Peace and Security

Peace and Security
February 1st, 2015, Kichijouji Gospel Meeting
Gotthold Beck

Ephesians
2:13 But now, in union with the Messiah Jesus, you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of the Messiah.
2:14 For it is he who is our peace. Through his mortality he made both groups one by tearing down the wall of hostility that divided them.
2:15 He rendered the Law inoperative, along with its commandments and regulations, thus creating in himself one new humanity from the two, thereby making peace,
2:16 and reconciling both groups to God in one body through the cross, on which he eliminated the hostility.
[International Standard Version]

The verses we just read, mention the “blessing of having been brought near.” I suppose that the true blessing lies in the peace and security of the people. Mr. Kenji Goto acted for this purpose. He sought peace and security, but he could not get it because he was captured and murdered by the Islamic State. This happened because this present world is ruled by the Devil. We cannot expect to obtain true peace and security in this world. It simply makes our lives much more difficult. However, when we think of what Jesus has accomplished for us, it makes us feel blessed. Our lives cannot be terminated by anything, even by death. This belief makes all believers of Jesus live constructive lives in peace. No matter how hard the reality that lies in front of their eyes,they do not need to worry at all. Of course, there is one thing they should always keep in mind: unless they have peace and security in their own minds, it is impossible to build a world of peace and security no matter how hard they strive; it is an empty and meaningless effort. After all, true peace and security are matters that relate to personal characteristics.

Let us reflect on ourselves. Does each one of us have peace? Are we convinced of the security of our lives? Needless to say, we all search for peace, and we all seek security. For instance, we are occupied with safety in our workplaces, in our future, and we all desire to live fulfilled and peaceful lives. It must be a desire and hope of all human beings to live safe and secure lives.

However, it is not only a desire of men. It is exactly what the Lord God Himself wants for us; it is His will. The Lord God desperately wants to give us complete peace and safety in our hearts, to guarantee our security from being tormented by guilty consciences. Do we have these things already? You might answer that you probably have them. However, on what ground should our peace and security or our hope be built?

If someone who is very hungry has a dream of making a hearty meal, he would feel hungrier than he did before he wakes up. Likewise, when someone is very thirsty, if he has a dream of drinking water and wakes up, I imagine he would feel even thirstier than before. Today, so many people seek to take positions as religious, social or political leaders believing that is the best way to bring peace or security to this world. What does the Bible, which consists of the words of the Lord God say in this regard? Let us find out from the testimony of Isaiah, Jesus, and Paul. Let me begin with Isaiah:

Isaiah
57:22 “But there is no peace,” says the Lord, “for the wicked.

Secondly, this is what Jesus has said:

John
14:27 I am leaving you at peace. I am giving you my own peace. I am not giving it to you as the world gives. So don’t let your hearts be troubled, and don’t be afraid.

8:36 So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed!”

This testimony of Paul can be found in the book of Romans chapter 5 and verse 1. This is a very often-cited verse;

Romans
5:1 Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus the Messiah.

It is not that “we may have it one day,” but we already have it at this moment. Some people may take these words of Jesus as utter and complete nonsense spoken by a lunatic, a daydreamer or even a big talker. However, others take Jesus as the one who has the true authority and foundation to let people have this peace. It is depicted in verses 13 and 15, of the Ephesians chapter 2, which brother Chiihiro just read. Why don't we read them again?

Ephesians
2:13 But now, in union with the Messiah Jesus, you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of the Messiah.
2:14 For it is he who is our peace. Through his mortality he made both groups one by tearing down the wall of hostility that divided them.
2:15 He rendered the Law inoperative, along with its commandments and regulations, thus creating in himself one new humanity from the two, thereby making peace....

By shedding the blood of redemption, Jesus, indeed, has brought us peace with the Lord God. He has the authority to do so. True peace can be brought by nothing but the shed blood of Jesus.

Then, how can security be brought to us? How can the security of this present time as well as the security in the future be attained?

All humans are destined to die. No one in this world can deny this absolute truth. What will happen to us after death? Mindless people may refuse to accept it, but it is an immovable fact, even for atheists, that all people need to go through the judgment of the Lord God after they die. “I wish that I have the true peace. I hope that I will be released from this horrible fear of death to come.” Many people are seriously worried this way.

The reason for this anxiety lies in us. At the bottom of our hearts, an unceasing pain is surging, over which we have no control. We attempt to stop it through various methods such as reading philosophy books, practicing some charity or indulging in worldly pleasures. Let us look what Jesus said in the Gospel according to John chapter 3:

John
3:17 Because God sent the Son into the world, not to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him.
3:18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe has already been condemned, because he has not believed in the name of God’s unique Son.

Those who have not been saved yet must prepare themselves to be condemned by the Lord God. Because of this, those who do not believe in Jesus are always scared of the condemnation of the Lord God. Actually, this unceasing anxiety and fear is the proof that they already have been condemned, isn't it? Until we encounter Jesus, we all need to live with unceasing fear and anxiety. Contrarily, if we accept Jesus as our personal Saviour, we will obtain eternal peace and security.

I beg you to sincerely confess your sins, and fall down in front of the Lord. The Lord, who died and resurrected is the only one who is capable of giving us absolute peace and perfect security. Through the Bible, this perfect truth has been proclaimed to us. By this truth, we are given the immovable conviction. This is a wonderful verse from Romans chapter 8, which is quoted very often:

Romans
8:1 Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in union with the Messiah Jesus.

This conviction is by itself the foundation of our peace and security. Peace and security can be brought by nothing but the blood Jesus shed. And the answer to the question why it can be is “for the forgiveness of sins is only possible by the blood of Jesus.” Those whose sins are not forgiven do not know true peace and security. Because of this, we have been discussing the matter of the “debt of sins,” which is the biggest issue for all human beings. “Forgiveness of sins” is the greatest treasure, the gift, the consolation, and the hope. This gift makes all others things look so trivial and insignificant. “The forgiveness of sins” is the greatest consolation we can find in this world. And the forgiveness of sins is truly the eternal hope for us.

Now, let us discuss the second reason why Jesus' blood brings perfect peace and security. This second reason lies in the “perfect victory over sins” by the blood Jesus has shed. Victory over sin is the essence of the gospel. That is to say, Jesus' victory over sin on the cross is the only thing that brings salvation to us. It is our sole victory. Father God explicitly admitted Jesus as the perfect victor over death and sin when He resurrected from death. Let me read some more verses:

Ephesians
1:21 He is far above every ruler, authority, power, dominion, and every name that can be named, not only in the present age, but also in the one to come.
1:22 God has put everything under the Messiah’s feet and has made him the head of everything for the good of the church,

According to the book of Revelations, when John saw heaven standing open, he realized that the one who is worthy to receive praise was the Lion from the tribe of Judah; in other words, he understood that Jesus was the perfect victor. 

Revelation
5:5 “Stop crying,” one of the elders told me. “Look! The Lion from the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered. He can open the scroll and its seven seals.”
5:6 Then I saw a lamb standing in the middle of the throne, the four living creatures, and the elders. He looked like he had been slaughtered.

John tried to see the Lion, the Victor, but he actually saw a lamb standing, which looked like he had been slaughtered. When Jesus became the Lamb of God, He actually won the perfect victory over sin. Victory over death is the victory of Jesus on the cross. The greatness of a victory can be measured by the strength and size of the conquered enemy. The greater the power of the defeated enemy, the more the significance of the victory over that enemy increases. What was the enemy conquered by Jesus?

The Bible says that the conquered enemy is “sin.” We all know very well what kind of enemy “sin” is. How badly have we suffered from our sins or the sins of others? But, nobody can solve the problem of the sins that lie deep in our hearts. Furthermore, I suppose that no one truly knows the true nature of sin. Only the Lord God can show it to us through His Word. The Lord God clearly states that it is by itself a sin to disobey the Lord. Sin refers to all things that do not agree with the intention of the Lord.

Ephesians
2:1 You used to be dead because of your offenses and sins
2:2 that you once practiced as you lived according to the ways of this present world and according to the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit that is now active in those who are disobedient.
2:3 Indeed, all of us once behaved like them in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of our flesh and senses. By nature we were destined for wrath, just like everyone else.

Paul wrote to the Romans essentially the same things:

Romans
8:7 That is why the mind that focuses on human nature is hostile toward God. It refuses to submit to the authority of God’s Law because it is powerless to do so.

This verse is telling us that sin is basically the result of the self-determination and self-control of all created things. Practically, it refers to disobeying the intention of the Lord God, refusing and defying it. That is to say, wherever the Lord God does not have absolute control, that place is under the control of sins. Are we under the control of the Lord? Or, are we controlled by sin? We are completely controlled by either one of them and we cannot be in-between them.

When Adam and Eve committed a sin, the human race denied the Lord God for the first time in history. This denial of God did not rise from inside humans; it came from outside. The founder of sin is the Devil. He is the one who dared to deny the Lord and rebelled against the Lord God. Isaiah described the Devil’s sin:

Isaiah
14:13 You said in your heart, ‘I’ll ascend to heaven, above the stars of God. I’ll erect my throne; I’ll sit on the Mount of Assembly in the far reaches of the north;
14:14 I’ll ascend above the tops of the clouds; I’ll make myself like the Most High.’
14:15 But you are brought down to join the dead, to the far reaches of the Pit.

Here, we see that the Devil repeatedly said, “I do this”, “I do that,” “I will do this” and “I will do that.” This proves that he has his personality from which his own intentions come. The Devil has an intense attitude of rebellion against God. All sins, all apathy, and hostility against the Lord God are the works of the Devil. Because of this, Jesus called the Devil, the father of lies and the adversary of the Lord God.

The existence of the Devil is neither a fairy tale, some desk theory nor an abstraction of bad influences on humans. The Bible states that the Devil has a personality and calls him the prince of this world. Human beings cannot stand against the Devil by themselves. The Lord God is the only one who is more powerful than the Devil. Jesus came down to this world in order to achieve perfect victory over the Devil.

1 John
3:8 The person who practices sin belongs to the evil one, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason that the Son of God was revealed was to destroy what the devil has been doing.

Because this earth was occupied by the Devil, Jesus came down to this world in order to destroy the Devil's territory and bring a revival to the people. Consequently, two great powers, the prince of this world and the Son of the Living God, Lord Jesus, crashed into each other head-on. The Devil made every attempt to bring Jesus down, but he could not succeed even for a moment. It was because the Son, Jesus always sought and obeyed the will of His Father God.

John
5:19 Jesus told them, “Truly, I tell all of you emphatically, the Son can do nothing on his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing, What the Father does, the Son does likewise.”

What was the determination Jesus always had in His mind? It was already manifested in what David, the author of the Psalms wrote:

Psalms
40:8 I delight to do your will, my God. Your Law is part of my inner being.

This was not merely a confession of David; it was also what Jesus sincerely believed. Jesus was absolutely invincible to the Devil all the time. When the Devil tempted Jesus, he tried to manipulate Him into self-determination and self-control. However, Jesus clearly refused this temptation. Contrary to Adam, who could not resist this temptation and committed sin, Jesus adamantly answered “no” to the Devil and won the perfect victory. Why did Jesus have to fight such a fierce battle on the cross? It was to liberate us. Since we were born, we have been placed under the strong control of the Devil because of our sins.

All those who have not encountered Jesus yet are placed under the oppressive control of the Devil. To react to him is, under any circumstances, to say “no” to the Lord. Those who commit sins are the slaves of their own sins and enemies of the Lord according to the Bible. Those who have not been born from above, yet, are still living in a land ruled by the Devil. When you move ahead over a national boundary and travel to a foreign country, you need to submit to the control of that country. To commit sins is to walk into the land of the Devil. So, without Jesus, all people have to be handed over to the Devil and will be placed under his control. The reality of the Devil and the power of the darkness are clearly explained in the Bible.

Ephesians
6:12 For our struggle is not against human opponents, but against rulers, authorities, cosmic powers in the darkness around us, and evil spiritual forces in the heavenly realm.

Those who do fortune telling, astrology or spiritual medium, or those who use fortune telling are bound by the horrible strength of the Devil. So many people are inflicted because of these kinds of things. The hearts of those who live in the kingdom of the Devil are filled with hopelessness. People nowadays try to hide or deny that they are controlled by the Devil, but eventually, they have to admit that they are tied up and have lost their freedom. Those who have no God are tied up by the Devil. Those who do not know Jesus, whether they like it or not, continue to commit sins.

Will there be true salvation or liberation? Is there anything that is stronger than the Devil? The answer to these questions is given in the Gospels; Jesus Himself is the perfect victor over the Devil. Jesus liberated the entire human race from the terrible control of the Devil. In order for us to be liberated from the status of slaves, one precious life needed to be offered. The Devil has no rights anymore. But, it was because the sacred and free life of Jesus needed to be sacrificed.

Jesus' coming to the earth was indispensable to liberate the slaves of the Devil. And all human beings were redeemed by Jesus' sacrifice of His own life. When His blood was shed, the life of Jesus was taken. When the blood of Jesus was shed and His life was offered, the precious price was paid.

1 Corinthians
6:19 You know that your body is a sanctuary of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have received from God, don’t you? You do not belong to yourselves,
6:20 because you were bought for a price. Therefore, glorify God with your bodies.

These were the words Paul sent to the brothers and sisters in Corinth. The author of the Epistle to the Ephesians wrote essentially the same things to the believers of his day:

Hebrews
2:14 Therefore, since the children have flesh and blood, he himself also shared the same things, so that by his death he might destroy the one who has the power of death (that is, the devil)
2:15 and might free those who were slaves all their lives because they were terrified by death.

This is exactly the great power of Jesus' blood. It was the payment slip against the bill of the Devil, by which the Devil lost all rights to us. In order to liberate us from the hand of the Devil, Jesus has won the perfect victory over him. The perfect victory over the Devil and his army was accomplished when Jesus came back from the tomb, captured the ruler of the world in darkness and allowed us to accompany Him in His triumphal return.

2 Corinthians
2:14 But thanks be to God! He always leads us triumphantly by the Messiah and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of knowing him.
2:15 To God we are the aroma of the Messiah among those who are being saved and among those who are being lost.

All Jesus' believers testify with joy that Jesus is the victor. The Devil is now the defeated enemy. He has no authority over human beings anymore. This is what Jesus has accomplished through His perfect victory over the Devil. However, how can each one of us experience this victory of Jesus?

Actually, it all depends on the relationship between Jesus and us and our attitudes toward Him. The critical problem for us is in what kind of attitude we face this victor, Jesus. By the blood of Jesus, anyone can be liberated from the control of the Devil and transferred to the kingdom of the Lord. Paul wrote to the people in Colossus:

Colossians
1:13 God has rescued us from the power of darkness and has brought us into the kingdom of the Son whom he loves.

What a great liberation this is! What a magnificent work of victory! By the blood Jesus shed, not only were we liberated from the control of the Devil, we will always be protected from the attack of the Devil. The blood of Jesus serves as a shield, which protects us from all the attacks of the Devil. And by the blood of Jesus, all our guilt and debts are cleared; all our sins are forgiven and perfect protection is guaranteed. Let me finish this sermon with this verse. It is very well-known; verse 12 of the Gospel according to John chapter 8:

John
8:12 Later on, Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. The one who follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

To walk in darkness brings us to anxiety and danger. However, to those who know Jesus, who is the Light of the World, peace and security are promised. If you are uncertain as to whether you have true peace and security, please, come to the Lord just the way you are now. Jesus loves you. Jesus, of course, knows the battle that each one of you has been fighting. Jesus is aware how we have been lonely and hurt. Please do not look at other people anymore. Please understand that Jesus is here with you and is willing to accept you. Please do not hesitate.

By simply receiving the gift Jesus offered to you, you can begin to walk a completely new life. Nothing should be more important than this.


End