Chaos Destroyed

Ephesians 2:17–18 (NASB 95)

17 AND HE CAME AND PREACHED PEACE TO YOU WHO WERE FAR AWAY, AND PEACE TO THOSE WHO WERE NEAR; 18 for through Him we both have our access in one Spirit to the Father.

Examine / Explain

Let’s consider the relevance of this passage to our lives: Jesus, in His divine mission, came and preached the gospel of peace—peace for all, regardless of their proximity. This means that both those who are near and those who are far, the Jews and the Gentiles, have equal access to the Father through the same Spirit. This emphasizes the nature of His message and its application to our lives.

How do I apply this to my life?

This is why some people think the bible is a contradiction. In Luke 12:49-56 Jesus states that He did not come to bring peace but to divide people against each other. How did His earthly ministry that preached peace also be the cause of division? Because two things can be true at the same time! The good news is that Jesus is the Prince of Peace, and in that good news, Jesus leaves us His peace after His earthly ministry is done. AND His message was so controversial that it caused division. He let those near to Him, which in this passage I believe is referring to the Jews, that they are sinners just like those far from Him, the Gentiles. All people fall short of the Glory of God and require a savior. We all have the opportunity to have the peace of God through the working of the Holy Spirit. By Jesus dying on the cross and sending the Holy Spirit to us, we have access to the Father as believers. The Giver of Life. A Father who never neglects His children. A Father so full of grace and mercy, He allowed the perfect unity of the Trinity to be broken so that we can even have a chance at being with Him. He is peace. He is love. He can love His enemy enough to sacrifice His own son to provide the opportunity for salvation for His enemies. We are His enemy while we are sons of rebellion. We become part of the family when we accept Jesus for who He is. That’s when we get to see what the Father’s true nature is. It is perfect peace. What is peace? Shalom – Destroy the authority that establishes chaos. Does that mean that peace is the absence of chaos? Or does it mean that in the chaos, we have the ability to crush its power over us? How do I operate in this truth? How do I live in authority over the authority that establishes chaos in my life? How do I destroy it? With the peace He gave us? Through the power of the Holy Spirit? Walking in the Spirit? Bearing the fruit of the Spirit? Living in complete submission to the Most High God? Jesus’s life is the perfect example of peace on the earth. He was able to sleep in a storm. He was completely controlling His body even though He was tossing tables. He could control His tongue when being accused of wrongdoing. Is the result of living in peace a mirror image of Christ’s life? How did He live? In complete submission to the Father, even to the point of death. A humiliating death. And we operate our lives out of fear, even as believers. We don’t obey or do the simplest of commands straight out of the Bible, and yet we need to hear a word from God. That is wild!

What is my response?

Father, what response can I have? I fail and fall short often. I don’t love others the way You love them. I mistreat others and try to elevate myself, even if it’s in my own mind. I still look out for number one. Help me live at and in peace while I’m still on this earth. I need to die and submit completely to Your will. Help me do that. I need, no, I want to look more like Your son, and I am incapable of doing that alone. I do need help to hear and obey the Spirit. I need to live out the words you have already given us. Love the Lord our God, and love our neighbor as ourselves. Maybe that is the issue: we don’t love ourselves. We treat ourselves so badly, and it bleeds over to other people. Father, I am a broken man who needs a savior. Thank you for sending Jesus to take my place. Thank you for providing a way for me to experience and have peace in this life. Help me live out. Daily! Amen.