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The Way to Lasting Peace
Ephesians 2:13-14
Happy Chinese New Year to all who celebrate it. We are grateful that some friends are taking the time to be here and to hear the words of blessing from God. For many who celebrate it, it’s a joyful time. There are many significant things about it. It’s called the Spring festival because it symbolizes the coming of what’s new. That’s why debts are paid off. People make it a point not to owe anyone anything. And then there are wishes for prosperity - ???? (nián nián y?u yú) - it’s a wish that year after year we’d have abundance. Everything is bathed in red - there are red decorations, red clothes, red packets, etc. Red banners are also placed over the doors of homes. And people visit each other. This is especially the case with family. And there are well-wises for peace - like ???? (suì suì píng ?n) - peace in all ages and ???? (zhú bào píng ?n) - let peace be announced, or let peace explode.
But reality can be quite different. Sometimes it’s hard to meet people. We’re at odds with them. And while we greet one another out of tradition, how sincere are we? If they’re only a matter of words, then they may not be intentions. Perhaps they’re aspirations. But unless debts are paid or forgiven, unless there’s reconciliation, where’s genuine peace? Instead of abundant peace, it can be abundant awkwardness. Instead of ???? (nián nián y?u yú), it’s ???? (nián nián y?u yù)! Not abundance, but sadness. We’re red faced from shame, rather than from merry making. It’s a reminder of our weaknesses. Today, I want to offer words of peace. Words that bring blessing to all who’d believe in them. This God’s good message to us. And he speaks these blessings in three points. Firstly, enemies separated from God can be reconciled. Secondly, they’re brought near by Christ’s sacrifice. Thirdly, they have peace with God and each other.
Firstly, enemies separated from God can be reconciled. Verse 13 says - “But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.” To prepare for Chinese New Year, people have to deal with unpleasant things. Debts must be paid off. This means there are debts. People spring clean to get rid of the old and prepare for the new. But this means there old things - useless, unwanted, things which are liabilities and obsolete. We recognize that new things are good. Because we clean, we acknowledge dirt. That’s why curtains are washed, cushions are beaten, surfaces are wiped, and floors are washed. When the Bible calls us to receive God’s blessings, it also calls us to acknowledge our sins. We’re separated from God and his blessings because of our sin. How can we be at peace with one another, if there’s debt? So because of sin, we’re far from God. We owe him the debt of obedience. God calls us to be holy - tone without sin. That much we owe God. But we sin. The Bible says that “all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). And these sins separate us from God - he doesn’t hear us. Isaiah 59:2 says - “But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.” The Bible says because of sin, we come short. We can’t pay the debt we owe God. No payment is sufficient. That’s why we must pay with our lives one day.
Now, do you know why’s red such an auspicious color at New Year? Why firecrackers? As the ancient Chinese legend goes, the mythical beast ?? (nián shòu) would devour people and their children on New Year’s Eve. That beast wouldn’t be satisfied until the payment of life was made. But villagers realized that drums, fire crackers, and the color red could scare off the beast. But dear friends, God’s no beast - he’s far more fearsome - he’s holy and because of our sins, he must judge. Romans 6:23 says, “for the wages of sin is death.” What we owe God for our sins is death. We’re his enemies. We’re not at peace with him. As verse 13 says - we’re far off. Verse 14 describes it as a barrier - a partition - a wall that separates God and man, and man and man. That’s what sin does. That’s why friends, despite the celebration of things new, debts paid, dirt cleansed, auspicious words spoken, we know these things can be artificial. We’re not at peace. We still owe God. There are lingering sin issues in our hearts. You see, man has always tried various ways to deal with sin and obtain lasting peace. He tries morality - hoping that by doing good, he’d outweigh his bad. He tries religion - hoping that by placating some god, he won’t be judged. He tries philosophy - just think good things. But these bring no peace with God because that very self-reliance is sin. We think we can have peace and blessing without God. Romans 3:20 says, “Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.” Nothing we do can make us right. Because we know what’s right and wrong, we’re judged because we don’t do what’s right. But friends, these “unlucky” and “inauspicious” words show the cleansing we need. But there are good words too.
Secondly, we see that enemies can be brought near by Christ’s sacrifice. Verse 13 says that those who were once far off are brought near by the blood of Christ. Friends, it’s not what we can do to bring ourselves near to God. There’s nothing we can do to break down that barrier. We can’t scare off the judgment of God. No red banner or firecracker can scare God. But there’s something God does for us. He lets himself be appeased. He provides a payment - a sacrifice. He prays the penalty himself. We spend a lot of time on cleaning at New Year. It’s done every year. Because there’s always dirt. There’s no broom, detergent, or mop that’s strong enough to remove dirt permanently. Similarly there’s nothing strong enough in our arsenal of religion, good works, and good thoughts to remove sin permanently. Sin comes from within. James 4:1 says, “From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members?” Conflicts don’t come from outside - they come from within us. We have conflict not because of others - but because of the lust, anger, and bitterness in us. If you shake a glass of water, water spills out. But if there was no water, there’d be no spillage. If you have no anger within, there’d be no conflict. And no human effort can get rid of anger, bitterness, and such sin. Only one thing works. God’s sacrifice. 1 John 1:7 says, “…the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.”
But why blood? Very simply because blood gives life, and life must be sacrificed, blood must be shed for the payment of sin. Many ancients understood this - that’s why at New Year, animals are offered to appease deities. Today, chicken and duck are offered. Similarly, in the Bible, the concept of sacrifice was understood to escape judgment. When God judged Egypt, he gave a way for the Israelites living there to escape it. If only they sacrificed a lamb and painted their doors with its red blood, God’s judgment would passed over them. God saw the blood and graciously spared them. The red banner over Chinese houses may serve by tradition to scare off the ?? (nián shòu) but only God can be appeased by sacrifice. And these sacrifices were only symbolic. Seriously, how can the sacrifice of animals really cleanse the conscience from sin? Hebrews 10:4 says, “For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins.” Similarly, we’re not only looking for symbolism - what’s the point of cleaning the home, when your conscience is not clean? What’s the point of paying off debts, if you’re still covetous? What’s the point of visiting if there’s still conflict? What’s the point of lucky words, if there’s no genuine desire? There must be something to cleanse the conscience. That’s why God himself came to be man, and to offer himself a sacrifice. No other sacrifice would do. The judge himself came to be that payment to cleanse our hearts from sin. And by his sacrifice, he once and for all cleansed those who would believe on him from their sins. Hebrews 10:14 says, “For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified.”
This blessing can only be purchase through blood. And it’s the blessing of eternal and abundant life. Jesus said in John 10:10 - “…I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.” Jesus came to be bring sinners near to God - to reconcile them - to make both one. But it was not only purchased by his death, but also by the effort of his obedience. In Hebrews 10:9, “Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God.” He obeyed God where we fail. While we don’t seek reconciliation, he came to bring God and man together. Where we’re unable to repay our debts, he pays it for us. Where we’re unable to be cleansed, he can make us clean. Where we can’t remove our sins, he who was without sin, took our sin on him. No amount of good works on our parts make us righteous. But Romans 5:19 says, that “…by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.” And the reason why he does that is because he loves us. John 3:16 - “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
And because of the work of Jesus, we have peace with God and man. That’s the last point. Verse 13 says you were were once far off are brought near. As sinners we are enemies of God. But because of Christ’s sacrifice, we are brought near. We have peace with God. What is peace? Peace is an absence of conflict and judgment. Those with whom God was angry, he now shows mercy. He’s no longer angry. We can know that despite our sins, they are taken from us. Despite our inability to be right - and still have wrongdoing - our conscience can be clear. Because God no longer counts our sins against us - as long as Christ is our red banner, our sacrifice. He no longer pronounces curses upon us of judgment - but words of blessing - that we will not only have abundant life every year, but we shall have eternal abundant life. We are no longer far and estranged from the family of God, but we are brought near to be children of God, always welcome at his table. We are no longer afraid of his judgment, for the blood of Christ has destroyed the power of sin. God doesn’t look at us as people who owe him an unpaid debt, but the debt has been overpaid by Christ. And so peace also means that there’s peace in our hearts - no need for anymore turmoil because of an unclean conscience. Our sins are done, dusted, cleansed, swept away, washed clean. And peace means, that as a child of God, you delight in righteousness. But some of you have false peace. You have peace because you are comfortable. You have generally good relations so you believe you are at peace. These things have blinded you to how far you are from God. And if you haven’t come to Christ, you have no peace with God. But Christ offers these good words. The peace he offers is everlasting. John 14:27 - “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” Friends, these are not auspicious words we offer others - these are sincere words given to us by a loving savior.
And because he is loving, we can also love one another. Christ brings people together - and those who acknowledge their sinfulness can be friends of one another. Those whose righteousness comes only from God, have no reason to judge another. One of the things all of us realize is the humble brag at New Years. People compare. What goodies there are, which pineapple tart is better, who’s doing better in life, whose angpow was bigger. Things meant to unite and bless are used to divide. What’s amazing is the lack of self-awareness in such times. There’s comparison, competition, covetousness. But those who are truly forgiven, who have no and should have no ego, rejoice at the success of others, and are not envious; who are generous to those who struggle, and do not gloat - those are the ones who truly are at peace - whose righteousness comes not from self-made success, but from a self-sacrificing savior. That’s why the middle wall of partition has been torn down between those who call on Christ.
Today as you come, what have you done and what do you gain? For all your cleaning, dusting, new clothes, red banner, nice words - if you’ve not been forgiven by God, your conscience is still unclean - you’re still under judgment. But the auspicious words to you are these - you can be at peace with God through Christ. If you believe, you’re promised abundant eternal life, a perfect righteousness not your own, eternal riches in Christ, and peace with God - ???? (suì suì píng ?n).
1. Enemies Separated from God Can Be Reconciled
A. Separated from God because of sin
B. Sin means there is no peace with God
2. They Are Brought Near by Christ’s Sacrifice
A. It was a sacrifice of blood
B. It was wrought by his effort
3. They Have Peace
A. One with God
B. One with Man
* As a matter of courtesy please advise Rev. Mark Chen, if you plan to use this sermon in a worship service. Thank-you.
(c) Copyright 2023, Rev. Mark Chen
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