Peace with Christ

Introduction:

I met Cadet Audrey in September of 1997, when I was stationed at Minot Air Force Base. I was instantly attracted to her and after a couple weeks of dating, I had fallen in love hard with her. I asked her to marry me. I was super excited when she agreed. I told my mom and she mentioned to be careful as some women will marry servicemen because of the income. I knew that was not the case with Audrey. Audrey then had to tell her mother, which she was so scared to tell her. She finally worked up the nerve and I went with her to tell her the news. Her mother was happy for us and had made a comment about getting married while her grandparents were still around as their health was not the best.

We started to talk about when we wanted to get married and I came up with November 1st of 1997. I wanted the date as it would be easy to remember. I also wanted to make her my wife as soon as possible. So, a little over a month after I proposed to her, we were married at The Salvation Army in Minot, ND. My family could not attend the wedding as they were all still back in Topeka and it was about a 15-hour drive. Most in attendance were Audrey’s family and a few of my friends from the Air Force base.

Fast forward about 15 years and we are living in Topeka with four children. Audrey always made sure that the kids were involved in the youth programs in Topeka. We would attend the corps on occasion but were not involved except when the kids had something going on. When we had attended the Sunday service at The Salvation Army in Topeka, I viewed the officers as “perfect”. I believe that this picture was adopted from attending the Catholic church and viewing the father as “perfect”. I had attended the Catholic church as a child and believed in Christ but did not know why.

In July of 2012, the Topeka corps received new corps officers and they were Majors Dan and Mary Burris. We attended their welcome service and something about the way Major Dan preached had me on the edge of my seat. We started to attend every week and I had the chance to speak with Major Dan. He told me about his past and it dawned on me that officers were just regular people that were called to minister to others. The Burris’s were only there for one year due to health concerns but I believe that God sent them there for me. During that year, I accepted Christ in my heart and knew why I believed, became a senior soldier and felt a calling to something more. I believe that this was also the year that my wife and I truly became one. Audrey’s heart has always belonged to Christ first then me second. My heart now belonged to Christ first and then her second. Our two hearts were completely one. Christ was first in our hearts and there was a peace that came over our marriage.

The portion of scripture we will be looking at two groups, who had hostility between them and see how Christ put a peace between them making them one. This is found in Ephesians 2:11-22. The portion of scripture read was verses 8-10, telling us that we are saved by grace and we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works.

Paul wrote this letter while he was in prison. He had previously spent two years in the city of Ephesus, so there were many people who knew him. The city itself had a population of about 300,000 and was the fourth largest city of the Asian province at that time. Paul had converted several Gentiles to Christianity during his time there but there was still more work to be done. Verses 11-13 read:

Therefore, remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth and called “uncircumcised” by those who call themselves “the circumcision” (which is done in the body by human hands) – remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ.

1. Life Without Peace

When I first read this portion, I thought this was kind of rough. Paul tells them that they when they were born, they were without Christ. David Guzik writes in his Study Guide to Ephesians 2, what it means to be without Christ: without spiritual blessings, without light, without peace, without rest, without safety, without hope, without a Prophet, Priest, or King. This sounds like it would be a nightmare to live during this time before Christ. To have no hope for the future, no safety for your life, no light to guide you, no peace in your life and a restless soul.

Now that I think of it, there are many people now that live without Christ these days. It may seem like they have everything together. They have nice cars, nice jobs, nice lives, can live “happy” lives here on earth but where are they going to spend eternity. Some people will do whatever they need to do to get things while they are here on earth but they are not focused on what will happen after they pass away. They cannot take the material things with them.

The Gentiles were like these people before they converted to Christ. They worshipped any man-made idol or god that they could come up with. They wanted to believe in something and that turned into anything. Once they started to convert to Christianity, they were given a new label of “uncircumcised”. They were labeled that by the Jews who called themselves “the circumcision”, that was done by human hands. Jewish law had required that all men be circumcised but Colossians 2:11 tells us that:

In him you were also circumcised with a circumcision not performed by human hands. Your whole self ruled by the flesh was put off when you were circumcised by Christ.

The blood of Christ made it possible for the Gentiles to be circumcised. This was not the circumcision by human hands but a Godly circumcision. Christ brings those who are far away closer to Him.

Paul then tells the us about the peace of Christ Jesus in verses 14-18:

For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, by setting aside in his flesh the law with its commands and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new humanity out of the two, thus making peace, and in one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility. He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.

2. Christ Offers Peace

“Paul’s reference to Christ’s dismantling the wall is a message for today as we consider the numerous ways we stereotype and label people. Jesus did not just tear down the wall between Jews and Gentiles, but between gender, race, ideology, socioeconomic levels, and more” (Holmes, 1997, page 85).

When I was in high school, I was in band. I would have the label of band geek, I also smoked marijuana and was part of the stoners. These two labels did not fully represent who I was as a person. They were only two parts of my life. As I grew older, there have been other labels that I have been given such as base head (a person being from the Air Force Base), fly boy (being in the Air Force), weak, stupid, not understanding because I am white, just a man, father, husband, uncle, Christian, child of God, minister and many more. We all tend to give labels to people and I am guilty of this as well. Some labels people are happy about but most labels, I believe truly hurt a person. Those labels will keep them from advancing as they tend to think of themselves as just that label.

Those walls and barriers were destroyed by Christ as He brought the Gentiles peace, just as He brings us peace in our lives. Christ brings both the Jews and Gentiles together to be one in Him. I believe that this allows me to look at any believer in this room and call them brother or sister, regardless of the color of their skin, the neighborhood they live in or grew up in, their life before Christ, or what they look like. Christ made a way for all believers to be part of His family. He has reconciled the separation between God and humankind by His sacrifice.

Christ preached peace to the believers in the faraway lands and He is still preaching peace in this church now. Jesus tells us about His peace in John 14:27:

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”

We read the final couples verses of Ephesians 2:19-22:

Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.

3. All Called Family

Jesus made it possible for Gentiles to be combined with the Jews. “They should not regard themselves as ‘second-class citizens’ in God’s kingdom in any regard. They are not only full citizens, but also full and equal members of God’s household” (Guzik, n.d.). This is how we should look at all Christians. There is no cookie-cutter version of a Christian. We are all broken people that Jesus has put back together. We come in different sizes, shapes, colors, and flavors, just like donuts. You can walk into a donut shop and ask the worker for a dozen donuts. They are going to probably look at you and say, “Ok… which ones?”. You will have to pick out the ones that you want.

Good thing for us is that Christ does not pick out the Christians that He likes the most to be part of His family. He has picked all who believe in Him and will fight for all. We have a foundation built on Christ. He is the cornerstone and without Him, nothing is possible. “In every stone building, one stone is crucial. It is laid first, and it is to ensure that the building is square and stable. It is the rock upon which the weight of the entire structure rests. It is the cornerstone. Scripture describes Jesus as the ‘Chief Cornerstone’ of our faith” (Draper, 2016).

1 Peter 2:6-8 tells us:

“See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and precious cornerstone, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame.” Now to you who believe, this stone is precious. But to those who do not believe, “The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone,” and, “A stone that causes people to stumble and a rock that makes them fall.” They stumble because they disobey the message–which is also what they were destined for.

Christ is the cornerstone that we build our faith on and He creates in us a dwelling for the Holy Spirit to live within us.

Conclusion and Final Application

Throughout this portion of scripture, Paul reminds the Gentiles where they were before they came to Christ. They had to peace, no hope, and no safety for the future of their soul. When they converted to Christianity, they received the peace, hope, and safety for the future of their soul. They would still have the trials and tribulations that come with life but Christ would be there to walk through it with them.

I was lost before Christ, looking for a father but not realizing that I already had a Father that was chasing me. He was always there reaching for me but I was not reaching out to Him. Cory Asbury has a song called Reckless Love. In the song he says:

There’s no shadow You won’t light up

Mountain You won’t climb up

Coming after me

There’s no wall You won’t kick down

Lie You won’t tear down

Coming after me

Christ chased and chased, until he tripped me up with His love, the perfect love. Have you been running from God? Have you not reached out to Him, even though He has been reaching out to you? Does your life need the peace of God? Do you need the peace of God?

Dr. Paul Chappell, the senior pastor of Lancaster Baptist Church tells us:

“Because of the empty tomb, we have peace. Because of His resurrection, we can have peace during even the most troubling of times because we know He is in control of all that happens in the world.”

Charles H. Brent, a Missionary Bishop for the Episcopal Church says:

“Peace comes when there is no cloud between us and God. Peace is the consequence of forgiveness, God’s removal of that which obscures His face and so breaks union with Him.”

Only Christ can give us the peace that we truly need. If you need peace in your body, in your mind, or in your soul. Then I invite you to come to the altar and pray to God for that peace.

Spiritual Direction: Ask Christ into their hearts or to ask for Christ to give them the peace that they need.

Physical Direction: Come to the altar to pray.