For our sermon this morning, I invite you to turn to Ephesians chapter 2. Ephesians 2, and we want to read verses 11 to the end of the chapter. And our focus then will be on verses 11 through 18. Let's give our attention to the reading and hearing of God's word this morning, found from Ephesians 2 on page 1,344. The Bible's provided there in your rows. Paul writes, 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, that at that time you were without Christ. being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus, you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. for he himself is our peace who has made both one and has broken down the middle wall of separation 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, and that he might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity. And he came and preached peace to you who were afar off and to those who were near. for through him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father. Now therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief cornerstone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit. Remember the grass withers and the flower falls, but God's Word abides forever. Amen. If we reflect on the relationships of individuals, not only today but throughout history, One of the words that would mark out those relationships would be conflict. Another word could be tension. If you simply reflect on world history, you see this is the case. Currently, we know of at least two conflicts that are going on in our world, one between Russia and the Ukraine, the other in the Middle East between the Palestinians and the Jews. You don't have to go back too long ago and you may remember conflict in the Persian Gulf, Vietnam, Korea, issues surrounding Germany and Europe in World War II, World War I. In our own country, we recognize that there was a divide over the perspective of rights as it related to the North and the South, and there was division, there was war with the British, and on it goes. Even throughout the pages of Holy Scripture, we see that there were battles waged all the way back to the very beginning. One of the first actions after sin came into the world was Adam and Eve immediately pointing the finger at each other, shifting blame from themselves and thereby creating a conflict. And their sons, Cain and Abel, in one chapter over engaged in a disagreement whereby Cain killed his brother. This issue of discord was present even in the church in the first century. You had the challenge between those who were Jews and those who were Gentiles and how would they relate together? It was a reflection of the conflict that was present even in their own societies. For the Jews looked with great disdain upon those who were Gentiles, and the Gentiles would look back on the Jews and not have much of a higher opinion of them. The Jews saw themselves as being set apart, blessed with a temple, blessed with ceremonies, blessed with laws, having sacrifices and feasts and the purifications and the washings, all given by instruction of God. And therefore, anyone who wasn't a part of that was viewed with disdain. The Gentiles were no better. They were there in their own religion, seeking their own devices. And as a result, they looked at anyone else and considered them to be godless. They look down on them when they didn't embrace the ideology of their philosophies. Or if they didn't follow after their way of wisdom, they were called barbarians. Even in our own nation, it's no different. And although we may not be at war with tanks and bombs and guns, yet nonetheless, we see division among races, we see that based on various social statuses or someone's economics, or even in the context of one's religion or church background. division, separation, and even conflict occurs. And yet in our passage this morning, and even as we wrap up the themes that we've been looking at over the last few weeks regarding fulfillment, we see that one of the outworkings of true fulfillment is found in peace. One of the privileges that is given us as the children of God is the gift of peace. And our passage here brings it out for us in a few different ways. Paul first describes our condition that when we are separate from Christ, we only have the absence of peace. But God doesn't leave us there because secondly, we're gonna see how peace then is provided. or more specifically, the provider of peace. And then from this, we'll see how peace is secured, and then lastly, how it's given. And as we walk through this passage, the thing we want to see is this, that even though peace is absent in our lives, it doesn't have to be that way, because God grants His peace. And when he does, it must be lived out. So let's note how we can walk through this. Firstly, just note the absence of peace in verses 11 and 12. Paul writes, remember that you, once Gentiles in the flesh, who are called uncircumcision by what is called the circumcision made in the flesh by hands, that at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenant of promise, having no hope and without God in the worlds." To put this succinctly, you're without peace. It was absent. And in these statements here, he's showing all the different ways in which peace was absent. He says, firstly, basically, you were without Christ. Notice that in verse 12, that at that time you were without Christ. He's highlighting the fact that in their condition, they were trusting and resting in and of themselves. They were separate from the people of Israel. And in this context, they had no knowledge of the one true God. They therefore were not connected to the promise that God had made that he would bring one into the world that would overcome sin and our miserable condition. He furthermore was noting that they then did not know how to be right with God or how to approach Him or come to Him by faith or by blood, and therefore they were without the gift of life. Paul here, in a succinct way, is reminding us of what Scripture points out elsewhere. Salvation is found in Christ alone, for no other name is given among men, whereby we must be saved. That one who is without Christ is without then the way, the truth, and the life, and therefore can't come to the Father. Jesus said that in John 14. The scriptures remind us that Christ is the light of the world, and therefore if we do not have his light, then we are in darkness. John 8. And without Christ, then we still continue to bear a heavy burden and are overcome with all sorts of weights and challenges. We have no way to address it. To be Christless is to be peaceless. But Paul then notes they were also without a country. You may be thinking to yourself, yeah, but didn't they come from somewhere? Didn't they have a passport? Couldn't they look at something and say, no, I'm right here, this is where I'm from? That's not what he's speaking about. By being countryless, he's noting that they were outside of the people of God, Israel. And therefore, being cut off from them, they were removed from the blessings provided God's people. They then were without the experience of the love, direction, protection, and care of God. And therefore, they were strangers and foreigners. And as long as they were outside of God's covenant people, they in turn then were without peace. They also were hopeless. Hope being that future confidence that is ours, that longing expectation of the fulfillment of promises. These individuals had no true promises, had no God-given promises, had no God-given direction or instruction, and therefore they were without meaning, security, or assurances. And Paul concludes that they were without God. It's a very bleak picture of the condition of those who are under the absence of peace. And it's the condition of all who are separate from Christ. Some of you may be thinking to yourself this morning, but I've got things under control. I've got it made. I'm handling things. I'm covering it. I'm able to get it. And you may be right for now. You may be correct in how you're making your observation for the moment. But when you're by yourself, what are the thoughts in your mind? When you're by yourself, what then happens? Why do you work? Why do you labor? Why do you struggle? Why do you pursue? Why do you engage in the things that you do unless it's by your efforts and attainments for some aspect of peace? And as long as you pursue it in the manner in which you are apart from God and without Christ, it will not bring true satisfaction and true fulfillment. For the moment that it is provided to you, you only seek something else or something more or something better. How's things working with your Christmas gifts? Has some of you grown tired of them yet? Have they already broken? Have they already fallen into disrepair? Do they already have to be returned because it was the wrong color, the wrong size, the wrong make, the wrong model? Well, what happened there? It didn't satisfy, it didn't fulfill. It ultimately did not bring peace. Anyone without Christ is in this condition. And yet, the Apostle Paul tells us that even though that there may be those who have the experience of being without peace, that there is peace provided. Better yet, there is the peace provider. Look at verse 14 and 15. For he himself is our peace, who has made both one and has broken down the middle wall of separation, 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. Peace here is not by anyone or anything else. The world desires to find and attain peace and so they have their various peace accords and their peace talks and their peace discussions and they sign their peace treaties only to find out that they only last but for a few moments. I'm talking about true peace. I'm talking about real peace. I'm talking about the peace that comes not just simply that is outward but also is inward. And Paul here says, he himself is our peace. This means that you and I are not the ones who can secure peace. That peace cannot be attained by anyone or anything else. Not by laws that men pass, not by rules that we might follow, not by our works or our merits. None of it will bring true, real, lasting peace. But there is one who does. And it's the Lord Jesus Christ. Notice Paul here says that it is Christ who is our peace. Not simply that Christ provides peace, although he does. Or that Christ has made a way for peace, although he does. But that real true peace is found in a person. the person of Jesus Christ. Isaiah foretold it. In Isaiah 9, verse 6, as we read earlier, he's identified as the Prince of Peace. He's the author of it. He's the one who gives it. He's the one who maintains it. Jesus himself, when he was on this earth, made this declaration a couple of times over. For example, to his disciples in John 14, On the night in which he was betrayed, in the upper room, he says, my peace I leave you, my peace I give to you, not as the world gives do I give to you. And two chapters over, he says, I have spoken these things to you that you may have peace. In the world you may have tribulation. Behold, I have overcome the world. and Micah prophesied regarding the Lord Jesus Christ that it is this one through whom there shall be peace. Jesus is the peace provider. You are not. And you know this. You know this because, as we heard a moment ago, you know that in your heart of hearts, by yourself, all alone, you can't give yourself real, lasting, true, fulfilling peace. But Jesus can. How does He do this? How then is peace secured? Notice how Paul describes this in verse 13. Now in Christ Jesus, you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. It's through his life, through his death and through his resurrection that peace now comes. Notice how he talks about this. Those who were far off are now near. Those who were peaceless, those who were country-less, those who were godless, those who were covenant-less, those who were promiseless, now have it. Those who were far out and way off in the distance has now been brought to them and they now have been connected to it. We once were separated, now we're close. And if it's by the blood of Christ, notice what it's not by. Our closeness to God and our opportunity for peace is not through the greatness of our devotion. It's not through how much we sacrifice or give up. It's not through our efforts. It's not by our sincerity. And it's definitely not through our experiences. Because in our devotion, we can always be more devoted. In our sincerity, we can always be more sincere. In our effort, we can always give more. And in our experiences, we find that oftentimes they're hurting or they're lacking. And therefore we uncover just how weak and insufficient and unable we are. We're unable to overcome the issue of sin regarding our nature as well as the action that flows out of that. We're unable to overcome the chasm and the divide that was created due to sin between God and man. We're unable to resolve in our conscience the way in which we see the things that we don't want to do and yet we fall into it time and time and time again. We're unable to repair the relationships that we broke in. We're unable to pull ourselves out of our various habits and things that bother us and concern us. We're unable to resolve our problems. We're unable to bring any sort of real solution, lasting solution, long-term solution to the issues found in our lives or anyone else's life, let alone the problems and conflicts in the world. And yet the Bible makes it clear to us that there is one who has and who can and who will. We've heard the promises of the gospel over and over again and we're reminded of them that God himself has revealed in his word that he then would provide that one. That lamb who would come who would be slain. and who would overcome the gulf and restore us to Him. That through Jesus Christ, the penalty for our sin, which is death, has been paid. And through His payment on the cross, He then assures us that He has appeased the wrath of God and thereby brings us, reconciles us to the Father. And yet in His offering, He also assures us that he then has overcome death because it could not hold him down, he rose again on the third day, and thereby he demonstrates that the power of sin has been broken in the life of those who rest and trust in Jesus Christ. That same power the Apostle Paul tells us that was in Jesus Christ that rose him from the dead is in you. And therefore then the practice of sin can be overcome. We are given God's Spirit that dwells in us and He thereby equips us and enables us to die to self and to live unto righteousness and obedience. He equips us to seek those things which please God and honor Him, to seek those things which are above and not here that lie on the earth. To be equipped by the power of His Spirit. means then that the outflow of his presence in our lives can show forth the fruit of obedience, which yields life and righteousness and peace. And the hope of the security that lies ahead for us is that the presence of sin will one day be gone. Redemption will be accomplished full and complete, not only in our bodies, but also in the entire created order so that we then might see Jesus Christ ascended above, having returned again, judging all and showing himself to be the promised one who is Lord over all and has brought real, true, lasting peace. No other person will do. No other work will do. No effort, no other effort will do. It is only through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ and our being connected to it by a true and living faith that we might then see the removal of conflict and the presence of peace. Peace is secured. But as it has then been secured for us through Jesus Christ, then what? This is where we want to see then peace blessing. We can't provide this peace. Jesus has. He's done so by his perfect life, death, and obedience. And yet he does bring the blessing of peace. Listen to what the Apostle Paul writes. The blessing of peace is found first and foremost that we can be made right with God. Isn't that the desire that people are wanting? There was the cry of John Lennon when he wrote his song, Imagine. And he talks about, you know, imagine that there's, I don't remember what he tells us to not imagine or to imagine. See, it's very impressive. Imagine, just imagine. But the call that he makes is that there's nothing above us, there's nothing below us, there's only, you know, above us is the sky and I guess we're just walking on the ground. But the abandonment of religion allows us then to just embrace and engage with one another and with that then we'll have real peace. if only the individual who had shot him in 81 had followed after his song. Or maybe he did. The point being is that true lasting peace isn't found by imagining that there's nothing above us, but rather by acknowledging there is someone above us and he is great and he's glorious and he's holy and yet, He can only be approached through Jesus Christ. And yet, it is by Jesus that this Holy Sovereign King can be approached so that through Him we know then that we have His favor. Jesus is, as it were, that court official that allows the scepter to be set down so that we in turn can be introduced to the king and being given access then to that monarch. and that access is truly granted and welcomed so that we then might draw near, we might then enter in with a true heart and a pure conscience so that we in turn might know that the Father will hear us when we call upon him and that he will provide his grace in time of need and it is sufficient and it is full and it is complete and it is total. This is the type of peace that is granted to us. It is peace with God. It is the peace of God. But it also means that there is then the elimination of conflict between one another. The Jews and the Gentiles were divided. They were significantly divided. They were divided in their customs. They were divided in their practice. They were divided in their worship. They were divided in their language. They were divided in their dress. Everything created the sense of division and in turn tension. This division was even present in the temple. And the temple, as the Jews would come to worship, so visitors could come as well. But if you weren't a Jew, you could only go to the first level in the temple. Then was the court of the women. Then it was the court of the men. And then finally, it was the holy place. And you see this clear, visible message. Gentiles, you can only come but to this point. And they even had a sign up that said, if you go beyond this point, do so at your own risk and upon impending death. Can you imagine if that was the welcome that was put in the church here today? All are welcome, but only through the front door. If you walk through these doors over here, good luck. And yet Paul is noting that even as that divide was present, it has now been eliminated. Those who would not eat together, those who would not fellowship together, those who would not worship together, that rule and regulation has now been removed. And all then are made one. The enmity is gone. The conflict is overcome. Peace is secured. Peace is found firstly, and that all those who are united to Jesus Christ have become new creatures. The old has passed away, all becomes new. But as each one experiences that, then the divide of nationality, the divide of gender, the divide of job, the divide of religion is gone. Because in Christ, we are all then made one. Jesus takes us all from all places and all walks of life and all parts, and he joins us and fashions us into one new body. And in being one body, he calls for there to be peace. Healing is brought, distinction is overcome as we're all under one head and one shepherd and in one fold. Well, what does this look like then? The blessing of peace is seen then that as we come together, we have the same Lord and Savior. The beauty as believers is that when we come together, we do not come identifying separate Christs and separate saviors, but the Lord in Jesus Christ who has loved and saved you is the same who has loved and saved me. And the salvation that he has given you, the death, burial, and resurrection he's accomplished for you is the same for me. The hope that we have of an eternal reward is the same with the same destination. We're a part of the same family. We are a part of the same group. We are unified and therefore there ought to be no separation and no distinction in our relationships as believers. We're at peace. We are together. We have access. this peace that is for us then is not only present as it pertains to our souls, but it's also present in the way in which we worship as well as in the relationships that we have. The way in which we worship means that we no longer follow after the ceremonies and the types and the shadows and the sacrifices and all that sort of stuff. but rather it means that as the author of Hebrews tells us in Hebrews 10, that it is through the new and living way that Christ is constituted for us, and therefore we draw near with a true heart and full assurance of faith. We consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, and we assemble ourselves together, exhorting one another as the day is approaching. That's why it's important for us to come together in worship. Because it's through our worship that we reflect this peace. It's through our worship that we show that we sing with one heart and one voice. That we hear the same message. That we worship the same Christ. That we receive the same blessing. And that we desire communion and fellowship. But it also means that as we meet with one another, that we meet together under one Lord, and we stand at the foot of his cross. And at the foot of his cross, we see that as we have been brought to peace with God, so peace is to be found with all who are present there. The love of Christ is so absorbing. And the love of Christ produces such a great thing in our lives that we cannot be alienated from one another. Barriers between God have been removed, and therefore barriers among men must also be removed. Hostility with God has been ended, so hostility among one another must also be gone. As believers, we cannot have long-lasting or existing strife with other members or other families or other groups. No matter their social status, no matter their economic position, no matter their political ideology, no matter how small, how great, faults cannot remain. For the peace of Christ speaks against that. And if faults are still present, it means that we have not found each other at the foot of the cross. Jesus Christ has provided true, lasting, real peace. It's a peace that we cannot provide. It's a peace that is secure. It is a peace of great blessing. that causes us to be together. Let us reflect this, let us know of this, let us live in this, and let us thank our God for it, giving praise to Him for peace that provides true and lasting fulfillment. Let's pray. Our Father in heaven, Thank you for the gift of having conflict gone and resolution to be had, not only as it pertains to you with us, but also with each other. May we, as the people of Christ, reflect this at all times. May we give thanks for this, and where we see that is absent, may we overcome it by the work of your spirit. reflecting our bonds with the Lord Jesus. And this we ask even as we pray, saying, our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our debts as he forgive our debtors. and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.