Dave (back in his suit tonight!) spoke from Romans 5:1-8 tonight, talking about peace and specifically the peace we need between humanity and God. This passage reminds us that at just the right time, Jesus died for the ungodly – peace with God was made possible through His sacrifice on the cross, enabling us to have free and unlimited access to God.
We all need peace with God, and Isaiah 57:19-21 reminds us that life without God is rather like the sea. The sea is affected by the moon (which governs the tides) and by gravity, and in some ways, the two cause tension and mean the sea is in constant motion. Isaiah tells us the wicked are like the sea in that they are constantly restless, never satisfied. People have a conscience telling them what is right and wrong, and in all of us there is a battle between good and evil. People without God are not satisfied; they pursue different things to try to find satisfaction but ultimately we all need God in order to find true satisfaction.
Whether we consider ourselves to be near God (as the Jews did) or far from Him (as the Gentiles were considered to be), Eph 2:17 reminds us that all need the reconciliation and peace which the gospel offers. In Acts 16, we see Paul (a Jew) and a Philippian jailer (a Gentile), but both needed salvation in the same way. Peace with God is what every person needs and, as the Christmas story reminds us, this is available to all men now (Luke 2:13-14).
Jesus promised to give His peace to HIs disciples, and Paul promises us a peace that transcends or surpasses human reasoning and understanding. (Phil 4:6-7) The peace that comes from knowing God personally spills over to every area of our lives and gives us the ability to live at peace with God, with ourselves and with others.
