Title: Our Peace / Ephesians 2:11-19
This morning I am giving my third sermon on the topic of "The Cross and I". What feelings and emotions do you get when you hear the words “Cross and I”? Hwang Gwan-chang confessed that he was deeply shocked when he first saw the sermon titled "The Cross and I". Lee Joo-hee confessed that whenever she heard the sermon on the cross, she was drenched in grace and shed tears. Bernard of Clervaux wrote a hymn to the cross as he looked at the cross and cried, "O Holy Lord, that bruised head." Count Zinzendolph knelt under the torch of the cross and wept and wept endlessly. "Cross and I" What does the cross have to do with me? I have my third sermon this morning. The cross is our peace.
1. Humanity: Discord and Enmity
2. The Cross: The Bridge of Reconciliation and Peace
In God's heart, there was always the thought of how to reconcile people who were enemies with each other. God's deep interest was how to reconcile the enemies of mankind with God himself and how to reconcile with humans. This is because the divided and enmity human beings were all children of God, created in the image of God. That's why God called out to him, "Come, come." He also said, "These two will become one." He even invited them to receive forgiveness of sins and healing. But there was no reconciliation and no peace. There was no peace of mind.
So, the last method God provided was to build a bridge of peace through the cross. On the 7th day of July, just as the magpie set up the Ojakgyo Bridge so that the cow and the weaver could meet, God put the bridge of the cross so people could meet God and people could meet each other. In Hebrews 10:20, Jesus prepared the way for humans to come to God, and that way is the way of the cross made with His own flesh. “The way is a new and living way for us and opened through the veil, and the veil is his body.” In fact, no one after Adam, except the high priest, could come close to God. Even Moses could not come close to God. But now, anyone can come to God by stepping on the bridge of the cross and achieve reconciliation with God. Previously, Gentiles and Jews could not meet and achieve reconciliation, but now they can meet each other by stepping on the bridge of the cross and achieve reconciliation with each other. And at the meeting place of the cross, I was able to meet myself and make peace.
This is the gist of today's text. “You who were far off are made near by the blood of Christ.” It means that humans who were enemies with God were reconciled to God through the blood of the cross. "Make one out of two." It means that Jews and Gentiles, who were enemies, were reconciled to each other by the blood of the cross. "Peace to you" means that individuals and individuals enjoy peace of mind at the meeting place of the cross. After all, the cross has become our peace. Peace with God, peace with men, and peace with oneself. "He is our peace." "For the cross is our peace." The vertical tree of the cross became the tree of peace that reconciles God and humans, the horizontal tree of the cross became the tree of peace that reconciles humans and the center of the cross became the central tree of peace that reconciles me to myself .
3. The Cross: A Place of Forsaken and Cursed
How could the cross be a bridge of reconciliation and peace? Actually, the cross was originally a symbol of enmity rather than a symbol of reconciliation, and a symbol of curse rather than a symbol of peace. In ancient societies, the cross was a symbol of contempt, cutting off, and curses. Even in the Old and New Testaments, the cross was originally a symbol of being cut off and cursed. “Cursed of God is he who hangs on a tree” (Deuteronomy 21:23). “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me” (Psalm 22:1). The cross was a symbol of abandonment. “Why are you far from helping me?” The cross was a symbol of alienation. “I am a worm, not a man, a slander of men, a derision of the people” (Psalm 22:6). The cross was a symbol of contempt and ridicule. Jesus cried out on the cross as well. “Eli, Eli, lama, sabachthani, my God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:47). The cross was a symbol of abandonment and curse.
Because the Son of God was despised, ridiculed, cut off, abandoned, and cursed by God and men on the cross, we can enjoy reconciliation and peace in His place. “Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us” (Galatians 3:13). The breaking of the cross became our connection, and the curse of the cross became our peace. This is the marvelous mystery of exchange, the marvelous grace of exchange. Someone was forsaken in my place, so I was found, and someone was cursed in my place, so that I could enjoy reconciliation and peace. This morning, on the way to church, I heard the news broadcast, and it was said that a father in his 40s jumped 30 meters down from the apartment while holding his daughter in order to save his 6-year-old daughter from a house that caught fire. This is the grace of exchange. One's own death and raising another's life, one's own curse and the other's blessing are the mystery and grace of exchange.
Now we close the word. The cross is our peace. By treading on the body of Jesus, the Son of God, who was rejected in my place, we drew near to God and made peace with God. There is no other way. Those who take the other way will be cursed. By treading on the body of Jesus, the Son of God, who was cursed in my place, we can come close to and make peace with all kinds of people. By touching the cross of Jesus, the Son of God, whose body and soul were damaged in my place, we were healed from the diseases of schizophrenia, depression, and despair that we are facing, so that we can enjoy freedom and peace. When we look at the cross and hold on to it, such things of peace will happen. Freedom and peace are given.
When we hold on to the cross, a sinner who is separated from God makes peace with God. When we hold on to the cross, a person who has become separated from our neighbor makes peace with their neighbor. When we hold on to the cross, a person who has been separated from himself makes peace with himself and finds peace. you will enjoy Among the gospel hymns, there is this hymn. “Reconcile, say hello, look at the cross, whose sin is it? Hold hands and say hello. Be reconciled.” It would be nice to sing this hymn together. Sing this hymn together, first being reconciled to God, then to your neighbor, and then to yourself. Let's take a look at where our hearts are at this time. Are you far from God? Are you separated from each other, between husband and wife, between brothers, between father and son, between saints? Are you away from yourself? The cross is our only peace. When we look to the cross and hold onto the cross, peace is achieved. . Let's sing the hymn "Reconcile" together.