Ephesians 2 14 this morning.
I want to talk about access And I don't really have much
to say this morning Don't have that much to say but
what I've got to say is of the utmost importance Ephesians 2 Verse 14 For he is our peace And that
word for, of course, refers back to what has been said before.
Now in Christ Jesus, you who were at one time far off from
God, from his promises, from his people, are now made now. You're in that place by me, God
said. There's a place by me. That's where you are now. On
the rock, in the rock, covered with his hand. And you're there
by the blood of Christ. That's the only way there. No
man cometh unto the Father but by me. For he is our peace. You're there by his blood because
he is. You see that? Because he is.
That could say our peace, it could say our hope, it could
say our righteousness, it could say our life, our light. He is. That's the key words there. Because He is. We're made nigh
in this context, He's our peace, because the reason we weren't
nigh before is because we're enmity, because there's no peace
between a holy God and a wretched, vile sinner, except by that precious
blood. Atonement means atonement, brought
nigh, at peace with God. 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. There's no more enmity. Even
the law of commandments contained in ordinances for to make in
himself of twain one new man, so making peace. He made peace
by making us one, one in him. 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. When he had done it, you
found out about it." That's always been true, even before he was
crucified. He came to everyone that he saved,
that he loved, that was his, and told him what
he did. To you which were far off and to
them that were nigh, for through him we both have access. No matter who you are, where
you're from, what you've done, what your circumstances, what
your condition, you have access by one spirit unto the Father
through Christ. Having just written Of us who
believe, having been made nigh by that precious blood, having
been born at enmity, and being by nature the children of wrath,
and being afar off, strangers to the people of God, and strangers
to the gospel promises, the covenant of God, but now made nigh by
one thing. He describes that further in
the next several words made not by the precious blood It's by
the spirit. He said in the verse 18, but
it's by the blood by the spirit because of that blood Verse 14. Let's look at it closely now
for he is our peace Who hath made both one? And hath broken
down the middle wall of partition between us who has been made
one Well who were strangers before? The context tells us that whoever
was strangers before are now made one. Who were strangers?
Well, we were without Christ. We saw that without Christ. And
also we were strangers from the Commonwealth of Israel. And if
it's difficult to tell in the language here whether he's talking
about reconciliation between Jew and Gentile or reconciliation
between the sinner and God, that's because he's talking about both.
look at verse 19 I can show you that clearly look at verse 19
again or did we even read 19 look at this chapter 2 verse
19 now therefore you are no more strangers and foreigners but
are fellow citizens with the saints and of the household of
God you are no longer strangers to the church the people of God
the elect God's chosen But also, verse 16 we just read, and that
he might reconcile both Jew and Gentile unto God. There's reconciliation
with one another, you're not strangers from the people of
God, from the church of God, from the covenants of God, from
being in on that covenant and the covenant promises, and you're
not strangers with God anymore. Reconciled unto God, one body
by the cross, because By that cross, he slew the enmity between
you and God. So you see it's both, isn't it?
Pretty clear. So, to be reconciled to God,
to be one with Jesus Christ, is to be one body with all of
his saints. It's really the same thing. It's different aspects of the
same thing. What does it mean to be one with
him? Well, turn to Romans chapter
5. I think this will help. Romans chapter 5 verse 12. Wherefore, as by one man sin
entered into the world, and death by sin, and so death passed upon
all men, for that all have sinned. We all have sinned by one man's
sin because we're one in Adam. We're one. God only deals with
two people. In his dealings, in the economy
of his grace and justice, in God's dealings with men, he really
just deals with two. And everybody else, in one of
those. In Adam, we all died. But look at the rest of it, verse
13. For until the law Sin was in the world, but sin is not
imputed when there is no law. Nevertheless, death reigned from
Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the
similitude of Adam's transgression, who is the figure of him that
was to come." Now, what he's saying there is just simply,
when Adam died, all died, whether they had sinned or not. Isn't
that clear there? Even though you hadn't sinned
in the similitude of Adam's transgression, even before the law was given,
that law couldn't be held against you because you didn't even have
it. But you're still a sinner because you died in Adam. And
that includes little babies. They talk about, well, who hasn't
sinned like Adam sinned? Little infants, babies. There's
no age of accountability. It wouldn't matter if there was.
What this is teaching is that it doesn't matter. You're dead
in Adam. Whether you've done anything
wrong or not, they haven't sinned in the similitude of Adam's transgression
in that not willfully. Not, oh, that's what God said,
I don't care what God said, I'm gonna do what I wanna do. Babies
don't sin like that, but they're dead in Adam. You little children
are sinners. It's what we are, it's not what
we've done. We do what we do because of what we are. You see
that's what the teaching is there. But not as the offense, so also
is the free gift. For if through the offense of
one many be dead, much more the grace of God and the gift by
grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ hath abounded unto many,
not all, but many. You notice the word all in Adam's
case, all. But in Christ's case, many. And
not as it was by one that sinned, so is the gift, for the judgment
was by one to condemnation. But the free gift is of many
offenses unto justification. Death in Adam, Because of sin
life in Christ because of no sin justification is not guilty
no sin For if by one man's offense death reigned By one Much more they which receive
abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign
in life by one Jesus Christ You see that we're there. We're one
with him One in him By representation, we live because he lives. We're
righteous because he's righteous. Therefore, verse 18, as by the
offense of one, judgment came upon all men to condemnation,
even so by the righteousness of one, the free gift came upon
all men under justification of life. For as by one man's disobedience,
many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many
be made righteous. Moreover, the law entered that
the offense might abound, that it might be seen to have abounded.
But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound. That as
sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through
righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord. So
you see, we're one in Adam. When he sinned, we sinned. By
representation, we're one. And we're considered as one by
God. But in Christ, too. If you're in Christ, if he represented
you as Adam represented us all, if Christ represented you when
he lived and when he died, you're one in him, and therefore, as
he is righteous, we're righteous. As he is, so are we in this world. Also, there is one spirit. You
see all that in our reading, and I don't understand this,
but I know it's true, by the word of God, clearly, but by
the indwelling of Christ's spirit, There is communion. We're one
with Him in thought, unlike we ever were before. Not perfectly,
but there is one spirit within us. We have the spirit of Christ. If any man have not the spirit
of Christ, he's none of his, Paul said in Romans 8. But we
have the spirit of Christ, we have the mind of Christ. And
so in this sense also, not just by representation, but we're
one in spirit in this sense. There is a unity of purpose,
a unity of desire. There is an agreement. How can
two walk together except they be agreed? Well, we're walking
with Him now. When the Lord speaks, I say,
truth, Lord. That wasn't true before. I didn't
do that before. There's a desire for the glory
of God, which is common to us. Christ did always those things
that pleased the Father. I want to. I don't, but I want
to. So there is that agreement. This
is true among his people. We're one in that sin. You and
I are one in that sin. We have one common goal. And
it's also true of us and him. We're in on it with him. We're
in the business of glorifying him. And that's the business
he's in. God is in the business of glorifying
his son. And so are we by his grace. Now don't miss the truth that
our peace is a person. He made peace by the blood of
his cross. But he is our peace. Colossians 1, turn over there
just briefly. Colossians 1, 19. I'm just gonna start reading for
it. Pleased the Father that in him, in Christ, should all fullness
dwell. And having made peace through
the blood of his cross by him to reconcile all things unto
himself. And that's what we're talking
about. We're made now. We have access. Reconciliation
slain the enmity thereby. Made not reconcile all things
unto himself by him. I say whether they be things
in earth or things in heaven and you. That were at one time
alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now
hath he reconciled in the body of his flesh through death. That's
what happened on Calvary. He reconciled us to God and he
gave us the ministry of reconciliation. In the body of his flesh through
death to present you holy. That's the only way you can have
access to God. That's the only way you can be
known to God in that place by him. is to be holy and unblameable
and unapprovable in his sight. How is that true? On the rock,
in the rock, in Christ. Only in him. And Paul says here
in our text that he himself is our peace. The difference between
me then And me now, and he's talking about that, at one time
enmity, children of wrath even as others walking according to
this world, walking according to the prince of this world,
the difference between me then and me now, nigh, access, holy,
unblameable, at one, the difference is Christ himself. He is our
peace. I know what I do, whatever I
know that's worth knowing. Why do I know that? Because I
have the mind of Christ. 1 Corinthians 2.16. He is my
wisdom. I don't just know more about
him than I did before. I have his mind. You see the
difference between that? That's what Paul said in 1 Corinthians
2.16. Write it down. We have the mind of Christ. He's
my wisdom. And my legal standing before
God has changed. Now why? Because I stand in Him. Because Christ stands before
God, comes to the Father, and I come by Him, through Him. No
man cometh unto the Father but by me. He is my coming to God. When He ascended, I did too in
Him. Because He Because he because
we he we did a sin unto God and have access to God and are at
one with God The enmity being slain and we're at peace. I'm
sanctified forever I'm perfect Verse 15 having abolished in
his flesh the enmity even the law of commandments contained
in ordinances of For to making himself of twain one new man,
and so making peace. Now you can't talk about peace
with God without talking about his law. The law of commandments
contained in ordinances. His law, and you got to talk
about our inability to keep it, our lawlessness. Our problem
with God is sin, and what is sin? Well we don't have to guess
what sin is 1 John 3 for whosoever committed sin transgresses also
the law for sin is the transgression of the law and you know that
he was manifested to take away our sins and in him is no sin
and so when it talks about the law of commandments in ordinances
and our enmity with God based upon that that's our sin that's
what sin is it's transgression of the law And this is how he
dealt with our sin. In his flesh, we read it while
ago, by the body, by the sacrifice of his body. This is how he dealt
with our sin and slew the enmity. Isaiah wrote, though your sins
be as scarlet, they'll be white as snow. And this is how that
happens. He took away our sin. That's what it said in our verse.
He takes it away. He slays the enmity by taking
the sin away that caused the enmity. There was no sin in him, but
he bore our sins in his own body on the tree. In other words,
he did what we couldn't do and paid for what we did do. That's
just the simplest way I know to say it. The direct, certain,
immutable result of what he did on Calvary is that we are reconciled
to God, at peace with God, at one with God, one with Christ
and in Christ, and all who are in him are one with one another.
We all have access one way. Verse 16, and that he might reconcile
both unto God in one body by the cross. having slain the enmity
thereby. Now this is just what we're already
saying, except think about this now. How does the cross slay
the enmity between God and myself? Let's be very specific about
that. God doesn't just let my sin slide because of Christ,
because he loves Christ, you know, and kind of wants to do
what Christ wants done, and so he just kind of lets it slide.
No, he punished my sin in Christ. He punished it. He poured out
all of his wrath upon his son. And that was my wrath. That was what I deserved. That
was the wrath against my sin that he poured out on his son.
And now there's not any left for me. That's how the enmity
is slain. Not just in some, you know, just
by some strange thing outside. He paid for it. The enmity was
poured out upon Christ. He bore the enmity of God against
my sin. And his wrath was poured out
upon his son, his wrath against my sin. It was fully expended. It was used up. All of his wrath
against me was used up on Christ. But more than that even, Christ
God's oh not just not mad at me anymore. He loves me as his
only begotten and well beloved son John 17 23 I in them and
now in me what are we talking about making twain one? All of
his people are one with one another Jew and Gentile doesn't matter
In Christ there is no Jew nor Greek nor male or female even
no bond or free We're one in him But also we're one with Him.
We're one in Him with one another and we're one with Him. I in
them and thou in me that they may be made perfect in one and
that the world may know that thou hast sent me and hast loved
them as thou hast loved me. God's not just not mad at me
anymore. He flat loves me. He loves me
as much as He loves His only begotten Son. Because I'm one
with Him. I can't explain that to you,
but I sure do like it. The Lord Jesus Christ said in
John 10, 17, therefore does my father love me because I lay
down my life that I might take it again. I'll tell you this,
if he loves you, he loves you for the same reason, because
Christ laid down his life. Now I can't explain that, But
all I can say is Christ is all now and he is both the cause
of God's love for me and he's the result of God's love for
me. Why did God send his son in the first place? Because he
loved me. And when Christ died on the cross, God loves me because
he did. I can't explain that. He's cause
and effect now because he's everything. That's all I can tell you. Verse
17 and came and preached peace to you which were far off And
to them that were now they needed to hear it too because as Paul
said They were nigh in a sense because they had all the promises
and all the outward advantages But they were far off too in
reality because they were their hope Before God was their own
law-keeping. They haven't submitted to the
righteousness of God Remember that Romans 10 My prayer to God
for Israel is that they might be saved. They're going about
to establish their own life. These are the ones that are called
nigh here, but they needed peace preached to them, too. Near or far, if you're not in
Him, you're gone. You're gone. And Noah came and preached peace
and came. The order is right here. He accomplished
it and then came and told you about it. There's nothing for
you to do. He's already done it. That's
what the message is. It's not what you need to do.
It's what He's done. That's the gospel message. It's what Christ has done. He
did it all and then came and told you about it. The gospel
is just God telling you about His Son, what He already did
for you. That's the proper order. He made
peace and then He preached peace. And that's true even in the Old
Testament now. Before he ever came physically, it was already
accomplished. He's the lamb slain from the
foundation of the world. That's what that means. That
event happened in time, but that precious blood is eternal blood.
Because the person who shed it is eternal. He's the eternal
son. And this is not just talking
about the ones that he physically preached to when he walked this
earth. Wherever his gospel is preached, now it's him preaching
to you. We're just ambassadors for him.
It's his message, it's his gospel, it's his truth, it's his power.
It's his love, it's his mercy, it's his salvation. I like what
John said, I'm just a voice. It's Christ preaching to you.
If I preach to you, we're wasting our time. You know what I mean
by that? It's Christ preaching to us. We're just his ambassadors. And
it doesn't matter if you're nigh or it doesn't matter how far
off you are. How far off are you? How far off were you before
he made you nigh? Peace is peace. It doesn't matter
how far off you were. Doesn't make any difference.
And think about this. God has always been at peace
with you in Christ. You know why? The blood of his
cross. That's what it said there. He
made peace through the blood of his cross. You laid down your
sword one day too. You know why? The blood of his
cross. When you saw Christ crucified. That's what did it for you too.
The same thing that reconciles God to you, reconciles you to
God. The precious blood. I told you
I didn't have much to say, but I got something to say this morning.
The blood of Christ. We have access unto God. Verse 18, for through him we
both have access by one spirit unto the Father. You know, when
it comes to the people of God, there are a lot of ones. A whole
lot of ones. Look at Ephesians 4. Just a couple
of pages over. Verse 1. In the same context here, really.
I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that you
walk worthy of the vocation wherewith you are called, with all lowliness
and meekness, with long-suffering, forbearing one another in love,
endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of
peace, because even though we're one in every way that matters,
we'll still figure out a way to fight and fuss and argue and
split, if it's left up to us. So we're exhorted to endeavor
to keep the unity. And here's why. There's just
one body. We're all one in him. Christ
is the head, we're the body. And there's one spirit. And that spirit, he takes the
things of Christ and shows them to us. And we're all, him and
us, in the business of exalting Christ and worshiping Christ
and obeying Christ, serving him in this world. Whatever his cause
is, I want in on it, don't you? by that spirit. Even as you are
called in one hope of your calling. Man, that ought to bring us together,
aren't it? One Lord. We all serve one master. We like to be masters, don't
we? But no. Just quit that. We all have a master. And it's
the same one. One faith. I believe what you
believe. Isn't that amazing? All the different
kinds of error that there are, there's a lot of different ways
to be wrong, there's just one right, and we all in on it. Isn't
that a miracle of His grace? A miracle. One baptism, one God and Father
of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all. There are a lot of ones in there.
We have so much in common. In access, through Him, we all,
we both, Jew, Gentile, whatever, we have access by one Spirit
unto the Father. And this word access, it refers
back to the old tabernacle now. Access to God is what that was
all about. And even back to the Garden of
Eden, too, because when we were banished from the Garden, remember
that angel with the flaming sword? You're not coming back. There
was a flaming sword barring our access. to God, to the communion
that we had with God. In the tabernacle and later the
temple, there was a heavy veil that barred access. And these
represented our standing with God, outside, strangers, far
off, our sin having separated between us and our God. But as
you know, when our Lord Jesus Christ was crucified and had
made his very soul an offering for our sin, you remember what
happened? There couldn't be a clearer picture.
The Lord shows us his truth in such simple and beautiful ways,
doesn't he? What are we talking about here?
You know what we're talking about? Picture the veil of the tavern
of the temple. On the inside of that veil is
the very presence of God, the glory of God on the mercy seat.
And outside is everybody, all sinners. And there's a way, the
way of access is barred. Only the priest can come in there,
under that veil. And he got to bring blood with
him. And when he did, when Christ died on the cross, when all of
those pictures and texts were fulfilled in him, God took hold
of that veil, physically, to teach us what happened spiritually.
And he ripped it in half, from the top to the bottom. He did what no man could ever
do. We couldn't even reach it, much less have the inner strength
to tear it up. But God did. And He did. You see the spiritual lesson
there? We have access to God by the precious blood of His
Son and by that one Spirit that takes the things and shows them
to us. And that veil of the temple, it was entwined from the top,
God tore it up, and now, Paul said, we come boldly to the throne
of grace. And we have very little understanding
of what our Lord Jesus Christ accomplished for us when he put
our sins away. When he shed his precious blood
on Calvary, we have very little idea what he accomplished for
us. There's a song, I just want to
close with the words of it, that says, who can declare all the
triumph of his cross? You think about that. You think
about what access to God, what we lost in the garden, and what
was illustrated to us and shown in all of the Old Testament,
under all the Old Covenant. You can't come where God is,
only A priest, only a representative with an offering can come. But
you have access by him. By him. And when that was fulfilled,
that veil was torn asunder. And now everybody that he represented, we're now into God. We have access
to God by that precious blood. You don't even know what that
is, and I don't either. But what I know about it makes me real
happy. Listen to this song. He was wounded for our transgressions. He bore our sins in his body
on the tree. For our guilt he gave us peace.
From our bondage gave release. And with his stripes, and with
his stripes, and with his stripes our souls are healed. He was
numbered among transgressors we did esteem him forsaken by
his God but as our sacrifice he died that the law be satisfied
and all our sin and all our sin and all our sin
was laid on him. We had wandered We all had wandered
far, that's what we're talking about. Far, you were far off.
Far from the fold of the shepherd of the sheep, but he sought us
where we were. He didn't say, it's okay for
you to come back, I'm waiting on you to come back. He sought
us where we were, aren't you glad? On the mountains, Bleak and Barren
brought us home. Is that what happened to you?
And brought us home. and brought us safely home to
God. And who can number his generation?
Who shall declare all the triumphs of his cross? Millions dead now
live again. Myriads follow in his trade.
Victorious Lord. Victorious Lord. Victorious Lord
and coming King. That's a beautiful song. That's
what we're talking about this morning. We who were far off,
enmity with God by nature the children of wrath, because of
the precious blood of His cross, we have access and we're commanded
to come, come, come. And we do by His grace. Perfect
communion with God in Christ now. We don't enjoy and experience
perfect communion with Him yet, but we have it. We have it, and
we'll experience it soon. You know, what we do experience
now is sweet, isn't it? It's sweet. By His grace, by
the precious blood of His Son, we have access to God. Let's
pray.