MAKING PEACE WITH GOD
I often hear of people that on their deathbed want to make their peace with God. There is a great truth found in their statement and a great misunderstanding. The truth is that lost people are definitely at war with God, but the lost person is completely unable to make peace with Him. Only Jesus Christ can do that. Today, I want us to look at the bad news of being an enemy of God and the good news of making peace with God!
1. MAN, THE ENEMY OF GOD.
A. The Teaching of Christ.
MT 6:24 “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other.
In a marriage, you cannot love your spouse and commit adultery. The fact that you can lie and cheat shows that you only love yourself and that you actually despise the person you are married to.
Likewise, Jesus was adamant that you cannot love God and live in sin. It is impossible. You cannot have 2 masters.
James 4:4 You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.
James adds to it by stating that a person’s love for the world makes them an enemy of God. How can this be?
B. The Deeds of Man.
(1) Man is a sinner.
Rom 3:23 All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.
This sin problem is universal. We have all sinned against God. Many make light of sin, but it is very serious to God. Why?
(2) Sin is Rebellion Against God. God has given us His Law to live by. When we break these laws, we are rebelling against His authority.
(3) Results of Man’s Rebellion.
Is 63:10 they rebelled And grieved His Holy Spirit; Therefore He turned Himself to become their enemy, He fought against them.
Isaiah told Israel how they had sinned against God and broke His heart too many times. God’s patience had run out and God would be their enemy and would punish them severely.
* I wonder how close God is to running out of patience with our nation and each of us individually?
C. The Wrath of God.
(1) It is Just.
Rom 2:5-6 5 because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart you are storing up wrath for yourself in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, 6 who will render to each person according to his deeds
This is the scary thing about lost people. Many feel they have never really rejected God, but just haven’t gotten saved yet. The problem is that every day you live in sin you are getting deeper into sin and further from God. And the more you sin, the more of God’s judgement is against you and the more His anger toward you burns.
Notice also that God doesn’t grade on a curve. It doesn’t matter who was worse than you, every person will be judged for his own sins.
(2) It is Terrifying.
Hebrews 10:31 It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
** The Moccasin Jump. When I was about 12, I headed off squirrel hunting one afternoon. I had to cross a 5 strand barbwire fence, so I chose to climb over. I unloaded my single barrel 20 gauge and climbed to the top. As I started jumping down, I saw I was about to land on a moccasin. As soon as I hit him I jumped back against the fence. The feel of his body under my foot that brief instant made me queasy. I had no where to go as he reared back to strike me. I jumped and he hit the bottom of my pants leg. When he was rearing to strike again, I hit him with the gun barrel knocking him a couple of feet. I quickly loaded a shell in the gun as he recovered and prepared to strike again. I shot him just as he was about to hit me.
I was certainly terrified, but it was nothing compared to the absolute terror that lost people will feel at death when they face the God they rejected and are being cast into the darkness and torment of Hell knowing there is no way to avoid their fate and they will suffer for eternity.
(3) It is Promised.
Rev 19:15 From His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may strike down the nations, and He will rule them with a rod of iron; and He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty.
Jesus Himself promised that when He returns He will Judge each for their sins and God will pour out His wrath upon the Lost.
2. CHRIST, THE PEACEMAKER.
A. The Sacrifice of Christ.
Rom 5:6 For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.
In 1986, the Chernobyl Nuclear Plant in Ukraine was in meltdown. Radioactive carbon was melting thru a floor and would enter a pool of water that would cause a massive steam explosion that would have killed millions of people. The plant was evacuated except for 3 men that volunteered to enter the pool of water and open a valve to drain it. Alexei Ananenko, Valeri Bezpalov and Boris Baranov all received massive doses of radiation and died while saving the lives of millions.
As lost sinners, we were and are helpless to save ourselves. Jesus, though, came and died on the cross to pay the price for our sins in order to redeem and save us.
B. The Motive of God.
Rom 5:7-8 7 For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die. 8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
** Matt, Me, and the Guinny Wasps... My little boy, Matthew, was almost 2 yrs old and it was the first of Spring. I was working in the yard while Matt ambled around. He was at the corner of the house as I walked toward him and I saw hundreds of ginny wasps flying all around him. Just above him was a nest that had been built in and above the electric box. It was huge. I ran and grabbed him up knocking a couple off of his head. I put his head under my arms and took off. While shielding him, I couldn't knock them off of me. I had around 20 stings on my arms and even more on my neck and head. One stung me through my eyelid and the stinger actually stung my eyeball. I was on fire! My eyes swelled shut and I hurt something awful. Much Benadryl and Prednisone finally got me well. I never concentrated on my pain, though, because my son was in trouble and could have easily died from that many stings. My love for him made any sacrifice I made for him worth it.
* God’s motive for Jesus dying on the cross is His own love for us.
* Not many would die for someone that is not loved. Often, though, men sacrifice their lives for someone who is good or is loved.
* Jesus, though, died for us when there was not one thing worthy about us. He chose to die even though we were sinful and rebellious and had nothing to offer Him in return.
C. The Results of His Sacrifice.
Rom 5:9-10 9 Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him. 10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.
(1) We are Justified- made right with God.
(2) We are Rescued from Wrath- Hell and eternal damnation.
(3) We are Reconciled to God- adopted as children of God.
(4) We are Saved- given eternal life and Heaven.
Rom 5:1 Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
(5) Peace with God is restored- no longer enemies, but Friends of God!
