The Prince of Peace:Part 2

Intro:

Ask CC Kids for help

-Caesar Augustus and the “Pax Romana”

Roman Peace: Peace from war. Roman culture grew, trade flourished, peoples across the empire were secure under roman rule. Pax Romana lasted 200 years and it set the stage for the birth of Christ, and the true peace that came into the world. The Pax Romana was a temporary cultural peace that God used to usher in Jesus, the true peace who would come into the world and give his life so reconciliation with God would be accomplished.

Review:

1. The Peace Needed 11-13

A. Disdain

B. Distance

2. The Peace Provided 14-18

Ephesians 2:14–18 NASB95

14 For He Himself is our peace, who made both groups into one and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall, 15 by abolishing in His flesh the enmity, which is the Law of commandments contained in ordinances, so that in Himself He might make the two into one new man, thus establishing peace, 16 and might reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross, by it having put to death the enmity. 17 And He came and preached peace to you who were far away, and peace to those who were near; 18 for through Him we both have our access in one Spirit to the Father.

Paul focuses on the work of Christ that accomplishes two components of peace…social and spiritual. He first mentions the social but then highlights the spiritual. This is not order of importance but instead just the opposite. Paul is building first from the aspect of v 11-13 and the distance from God and social disdain with the Jewish people that the Gentiles experienced. I am going to deal with these in reverse order because for Christ to be our true peace, He must first bring reconciliation between God and man.

A. Spiritual Peace with God through Christ

1. Enmity with God Abolished

Enmity is another word for hostility and that hostility with God is the result of our sin. Notice that in v 16 “he might reconcile them both” which refers to Jews and Gentiles that are at odds with one another. Both groups need reconciliation to God because both are enemies with God because of sin. Israel was in covenant with God but their failure to obey the covenant made them guilty before God. The Gentiles being outside the covenant and non-recipients of the law, were still transgressors against God due to the law written on their hearts. Romans 1 reminds us that all the world is without excuse in their condemnation before a holy God. Both groups are therefore enemies of God and need peace with Him.

“reconcile them both through the cross”

Jesus, brings about reconciliation by his death on the cross. V 13 mentions the “Blood of Christ” and in verse 16, reconciliation comes “through the cross.” The substitutionary death of Christ is the vehicle which brings His people to God. It fulfills the words in Isaiah 53:4-5

Isaiah 53:4–5 NASB95

4 Surely our griefs He Himself bore, And our sorrows He carried; Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, Smitten of God, and afflicted. 5 But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, And by His scourging we are healed.

So then, in his death, not only are sins atoned for by the life that Jesus gave on behalf of sinners, but the hostility between God and man was mended and Jesus ushers in peace for those who believe in him by faith. How does he end the hostility?

In his death, Jesus fulfilled the law in every respect so that the law can be abolished “In his flesh. Look at v 15

Ephesians 2:15 NASB95

15 by abolishing in His flesh the enmity, which is the Law of commandments contained in ordinances, so that in Himself He might make the two into one new man, thus establishing peace,

the law of commandments contained in ordinances simply represents the law given during the Mosiac covenant. It was a law that included ceremonial, moral and civil laws. These laws governed and guided Israel in their covenant with God but were violated continually by them as well. What Israel could not do, Christ did perfectly for all His people. In His incarnated state, Jesus who is both fully God and fully man is the perfect obedient peace with God through obedience.

Matthew 5:17 NASB95

17 “Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill.

Friends, remember that your life cannot adequately atone for your own sins by way of good works. In addition, even if you were a good person acquiring some favor with God by works, he demands perfect obedience to all his commands. You cannot attain perfect obedience. Your righteousness are as filthy rags to God(Is. 64:6) and you are not perfect as your Father in heaven is perfect (Matt 5:48). Whether Jew or Greek, your sin blooms into the deathly stench of hostility towards God and only Jesus can offer the sweet aroma perfect obedience for us.

2 Corinthians 5:21 NASB95

21 He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

ASIDE

Did Paul contradict Jesus?

Now looking to Matthew 5:17 where Jesus said, he “did not come to abolish the law, only fulfill it.” But Paul says in Eph 2 that Jesus came to abolish the law. Is Paul contradicting Jesus here?

The important thing to highlight is the different use of Paul and Matthew words translated “abolish.” In Matthew 5, Jesus is speaking about NOT ABOLISHING in the sense of undermining or reducing the message of the law. The religious leaders of that day had been guilty of watering down and subverting the intended message. Matthew uses the GK tern KATALUO which means to “untie or loosen something tied tightly.” Jesus is simply saying that he is not trying to loosen the seriousness of the truth of the law that has been given. Instead he fulfills it by obeying it in perfect obedience.

Paul uses a different term sometimes translated abolish. His word KATARGEO is a more powerful word in the GK. It means a “total destruction or annulment.” It means that which is rendered powerless. Paul is making the point of the powerful work of Jesus in this death and resurrection so that the law was fulfilled and rendered powerless against God’s people. Those who trust in Jesus, who have been saved, are not held by the power of death or the law for Jesus has fulfilled the law and its demands.

2. A New Covenant with God in Christ

In addition, “to abolish the law” means the covenant to which the law was attached has ended. This old covenant gives way to the new covenant we have in Christ. In this new covenant, the law is written on our hearts Jer 31:33

Jeremiah 31:33 NASB95

33 “But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days,” declares the Lord, “I will put My law within them and on their heart I will write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.

In this new covenant with God through Christ, we find grace. That grace supersedes the law and thus provides for his church a path of holiness through Christ. In this new covenant, the Spirit purifies eternally those who put their faith in Him. This does not mean that we discard the OT law as though it no longer has purpose. We still see the Mosaic covenant as part of God’s grand narrative of redemption and so therefore all his words are true and applicable for our lives. It has been said that the moral value of the OT Torah still applies to the believer today to follow in obedience to Christ. We are not bound to the ceremonial and civil laws because those applied particularly to the covenant with Israel and God. The holy aspect of the law continues to be recognized because it leads the follower of Christ to live as Christ lived.

Therefore, we cherish all of God’s words from Genesis to Revelation, knowing that they lead us to see the depth of sin, point us to Christ, and serve as the pathway to holiness as we follow Christ in obedience.

B. Social Peace with Man in Christ

How can men be reconciled to one another?

-through the cross of Jesus

What Paul shows us is that only through a relationship with Jesus can we truly have reconciliation and therefore experience peace.

Ephesians 2:14 NASB95

14 For He Himself is our peace, who made both groups into one and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall,

First, notice with me the change that Paul makes in v 14 “our peace” where in 11-13, he was speaking to YOU Gentiles. Here he is recognizing that need of Jew and Gentile to find peace in Christ, to be reconciled to God and to fellow man.

Paul uses imagery of the temple court that was known to both Jews and Gentiles alike. At the temple in Jerusalem, there was a large wall that divided the court of the Gentiles from the inner courts of the Jews. That area was for any Gentiles who had committed to worship YHWH but yet, they still being Gentiles, were not permitted to come as close to God’s presence in the Temple as the Jewish women, Jewish men, the priests and the High Priest.

Using such imagery, Paul states that in Christ, the middle wall or dividing wall was abolished. This does not reference the curtain that divided the holy of holies from people. This represents the obstacle that kept the Jew and Gentile from entering the temple as equals to worship the One True God.

But in Christ, that wall was abolished and they both can worship Him and likewise be united as one. In Christ, both Jew and Gentile “have access to the Father” because that wall has been broken down or destroyed.

Paul adds that out access to the Father is by One Spirit. Jew and Gentile who put their faith in Christ, cease to be Jew and cease to be Gentile and instead, by One Spirit become the Church. It is the work of the Spirit that followers of Jesus are united to Him. Our union with Christ is the foundation of our union with one another in the Church. The Spirit does that work when he draws us to Christ and gives us new life in Him. This makes the church the “new humanity” as some commentators call it.

Ephesians 2:15 NASB95

15 by abolishing in His flesh the enmity, which is the Law of commandments contained in ordinances, so that in Himself He might make the two into one new man, thus establishing peace,

Ephesians 2:16 NASB95

16 and might reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross, by it having put to death the enmity.

“One New Man” “One Body”

Friends, this Paul describing how we find peace. United to Christ by His Spirit, those once enemies of God, now have received forgiveness and grace in Christ. That forgiveness and grace we receive, serves as the fuel for the forgiveness and grace we extend to other people. This is the call of all believers who deal with conflict with the lost world.

Examples:

1. When in conflict with an unbeliever, what can be accomplished?

Forgiveness, YES!

Matthew 6:14 NASB95

14 “For if you forgive others for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.

Ephesians 4:31–32 NASB95

31 Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. 32 Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.

I believe that Jesus and Paul are both communicating that those who follow Him, who have tasted forgiveness can extend forgiveness to those who do not care to receive it nor who even understand forgiveness. Forgiveness is graciously putting away bitterness, anger and wrath towards that person. This includes being patient, kind, and longsuffering with them as 1 Cor 13 explains how Christ loves. To love your enemy this way is to forgive them, pray for them, bless them.

Forgiveness is your internal response to conflict based on the grace of Christ you have received, regardless of any response from the other party. One sided forgiveness is God-glorifying and Christ-emulating,

Reconciliation, No!

Without a relationship with Christ, on or both parties may APPEAR to attain reconciliation and peace with one another, but it is not true peace if it is not glorifying God. If anything, when we are in personal conflict with another person, those parties who follow Christ only find a sense of peace knowing they have done their part in following after Christ in forgiveness. Reconciliation is unattainable because both parties are not reconciled with God and therefore pursuing Christ in reconciliation with each other.

2. When in conflict with those in the church, …?

When we face conflict in the church, everything changes because both parties have been reconciled to God through Christ. They both have forgiveness and peace on their spiritual taste buds. Therefore, they first can grant forgiveness towards that person when offended so as to emulate Christ.

In addition, they can pursue peace through reconciliation. This is where the party works out the situation with grace, both applying the finished work of Christ to their own attitudes and behaviors in the conflict. Self-denial and putting others first is key in this step. With confession and forgiveness applied, both parties in conflict can reach a level of peace because the Spirit of God has lead them to reconcile with one another.

This is how Paul intends to communicate the new man/new body concept of the church to the Jew and Gentile. No longer is there racial or cultural divisions and hatred to divide you. As followers of Jesus, you are no longer to identify a black man or white man, a rich man or poor man, an American or an Italian, you are Christ’s man. Letting these barriers divide you in the church is to still act as if that dividing wall was never metaphorically tore down by Christ.

This NEW MAN is a reflection of the eternal state of the church, existing united on earth as it will exist in eternity.

3. The Peace United 19-22

Ephesians 2:19–22 NASB95

19 So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God’s household, 20 having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner stone, 21 in whom the whole building, being fitted together, is growing into a holy temple in the Lord, 22 in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit.

Paul concludes his thoughts with a powerful reminder of the unified state of the true church. You did not belong to anything of value as Jews and Christians but now you belong to Christ and thus his church. Its funny how Paul doesn’t have to use the word church and yet its exactly the imagery he wants us to see.

A. The Church is Family

V 19 Our belonging is rooted in the idea that as we are united with Christ, we are reconciled to God. We go from hostility to hospitality in God’s abode, in God’s presence. Once a place no one could venture because of GOd’s holiness, now in Christ, all who trust in Him can enter the holy presence of God with confidence.

As Jesus stated that he is the Door to the sheepfold, we could say Jesus is the door to the presence of God. As the door, we enter in to escape the floodwaters of God’s judgment. As the door, we enter in to dwell securely before our Creator and shepherd.

We are not there alone, we are are accompanied with the “fellow citizens” with the saints. The saints are the holy ones who have already trusted Christ and to whom Christ has purified. The unity of this family continually exists because the presence of the Spirit and the motive for reconciliation and peace is present. Where there is disunity that remains in the church, there lacks genuine salvation and presence of the Holy Spirit.

B. The Church is a Building

In Paul’s mind, the church of holy ones makes up the building materials of the New Temple with Christ as the cornerstone of that building. As the cornerstone, Christ is that which leads the structure to be built with accuracy and durability. As the church has existed throughout history after its beginnings, it has existed by the power of Christ as its cornerstone. Individual churches that do not keep Christ as the head, “have their lampstands removed.” Jesus warned the church of Ephesus that such a judgment could happen if they continued in actions that showed they left their first love.

Therefore in Ephesus, Jesus must be central to the ministry and work of God’s people. This includes the ministry of the word of God, which Paul highlights in v 20. The “Foundation of the apostles and prophets” was the work that they carried out of preaching the word to those who are “far off and to those who are near.” This word-filled ministry has carried the church forward in time because it heralds and Christ-centered message of hope and transformation. All other church-related actions we see in this world are futile if the word of God is not central and the gospel is not guarded.

Notice how the unity and peace is the theme even of Paul’s metaphor as he states in v 21-22, “being fitted together” and “being built together.” This unity is necessary for the church to be fruitful in this world. A divided church is a crumbling building and poor reflection on the world. As a church, we want to keep Jesus and his word at the center of all we do. In our individual lives, we grow in Christ to be a strong unit that God uses. If some in the church body who are not growing in their relationship with the Lord, they become a point of weakness for attack and failure of the building. But strong spiritual individual building materials make up a strong building for the Lord.

C. The Church is Holy

What makes the material strong? Paul emphasizes holiness. Holiness is the environment of God’s presence. If the church is the dwelling place of God’s spirit, then holiness must exists among the people. Christ makes us holy by his sacrificial work on the cross. The church continues to pursue holiness by the indwelling Spirit that fuels holiness.

1 Peter 2:5 NASB95

5 you also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

1 Peter 2:9–11 NASB95

9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; 10 for you once were not a people, but now you are the people of God; you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. 11 Beloved, I urge you as aliens and strangers to abstain from fleshly lusts which wage war against the soul.

Notice that Peter’s reflection on the church is outward. As we live as God’s holy nation and spiritual house, our holiness is visibly present to the outside world. Our holiness blesses God and catches the attention of the world. Unity among us and good works in the world are just some ways that the church as a holy, united peaceful people make lasting impacts in bringing glory to Christ.

Let’s work together as a the body of Christ to be peaceful and live at peace with everyone. Let’s be heralds of peace who bring the good news to teh world and let’s be reflectors of peace who have received reconciliation with God through Christ.