… having made peace through the blood of His cross. – Colossians 1:20
Crucifixion was not an uncommon sight in Jesus’ day. Many a man was hung on a cross with one intention… that he may die for the offenses he had committed against someone or some society. Often the offenses of the person which had been committed were written on the cross for all to see and know why he deserved to be crucified in the eyes of the law.
Now we come to Jesus. What is His offense? Where is the list of His offenses written on that cross for people to know about? Some, to be sure, had gathered, others passed, hurling abuse at Him… “He saved others, if God is pleased with Him let Him come down.”
There are times when things look one way but in reality our perspective is so wrong. Like the two disciples walking home on the road to Emmaus, disheartened, having known of the crucifixion of Jesus, they were so despondent, they had concluded- wrongly their “hopes” had died with Him.
“The soul that sins must die”- Yet JESUS had no sin!
On the cross of the sinless Son of God hung… your Substitute – He was there in your place.
Sin was not overlooked by God, but on the cross of Christ the full holy righteous wrath of God was poured out upon Him who knew no sin that we might become the righteousness of God in Christ!
Without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sins!
The Blood of Jesus Christ, is Precious blood because of Whose Blood it is – was shed, His life was offered a holy perfect sacrifice to satisfy the holiness of God and God extracted every ounce of His justice upon Christ for the wickedness, evil, rebellious, self-absorbent sins of all mankind, was laid upon the “Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world.”
The Perfection of God’s Righteousness meets the worst of man’s wickedness of sin. And the Righteousness of God wins!
The power, guilt, shame of sin, eternal consequences is defeated and there is now for those who turn to God and entrust themselves to Jesus as Lord to rule over them and Master to save them have His righteousness applied to them and they are “safe” In Christ for all eternity. THE CROSS SPEAKS OF HOPE FOR THE SINNER
THE CROSS OF CHRST SATISFIES THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD, AND AS EVIDENCE HE RAISES JESUS CHRIST FROM THE DEAD. Consider that He could have shown up anywhere He desired after having defeated satan, sin, and death but He chose to appear with the two despondent disciples. He somehow “hides” who He is and in Luke 24 we read, “He opened their minds to UNDERSTAND THE SCRIPTURES. “Beginning with Moses and the prophets He reveals HIMSELF IN ALL THE SCRIPTURES.” And as He looked to walk by their home, as it was late, they asked Him to come in and Jesus, the RISEN LORD, took the bread and broke it (in those days only the head of the house would take the bread and break it), yet Jesus, the HEAD OF ALL in both the seen and unseen realm, took the honor upon Himself and IMMEDIATELY they recognized Him… and He was gone.
Speaking among themselves they said, “DID NOT OUR HEARTS BURN.” What caused “a Burning heart” when Jesus opened their minds to understand. What was it that He wanted them to understand? The SCRIPTURES… REVEAL HIM! He is the centerpiece! And with burning hearts, they did not wait till morning but that very hour they returned 7 miles to tell the disciples JESUS IS ALIVE!
JESUS IS THE ONLY ONE whose Blood- death for sin would satisfy the Righteousness of God against the wickedness, evil of the worst of sin, and His Sacrifice defeated it- and God was satisfied and so through the blood of the cross He is the means to PEACE WITH GOD THROUGH THE BLOOD OF THE CROSS!
NOTE: THE VERSE SAYS
- “HAVING MADE…” it is DONE!
- “PEACE THROUGH THE BLOOD OF THE CROSS.” – PEACE with God is not cheap – Peace cost God the LIFE of His Sinless, Righteous Son!
- PEOPLE SEEK PEACE THROUGH A SYSTEM
The world has sought “peace” through various means for years between cultures, countries, neighborhoods, and in homes. Oftentimes treaties are signed, many are broken. Sometimes in war there is a “cessation” of the activities of hatred and aggression. While there may be a temporal outward “cessation” there is the internal problem of what is in the heart that causes (and maintains) the wars, animosities, suspicions, racism, discrimination, and unresolved conflicts. The heart of the problem is the heart! “The heart is more deceitful than all else And is desperately sick; Who can understand it?” – {Jeremiah 17:9}
We have no peace with God because we are at war against His rule over us. We may be polite, well mannered, well educated, and upstanding citizens in the eyes of others but we are rebels of the highest order. We may go to church. Perhaps we will get involved in helping others such as handing out turkeys to those in need at Thanksgiving. We will do anything but relinquish control of being in charge of or lives, “WE WILL NOT HAVE THIS MAN (JESUS THE GOD MAN) RULE OVER US.
Romans 5 Gives us God’s True view of each one who will not come God’s Way through acceptance and submission to the means of the Blood of the cross of Christ.
GOD’S TRUE ESTIMATION OF ALL OUTSIDE OF “CHRIST”
- God calls those who have not come His Way as STUBBORN – Rom 3:5
- Due to UNREPENTANT HEARTS we are declared by God in Romans 5 as…
- HELPLESS – v6
- UNGODLY- v6
- SINNERS – v8
- ENEMIES- v10
This is God’s view of all who are not right with God… those who reject the Christ who made peace through the blood of the cross!
BUT THE GREAT NEWS IS…
For the HELPLESS, and UNGODLY – “For while we were HELPLESS, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly” – v6
For SINNERS – ” But God demonstrates His own Love toward us, that while we were yet SINNERS, CHRIST DIED FOR US.MUCH MORE then, Having now been Justified by HIS BLOOD, we shall be saved from the WRATH of God, through HIM.”- v 8-9
For ENEMIES – “For if we were ENEMIES we were RECONCILED TO GOD, THROUGH THE DEATH OF HIS SON, Much more, having BEEN RECONCILED, we shall BE SAVED BY HIS LIFE.”- v10
THROUGH THE BLOOD OF THE CROSS OF JESUS CHRIST…Romans 5 testifies…
- We have PEACE with God – v1
- HOPE (He died for the Ungodly) – v6
- We are LOVED by GOD – v8
- We are JUSTIFIED – we are declared right by God. There are no offenses / sins recorded against us. Christ has paid the price and taken our penalty – v8
- SAVED from the wrath of God – We are saved by God from God!!! – v9
- RECONCILED to God
- SAVED through the Life of Christ – v10
Above are some of the blessings (consequences) given by God to all who come to Him through His dear Son who, through His BLOOD, has made peace through the Cross.
- PEACE IS A PERSON AND HIS NAME IS JESUS CHRIST.
- PEACE CAME THROUGH THE BLOOD OF JESUS CHRIST. God has no alternative, all must come to God His Way, which is through the Blood of the Cross of Christ.
THANK GOD there is HIS WAY for people like you and me whom, outside of His Son He describes as STUBBORN, UNREPENTANT, HELPLESS, UNGODLY SINNERS, and ENEMIES.
It took the blood of the cross of Christ for us to have peace with god. He has done it. It is done. Peace with God is available to all who come his way
- THINK about the cost of peace with God.
- THANK God for his provision of peace through the blood of the cross of His Son
- TELL someone God’s bad news
- This is God’s view of them outside His Son. They are stubborn, have unrepentant hearts, and are helpless to save themselves. They are ungodly in their thinking, actions, speech, and motivations. They are sinners who have missed God’s standard of perfection of righteousness. They are, from God’s view, enemies because of their refusal to submit to His Son.
- TELL someone God’s good news
- God has made provision for them and it is through “the Blood of the Cross.” Tell them about Jesus!!!
The World’s Way of Peace is a SYSTEM, be it signing a treaty, or individually we avoid one another…. but this is not PEACE. It is a system, avoidance, a cessation but inwardly there is “NO PEACE FOR THE WICKED”
God’s Way of Peace is – A PERSON – “HE HIMSELF IS OUR PEACE”- Eph 2:14
Pray God opens your mind to understand the Scriptures so that you may see Jesus as you read. As you do He will cause your heart to Burn and you cannot but tell others that JESUS IS ALIVE-
How amazing is the love story of God towards us. This is reason to give thanks, our allegiance, and our very all to Him continually not out of fear but from a heart of, appreciation, adoration, and love. Love for Him who gave his Son that we may have peace with Him and one another through the blood of the Cross of Christ our Lord who has been raised from the dead and sits eternally in the place of authority! All this as a result of the Love of God who Gave His Son, who willfully chose to make a way for you to be right with God, and this at great expense… His very own life, “having made PEACE through the BLOOD OF THE CROSS.”