Peace with God

Home Church Service 6/19/2021

These sermons began as devotionals for my family as we met during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic. We have now begun to include our friends and the devotional has now become a full sermon. We are also recording our service and will begin posting those videos in the near future.

Part of our family is on a mission’s trip June 18 – 27, 2021 so these messages will be shorter than usual. Please keep them in prayer throughout the week as they share the gospel message in Allen, SD.   

For the love of Christ controls us, having concluded this, that one died for all, therefore all died; and He died for all, so that they who live might no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf. Therefore from now on we recognize no one according to the flesh; even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him in this way no longer. Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.                                                        2 Corinthians 5:14-21 (NASB)

For the past fifteen months our world has been anything but normal and I do not think that many have found peace in the changes that have come about. For a time, the world stopped, and everyone was inside, away from others, including family and friends. Hearts and minds alike were filled with fear, fear of the unknown, fear of the changes many saw coming, fear of losing a loved one, a job, a home or vehicle; fear seemed the only thing in abundant supply. Many began to pray for peace and the restoration of our world to wat we knew as normal, but yet, not many had the peace they sought.

In our passage today we find out how we can have peace and not just any kind of peace but Peace with God. This peace comes from only one source, Christ Jesus, who has died for all that all might live. The new life given through Christ Jesus changes everything for those who trust in Jesus. The old is gone and the new has come along with a new mission in life – that as ambassador for Christ Jesus.

We are controlled by the love of Christ who died for us. We no longer recognize anyone in the flesh, for we are a new creature in Christ. We have Peace with God and as an ambassador of Christ we have a ministry of reconciliation because Christ became sin that we might become the righteousness of God.

We do all things because of the love of Christ, the One who died for us. We no longer live as the old self, for the new self has come, a gift from God. We have Peace with God, and we do the work of helping others find peace with Him, through the gospel message. We now represent Christ, who became sin that we might become the righteousness of God.

In this message we seek to answer the question, “How do we have Peace with God?”

To have Peace with God we must be controlled by the love of Christ, living our lives for the One who died for us.

1). The first thing we must understand – to have Peace with God we must first die to the old self.

We no longer live a self-centered life seeing and acting in the flesh.

Everything we do should be done to honor God. Not only should fear, that is awe and respect, for God motivate us, we should be controlled by the love of Christ. It was out of His great love for us that Jesus died, giving His own life for ours. He did not act out of self-interest, selfishly holding on to the glory He had in heaven, instead, Jesus willingly died for everyone. If you believe that, then you should also believe that you should die to the old self. You should be willing to die to your old selfish ways, abandoning the way of life you once lived and live a new life for Christ.

Because our old self has died in Christ, we no longer live for the old self and the old ways of living. No longer do we seek after the material possessions of this world. Gone should be the lust for money, power, position, fame, acceptance, a life of pleasure and ease. These are the old characteristics of a worldly life that has died in Christ. No longer do we seek to please a flesh that has died. The cravings and desires of the flesh no longer have a hold on those who have died in Christ. Gone are the days of “keeping up with the Jones” as accumulate more and more “things” that are destined to fade away and leave us empty.

Because we are a new creature, we must also look at other people in a new way. No longer should we see them as friends or enemies, customers or coworkers, brothers or sisters, now we should see them as Christ sees them, sinner or lost sheep without a shepherd. When we are controlled by the love of Christ, we want to share His love with others. No longer should we see them according to education, wealth, or status in society, we see them through the eyes of love, the eyes of Christ. However, we should also view our brothers and sisters in Christ as part of the new creation as well. We should not look at them according to the ways of the flesh any longer but as citizens of the kingdom of heaven, part of the inheritance shared by the saints.

To have Peace with God we must be controlled by the love of Christ, living our lives for the One who died for us.

2). The second thing we must understand – to have Peace with God we must embrace the new self.

We are a new creature in Christ, His representatives to those who seek Peace with God.

The new life we live in Christ has nothing to do with any form of human effort, it is fully of and from God. God Himself has begun a new work in and through you; it is God alone who draws people to Him and God alone who can satisfy His own righteous demands. The new work began with the coming of Christ in the form of a human child. God Himself came down from heaven to show us how to live a life set apart to God. Those who hear and respond to the call of God come to God Himself in the person of Christ. And when Christ took our sins upon Himself it was God Himself who died for our sins. None of this could have been accomplished by any human effort!

We are now ambassadors for Christ, official representatives of another kingdom. We are being sent forth to announce the message of the coming kingdom of heaven. The ambassador belongs to the One who sent him out. As ambassadors we are commissioned to be sent out, we exist only for the purpose for which we have been sent. As ambassadors, we possess all the authority and power of the One who has sent us out, Christ Jesus. The message we take is not our own, it is the message sent forth from the Sender, Jesus Christ. The message we take is simple yet profound, accept the free gift of God, be reconciled through His Son, Christ Jesus. 

In this life, no one can be perfect, we know that sin is a part of life. In fact, most people expect to encounter sin in other people in the form of self-centeredness, greed, pride or dishonesty. When we don’t find these things, we are surprised. Jesus never knew sin, yet He took upon Himself the sins of the entire world. He was perfect and innocent, he took the penalty for death and sin, to make those who believe in Him right with God. When people come to Jesus and place their trust in Him, they make an exchange – their sin for His righteousness. This is what makes our message so difficult to believe, that someone would take our place, take our penalty all so that we might be right with God.

To have Peace with God we must be controlled by the love of Christ, living our lives for the One who died for us.

The past fifteen months have seen changes come at a rapid pace. When our world came to a crashing halt many were filed with fear. Fear of losing loved one, homes, jobs, vehicles…a way of life. Many prayed for peace and a return to the way things used to be but sadly, not many found the peace they sought.

In our passage today we have learned how to have Peace with God, it comes only when we place our trust in Jesus Christ, the Son of God. This is a free gift from God and changes everything for those who accept the gift. The old person is gone to be replaced by a new creature, one who is made right with God and an ambassador for Christ taking the message of His free gift to those still searching for peace.

For those who know they have Peace with God, it is now your responsibility to take the message of peace to those who are still seeking the peace you have. As an ambassador the message you carry is not your own, you have not been left to your own devises with no direction. The message you take is a simple message yet one that profoundly impacts the life of those who may not have heard this message. The message you take is this, that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and through Him you can have Peace with God. Take this message with you wherever you go and speak it to all who would listen, may your life be the example of peace those who are seeking need to see!

For those who do not have Peace with God, now is the time. Why wait any longer? The world cannot offer you peace that is lasting or that will truly impact your life. It may last for a short time but in the end, it is fleeting because it is man-made peace and man simply does not understand true peace. To have Peace with God is truly a simple thing and yet the hardest thing you will ever do. First, you must place your trust in Christ Jesus. He is the only way you can find true peace. Repent and confess you are a sinner. When we confess our sins, God is faithful to forgive and renew. Find a biblically sound church in your area or feel free to reach out to this ministry. Help is available to find the peace you seek.

We do all things for the glory of God through Christ our Lord.

Amen and Amen.