He Is Our Peace

Key Takeaways

• True unity requires acknowledging what divides us and our sinful condition before Christ.

• Jesus is our peace, simultaneously breaking down dividing walls of hostility and bringing together those who were separated.

• Unity comes through common identity in Christ, not uniformity.

• Our purpose is to live together as the temple where God dwells by his Spirit.

Study Questions

• Question 1

  In what ways do we unconsciously define ourselves or others by what they are not, rather than by their identity in Christ?

• Question 2

  What modern-day walls of hostility exist in our churches or communities that mirror the dividing wall Paul describes in Ephesians 2?

• Question 3

  How can we distinguish between pursuing biblical unity in Christ versus settling for mere tolerance or managed coexistence?

• Question 4

  How does the story of Ken Parker and Pastor William McKinnon demonstrate the power of Christ to reconcile the seemingly irreconcilable, and what does this challenge us to believe about God's work today?

• Question 5

  What relationships or reconciliations is God calling you to pursue that cross cultural, socioeconomic, or ideological divides in your own life?

A reconstruction model of the Temple in Jerusalem

Seeking God’s Face Devotional

This year, we’ll be using the devotional “Seeking God’s Face” for our personal daily discipleship. Also, please join us for our Sunday Morning Class, “Whole-Life Discipleship,” every Sunday at 10:30 a.m. following the 9 a.m. worship service.

This Week’s Liturgy

Call to worship

Psalm 95:6-7

Leader: Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker!

All: For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand.

Confession of FAITH

New City Catechism Q & A #16

Q: What is sin?

A: Sin is rejecting or ignoring God in the world he created, rebelling against him by living without reference to him, not being or doing what he requires in his law—resulting in our death and the disintegration of all creation.

Confession of sin

Father, we confess that we have built walls where you have torn them down. We have forgotten our alienation, refused our reconciliation, and missed our purpose. We have used this to justify our contempt for others. Lord Jesus, forgive us, restore us, make your home in us, and be our peace. So that together, you might dwell in us by your Spirit. All to the glory of your name. Amen.

ASSURANCE OF PARDON

Ephesians 2:13

But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.

This Week’s Playlist

Looking Ahead

Invite a friend and join us next week as we take a closer look at what it means to be faithful in our current culture of technology.