When Jesus was born, the angels proclaimed, “and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!” In a world in which 45 different conflicts caused a hundred or more deaths in the past year, it’s reasonable to ask, “Where’s the peace?!” The peace is, as it has always been, in Christ and freely available to all who trust in Him, and that is a gift our world badly needs to receive this Christmas.

Scripture Reference

Ephesians 2: 13-21

Sermon Audio

Sermon Notes

  1. Jesus Offers Peace Between Diverse Peoples
    1. Conflict between different people is almost as old as mankind
      1. Dates back to Cain and Abel, and the outworking of the Tower of Babel
      2. In the 1st century, the division between Jew and Gentile was massive
      3. Today, we see massive division in our world and in our country – race, class, ethnicity, politics, etc.
    2. Jesus unifies those far apart, if we truly embrace Him
      1. Verse 13 – the sacrifice of Christ transcends all groups to bring them near
      2. Verse 14 – Jesus makes us one today – Galatians 3: 27-28
    3. Jesus kills our hostility, if we let Him
      1. Verse 16 – Jesus kills our hostility through the cross, making peace
      2. Verse 17 – Christ preached peace to all
      3. While Christians still mess this up, if we grow our relationship with Christ, the fruit of the Spirit brings peace
  2. Jesus Offers Peace with God
    1. Jesus reconciles those who trust in Him with God through the cross (verse 16)
    2. Jesus gives us access to God
      1. Verse 18 – the Spirit fills us and we enter the presence of the Father
      2. Verse 19 – we’re fellow citizens of the household of God
      3. We’re united in 1 spirit, regardless of background, to form the temple of the Lord (verses 20-21)