Turn with me if you would back
to Romans chapter 5. Romans 5 verse 1 says, Therefore,
being justified by faith, We have peace with God. That's amazing. Therefore, being justified by
faith, we have peace with God. That is amazing. Let me show
you what is so amazing about that. Turn with me over to Exodus
chapter 15. Exodus 15 verse 3 says, the Lord
is a man of war. The Lord is his name. Many, many
people do not know that about him. Most people do not know
that about him. The Lord is, if the scripture
says He is, He is. The Lord is a man of war. Look at Exodus 17, verse 16.
Exodus 17, 16 says, for He said, because the Lord hath sworn that
the Lord will have war with Amalek from generation to generation."
Clearly, the Lord is at war with Amalek. Who else is he at war
with? Who else is the Lord at war with? The scripture says in many places,
All workers of iniquity, all workers of iniquity, all sinners, every man or woman who has ever
sinned one time, the Lord is at war with them.
People say, this is a very common statement, they say, well, now
the Lord loves the sinner. He just hates the sin. That is not so. That is not so. Turn with me
to Psalm 5. Psalm 5 verse 4, For thou art not a God that hath
pleasure in wickedness, neither shall evil dwell with thee, the
foolish shall not stand in thy sight, thou hatest all workers
of iniquity, not just works of iniquity, workers. Verse six, thou shalt destroy
them that speak lies. Leasing means lies. The Lord
will abhor, hate the bloody and deceitful man. The Lord truly
is, this is the truth. There's no underlying meaning
in this. The Lord truly is a man of war. We learn about him, we're coming
to know him, who he is. He really is, he truly is a man
of war. He is a man of war. He is actively
slaying and devouring sin and those who commit sin. He
is at war with sinners. Look with me at Proverbs 6. Proverbs 6 verse 16, it says,
these six things doth the Lord hate. Yea, seven are an abomination
unto him. A proud look. Do you think there is a chance
you may have ever had a proud look? You think there's a chance? Verse 17 says, a lying tongue. Have you ever told a lie? Have
you ever told a lie? Verse 17 says, hands that shed
innocent blood. Have you ever been unjust with
something or someone innocently? Slatum. Verse 18 says, a heart that deviseth
wicked imaginations. What comes out of your heart? Verse 18, feet that be swift
in running to sin, mischief. Just constantly running to sin,
constantly sinning. Verse 19, a false witness that
speaketh lies, not just lying to someone, but lying on someone. Verse 19, and he that soweth
discord among brethren. Here's the warning to every single
one of us. The Lord is a man of war. He is a man of war. Now turn
with me to Deuteronomy 32 and while you're turning I'm going
to read you something from Isaiah chapter 42. Deuteronomy 32. All right, now this is Isaiah
42, verses 13 and 14. It says, the Lord shall go forth
as a mighty man. He shall stir up jealousy like
a man of war. He shall cry, yea, roar. He shall prevail against his
enemies. I have long time holding my peace. I have been still and refrained
myself. Now will I cry like a travailing
woman? I will destroy and devour at
once. That's the Lord. All right, Deuteronomy
32 verse 39. He said, see now that I, even
I am he. And there is no God with me."
Now think about these words. This is Him. This is who He is. He said, I kill. I remember some time ago, somebody
came to me. Something horrible had happened
in the world and somebody came and said, God didn't want that
to happen. I said, ma'am, God made that happen. He said, I
kill. I make alive, I wound, I heal,
neither is there any that can deliver out of my hand. Now listen
to the wording here. For I lift up my hand to heaven
and say, I live forever if I wet my glittering sword. and mine
hand take hold on judgment, I will render vengeance to mine enemies,
and will reward them that hate me. I will make mine arrows drunk
with blood, and my sword shall devour flesh, and that with the
blood of the slain and of captives from the beginning of revenge
is upon the enemy. The Lord said through the prophet
Jeremiah, They are out there crying, peace, peace, when there
is no peace. He is still destroying to this
very day. And He will continue to destroy
until the day He returns and finishes the destruction. Now
somebody's gonna hear that and say, No, no, no. That's how He used to be. That's
the Old Testament. Haven't you read the New Testament?
He's not like that anymore. That's how He was. But He's not
like that anymore. Well, turn with me to 2 Thessalonians
1. Everybody is talking about His
return, Him coming back. This is what it has to say about
it. 2 Thessalonians 1 verse 7, And to you who are troubled,
rest with us when the Lord Jesus, this is the Lord Jesus Christ,
when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with His
mighty angels in flaming fire, taking vengeance on them that
know not God and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus
Christ, who shall be punished with everlasting destruction
from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power."
That's how He's coming back. That is how he's coming back. That's how he's coming back. So do we see, honestly, do we
see how amazing it is to say that we have peace with God? Boy, we take that for granted. We so take that for granted.
Knowing that we all, everybody in here is a worker of iniquity. Knowing that we are all naturally
sinners against him. The scripture says at enmity,
that means his enemy. Knowing that we are all full
of that proud look. And we're full of that lying
tongue and full of that guilty blood and full of that wicked
heart. Everything that is contrary to
the love and the unity of God and His Spirit. When God, who
cannot lie, has declared war on sinners like us, how is it
that we can have peace with God? When God, who cannot lie, has
declared war on sinners just like us, How is it that we can
have peace with God, really? Go with me back to Romans 5. Verse 1 says, Therefore, being
justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus
Christ. Had it not been for the Lord
Jesus Christ, there would have been no peace with God. None. Had it not been for the
Lord Jesus Christ, the way of peace could have never been known. Never. Turn back a few pages
to Acts chapter 10. Acts 10, verse 36. The word which God sent unto
the children of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ. He is Lord of all. Peace came to us when Jesus Christ
came to us. When He came to us, peace came
to us. Isaiah prophesied of it. He said,
for unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, and the
government shall be upon His shoulder, and His name shall
be called Wonderful, Counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting
Father, the Prince of Peace. Peace came to us when Christ
came to us. The angels announced it. They
said, glory to God in the highest and on earth, peace, goodwill
toward men. Peace has come down, the Prince
of Peace. Peace himself has come to man. David described it in this glorious
Psalm. The Psalm my brother read for
us just a minute ago. He told us of the peace that
God would make for his own. Turn over there again, Psalm
85. Psalm 85 verse 1, Lord, thou
hast been favorable unto thy land. Thou hast brought back
the captivity of Jacob. Thou hast forgiven the iniquity
of thy people. Thou hast covered all their sin. He is angry with sin. He is at war with sin. But David said, you have removed
our sin. God's people, this is important
for all of God's people to understand. We all come from the same lump. It's not that God's people are
special above everybody else in the world. That would give
glory to them. They came from the same lump.
They deserve the same thing as everybody else. But God did something
that gives all the glory to Him. Outside of Christ, we should
get the same war that everybody else gets. But David said, you did something
for us. You removed the sin that brought
war to sinners. He said, you've been favorable
to us. You've brought us back by forgiving
our iniquity and covering our sin. Verse three, thou has taken
away all thy wrath. Thou has turned thyself from
the fierceness of thine anger. Turn us, O God of our salvation,
and cause thine anger toward us to cease. Wilt thou be angry
with us forever? Wilt thou draw out thine anger
to all generations? Wilt thou not revive us again,
that thy people may rejoice in thee? Show us thy mercy, O Lord,
and grant us thy salvation. Where is his mercy found? Where
is his salvation found? in the blood of the Lamb, in
the blood of His Lamb. Verse 8 says, I will hear what
God the Lord will speak, for He will speak peace unto His
people and to His saints, but let them not turn again to folly. Surely His salvation is nigh
them that fear Him, that glory may dwell in our land. Mercy
and truth are met together. Righteousness and peace have
kissed each other. Where did mercy and truth meet? Where did righteousness and peace
kissed each other? Verse 11 says, truth shall spring
out of the earth. That's a person. And righteousness
shall look down from heaven. That's a person. Yea, the Lord
shall give that which is good. That's a person. And our land
shall yield her increase. Righteousness shall go before
him and shall set us in the way of his steps. Who is him? Whose
steps are we gonna be set in? Who sprung out of the earth as
a tender plant, a root out of dry ground? Who came down from
heaven? Where did mercy and truth meet?
Where did righteousness and peace kiss each other? On the cross
of Calvary. In the person of the Lord Jesus
Christ. This is it. This right here is
it. This is our gospel. This is our
wonderful news. Our sin met God's judgment in the person of the Lord Jesus
Christ. All of our pride, all of our
lies, all of our guilt, all of our wickedness stood face to
face with God in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. And God hated it. Let me just repeat that. All
of our sin came face to face with God Almighty in the person
of the Lord Jesus Christ and God hated it. He was angry with it. And He
went to war with it. He poured out His fury on it. And He slew it in the person
of His own Son. And when God did that to Christ,
Christ cried, It is finished. The battle is over. It is finished,
there'll be no more war. It is finished, the end of all
conflict. It is finished, and Jesus Christ
is Lord. Turn with me over to Ephesians
chapter two. Ephesians 2 verse 11, Wherefore remember that you being
in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called uncircumcision
by that which is called the circumcision in the flesh made by hands, that
at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the
commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise,
having no hope and without God in the world. but now in Christ
Jesus. You who sometimes were far off
are made nigh by the blood of Christ, for he is our peace,
who hath made both one and hath broken down the middle wall of
partition between us, having abolished in his flesh the enmity,
the hatred, the war, even the law of commandments contained
in ordinances, for to make in himself of twain one new man,
so making peace. and that he might reconcile both
unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby,
and came and preached peace to you, which were afar off, and
to them that were nigh. For through him we both have
access by one Spirit unto the Father. Now therefore you are
no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the
saints and of the household of God." God's people cry, thank
God for that. Amen. He is our peace. He slew our enmity in His own
body on the tree. So making peace. Colossians 1
says, He nailed it all to His cross. And now Hebrews 13 says,
The God of peace has brought again from the dead our Lord
Jesus. The God of peace has brought
again. Our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, and He
has sent, and He is right now sending the message of His Gospel. The good news of the finished
war in the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. That's the Gospel.
The good news of the finished war in the blood of the Lord
Jesus Christ. and he sends it to every soul
he accomplished it for. Every soul will hear that glorious
news. Verse 17 right here says, he
came and preached peace to you, which were far off. The message
says, therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with
God through our Lord Jesus Christ. And if we would like to hold
on to that peace, If we would like for that peace to remain
in our hearts, remain fervent in our hearts, this is how we
do it. Turn with me to Isaiah 26. Isaiah 26 verse 3, Thou wilt
keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on Thee, because
he trusteth in Thee. Stayed on Christ. Stayed on the war he finished.
the removal and the putting away of the sin that he accomplished,
and the peace with God that he brought to us as a result of
it. Philippians 4 says, And the peace of God, which passeth all
understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ. Stayed upon Jehovah, hearts are
fully blessed. Finding as He promised, perfect
peace and rest. And I found this very small verse
of scripture. I'm going to leave you with this.
This is a closing benediction. Alright, a closing word. Go to Romans 15. We'll close
with this. Romans 15 verse 33. Now the God of peace be with
you all. Amen. All right, let's all stand
together.