When we look at the world around us, we find that racial and ethnic unrest and the protests break out sometimes into actual war. In a less damaging way, there are the protests that break out a little bit of violence. Those who are protesting the existence of some people then respond with a counter-protest and there's more violence. Jesus said, And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place. But the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom. All these are but the beginning of the birth pains. Thankfully, where the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ comes, there is healing. And ultimately, when we arrive at heaven, there will be those of every tribe, nation, kindred, and tongue. Where the devil works, there is selfishness, there is disruption of relationship, there is division, and there is war. With Jesus, there comes a forgiveness, a healing, and a restored relationship. It's striking as a bit of background to our study this evening, that in the temple precinct, there was an area where the Gentiles could come. But there was a wall that was some four and a half feet tall that was all around the court of the Gentiles. And they were notified by way of signs that if you come from the court of the Gentiles into the court of the Jews, you will do so on the pain of death. You can see how that would cause a little bit of strife, a little bit of distance when it comes to relationships. Imagine if we had a sign on either prominent entrance coming into our building that forbade all non-members. If you do not believe in Christ, then do not come into this building. on the pain of death. What if there was wording that said that only this ethnic group could come into this building? Only this color of skin is allowed in this building. The Jews did not care for the Gentiles. The Gentiles viewed all non-Greeks as barbarians. And I want us to see, as we begin this evening, a summary that comes from the message of verse 13. Now that you are in Christ Jesus, everything has changed. It is the spilling of his blood that has brought you near. The apostle is highlighting what he taught us in chapter 1. Every spiritual blessing is ours on the simple condition of being in Christ. Everything in this realm comes to us by way of the cross. Nothing comes to us any other way. It was all procured for us when the Son of God bled. Well, if you have your handout sheet before you, you may care to look at Roman Numeral 1, the essence and the maker of peace. The essence and the maker of peace. Notice that strong language, the striking language of verse 14. For he himself is our peace. Now, plainly Jesus is the maker of peace. We can see that summarized for us again and again in this paragraph. But here it is, not that he is the maker of the peace, but he is the peace itself, the essence and maker of peace. Peace speaks of that state of rest, that state where there is no conflict, where there is no hostility. It speaks in times of a reconciliation that is worked between the individual and God. Dr. MacArthur writes, Built into wickedness is the impossibility of peace. Sin is basically selfishness. And selfishness is basically divisive and disruptive. We cannot always have what we want without infringing on what someone else wants or needs. We cannot always have our own way without interfering with someone else's way. Well, bless God that the Lord Jesus has come. He is so central to the making of peace that Paul here describes him as being our peace itself. He is the essence of peace. Think of some of those names. His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. And of the increase of his government and peace, there will be no end. Now, of course, the gospel is speaking of what Jesus will eventually bring in after his glorious coming. For all of heaven, for all of eternity, there will be peace. Jesus said to his disciples, even in this world, peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives, do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. So Jesus is our peace. Secondly, B, our Lord Jesus makes peace. This is that focal point of verses 14 through 18. He makes peace with God. We might think of a vertical peace. That's the peace that each one of us needs to be with God. And so, well, I'm not angry with God. Well, you kind of want to push God off your throne. You want off of his throne, you want to rule in your own life if you're not a Christian. And God has an issue with you. So if you are not going in God's direction, there is an enmity on his part. But it is an enmity that will be taken away through the work of the Lord Jesus. There is vertical peace. But then there is also horizontal peace. He makes peace between the Jew and the Gentile and the Gentile and the Gentile. Those in heaven, once again, will be of every tribe, nation, kindred, and tongue. But then Roman numeral two, not only the essence and maker of peace, consider with me in these verses the threefold process, the threefold process of making peace. What does God do? What does Christ do? First of all, A, making the two into one. Verse 14, the latter part. Who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility. Who has made both one. Who are the both? Who are the two that are made one? Well, it's Jew and Gentile, and that's plain from the earlier verses. What is the one? Well, the one is something that did not exist before. Jew and Gentile are brought together in the church. They are made one in the church. The oneness is found there in the church. The early church father, Chrysostom, comments, that Jesus has elevated us to the high dignity of theirs, theirs being the Jews. But he has raised both Gentiles and Jews to one place, to a place still higher. I will give you an illustration. Let us imagine that there are two statues, one of silver and the other of lead. and then that both of them shall be melted down. And in the process, the lead that is melted, the silver that is melted, it turns into gold and you make one gold statue. His point is. that that which the one is not simply the Jewish nation, the one is the church where those of every tribe, nation, kindred, and tongue are brought to faith in Jesus. So the threefold process, not only making two into one, secondly be destroying the dividing wall. Last part of verse 14, and is broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility. And it's very likely that wall around the temple that Paul would be referring to in this verse. This four and a half foot tall wall, this warning, do not pass by this wall, don't come into the special place of the Jews or you're going to be killed. It's all of those Old Testament regulations that marked off, here are the Jews, here are the Gentiles. The Jews are not to intermarry with them. There are these sacrifices that are offered for the Jewish nation, and it's like the rest of the world is largely left alone, largely passed over with just specimen marks of God's grace. So what is the dividing wall? What is that enmity? Well, it's a natural selfishness that comes up. I'm the Jew. I'm the special one. I am part of the chosen race. And sometimes there's just the way the human heart works, whatever ethnic group I'm in, whatever color of skin I may have, whatever my background, the way that the human heart works, I'm going to find something in that that makes me proud. of who and what I am and distinguishes me. There's this natural selfishness that says I am important, I am better than you, and I am suspicious of you. And you can understand how a Gentile wanting to be right with God comes into the precincts of the temple and says, what's this? I thought I read in the book of Isaiah in the Old Testament that there's going to be a highway with the people coming from various nations to worship God. And now you've got a sign here that if I come too close that I'm to be killed? it would be hard not to respond. If you've got that attitude towards me, I'm gonna have a similar attitude towards you. But then further, we notice from the text, how was the dividing wall and enmity broken? Well, it's just a quick little reference there in verse 15, having abolished in his flesh, the enmity. and to get the sense of the connection here. Remember in verse 13, you've been brought near by the blood of Christ. Verse 14, we've got in his flesh, and then verse 16, through the cross. So these three quick little references that point us to that great and majestic work of the Lord Jesus there on the cross. the threefold process. Thirdly, let's look at abolishing the civil and ceremonial government. And here we are, the first part of verse 15, by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances. There is, in the Mosaic Law, the moral part, the ceremonial part that dealt with all of the sacrifices, and the civil part that deals with them as a nation. Things that are laid out. If there is premeditated murder, this is how you handle it. If it's more of an accidental killing, this is how you handle it. Well, what is Paul talking about here? Well I find it helpful maybe with my farm background to think of three parts of an ear of corn. You get that ear of corn and you can pull off the husk and the silk and you know you don't want that and that's thrown to the side. That's going to go to someone else to eat but not for the human. And then you've got the kernels. and you're gonna scrape off all the kernels and that's what you're gonna eat and then you've got that cob and you throw it to the side. That's what the Mosaic law is like. There are the kernels that are the moral law. There is the husk that is either the civil or the ceremonial, and the cob, which is one of those other two. Two parts are tossed to the side. The great error of the Jews was that they got all wrapped up with the ceremonial part. This is how we're to offer this sacrifice, and they let the moral law lay to the side. Well, what happened? to this part of the law. That which is not moral is said to be abolished. It was rendered ineffective. It's no longer binding on a Jewish Christian or a Gentile Christian. The ceremonial served its purpose. It was all these sacrifices point to the Lord Jesus. The civil marked Israel out as a distinct and separate nation and that was needed for a period of time. They served their purpose and they were set aside. Roman numeral one was the essence and maker. Roman numeral two was a threefold process. Now as we come to the latter part of verse 15, the twofold purpose in making peace. Why? Why make peace? Well, where's it going? First of all, A, to create a new group that he might create in himself one new man in the place of the two, so making peace. What is created? One new man. A new man that is living in peace. On what basis was it created? In himself. In himself. That little phrase taking us back to the work of the cross. Taking us back to brought nearby his blood. In his flesh. So there is this church, the one new man that is made by the Lord Jesus in effect, in effect as a result of his work on the cross. Secondly, B. What is his twofold purpose? To reconcile the new group to God, verse 16, and might reconcile us both, Jew and Gentile, to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility. What does reconcile mean? Well, reconciliation, as most of us are aware, when there is hostility, the hostility needs to be addressed and say, all right, now in place of that hostility, we are going to play nice. We are going to agree to these terms. When it comes to a matter of being reconciled with God, we may not like God because He has been bossing us around. God on the other hand may not like us because we have been refusing to listen to him even though he has created us and he has spoken to us. So the next question is we're looking here at verse 16, might reconcile us both to God in one body. Who is reconciled? Both. both Gentile believer and Jewish believer is reconciled to God. And it's striking here that there are these two individuals or two groups They're all sinners, but from the group of Gentile sinners, from the group of Jewish sinners, they're brought together, they're reconciled here to God. That's the main thought, is that we are reconciled to God. We're no longer finding gripes against him, and God is no longer angry with us because of our past rebellion. And how is this reconciliation accomplished? See it again in the text. Might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross. Through the cross. And what we learn is that as we come to God, as this one is brought, and this one is brought, and they are reconciled there to God, in the process of moving towards God, these two very divergent groups become one. The hostility is removed not only between God and them, but between Jew and Gentile. And thirdly, see our practical lessons from the peace. You and I need to have peace with God. If you're not a Christian, then you need to know that God is angry with us because of our sin. Reconciliation is focusing on that enmity, on that hostility that we have, and reconciliation takes it away. And the way God takes it away, all of your sin, all of my sin is loaded on the Lord Jesus Christ. The Father judges him, and because of that judgment that fell on him, God says, I'm no longer angry with you. Jesus has paid the price. So please see here that Christianity is about peace. peace over and again in these four or five verses of Ephesians 2. Secondly, by way of lessons, you need to have peace with God's people. If this is true that the Gentiles were brought in and are reconciled to God as they believe in Jesus Christ, and Jews are brought in and reconciled to God as they believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, then they will be brought together. Whoever comes to the foot of the cross is going to be a friend one with another, or they ought to be. There is peace that comes. But ultimately, we can only control the thinking that goes on between our ears, Romans 12 and verse 18, if it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men. Now, Roman numeral four, the proclamation of peace. You see it there, verse 17 and 18, and he came and preached Peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near. Who did the preaching there at Ephesus? I said, well, I think it was Paul on one of his missionary journeys. Well, you're right. But Paul is here describing the one who came and preached peace to them as being he, referring to the leading he in this, he who went to the cross, he who dealt with sin in his own flesh. And so we're left with the question, how did Jesus evangelize in Ephesus? There's no record in the Bible account of Jesus being anything other than in the land of Palestine. But Ephesus is over here in Asia Minor in Turkey, present day Turkey. And so what we find is that God condescends to come and work through the words of lowly men. He came. and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who are near. It seems that this is a fulfillment of Matthew 28 where Jesus gave the great commission and said, and behold, I am always with you even to the end of the age. So as you're taking the gospel, to the reaches of the earth, then I will be with you. So God can take the faltering words of a little man in a place that is far removed from Palestine, and it's called Jesus coming and Jesus speaking through that individual. So how did Jesus evangelize Ephesus? Let's ask further with the text. What is the central part of the gospel? He came and he preached what? Well, the text tells us he came, and he preached peace. We might think that he preached sin, and it's true that he did. But that which is primary in God's thinking is this of peace, it's reconciliation. Yes, there has been hostility. The hostility has been taken away through the work of the cross. And so Jesus, the apostle Paul, is said to come with the gospel, the gospel that says you violated God's law, this, this, and that way, and God is angry with you. Now believe on the Lord Jesus and all of your sin will go to him. All of his perfect righteousness will go to you and then there will be peace. So Paul here summarizes, he came in the person of the apostle Paul and he preached peace to you. But then who needs this gospel of peace? And what Paul is doing is quoting from the Old Testament passage, Isaiah 57, 19. I'll read it for you as you look at the Ephesians 2, a quoting of it. I create the fruit of the lips. Peace, peace to him who is far off and to him who is near, says the Lord, and I will heal him. Paul takes this. And it says that through me, the Lord Jesus came and he preached peace. He preached peace to those who are far off. It's a designation for the Gentiles. We, the Jews, are in here close with God. We are tight with God. We're able to have our priests go into the holy place, go on into the holy of holies. But you Gentiles, you're on that side of the four and a half foot wall and don't be coming any closer. But here Jesus comes and prophetically fulfills this prophecy. of preaching peace to the one who is far off, the Gentile, and to him who is near. But now secondly B, that was something of the content of the message, which is peace. Secondly B, the result of the message, and that's access. Now we're looking at verse 18. Notice with me as I read this, the Trinity here in verse 18. For through him, and who's the him and the he all throughout this section? It's the Lord Jesus Christ who died on the cross. Through him, there's the Son. We both have access by one spirit. There's the Holy Spirit to the Father, of course, our Heavenly Father. So, what is access? Well, if you were going to an ancient king, You couldn't just walk in. You couldn't walk into his meeting room. You couldn't even get into his castle. So it's like the Holy Spirit is the one who says, you want to go to God? Let me take you there. I will show you and takes us through the doors and there to the final meeting room and there is God the Father and you will have an audience with the King. Who is the foundation? Well, the foundation comes through him, the Lord Jesus Christ. His death on the cross has opened the way. Not only does he take away our sin, But Jesus through his death opens this way, we might say opens the door into the castle, opens the door down this hallway, opens this door into the place of meeting with God the Father. Jesus is the foundation. And who is the goal? Who's the object, who is the person that's in that final meeting room that we're going to worship and to commune with? Well, it's the Father. He is the great goal. And I want us to see that we should never think of God as being something of the ogre of heaven and Jesus is the loving one. Now, here it is, God the Father in this whole plan, Jesus, you go and die, and through your death, it's opening these doors, because I, the Father, want a relationship with these rebel sinners. I could just backhand them into destruction, but I don't want to do that. I am the loving social God who holds eternal communion with the Son and the Spirit, and I sent my Son to open these ways of access so that you could come and have dealings with God. Do we put in one-tenth of the effort that God has put in for us to have these doors open and for us to be led into the presence of God. Think all the way back there to the garden. Before sin, God would come and walk with Adam and Eve and there would be communion. And then there was sin, then there was rebellion, and the walls went up, the doors went up. But through Jesus Christ, the doors are opened, the spirit grabs us by the hand and says, let me walk you into the presence of God the Father. So who is the helper in our access? By one spirit. Jesus has died opening the way for us, the spirit grabs us by the hand and leads us into the presence of God. And how enduring is this access, for through him we both have access." Present tense, something that goes on and on and on. It's not just a one-time thing. You've got 30 milliseconds in the presence of God the Father. He's busy after all. So here you go in and then it's done. No, there is this ongoing access into the presence of God the Father based on Jesus and led by the hand of God the Holy Spirit. And then to further commemorate that relationship, that access, God says, I think it would be good for you to have a table of remembrance. I think it would be good for you to have a meal that you take together in my presence and where you eat symbolically the broken body of the Lord Jesus Christ, and you drink, symbolically, the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. And who has this access to the Father? Everyone who believes in Jesus. Everyone who's taken their sin, and by confessing it, it's been transferred to Jesus, and his perfect righteousness has come to us, both Jew and Gentile. And if you have this access into the presence of God and you look on, well, who brought you here? You're here too? Well, if he's okay with you being here, then I guess I gotta be okay with you being here. Every believer, both Jew and Gentile. Finally, practical questions. What attitudes hinder a close relationship with your brothers and sisters? Our own pride? Our own misunderstandings and misperceptions? Some actual conflict that needs to be worked through? A prickly personality? And what is going to be a key help to relieving tensions among us as a people of God? Well, it's simply to reflect on this valuable truth that everyone who goes to the foot of the cross and is reconciled to God is also reconciled to one another. Everybody who prays to God, who comes through the Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, everyone who experiences the Spirit of God taking them by the hand, I'm not saying every religionist, I'm saying everyone who truly knows the Lord Jesus Christ and is indwelled by the Spirit is thereby united to everybody else who is praying based on the merits of Jesus Christ, led into God's presence by God, the Holy Spirit. Well, let's pray. Father, thank you for giving us in your scriptures these verses that help us to see something of the impact even among the nations. The death of your son deals with our personal sin, our personal matters, but here we see that it's got worldwide significance. that those from the ends of the earth, those of every tribe, nation, kindred, and tongue are brought into this one, this one of your church, the golden statue of your church. And there we are because of the crosswork of your son, because of your spirit taking us by the hand and your willingness to have us come into your presence, to worship you, to commune with you, to hear you speak to us. Father, even now, work in our hearts. We pray that as we partake of these elements, that you would help us to consciously reflect that as we partake these elements, we're not only communing with the God of heaven, but we are expressing something of our unity with one another. You talk about that one loaf, that one loaf that symbolizes the unity of all the individuals in the body. So work in our hearts, deepen our love for you and our love for one another, and we pray this in Christ's