“For he himself is our peace, who made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility, by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility.”
– Ephesians 2: 14-16
Who doesn’t want peace? Peace at work, peace in relationships, peace in life. Isn’t that the dream? After all, we don’t have to look too far to see that there is a severe shortage of peace and peacemakers in the world today. It seems like every time we turn around, we are given another devastating picture of the world longing for peace.
Did you know that God actually wants us to be at peace with Him? God, our heavenly Father, desires to make peace with you and with me. Complete peace. Lasting peace. Eternal Peace. The peace He offers us is a gift that comes through Him and in Him. God is the ultimate peacemaker.
But, why do we need peace with God in the first place? The Bible shows us that in our sins we are actually at war with God. We are the leaders of our own rebellion. Yet, in the midst of our war and rebellion, God offers us peace with Him through His Son Jesus.
God offers us the gift of peace and reconciliation, even though we started the rebellion and lead the uprising.
Being a peacemaker, however, is not easy. It is not passive. Oftentimes, it comes with a cost. Peacemaking can be a very costly and very difficult business. The cross reveals the great cost Jesus endured in order to offer us this kind of peace. In the midst of the hostility and division created by our sin, Jesus offered His life – for us, for peace. Jesus gave His life, in the war and rebellion of our sin, at the cross. And through the power of His Resurrection, He kills the sin that separates us from God. Praise God that He is a peacemaker!
Have you really experienced the happiness that comes from being made right with God – through God and in God? This peace is offered to you through Jesus Christ.
Adapted from a sermon by Senior Pastor George Wright
Shandon Baptist Church, Columbia, S.C.
