And He Came

Ephesians 2:17-18 ~ “And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near. For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father.”
 
“And he came.” Those first three words of our text today should set our hearts alight with joy. Promise fulfilled, hope born, salvation presented to mankind through the willing sacrifice of the LORD Jesus Christ. There are many places where we find the reasons that He came. Jesus declared in Luke 4:18, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed.” We find in Hebrews 10:7 the fulfillment of prophecy, “Then I said, ‘Behold, I have come to do your will, O God, as it is written of me in the scroll of the book.’” One last statement, as Jesus testified to Pilate in John 18:37, “For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world—to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.” Our Savior has come, and He has done all that He promised.
 
We look to our text for today and learn that Jesus came to preach peace. We read, “And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near.” The Gentiles were “far off” and the Jews were “near.” And the same message of peace is proclaimed to both. There is no distinction between the two, for all men have a desperate need for salvation and peace with God through Jesus Christ our LORD. In fact, outside of the Gospel, you have never heard of the way of peace. There is no other message that will lead you to peace with God, and so Jesus came and preached the message of the gospel of peace. Paul reminds us in Romans 5:1, “Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” Let us always look only to the LORD Jesus Christ for the hope of salvation and peace with God.
 
As we heed the message of the gospel of peace proclaimed by our LORD and provided through His death and resurrection, let us also understand that He has prepared the way of access for us. We continue in our text as we read, “For through him we both have access.” It was never through the rituals that the Jews gained access to the Father. It was through faith in Him, even as it spoke of Abraham in Romans 4:3, “For what does the Scripture say? ‘Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.’” The rituals and sacrifices made in the Old Testament were the evidences of their faith—not the means of arbitration with God. It is only by faith in the LORD Jesus that both Jew and Gentile have gained access to the Father. His atoning death on the cross paid the debt for all who believe. He is the way, truth and life. We read in Romans 5:2, “Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God.” There is no ritual today that can gain you access to God. You must trust in the LORD Jesus alone.
 
The access given through the LORD Jesus comes through our participation with God through the Holy Spirit. We read the final statement of our text that states we are, “in one Spirit to the Father.” There is only One God in Three Persons and the Third Person of the Trinity is the Holy Spirit. And, beloved, He—Jesus—has promised that all who belong to Him have been given the Holy Spirit who takes up residence in us. Jews did not receive a different Spirit than the Gentiles. We are all baptized in one Spirit, “For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit” (1 Corinthians 12:13). You have access because God Almighty has made His abode with you. Are you in the Holy Spirit? This is not some secondary experience nor is it evidenced through some outward sign or manifestation. The Holy Spirit is given by Christ. You cannot work for it, buy it or imitate it. And if you do not have the Spirit of Christ, you do not belong to Him. Romans 8:9 declares, “You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.” But all who believe on the LORD Jesus have been given the Holy Spirit (see Ephesians 1:13) and are sealed by Christ unto the day of redemption.
 
So, my friends, have you heard the message of the gospel? Having believed, you have peace with God and have been given the gift of the Holy Spirit. Dear Christian, you have access to the Father. Let us take these last few days of our year and draw ever closer to Him.
 
In His Grace,
Pastor Michael

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