The INSTRUMENT Of PEACE—Eph. 2:11-18
The 2012(or any) Olympic celebration.
A celebration of the diversity of humanity & the supposed unity of humanity.
Looking at the Olympic opening ceremony—with all the grandeur & nations proudly parading & assembling together— would cause anyone to assume there was peace in the world! But wise people realize that such a peace is fleeting & temporary at best! It is not true peace.
The Cross of Christ is the only means to true Peace!
Need:
The writer to the Ephesians reveals that the Cross of Christ is the conveyor of reconciliation/peace.
The Cross is the means of peace.
When has the Cross of Christ affected my reconciliation?
3 Confirmations that the cross is your instrument of peace.
1—The Cross is your instrument of Peace when it...
Ends SEPARATION(:11-12)
Explanation:(:11-12)The Presence/Prospect of
:11—“Therefore remember that you, once Gentiles in the flesh--who are called Uncircumcision by what is called the Circumcision made in the flesh by hands--”
Php. 3:1-3—“Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. For me to write the same things to you is not tedious, but for you it is safe. Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the mutilation! For we are the circumcision, who worship God in the Spirit, rejoice in Christ Jesus, & have no confidence in the flesh,”
Col. 2:8-15—“Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy & empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, & not according to Christ. For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; & you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality & power. In Him you were also circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the sins of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, buried with Him in baptism, in which you also were raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead. And you, being dead in your trespasses & the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. Having disarmed principalities & powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it.”
Rom. 4:5-14—“But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness, just as David also describes the blessedness of the man to whom God imputes righteousness apart from works: “Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, And whose sins are covered; Blessed is the man to whom the LORD shall not impute sin.” Does this blessedness then come upon the circumcised only, or upon the uncircumcised also? For we say that faith was accounted to Abraham for righteousness. How then was it accounted? While he was circumcised, or uncircumcised? Not while circumcised, but while uncircumcised. And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had while still uncircumcised, that he might be the father of all those who believe, though they are uncircumcised, that righteousness might be imputed to them also, & the father of circumcision to those who not only are of the circumcision, but who also walk in the steps of the faith which our father Abraham had while still uncircumcised. For the promise that he would be the heir of the world was not to Abraham or to his seed through the law, but through the righteousness of faith. For if those who are of the law are heirs, faith is made void & the promise made of no effect,”
Gal. 3:6-9—“just as Abraham “believed God, & it was accounted to him for righteousness.” Therefore know that only those who are of faith are sons of Abraham. And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel to Abraham beforehand, saying, “In you all the nations shall be blessed.” So then those who are of faith are blessed with believing Abraham.”
:12—remember that you were at that time separate from Christ, excluded from the commonwealth of Israel, & strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope & without God in the world.”
“Separate from”—Aliens/Estranged
Criterion for separation—Neither Good nor Bad behavior...
...But Relationship
“Commonwealth”—politeia—1) The administration of civil affairs; 2) A state or commonwealth; 3) Citizenship, the rights of a citizen. Strong—("polity"); Citizenship; concretely, a community. Used 2X.
“No hope”——
“Without God”——
1Cor. 8:5-6—“For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as there are many gods & many lords), yet for us there is one God, the Father, of whom are all things, & we for Him; & one Lord Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, & through whom we live.”
1Thess. 4:3-8—“For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you should abstain from sexual immorality; that each of you should know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification & honor, not in passion of lust, like the Gentiles who do not know God; that no one should take advantage of & defraud his brother in this matter, because the Lord is the avenger of all such, as we also forewarned you & testified. For God did not call us to uncleanness, but in holiness. Therefore he who rejects this does not reject man, but God, who has also given us His Holy Spirit.”
Rom. 2:3-5—“And do you think this, O man, you who judge those practicing such things[homosexuality], & doing the same, that you will escape the judgment of God? Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, & longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance? But in accordance with your hardness & your impenitent heart you are treasuring up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath & revelation of the righteous judgment of God,”
Argumentation:
Rom. 3:23—“for all have sinned & fall short of the glory of God,”
Isa. 59:2—“But your iniquities have separated you from your God; And your sins have hidden His face from you, So that He will not hear.”
Isa. 6:1-7—“In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high & lifted up, & the train of His robe filled the temple. Above it stood seraphim; each one had six wings: with two he covered his face, with two he covered his feet, & with two he flew. And one cried to another & said: “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; The whole earth is full of His glory!” And the posts of the door were shaken by the voice of him who cried out, & the house was filled with smoke. So I said: “Woe is me, for I am undone! Because I am a man of unclean lips, And I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; For my eyes have seen the King, The LORD of hosts.” Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a live coal which he had taken with the tongs from the altar. “And he touched my mouth with it, & said: “Behold, this has touched your lips; Your iniquity is taken away, And your sin purged.”””
Isaiah’s iniquity was not removed until God chose to do it for him! It was utterly impossible for Isaiah to remove it himself!
Mat. 11:20-24—“Then He began to rebuke the cities in which most of His mighty works had been done, because they did not repent: “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Tyre & Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth & ashes. “But I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Tyre & Sidon in the day of judgment than for you. “And you, Capernaum, who are exalted to heaven, will be brought down to Hades; for if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. But I say to you that it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment than for you.””
Illustration:
I can’t convince the squirrels to leave my birdfeeder alone/I believe they eat more seed that the birds combined!/What do those squirrels want anyway? Why do they attach themselves to my feeder?/I am totally separated from a squirrel’s thinking...I can’t get into the squirrel’s head/SEPARATION
We have an unknown species of orchid in our bathroom/Ellinor had us buy it a few years ago/We bought it for the beautiful blooms/But it has never yet bloomed!?/I don’t know the species or genus/I don’t know its requirements, what it needs or is missing/Baffling/Because I can’t understand the orchid/There is a huge SEPARATION hindering us
Likewise there is a huge gulf separating man from God...However God has done the most amazing thing...He sent His only-begotten Son to our aid. Now all mankind can know the mind of God, His very heart & intentions & design regarding man...therein SEPARATION ENDS
Application:
?Have you come to terms with your utter SEPARATION?
?You Considered the Cross of Christ as the Instrument of true Peace?
2—The Cross is your instrument of Peace when it...
Ends HATRED(:13-16)
Explanation:(:13-16)
:13—“But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.”
“By the Blood”—
Heb. 9:26— “...but now once at the consummation of the ages He has been manifested to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself.”
Isa. 53:6, 12e-f— “All of us like sheep have gone astray, Each of us has turned to his own way; But the LORD has caused the iniquity of us all To fall on Him....He poured out Himself to death, And was numbered with the transgressors; Yet He Himself bore the sin of many, And interceded for the transgressors.”
Mat. 26:27-28—“Then He took the cup, & gave thanks, & gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. “For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.”
Jn. 19:30— “When Jesus therefore had received the sour wine, He said, "It is finished!" And He bowed His head, & gave up His spirit.”
:14—“For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, & has broken down the middle wall of separation,”
“Peace”(See :15)—eirhnh—1) A state of national tranquillity—1a) Exemption from the rage & havoc of war, 2) Peace between individuals, i.e. harmony, concord, 3) Security, safety, prosperity, felicity, (because peace & harmony make & keep things safe & prosperous), 4) Of the Messiah's peace—4a) The way that leads to peace (salvation); 5) Of Christianity, the tranquil state of a soul assured of its salvation through Christ, & so fearing nothing from God & content with its earthly lot, of whatsoever sort that is; 6) The blessed state of devout & upright men after death. Strong—probably from a primary verb eirw(to join); Peace(literally or figuratively); by implication-Prosperity.
:15—“having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace,”
No ordinance(performance/behavior) can make you love God...However, loving God will always draw you toward His desire.
“Abolished”—katargew—1) To render idle, unemployed, inactivate, inoperative; 2) To cause to cease, put an end to, do away with, annul, abolish. Strong—To be(render) entirely idle(useless), literally or figuratively.
“Enmity”—ecyra—Hostility; by implication--A reason for opposition. A deep-seated, often mutual hatred.’
:16—“& that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity.” ”
“Both” concerns the Jew as well as the Gentile. All who enter heaven—of every nation, color, social standing, physical standing, former creed, political stripe, etc. are brought there by Christ alone.
“Reconciled”—apokatallassw—1) To reconcile completely, 2) To reconcile back again, 3) Bring back a former state of harmony. Strong—To reconcile fully. Used 3X.
From—katallassw—1) To change, exchange, as coins for others of equivalent value.
Col 1:12-23—“giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light. He has delivered us from the power of darkness & conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins. He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by Him all things were created that are in heaven & that are on earth, visible & invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him & for Him. And He is before all things, & in Him all things consist. And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence. For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell, & by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross. And you, who once were alienated & enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, & blameless, & above reproach in His sight-- if indeed you continue in the faith, grounded & steadfast, & are not moved away from the hope of the gospel which you heard, which was preached to every creature under heaven, of which I, Paul, became a minister.”
Argumentation:
Jn. 3:17-18—““For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.”
Eph. 2:8— “For by grace you have been saved through faith...”
Rom. 5:1— “Therefore having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,...”
Rom. 8:1— “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”
Mat. 7:15-23—““Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down & thrown into the fire. Therefore by their fruits you will know them. Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, & done many wonders in Your name?’ “And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’”
There will be multitudes of “good” & “religious” people in hell.
1Jn. 2:5-11—“But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him. He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked. Brethren, I write no new commandment to you, but an old commandment which you have had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word which you heard from the beginning. Again, a new commandment I write to you, which thing is true in Him & in you, because the darkness is passing away, & the true light is already shining. He who says he is in the light, & hates his brother, is in darkness until now. He who loves his brother abides in the light, & there is no cause for stumbling in him. But he who hates his brother is in darkness & walks in darkness, & does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.”
Illustration:
Kids leaving home/Many think—& concur with their friends— that Mom & Dad are “sooo stupid”/Later—prayerfully—Most of them realize their parents possess real godly, practical wisdom!/Concluding an End to HATRED
A disdained & dead Friendship rekindled/Apology sought/Ends HATRED
Application:
?Have you come to the End of your HATRED for God?
?You Considered the Cross of Christ as the Instrument of true Peace?
?Is there a friendship you want rekindled?...Go to the Cross!
?Is there an Enemy you cannot abide with?...Go to the Cross!
?Why would God hate you?—Never turned to His Christ!
?Why would you hate God?—Refuse to trust His Christ!
3—The Cross is your instrument of Peace when it...
Ends REJECTION(:17-18)
Explanation:(:17-18) A Common Link/Internet
:17—“And He came & preached peace to you who were afar off & to those who were near.
:18—For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father.”
“Access”—prosagwgh—1) The act of bringing to, a moving to; 2) Access, approach—2a) To God, i.e. that relationship with God whereby we are acceptable to him & have assurance that he is favorably disposed towards him. Strong—Admission. Used 3X.
Argumentation:
Mat 27:45-50—“Now from the sixth hour until the ninth hour there was darkness over all the land. And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” that is, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” Some of those who stood there, when they heard that, said, “This Man is calling for Elijah!” Immediately one of them ran & took a sponge, filled it with sour wine & put it on a reed, & offered it to Him to drink. The rest said, “Let Him alone; let us see if Elijah will come to save Him.” And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, & yielded up His spirit.”
He was Accepted in place of my personal sacrifice!
Jn.16:23—““And in that day you will ask Me nothing. Most assuredly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in My name He will give you.”
1Tim. 2:5— “For there is one God, & one mediator also between God & men, the man Christ Jesus...”
Col. 2:2-3— “...God's mystery, that is, Christ Himself, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom & knowledge.”
Without the Instrument of Peace, our lives are lived in utter futility!
Illustration:
Movie theatre/Only those with tickets are allowed entrance/Very exclusive/Ends REJECTION
Internet provider/Common link to WWW/Ends REJECTION
Spanish in high school/Confidence to receive further training/Ends REJECTION
Application:
?Have you come to the End of your REJECTION by God?
?You Considered the Cross of Christ as the Instrument of true Peace?
CONCLUSION:
Visualization:
Temporary Peace at the Olympics
Action:
The Cross is your instrument of Peace when it...
1. Ends SEPARATION(:11-12)
2. Ends HATRED(:13-16)
3. Ends REJECTION(:17-18)
The Concept, Call & Proposition of the Cross is still there.
Will you accept it?
Jesus’ disciples no longer followed Him once that was made plain to them (Jn. 6:66)
CHILDREN’S— ‘Marionette’
The strings attach to the cross-piece.
The cross-piece is the means of life for the marionette.
So our life is dependent upon what took place at the cross.
Upon the hand that takes control of the cross.
Presented 03/27/99am to:
Penia Baptist Church
3738 Old Penia Rd.
Cordele, GA 31015
Presented 09/02/2012am to:
Needmore Baptist Church
1620 Mt. Vernon Rd.
Woodleaf, NC 27054
