The Power Behind Our Peace Series

THE POWER BEHIND OUR PEACE

Ephesians 2:14-18

A former president of the Norwegian Academy of Sciences and historians came up with some startling information: Since 3600 B.C. the world has known only 292 years of peace! During this period there have been 14,351 wars, large and small, in which 3.64 billion people have been killed. The value of the property destroyed would pay for a golden belt around the world 97.2 miles wide and 33 feet thick.

As we are amazed at the statistics of these findings, the hard pill to swallow is that many of these 14,351 wars were fought for the sake of peace as we the world knows it. It reminds me of an old William S. Hart black and white shoot-em-up that I remember seeing. The hero (William S. Hart) was in a saloon, and this fella who was somewhat overtaken by his drinking started breaking the peace. Now our hero was drinking a sarsparilla, and the unruly drunk bumped into him and took a swing. He was swinging widely and no one could control him so William S. Hart, picked up a chair, hit the man over the head and said “You know, I am a peaceful man.”

Many of us are just like our hero in the story, we can be peaceful until someone breaks the peace, then just like all the wars the world has been in and the scuffle that William S. Hart was in, we take action to regain our version of peace. But I am glad to announce that Jesus did not have to use a war or a chair to gain the peace needed to make us one.

Last week we talked about That Was Then, This Is Now. In that lesson we learned how the Jews felt about the Gentiles before Christ made us one. In fact there are still some Jews (orthodox) that are of the same opinion this very day. They considered the Gentiles as the un circumcised because of their lack of circumcision. Paul is reminding them, not in a way to belittled them, but to remind them of what Jesus can do with your troubled past, that presented them being without Christ, and strangers to the covenant promises of God. They were seen being without hope, and without God in the world. Then Paul reminded them in verse 13 of the difference maker. He said, “But now in Christ Jesus ye who once were far off are made near by the Blood of Christ.”

In this lesson, both Jews and Gentiles are reminded of the One who made them one through the preaching of peace that is able to tear down the middle wall of partition between us. He wants us to know that Jesus Christ only, can bring us peace that we are looking for. In fact Jesus Christ alone is our peace. He brings us peace when we realized that He died for us and offers us deliverance from the bondage of sin. You see we must understand that there are two types of peace out there. There is simulated peace, this is peace that a person that has not allowed Jesus Christ in their life, so they will go about with a peace that looks like peace but on the inside there is inner turmoil the other is the peace of God, that is peace that only God can give, even in a war zone or in the midst of people who are losing control. That is the type of peace Jesus Christ brings, He brings a deeper sense of peace when we realize that we have been set free from the quilt of sin. And when we have the peace of God, instead of the peace of the world, then, we too can truly follow peace with all men.

So, let us take a look at The Power Behind Our Peace.

First of all verse 14 lets us know . . .

1. THAT JESUS IS OUR PEACE

“For He is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us,”

As I told you about William S. Hart and his statement of being a peaceful man, he had to break the peace he had, to get the peace he wanted. If the truth is told, we too break the peace to get our version of peace. We must understand that when the heart is full the mouth will flap. So although we say that we are at peace and you might not have reacted to what is going on around you, but still on the inside there is a time bomb ready to explode and explode it will. Either through the words we speak or through other extremes. Just this week, I was told by someone that I had a disgruntled member from Salem to call her to talk negatively about me. But I thank God for the quiet time He gives me, where He can minister to me the peace I need to minister to Salem including the one that was disgruntled.