Ifthere's one thing everyone needs, is looking for, and desires, it is to havepeace. To have peace within themselves, peace with God, and peace with thosearound them. But it often appears that many people today are bent on havingwar, at enmity with others, with hatred, malice, anger and violence in their heartsand lives. There is no peace in their lives, and they live to destroy any peacein the world around them. The Bible describes it this way in Isaiah 57:20-21, “Butthe wicked are like the troubled sea, When it cannot rest, Whose waters cast upmire and dirt. "There is no peace," Says my God, "for thewicked."

Theirhearts are against God, so their hearts are against everyone around them, andin a sense even themselves. But I believe that deep inside every individualthere is a desire, there is a yearning for peace. The only way to make thatpeace is with God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Romans 5:1 tells us: “Havingtherefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our LordJesus Christ.” That's what we're talking about in these verses before ustoday in Ephesians 2:16-18.

Rememberin verses 11-15, Paul was dealing with the Gentiles basically and thereconciliation they needed and could now experience between themselves and theJews now that they were in the same church, in the same body of Christ. Now we'rein Christ (v. 13). Before we were aliens and strangers but now, we're a holynation. Colossians 1:19-22 speaks of this very thing: “For it pleased theFather that in Him all the fullness should dwell, speaking of Jesus. By Him,Jesus, to reconcile all things to Himself. By Him, whether things on earth orthings in heaven. having made peace through the blood of His cross, and you whowere once alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now has Hereconciled in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy andblameless, and above reproach in His sight.” How wonderful, how powerful isthat?

We'reno longer strangers because we are now in the family of God along with theJewish people. We had no hope. Now we've been called into one hope. We werewithout God, but now through Christ God is our Father.

Nowin verses 16-18, Paul is talking about how both Jews and Gentiles needreconciliation as sinners with God.

Paul’sletter to the Colossians in chapter 2:13-14 says it this way: “You beingdead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alivetogether with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, having wiped out thehandwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us, andHe has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to His cross." Inother words, the law tells us we're sinners. The law tells us that we arecondemned. God is a holy God and He must punish sin. God also at the same timeis a God of love. He's a God who wants us to know peace and have peace.

That'swhy in Ephesians 2:17 , Paul writes: “He came and He preached peace.” Didyou notice that in verse 14 it says Jesus Christ is our peace. In verse15, He made peace because of the blood of His cross between us and God.Then in verse 17, He preached peace. Remember the angels saying to theshepherds that day on the hillside, "Peace on earth and good willtoward men”, is the message of Jesus Christ to all world of sinners."(Luke 2:13-14).  

Ifyou want peace, the only peace you'll ever find and the only peace the worldwill ever find is in the person and ministry and work of Jesus Christ throughHis Holy Spirit that can be in all of our hearts at the same time. “Forthrough Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father” (v. 18).

Whata wonderful message for us today. We have a God that can take care of theenmity, bring reconciliation, and bring us back into a place where we can havefellowship one with another.

Today,I trust you're experiencing that peace and joy in yourself, and with God, andwith those around you.