, God has opened the way of reconciliation for all who believe in Him.
This sermon was preached on Saturday, December 19, 2015, drawing its title from the Christmas hymn 'Hark the Herald Angels Sing' — specifically the phrase 'God and sinners reconciled.' The pastor places a question mark in the title to raise two core theological issues: why humanity needs reconciliation with God, and whether that reconciliation has actually taken place in the world today. The incarnation of Jesus Christ carries a meaning that far transcends cultural tradition.
The first part of the sermon explains that sin has created a separation between mankind and God (Isaiah 59:2). Although people seek every possible way to bridge that gap, no human effort or good works can meet God's standard (Romans 3:23-24). Only by grace through faith — not by merit — can a person be saved (Ephesians 2:8-9). The true meaning of Christmas is found in John 3:16: God so loved the world that He gave His only Son. The story of a prodigal son returning home to find not just his own house but an entire row of houses hung with white banners to welcome him illustrates God's generous, forgiving love.
The second part of the sermon confronts the reality that many people remain unreconciled to God and see no need to be. The pastor cites atheist billboard campaigns in the United States denying God's existence, Karl Marx's declaration that religion is 'the opium of the people,' Friedrich Nietzsche's proclamation that 'God is dead,' and Voltaire's prediction that the Bible would vanish. Yet all of these figures have passed away, while over two billion people worldwide still celebrate Christmas each year and the Bible remains the world's best-selling book. The pastor also references the December 2015 San Bernardino terrorist attack to address the tendency of people to put God on trial in the face of tragedy.
The sermon then analyzes the two kings in the Christmas narrative — Caesar Augustus and Herod — to draw two important lessons. First, every person lives under the authority of some 'lord' or ruling power in their life: money, success, status, marriage, or retirement. Second, these rival lords constantly seek to drive God out of a person's life, just as Herod sought to kill Jesus after His birth. This is the great spiritual competition at work in every human life.
The sermon closes with an evangelistic call to receive Christ. Scripture clearly affirms that through Jesus Christ, God reconciled the world to Himself, not counting people's sins against them (2 Corinthians 5:17-19; Colossians 1:21-22). Believers are commissioned to carry this message of reconciliation to others. The final question is posed to each listener: Who or what is ruling your life, and will you trust in Jesus Christ to be reconciled to God?