Open your Bibles with me, if
you will, to Ephesians chapter 2. Ephesians, the second chapter,
we'll begin reading at verse 11. Ephesians chapter 2 and verse
11. Wherefore, remember that ye being
in time past Gentiles in the flesh who are called in circumcision
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, ye 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. He is our peace. Very commonly profound thoughts
are expressed in very simple plain words. These four one-syllable
words proclaim volumes to our souls. He is our peace. He made peace, but more, he is
our peace. He gives us peace, but more,
he is our peace. He causes men and women to live
together in peace, but much, much more. He is our peace here. God, the Holy ghost. speaks to
us, giving us a word of assurance, declaring that the peace God
gives to his people by Christ Jesus as the result of his accomplishments
as our Redeemer is that peace that belongs to every sinner
who believes him. It's clear from this second chapter
of Ephesians that the Spirit of God here is telling us that
Christ is our peace in a threefold sense. He is our peace with God,
then he is our peace in our own hearts and consciences, and Christ
is our peace with one another. First, the Lord Jesus Christ
is our peace with God. Back up verse 13. In Christ Jesus,
ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh, nigh unto God
by the blood of Christ. For he hath reconciled us to
himself, the apostle tells us in 2 Corinthians, by Jesus Christ
our Lord. This peace with God is by the
blood work of Jesus Christ, God's Son. More than anything else
in this book, more than anything else in this book, the scriptures
talk about blood, blood. Blood more than anything else
in the book the scriptures tell us that our salvation in all
Aspects of it is by the accomplished work of Christ in the shedding
of his blood The spilling of his blood is the accomplishment
of everything involved in our everlasting salvation Listen
to the word in Acts 20 28. We're told that we were purchased
by Christ precious blood by the blood of God incarnate we have
propitiation through his blood Romans 3 25 and Romans 5 were
justified by his blood Ephesians 1 tells us that we have redemption
through his blood Hebrews 9 our consciences are cleansed by the
blood of Christ Hebrews 13 were sanctified by his blood Even
our election were told by Peter in first Peter one is through
the sprinkling of his blood We are ransomed by his blood Peter
tells us and we've been set free from sin by his blood then the
Apostle tells us here that we have been brought nigh to God
by his blood and and have peace through his blood. The precious
blood of Christ is central to all we are and all we have as
the children of God. His blood is the ransom price
of our souls. His blood, the price of redemption
and the expiation of our sins. So when you meditate on the things
of God, think much about the blood and thank God for the blood,
the precious blood of our Lord Jesus Christ by his blood shedding. He is our peace. And without
the shedding of blood, there is no peace, for there is no
remission. The blood that Jesus shed for
me upon the cross of Calvary was infinite in merit. and satisfied
the law's just demands. The blood that Jesus shed for
me has purchased peace and liberty. It purged away my guilt and sin
and from the curse my soul redeemed. The blood, the blood that Jesus
shed for me intercedes in heaven for me upon the grounds of truth
and grace in strict accord with righteousness. The blood that
Jesus shed for me Will in the day of judgment be the only thing
that I will own when justice cries What have you done? The
blood the blood that jesus shed for me will be what still amazes
me When with god saints in heaven above I perfectly adore his love
the lord jesus has by the shedding of his blood torn down the wall
of partition that separated his people from God. And now, through
his death and resurrection, there is peace on earth and goodwill
toward men. When sin is put away, God has
no reason for warfare against his creature. When sin is put
away, God has no reason to be angry with his people. Christ
has put away our sins by the sacrifice of himself. And therefore,
peace is established between God and our souls. However, this
peace might exist without us having any knowledge of it. Indeed,
for all God's elect, that is true. until they're born again
by the grace of God. God is at peace with us through
the blood of Jesus Christ. Long before we know anything
about that peace long before he subdues our wheels and reconciles
our hearts to himself, bringing us into the enjoyment of his
peace by faith. But thanks be unto God. Jesus
Christ does come into our hearts in regenerating power and gives
peace, peace by his blood to the hearts and consciences of
redeemed sinners. Mr. Spurgeon rightly observed,
peace with God is the treaty. Peace in the conscience is the
publication of it. Peace with God is the fountain. Peace in our souls streams from
that fountain and flows from the blood of Christ. Peace was
made in the court of divine justice when Christ the Lamb, slain from
the foundation of the world, was accepted of God and we accepted
in Him. And peace is proclaimed by the
spirit of God applying the gospel to our hearts causing sinners
awakened by his grace to cry Abba father looking upon God
through the eyes of faith in Christ Jesus And then having
sealed our peace with God and having subdued our hearts in
peace toward God the Lord Jesus Binds his people together binds
his people to one another with the bonds of love and peace He
brings us into his kingdom, which is a kingdom not of meat and
drink, but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Ghost. All of this, Jesus Christ is. He is our peace. Not only a friend
to peace, but peace itself. As Christ is made of God unto
us, righteousness. As he is made of God unto us,
wisdom. As He is made of God unto us,
sanctification. As He is made of God unto us,
redemption. So Christ, in all the totality
of His being, is made of God unto us, peace. So that living
in Him, we live with peace. Living in Him, we enjoy peace. Living in Him, peace is ours
because Christ is ours. In this message, I want to show
you how that is so, and try to show you some of the benefits
that are ours because He is our peace. First, how is Christ our
peace? That's my first point, and that's
the most important, so I'll spend the bulk of my time here. He
is our peace. How? We have Christ is our peace
entirely as the gracious act of God Almighty. He's given his
son as our peace in the covenant of grace and peace. I've already
declared to you and shown you that Jesus Christ is our peace
with God. You see, when God made man in
the garden, there was a bond of perfect unity and peace between
God and man. We can hardly imagine it. But
Adam walked with God in the cool of the day in the garden. He
walked with God in the sweet enjoyment of God's company. And
God walked with Adam in the sweet enjoyment of Adam's company.
And then Adam sinned. Immediately a quarrel arose between
God and man. Eating the forbidden fruit broke
the peace. And ever since that day, there's
been a quarrel between the creature and the creator. The quarrel
is mutual. It needs to be stated and stated
clearly. God is angry with man. God is angry with man. I know we hear all the time,
God is love. But that love of God is known
only by God's elect when they're given faith in Christ. It is
love only toward God's elect in Jesus Christ. The scriptures
declare and declare plainly that God is angry with man. Listen to this. God judges the
righteous and God is angry with the wicked every day. Some of
you here are yet without faith in Christ. You still live, and
I know we tend to make excuses for it, and we tend to overlook
it, and we tend to pretend it doesn't exist. But you're sitting
here right now, right now, with your fists clenched, hating God, hating God. And the evidence of that, The
clear manifestation of that is your unbelief. I'll show you
in a moment. And you who are without faith
in Christ have no reason to be suspicious that God's not angry
with you. The wrath of God is revealed
from heaven against you. God's angry with the wicked every
day. If he turn not, he will wet his
sword. He hath bent his bow and made
it ready. What's that mean? That means
God has got his bow pulled back with the arrow of justice aimed
at you. That's exactly what it means.
He's bent his bow and made it ready. He hath also prepared
for him the instruments of death. He ordaineth his arrows against
the persecutors. God is angry with all men. We're all children of wrath,
men and women under a sense of just condemnation, men and women
who live in anger and wrath against God. I know. I know. And it needs to be stated because
somebody pick up on this and and speak contrary to it. I know
that God's elect are eternally accepted in Christ. I know that
God's elect are eternally righteous. I know that God's elect are eternally
justified, eternally sanctified, eternally one with Christ, eternally
reconciled to God by the blood of his son, Jesus Christ, our
Lord, the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. The
scriptures never speak, not one time, do the scriptures speak
of God being reconciled to us. God has always been reconciled
to his people in Christ. The scriptures speak of God reconciling
us to himself. But having said that, none know
anything about this blessed reconciliation, that we are reconciled to God
until they know it in the sweet experience of God's saving grace. We're all sinners. We've all
broken God's law. We've earned God's wrath. And
God is angry, angry with all men. But the quarrel is mutual. All men are angry with God. All
men by nature are opposed to God. Now, I know every man has
a refuge in which he tries to give himself some comfort. And
I don't really hate God. I don't really despise God. I'm
not really opposed to God. Oh, yes. Oh, yes. Opposed to
his holiness. Opposed to his sovereignty. Opposed
to his will. Opposed to his word. Opposed
to God's salvation. Every part of man's being by
nature is enmity against God. The carnal mind. Every thought
of the carnal mind. Every thought of the natural
mind, every thought of fallen sons of Adam in their mind is
enmity against God and is not subject to the law of God, neither
indeed can be. Fallen man is God's enemy, hating
God, opposed to God, fighting God relentlessly because fallen
man's understanding is darkened. His will is hardened. His heart
is wicked. Turn over to the book of Mark
if you will. Mark chapter seven. Mark chapter seven. We need frequent reminders from
the word of God that that which we like to ignore is really true. Mark chapter seven, verse 21.
From within, out of the heart of men, Proceed evil thoughts,
adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness,
deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness. What? What? Those are the things that spring
out of every human heart. by nature. The next line, all
these things come from within and defile the man. This quarrel
between God and man is a mutual quarrel. And this quarrel between
God and man is a growing quarrel. It increases day by day as we
pursue our lust, our rebellion, and our sin against him. On God's
part, the quarrel is righteous. He has every reason to be angry
with you and angry with me. God has every reason to be offended
with man. Our sins are debts, debts we
can never pay. Our sins are trespasses against
God's law, the law we have broken and we can't repair it. We've
broken every commandment, broken them all the days of our lives
and robbed God of his glory to the best of our ability. We've
despised God's son, despised God's son. Our sin is treason
against the crown rights and dignity of the king of heaven
Turn to John chapter 16 John chapter 16. I want you to see
something John 16 Look at verse 8 When he is come the Spirit
of God comes comes in saving grace. He will reprove the world. That is, He will reprove God's
elect in every part of the world, wherever they're found, wherever
they're found. Wherever God the Holy Ghost finds a sinner in
the world, He'll reprove him of sin and of righteousness and
of judgment. Did you ever wonder why He makes
this next statement of sin? Because there are adulterers
and fornicators. I'll sin because they're drunks
and thieves and liars. I'll sin because they're murderers
and rapists. That's not what he says, is it?
He will reprove you, convince you of sin because they believe
not on me. Because they believe not on me. What's he telling us? Why did
he tell us that? The essence of all sin is despising
Christ, the Son of God, the King of heaven. The essence of all
sin is despising his righteousness, choosing your own, despising
his sacrifice, deciding that you can do something to make
up with God, despising God's salvation by the crucified substitute,
his own son, saying, I don't need that. I don't have to have
that. Others maybe, but not me. The essence of sin is despising
Christ's dominion and authority as Lord, refusing to bow to the
Son of God. God doesn't send folks to hell
for stealing a watermelon. And it doesn't send folks to
hell for committing adultery. And it doesn't send folks to
hell for murdering somebody. God sends folks to hell for despising
His Son. And that's what unbelief is.
manifesting itself in all these other things. Every man who denies
God's right to rule over him speaks defiantly and blasphemously
like Pharaoh of old. Who is the Lord that I should
obey his voice? Man by nature tramples underfoot
the blood of the son of God and counts it an unholy thing. But
why? Why? On our part, man's quarrel
with God is the most unreasonable thing on this earth. Listen to
God's question. God's question to you and me.
Hear ye the word of the Lord, O house of Jacob, and all the
families of the house of Israel. Thus saith the Lord, what iniquity
have your fathers found in me, that they are gone far from me,
and have walked after Benedict, and are become vain. What is
it that God's done to make you so angry? To make you hate him? What has God done to provoke
man's malice? What is it? What's he done? He
gave you life. He feeds you. He sustains you. He clothes you. He keeps you
relatively sane. He enriches you every day. Every
day He enriches you. He has delivered you countless
times from grave danger, perhaps even from death. I've had many
to tell me over the years. They're just certain God's got
something in store for that boy. He delivered him from this thing,
delivered him from that. I've had folks to tell me concerning
themselves. I know, I know God's got his hand on me. He's delivered
me so many things. He's protected me, given me my
life in so many dangerous situations. Why do you hate him so? He alone
keeps you out of hell at this hour. The fact is God and man
are at war with one another. And unless this quarrel is taken
up by someone who can settle it, it will be an everlasting
quarrel. When there are feuds between
men, they last for a while and may even last a lifetime. But
death puts an end to the feud. Not with this quarrel. Death
will only increase it. In hell, men and women in a state
of endless misery and torment. will eternally wax worse and
worse, only increasing in vile hatred of God, cursing and blaspheming
God all the more. And God will eternally go on
hating and plaguing and punishing the ungodly. Oh, would to God I could I could
make you understand how real and how close hell is. Oh, how I wish you would seriously
consider this fact. The only hope for your soul for
deliverance from hell and the wrath of God is Jesus Christ
the Lord. In reference to this quarrel,
between God and man, Jesus Christ is our peace. Back before the world began,
in the counsel of the triune God for mercy, Jesus Christ stepped
forward and volunteered to undertake our cause, the cause of his people. and volunteered to come into
this world in human flesh as our mediator and make peace and
bring chosen sinners to God. And he was accepted as such.
To do this, he had to deal first with God and then with man. God has graciously condescended
to settle the quarrel through his son, the man Christ Jesus. the one mediator between God
and man. Peace, this peace is the gift
of God and comes to us only through Christ. He said, peace, I leave
with you my peace. I give unto you these things
have spoken to you that in me you might have peace. This peace
which Christ gives is peace that guards our hearts. The peace
of God, the passive understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds
through Christ Jesus. This peace, peace that God gift
guards our hearts like a like a band of soldiers surrounding
us, holding guard over us. The peace of God keeps you, keeps
you. But how do we have this peace?
Christ, our mediator, has dealt with God. God had to be satisfied
before peace would come. The wall of partition that separated
man from God had to be removed. That means the law, the law that
accused us had to be satisfied and Christ redeemed us from the
curse of the law being made a curse for us. Our sins had to be put
away, had to be removed, not just swept under the rug, not
just pretend like they didn't exist, but blotted out, taken
away, removed from us as far as the East is from the West.
And nothing but the blood of Christ could do that. Only his
blood could satisfy God's justice. Only his blood could purge away
our sins. Only his blood could give us
peace. Nothing but the violent death
of God's darling son. The violent death of him who
is God's firstborn, his own firstborn son. Nothing, but the violent
death of the Lord Jesus Christ could satisfy the demands of
God's holiness It must be the blood of the Son of God Otherwise
it would not be of infinite merits It must be the blood of a man
the Son of Man Because the man who sin must die the very nature
of the sin must be punished Jesus Christ must die not as an ordinary
man not by sickness or gradually fading away in weakness or by
some poison that takes his life, he must die an obviously violent
and cursed death so that God may by his death show his utter
displeasure with sin. Our Lord Jesus came into the
world to satisfy the holiness, righteousness, justice, and truth
of the triune Jehovah. and blessed be his name forever
Jehovah is satisfied and Christ is now our peace because God
was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself not imputing
their trespasses unto them God was in Christ reconciling his
people to himself refusing to charge his people with sin, but
rather making his son sin for us and charging sin to his son
and imputing sin to his son and punishing sin in his son with
all the horrid violence of infinite wrath. until wrath was satisfied and
fury gone because sin's been put away. Having made satisfaction
for us with the Father, the Savior comes to deal with men. God has reconciled his chosen
to himself by the obedience and death of his son. I repeat, the
Bible never speaks of God being reconciled to his people, only
of us being reconciled to God. Now, now, those sinners reconciled
to God by the blood of his son must be one and reconciled to
God in their hearts. James tells us. He that with souls is wise. But who can do that? Who can
do that? I've read books about soul winning.
I've taken classes on soul winning. I've heard lots of sermons about
soul winning. But you can't do that. You can't
do that. I don't care what tricks you
use, you can't do that. You can't do that. Only he who
is wisdom can win a soul to God. He who is our peace is the only
one who can cause you to be reconciled to God in peace. How does he
do that? He sends forth his spirit by
the preaching of the gospel and persuades the sinner to be God's
friend. He's committed to us this word
of reconciliation, and now We pray you in Christ's name be
reconciled to God. What's that mean? What's it mean?
Quit fighting God. Quit fighting God. Cease your
rebellion. Raise up the white flag of surrender
in your soul. Quit fighting God. By the saving
power of his grace, God, the Holy Spirit, effectually draw
sinners to the Savior by making the Savior known. People argue with you all the
time about irresistible grace, effectual grace. Well, we know
that God and the Holy Spirit has to draw somebody, but what
they don't realize is that God's drawing is not like they imagined. When I was a boy, I'd visit my
grandparents sometimes. They'd send me out to draw some
water from the well. I never once dreamed, even as
a little shaver, they meant for me to go over and stand by the
well and hold that bucket over the well and call for the water
to jump in the bucket. I never dreamed that's what they
meant. I always just knew. They meant you go out there and
let down the bucket and Drop it in the water and crank it
up and draw the water out. That's what God the Holy Ghost
does. He drops the bucket of free grace
in your soul and draws you to Christ. He puts the hook of grace
in your soul and graciously calls as you to come to Christ. And
if he doesn't, you won't come. He has to open your blind eyes
and cause the light of the gospel to shine in. He has to break
your hard heart with conviction. He alone can humble you and subdue
your stubborn will with repentance. He causes you gladly then to
receive Christ Jesus. Thy people shall be willing in
the day of thy power. He comes. and by a wondrous, mysterious,
effectual, irresistible, omnipotent act of mercy. He does a work
in you. Does a work in you that just
can't hardly be put into words. By which you are sweetly forced. to love the Savior, and suddenly
you find yourself in love with Him you just a moment ago despised. You find yourself loving Him
whose name you have blasphemed and cursed all your life. How
is that? God graciously works in you,
giving life and faith. Having made peace between God
and man, the Lord Jesus then is our peace with one another.
There'll never be peace between the seed of woman and the seed
of the serpent. But in Christ, all his people
have peace with one another. There's neither male nor female,
barbarian nor Scythian, Bond nor free, but Christ is all and
in you all. So that in the kingdom of God,
in the church of God. Your face and your place and
your property and your power just don't matter. It just don't
matter. Doesn't matter whether you're
rich or poor. Black or white, male or female, learned or unlearned,
it doesn't matter. Christ is all. And that makes
God's people dwell together in peace. Second, very briefly,
how do sinners obtain this peace and enjoy it? The gospel we preach
is described as the gospel of peace. And the way of peace is
the way of faith in Christ. The only way sinners can obtain
peace is to believe on the Son of God. Trust Him who is our
peace and peace is yours. Trust Him who is our peace and
peace is yours. And you can't have it any other
way. When the spirit of God comes
to the heart and regeneration, he sovereignly proclaims peace
in the heart, peace in the soul, peace in the conscience by the
gift of faith in Christ Jesus. Turn to Romans chapter five,
Romans chapter five. We're told in verse 24, 25 of
chapter four, that Christ was delivered up to judgment and
death because of our sins, made His, and was raised again because
of justification accomplished by Him when He was justified
in the Spirit. Therefore, therefore, being justified,
and I repeat what I've said to you a hundred times, put the
comma right there, Therefore being justified Faith never justified
anybody Christ justified us therefore being justified By faith We have
peace with God By faith we have peace with God How was that the
love of God should have brought in our hearts by his spirit given
to us down in verse 11 We joy in God through our Lord Jesus
Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement. Now, unlike most
folks who comment on that 11th verse, they say that word really
is the word reconciliation, it's not the word atonement. Well,
the word is the word reconciliation. Do you know how you translate
the word reconciliation? Do you know how you Translate
that word, put it into shoe leather, atonement. At one with we have
peace with God having received. Through the precious sin, atoning
blood of Jesus Christ, reconciliation accomplished, peace given by
faith in Christ, peace given to faith in Christ. There's peace
in Jesus Christ, the Lord, for everybody who wants it. It is to be had by faith in the
son of God. It is be had by you being reconciled
to God in your soul, happy to have God be God, happy to have
things God's way reconciled to God. Now turn to Philippians
chapter 2, chapter 4 rather. Look at this passage I quoted
to you a little bit ago. This peace is obtained by faith. And
we walk in it and enjoy it only by faith in Christ. Philippians
chapter 4 verse 4. Rejoice in the Lord always. Again
I say rejoice. Let your moderation. The word
is gentleness. That's a good word. gentleness
I'll give you a coin a word for you your unruffledness Gentleness Jeffers so that Stuff
just doesn't bother you much You're being undisturbed Let
your moderation your gentleness your unruffled peace Be known
unto all man. Let everybody see it Let everybody
see that you walk with God in peace. The Lord's at hand. Be careful for nothing, but in
everything by prayer and supplication with Thanksgiving, let your request
be made known unto God. And and and and the peace of
God, which passeth all understanding. Shall keep your hearts. and minds
through Christ Jesus. Well, what then? If Christ is
our peace, what follows? I can tell you this. If Christ
is my peace, I've taken him as my peace. If Christ is my peace,
my sin is my trouble. If Christ is my peace, He has
reconciled me to God. Tell me, my brother. Tell me,
my sister. What could possibly compare with
this delight? He who is our God really is God. Aren't you happy God is God? That God has his way everywhere
all the time. That God saves sinners by free
grace through the crucified substitute. Aren't you glad for God's sovereign
purpose by which he governs the world in absolute providence,
accomplishing his will everywhere so that you can, when you pray
best, when you pray best, You pray like this. Our Father, which
art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. God, get honor to yourself. Get honor to yourself. Thy will be done, thy kingdom
come. Aren't you glad God's God? That
he is getting honor to himself. He is performing his will. He is building his kingdom. If Christ is my peace and Christ
is your peace, then we live together in peace. If Christ is my peace
and Christ is your peace, we live together in peace. For he
is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the
middle wall of partition between us. Children of God, learn to
enjoy peace in Christ, who is our peace. Thou wilt keep him
in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee, because he
trusteth in thee. Trust in the Lord with all your
heart and lean not into your own understanding. In all your
ways, acknowledge him and he shall direct thy paths. When
temptations assail, Christ is our peace. When darkness surrounds
us, Christ is our peace. When enemies oppose us, Christ
is our peace. When tribulation is upon us,
Christ is our peace. The Lord bless thee and keep
thee. The Lord make his face to shine
upon thee and be gracious unto thee. The Lord lift up his countenance
upon thee and give thee peace. Amen.