Accepting Jesus as the Source of Peace and Righteousness

1.To be a peace maker, accept Jesus as your ______.

1.To be a peace maker, accept Jesus as your PEACE.

Romans 1:18-20, 28-32 (NIV) The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness,

Romans 1:18-20, 28-32 (NIV) since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them.

Romans 1:18-20, 28-32 (NIV) For since the creation of the world God s invisible qualities his eternal power and divine nature have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse

Romans 1:18-20, 28-32 (NIV) Furthermore, just as they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, so God gave them over to a depraved mind, so that they do what ought not to be done.

Romans 1:18-20, 28-32 (NIV) They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice.

Romans 1:18-20, 28-32 (NIV) They are gossips, slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; they have no understanding, no fidelity, no love, no mercy.

Romans 1:18-20, 28-32 (NIV) Although they know God s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.

Romans 6:23 (NIV) the wages of sin is death.

Death= Thanatos

Death= Thanatos Physical, Spiritual Or Eternal

Ephesians 2:13-18 (NIV) Will the one who contends with the Almighty correct him? Let him who accuses God answer him! But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ.

Ephesians 2:13-18 (NIV) For he himself is our PEACE, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, by setting aside in his flesh the law with its commands and regulations.

Ephesians 2:13-18 (NIV) His purpose was to create in himself one new humanity out of the two, thus making PEACE, and in one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility

Ephesians 2:13-18 (NIV) He came and preached PEACE to you who were far away and PEACE to those who were near. For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.

2. To be a peace maker you must deal with the conflict causing sin ________________ so you can help _______ to do so.

2. To be a peace maker you must deal with the conflict causing sin IN YOUR OWN LIFE so you can help OTHERS to do so.

Rev. Dr. Tony Evans The way you get to the peace is by the blood of Christ. You say, What does that have to do with me fighting with my co-worker or my sister fighting with my brother?

Rev. Dr. Tony Evans Ephesians 2 says the way Jesus gives peace is through the cross. But wait a minute- the cross is a place of judgement. The cross is a painful place. The cross is a hurtful place.

Rev. Dr. Tony Evans The cross is where there are nails in your hands and spear in your side and blood is gushing out your body. The cross is a nasty place. The cross just isn t a pretty place.

Rev. Dr. Tony Evans At the cross you don t say can we all just get along. At the cross you don t say let bygones be bygones. At the cross judgement is occurring. But what is being judged at the cross?

Rev. Dr. Tony Evans Sin is being judged at the cross. The reason why the cross is nasty and ugly and bloody is cause at the cross sin is being addressed and judged. But because of the blood shed by Jesus, sin got judged so peace could be offered.

Rev. Dr. Tony Evans The only reason you and I, as Christians, have peace with God is cause of a nasty bloody cross Guess what?

Rev. Dr. Tony Evans The same blood that solved our problem with having peace with God solves our problem about having peace from God so that we can have peace with others and make peace between others.

Rev. Dr. Tony Evans So, if you are going to be a peace maker- you must be willing to get bloodied through the addressing of sin so the blood of Christ can bring about the peace that you want to happen.

Rev. Dr. Tony Evans If you are not willing to address the sin, then you are not willing to fix the conflict. So many people want to skip the cross part and just get the peace part.

Rev. Dr. Tony Evans But Jesus had to die to bring about peace. You have to deal with the same thing Jesus died for-sin- in order to bring about the peace.

3. As ________ of God we are called to be _______________ of Christ and bringers of peace to those in our frontlines.

3. As CHILDREN of God we are called to be AMBASSADORS of Christ and bringers of peace to those in our frontlines.

2 Corinthians 5:14-21 (NIV) For Christ s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died.

2 Corinthians 5:14-21 (NIV) And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.

2 Corinthians 5:14-21 (NIV) So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer.

2 Corinthians 5:14-21 (NIV) Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation:

2 Corinthians 5:14-21 (NIV) that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation.

2 Corinthians 5:14-21 (NIV) We are therefore Christ s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ s behalf: Be reconciled to God.

2 Corinthians 5:14-21 (NIV) God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.