Peace and hope are found in Christ alone, who has reconciled us to God.

Good morning, Calvary. It’s so good to be with you here. Thanks for braving the snow. I’m Jason O’Grady, I’m one of the elders here, and I also am privileged to be on the preaching team. I’m so grateful that I’m able to be with you here on the December 28th, just a few days after Christmas. Hopefully you all had a blessed time. I know that maybe you spent some time with family. With friends. And as you could probably hear, I got a Christmas present I wasn’t expecting, this viral thing. I didn’t want to unwrap it, but it unwrapped itself, shared with me by my family. So hopefully you’ll give me a little grace today as I power through. I know that sometimes these holidays can also be difficult for folks. And so, I wanted to acknowledge that maybe you’re missing a loved one that’s been gone on to be with the Lord, or maybe there’s some broken relationships that haven’t been mended yet, or you’re dealing with health issues yourself. And these times can also be difficult for you. But I’m hoping that today, as we read God’s Word together, that you would be able to be comforted and find peace with Jesus. How many of you have a nativity scene at your house? Okay, good. So this was closer to the 8:00 service. So about half of you have a nativity scene. So this here is our nativity scene. And so some of you are probably looking at this and thinking a couple of things.

First off, yay! Jesus should always be in the center of the manger. He is the center of all that we do. And then some of you also may be wondering, okay, what is going on with those wise men? So my nine-year-old actually put all these together, and because she desires to be theologically accurate, she said that, you know, the wise men were not there at the birth of Jesus. So we need to put them far, far away. And that’s exactly what she did here. Some of you may also be wondering, wait a minute, there’s only two wise men. I thought there were three wise men. Well, go check your scriptures. We don’t know, actually, whether there were three wise men. We know there were more than one, but to be perfectly honest with you, this box did have three wise men but the third wise man is missing his head and is still in the box. But that’s a story for another sermon. The reason that I’m bringing this here is because what we do know from Scripture is that they brought three gifts. The wise men brought three gifts gold, frankincense, myrrh. And I want to have three gifts to unpack today from Romans for us. And that’s peace, hope, and reconciliation. So if you turn in your Bibles with me to Romans five, that’s where we’re going to be for the majority of our day today.

Before we begin, are you okay if we pray together? Father, thank you so much for your goodness. Thank you so much for your son. Thank you that we can worship together here on this snowy Sunday. Lord, I pray as we delve into your word that you would open our eyes to see your truth, that you would use your word to convict us, to guide us, to give us comfort. Lord, I pray that you would give me strength today, that in my weakness you would show your power. And father, above all, I pray that you would be glorified. We thank you so much for your son, who we celebrate in this season and truly every day. It’s in Jesus precious name we pray. Amen. So the first gift that we want to unpack today is peace. In Romans five verse one, it says, therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Any time that it begins with, therefore, we need to figure out what came before. So we know what the writer is referring to. And in this case, I’m just going to do three different verses from Romans three and Romans four to show you exactly what he’s talking about here. Romans three verse 28 says, for we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law. And further, in Romans four verse two, it says, for if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God.

For what does the Scripture say? Abraham believed God and it was counted to him as righteousness. Now to the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift, but as his due. And then in verse 13, for the promise to Abraham and his offspring that he would be heir of the world did not come through the law, but through the righteousness of faith. So therefore, what he has been talking about this entire time is that Abraham, his righteousness was credited to him because of his faith, not because of anything that he had done or because of who he was, but because he had faith in the promises of God. And we see in verse one it says, therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we hear about that word justified, often justification. What does that mean? You see, I’m a sinner, and because of my sin, I am eternally separated from God. And there’s nothing that I could do or earn to get into God’s good graces, to be reconciled because of my sin, the debt is too great to pay. So God had sent his only son so that his righteousness, his sinlessness, could be mine. And so this justification really is a legal term, that is Jesus debts, which were none, were given to me in place of all the debts that I have.

And because of how this justification happens, I am now, right before God, so justified by faith. Paul further notes this in Ephesians two. You don’t have to turn with all these passages that I’ll have today, you can just write them down and read them later if you want to further delve into God’s Word on your own. Ephesians two verse eight, for by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing. It is the gift of God. So we have been justified by faith. Therefore, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Before we delve into what this peace means, I want to highlight what it says there through our Lord Jesus Christ. John 14 six says, Jesus is talking, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the father except through me. It is only through Jesus that we can have this peace with God. We may try a multitude of other ways, whether it be relationships or family or friends, or money or success or substances. I can tell you that all of those things won’t bring peace, only peace through Jesus Christ our Lord. But what do we mean by peace? It’s not just an absence of conflict. J.I. Packer said it this way the peace of God is first and foremost peace with God. It is the state of affairs in which God, instead of being against us, is for us.

No account of God’s peace, which does not start here, can do other than mislead. The peace of God is first and foremost peace with God. The prophet Isaiah said it well in Isaiah 26, verses three and four. You keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on you because he trusts in you. Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord God is an everlasting rock. We can have God’s peace. We can trust in that everlasting rock. We can have that peace that passes understanding. Paul in Philippians says it this way. Philippians four verse seven, and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. This peace that is from God guards our hearts and our minds. Jesus spoke about peace often. I just wanted to pull out two passages from John where he spoke of this peace. John 14:25, these things I have spoken to you while I am still with you. But the helper of the Holy Spirit, whom the father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you. Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you. Not as the world gives to you do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.

And then in John 16:33 he says, I have said these things to you, that in me you might have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart I have overcome the world. We have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. But some of you might be saying, well, wait a minute. Wasn’t there a time when Jesus said he did not come to bring peace? And I wanted to respond to that. Yes, Jesus did say that in Matthew ten, but he talks a little bit differently about it, and I wanted to piece that out for us today. Matthew ten verse 34. Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law and a person’s enemies will be those of his own household. You see, this gospel of Jesus Christ. Both can provide our personal peace, but it can also be quite divisive. And we’ve seen that, unfortunately, in our world. It started wars and, in our families, maybe you’ve had families or friends that came over, even over Christmas, that think this manger story might be a folklore or myth, and they might ridicule you for it. You see Jesus in his holy sinlessness. There’s no middle road with him.

You’re either going to fall deeply in love with him because of all that he has done, or you’re going to reject him, and that rejection of him is going to cause that sword that he spoke about in Matthew ten. But we can have that peace because of what Jesus Christ has done. So let me ask you today, have you received that gift of peace? So we’ve unwrapped the first gift of peace. Let’s unwrap the next of hope. Hope. This word hope is used 58 times in the New Testament. But let’s look about this time in Romans five. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. A few things here that I wanted to tease out for you. Through him we have obtained access through faith. He is our intermediary, our high priest. It hearkens back to the Old Testament times, because a holy and righteous God cannot be approached by a sinful man. He set in place the tabernacle and then the temple to give an opportunity for the high priest once a year to go into the Holy of Holies, where God chose to dwell, to intercede for the people. And when that high priest would go in, he would have bells on his dress and tie a rope around his ankle. Because it may be that his sins may not have been unconfessed.

And when you are seen with a holy God, it might result in death. And then they would have to pull that high priest out once they heard those bells stop jingling. And you might think, well, that’s pretty grotesque, especially when our in our 20th century mindset. But let me tell you, that’s the stark difference between the holiness and righteousness of God in our sins. However, this is the good news, the hope that we have through him. We have obtained access by faith so we can approach that throne of grace with confidence. As the writer of Hebrews said. Obtain access by faith into this grace in which we stand. Into this grace in which we stand. You know, this was also spoken of in Ephesians chapter six. Ephesians chapter six, Paul noted this peace of standing. Verse 13, therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all to stand firm, stand therefore. That we could stand in the grace of God. This came most, uh, I would say intimately to me a couple of years, a couple of decades ago, actually, now, when I was leading an inner-city outreach trip to Detroit. How many of you have been to Detroit? Yeah, a handful. About half. Detroit’s a great city, but it also has areas that are not as great. So, we were there and we were doing inner-city mission for Vacation Bible School.

And we were also helping a local church through some racial reconciliation. And there was one night in particular, that I took a smaller group of the team, and we went out to go grab dinner for everybody, went to the grocery store. Well, a couple of things you have to know for this story. One, this was way before GPS, so we were using paper maps. And the other thing that I did not know about Detroit, because of course, I felt called to go lead a mission trip there that I had actually never been to Detroit. Right. Is that the two you can have streets that are not connected, that have the same name and are not totally related to each other. And it was so frustrating for me because I’m driving and after we had picked up groceries, I could not find the place that we were staying. It was over an hour that we were driving around and I’m praying to the Lord I don’t know how to get back. I’m asking everybody in the car, do you guys know how to get back? And they’re like, no, I told you to go to that road. I’m like, I did go to that road, but it wasn’t taking us where we wanted. And I prayed to the Lord that he would find our way back safely. And then I look up in the rear-view mirror and I see police lights.

And I said, well, this is not exactly how I wanted to find my way back. And I was pulled over and I wasn’t speeding. I didn’t think I rolled down my window and the officer said, sir, do you know where you are? I said, no, I have no idea where I am. Is it that obvious? And he said, well, sir, you were in the Eight Mile. It is not safe for you to be here. I need to escort you out now. Wow. Okay. And so what happened exactly in that time is he took me and, you know, I followed him out of the Eight Mile, and he then was able to point us back safely to the house that we were staying at. And that evening in devotions and worship we were in Ephesians six, and I had tried so hard to get back home, and I couldn’t do it on my own. And that’s where the Lord showed me that, oh, no, no, no. It’s what I’ve done for you that’s going to get you home. It’s in my grace that you stand. And I think that we need to remember that. That we have that access by faith into this grace in which we stand, not because of everything we’ve done, but because of what it is he has done. We rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. The same words that rejoice, exalt, boast in the glory of God, not hope in just lesser things.

The object of our hope is most important, and we hope in that glory of God. Several years ago, I was seeing patients in West Africa and a woman came in with an obvious cancerous mass on her jaw, and she wanted to be healed. And I knew that this was incurable. There was nothing, no access to any meds that could save her. In fact, even if we were in the United States, I didn’t think that this was a curable illness. And I despaired a little bit that there was nothing I could give. And then I felt that nudge of the Holy Spirit to share the gospel with this woman, this woman that you just told that this is likely going to end her life. And so we did, through an interpreter, share that hope of the gospel, and by his grace, she accepted God as her Savior through Jesus Christ. And I will always remember the change in her countenance. She had a large mass on her jaw, and her countenance was downcast as she came in looking for answers, because she had no hope. And I wasn’t able to heal that, but I was able to introduce her to the one that could provide ultimate hope. And because of what Jesus did, her countenance changed and she had hope. Hope of eternal life and future glory with him. That’s the hope that he provides. Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope.

What? Rejoice in sufferings. How can I do that? How can I boast? How can I exult in sufferings? This process, you see here, knowing that suffering produces endurance and endurance, character and character, hope. That is the process of sanctification by which we are made right with God. Because, you see, we talked about justification where we’re already right with God. But then that sanctification is as he’s changing us, our minds and our hearts and our actions to make us more like him. And he does it through suffering which produces that endurance, character, and then hope. Suffering is also how he grows his church. Many of our brothers and sisters are being persecuted all over the world. We hear about our brothers and sisters in Ukraine, a church that we helped support even though they are literally in a war zone. God is growing his church and we, I had done some work in central India, in Madhya Pradesh through Central India, Christian mission and unfortunately persecution is rampant there. Christians are literally being killed and yet he is growing his church in the Middle East where there is so much persecution. Christ is growing his church. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. Hope does not put us to shame.

The psalmist made mention of this in Psalm 119. Psalm 119. Longest chapter in the Bible 119:116. The psalmist says this. Uphold me according to your promise that I might live and let me not be put to shame in my hope. How can we not be put to shame in this hope? For two reasons. Because God’s love, his agape love, has been poured out into our hearts. That’s the first of the fruits of the spirit that we read about in Galatians love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self control. That love is evident in our lives that can help us know that that hope is true. And ultimately, the Holy Spirit has been given to us as a guarantee. In Ephesians one it says this. In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it to the praise of his glory. So this hope doesn’t put us to shame, because we have God’s love in our hearts, and even more so we have His Holy Spirit as a guarantee. So let me ask you, have you received that gift of hope today? We’ve talked about the gift of peace. We’ve unpacked that. We’ve unpacked the gift of hope. And lastly, let’s unpack this wonderful gift of reconciliation.

For while we were still weak at the right time, God, Christ died for the ungodly. While we were still weak, some of your translations might be saying powerless or sick. That same Greek word is actually the root of the medical term athanasia, which means lack of energy, weakness, loss of strength. There is nothing you and I could do to make it right with God. For while we were still weak at the right time, which shows the sovereignty of God and the perfect timing, he sent His Son to die for the ungodly. Pastor Kyle was talking last Sunday about 2 Corinthians five. That God that Christ God made him Christ, who knew no sin to be sin, so that we might experience and have that righteousness of God. Christ died for the ungodly, and it wasn’t a secondary thing. It was his plan from the beginning. In revelation, we see that the names written in the Book of life, they were written there before the foundation of the world. This is God’s plan. Reconciliation, for one will scarcely die for a righteous person, though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die. So we see this little parenthesis where Paul is saying, hey, maybe sometime somebody would die for the righteous. That hearkens back to Jesus’s words in John 15:13 where he says, greater love hath no man than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. But you see, there’s no one righteous.

We see that in Romans 3:10, in Psalm 14 and Psalm 53. No one is righteous, no, not one. But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. That’s the wonderful hope of the gospel. He demonstrates his love for us while we were still sinners. Christ died for us. What wonderful news of reconciliation that is. A few Sundays ago, Pastor Brian was talking about September 11th. Many of you remember it. Some may be too young to remember September 11th, but the reason I’m bringing it up now is I’m trying to get a word picture to understand even a modicum of how much this love cost God. I would think about one of those terrorists that maybe they were on trial or about to be executed. And I would say they were enemies of me as an American. And yet what God did for me is greater than this. But a picture of it is if I were to give my only son for that convicted terrorist, it wasn’t a friend that he died for. It was an absolute enemy. That’s what he did for you and for me while we were still enemies. Christ died for us. These next three verses are a big climax towards this final piece of reconciliation. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God.

So he goes back to what he said before, that we have justification. We are now right with God. And because of this, how much more shall we be saved from the wrath of God? That’s the picture that Zephaniah was prophesying about that future time where we will be forever with him in glory, and that the wrath of God we will no longer need to be concerned about because Jesus has paid that price. Zephaniah 3:11 on that day you shall not be put to shame because of the deeds by which you have rebelled against me. But I will leave in your midst a people humble and lonely, they shall seek refuge in the name of the Lord. Sing aloud, O daughter of Zion, shout, O Israel, rejoice and exalt with all your heart, O daughter of Jerusalem. The Lord has taken away the judgments against you. He has cleared away your enemies. The King of Israel, the Lord is in your midst. You shall never again fear evil. And at that time I will bring you in. At that time when I gather you together, for I will make you renowned and praised among all the peoples of the earth. When I restore your fortunes before your eyes, says the Lord. Since we have been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. And he goes on. For if we were while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his son.

Much more. Now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life? Because Jesus didn’t stay dead, he rose again three days later. And because of his resurrection, we too can look forward to eternal life. First Corinthians 15 Paul says this. First Corinthians 15 now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how could some of you say, there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. But in fact, Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep. For as by a man came, death by a man has also come the resurrection of the dead. Now that we are reconciled, we will be saved by his life. And lastly, more than that, we also rejoice. We exalt, we boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation. What a wonderful news that is that we truly can be one with God for eternity because of what Jesus has done. So let me ask, have you received that gift of reconciliation today? As we close, I want to talk to three different groups of people. You’ll probably find yourself in one of these groups.

One of these groups are those brothers and sisters that have been walking with the Lord for a while. You’ve unwrapped those gifts of peace, hope, and reconciliation, and they are with you every day. I just want to encourage you. I want to encourage you, as we go into 2026, to stay in that word, to stay in that assurance of his peace of hope, of his coming, of the glory of God and of eternal reconciliation, and then share that with others. There may be some of you here, however, that maybe believed at one time you said yes. Maybe you prayed the prayer or you said yes to Jesus, but you’re not experiencing peace in your life currently. It’s been a long time since you’ve felt that hope, and you certainly don’t feel reconciliation. I implore you, preach the gospel again to yourself. Come back to the truth of Scripture. God demonstrates his own love for us in this. While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. And then lastly, there may be some of you here and I’m so glad that you’re here. But hear me, those that are here that do not yet know Jesus as Savior. Today is the day of salvation. And so my hope for you is that you would examine these gifts that are provided only through Jesus Christ, and you would ask that he become your Savior. Not of anything that you did but because of what he has already accomplished. Would you accept him as Savior today? Let’s pray.

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