Good morning, folks. Let's pray. Father, you are holy. Great and awesome. Are you mighty in deeds? Be mighty in your presence this morning among us. As we stand before this holy God, purify our lips, purify the ears of my people that are here this morning and let us all hear and speak and worship together as we seek to know you more. It's in the name of Jesus Christ, your only Son and our only hope that we pray. Amen. My name is Robert Barnes. I'm a ruling elder here in Covenant Presbyterian Church. Those of you who are newer here, I've been here for around 14 years, started off here as a youth minister at Covenant, and then went to RTS, began work at Ligonier Ministries, and now I work at Third millennia Ministries, one of the run-by-Richard Pratt, one of the professors here, at Reformed Theological Seminary. I would love to get to know some of you visitors a little bit more afterwards if you would like to see or hear any of the other folks that were up front helping serve communion. We're the elders in the church, and we'll be around probably near the snack table afterwards. That's a good place to find us. How many of you folks here get world magazine? Let's see a hand. Who gets world magazine? Not enough. That's not quite enough. I think very highly of you, you are very mature people in general, but that's not a good sign. World magazine is a great magazine. I recommend it to all the news junkies out there. If you're the kind of person who listens to talk radio, who listens to CNN, who loves hearing news constantly. It's a great magazine for you to give a Christian perspective on the news that's out there. Andre Sayu reports in her column in this week's world magazine that while driving out with her kids to go get some sushi, that her teenagers begin to argue and talk about war. And you say, how does that happen? How do those go together? Well, Andre was talking that Philip Bergman had just died. Philip Bergman. Has anyone ever heard Philip Bergman? Well, he is a somewhat famous priest of the Bergman brothers. They thought that the kids thought he was part of a rock group or something that had just passed away. But he was one of two Catholic priests that were anti-war protesters, that had taken hammers to warhead, that the general electric nuclear missile plant near King of Prussia, Pennsylvania had been arrested and so forth. Now, at that point, that the discussion began about war. Now, Andre was about to remind the kids that the old testament was just pretty much one big long war with just little bits of peace thrown in every once in a while, but they beat her to the... They already knew that. They had a different take on things. Their take on war was this. They said that war is an abomination. It's the sin. Just like divorce. And just like God hates divorce, and just regulates it. That war is a sin. It's an evil. It's wrong. Now, Andre was impressed. She was glad to hear that they were at least taking a good college try at it. But the fact is that that falls far short of what the biblical teaching on war is. God not only regulates war, but every once in a while, he actually commands them. Now, it might be argued that the skirmish that occurred at the Red Sea around 1,400 BC as Israel fled Egypt was a case of self-defense or a freedom struggle or something like that. But the series of wars that began 40 years later in the promised land cannot be so characterized. You understand the Canaanites were just minding their own debauched business. They were actively seeking to kill this new nation that was walking around. And God not only regulated that, but commanded them to be destroyed. He slated them for destruction, saying that you shall save nothing alive, that breeze. Now, it's passages like that that make war and reconciling war to the character of God so problematic. It seems to bring into collision two prominent things in Scripture. God of war, which the Bible says very clearly that he is, and a God of love. And we're both familiar with these things. And yet, how do they come together? And why are they not contradictory? Well, I want to ask you this morning, just as the wise, let's say, or teenagers, would love be love. Would the mercy be mercy? Would tenderness be tenderness? If, let's say, it let the murderer of your best friend go in their way. If God is against war, he can't be against the categorical. Extinguating circumstances obviously can justify this type of conflict. Ecclesiastes chapter three says, for everything there is a season, a time for every matter under heaven, a time for love, a time to hate, a time for war, a time for peace. The highest good on earth is not earthly peace. Earthly peace has given us such things as the Tower of Babel, Gomorrah, Sodom and Gomorrah, and who knows what else. Now, the Lord has a score to settle with both individuals and nations of the earth who are in rebellion against him, and it will not come about without violence. In the days of Joshua, when the heavenly host and the sun and hellstones all fought on his side, this was just a first sip of God's justice. According to the book of Revelation, the full cut will come later. Friends, the reason why I began this sermon on having peace with God with this is because we stand on the precipice of earthly war. If you think about what is going to happen in the next 30 days, there will most likely be the largest conflict of war that most of us have seen certainly in our adult lives, possibly in our entire lives. On one front, we'll have a rack and other fundamentalist Islamic based groups, and who knows, we may have another front with North Korea. And then while the approaching conflict may be the first real war in my adult lifetime, many of you here have seen much, much worse. Our scripture for the day comes from Romans chapter 5. Romans chapter 5, verse 1, therefore having been justified by faith. We have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. An old boss of mine was playing stick ball in Chicago, and he was six years old. And those of you, how many of you are old enough to play stick ball. I see a few hands up out there. It's a great game and there are unique rules for different places that you'll play in. But my friend was out there and he was coming up the bat. Six years old, he was thinking about some of his favorite baseball players as he came up. And he's loosening up. And he is ready. And here comes the ball. So telling what the ball was, it could have been taped up cardboard. There's no telling. And here comes the ball. He hits it. And he starts running for the manhole cover. All of a sudden, he hears tears. He hears yelling. He hears pots clanging. He sees his mom come out on the front porch. And she's crying. And she's weeping. And he's watching the ball soar. And he's it's like the most amazing thing. He's expecting confetti to start falling. It was the day was August 14th, 1945. President Truman had just announced that Japan was suing for surrender. People were cheering, but it wasn't for him. But it was a very exciting play for him. Millions of people around the world were happy that because they felt they could finally breathe. Families were excited to see their loved ones as they joined together in homecomings. As they talked about their wonderful lives ahead, cars were going up and down the street blowing their horns. Mission bells rang because the boys were coming home from the war. Then on September 2nd, VJ Day, representatives of Japan signed the instrument of surrender on board the battleship Missouri. General MacArthur, representing the Allied forces and acting on behalf of Emperor Hirohito, Foreign Minister Momoro Chigamitsu, first signed for Japan. And then following one by one, Japanese officials signed that document signaling the end of the war between allies in Japan. But you know better than I do that the conflict didn't actually end there. That is there was a piece of paper was signed a treaty was signed where we promised to not shoot each other anymore. But the conflict still continued if you meet older Japanese or Japanese Americans today and older Americans who perhaps served during that time in the military. You will find an extraordinary degree a surprising degree to us in our day of hatred of anger of mistrust to some degree. And yes, God through the power of his Holy Spirit sanctifies us helps us to deal with these old hatreds that we have. But that's not true for every person walking around. I saw in the bumper sticker on the back of a car a while back and it said in no uncertain terms I can't repeat what was on the bumper sticker but it made it very clear that in this person's mind the war with Japan was not over. That there was still a high degree of conflict in this person's heart with people of a Japanese heritage. There's a difference between saying you're not at war with someone and then actually having a cease fire having a ceasing in the conflict having a positive affection toward those people. If you have your Bible look at Genesis chapter three. Look at Genesis chapter three. Genesis chapter three verses 12 and 13 and the man said the woman whom thou gave us to be with me she gave me from the tree and I ate. And then the Lord said to the woman what is this that you have done and the woman said well the serpent deceived me and I ate. Now we all know what the first sin was but who knows what the second sin in the Bible was what are they doing to each other there. They're blaming each other they're accusing each other sin brings separation sin brings war and we know that from the very beginning from the very beginning of God's word. It's made clear that one of the obvious effects of sin one of the immediate effects of sin is separation is war is antagonism is anger towards in this case a husband and a wife. Therefore having been justified by faith we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Now we read that passage and we read the word peace but we don't often associate that that before you can have a piece declared there has to be a war a war. And here Romans chapter one says in verse 18 the wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men. The wrath of God revealed from heaven I mean this sounds like Zeus and his thunder both this sounds like God has artillery aimed at sinners it sounds like they are under his vengeful hand. Yeah that's what it sounds like that's exactly what it sounds like and yet there is a misconception about this of course there's misconception about in our culture I wouldn't even discuss the misconceptions our culture have about the nature of God's displeasure with them that could be a whole other sermon on a series of sermons. What I'm concerned about this morning is the church if I had a chalkboard up here I would play RC scroll and I would draw a panel up here with four sections. And I would talk about that there are four different kinds of folks in the church and their understanding of this war and peace problem with God. Number one there are people who are at peace with God and they know they're at peace with God. There are people who are at peace with God and they're assured of that they know that they are at peace with God. The second group are people who are at peace of God but they don't know they're at peace with God that is the doubters the folks who struggle with the assurance of their salvation. That's the second group the third group are the folks who are not at peace with God but they're deceived they're self deceived. They think they're at peace with God they in some way maybe want to have a ceasefire with God that they are self deceived they have not bent their need to God. They have not saluted his holy flag. Those are the hypocrites in the church the ones who are fainting peace instead of finding peace. And finally there's the good old fashioned pagan those who are at war with God and who know they're at war with God. And I have an odd sort of respect for those folks I appreciate their honesty and their insight and there is great hope for them as Christ says in the scripture. But the nice guy I want to first address the issue of the of the hypocrite the issue of the person who is not at peace with God but who is fainting that condition in that position. This nice guy approach to God may seem like a good solution on the surface that is it helps you get along with people and it works out okay in your daily relationships and you get to hang out with a lot of nice people like us church people. But the problem is it does not satisfy God pretending as if we have made peace with God is a terrible idea because God doesn't look at the outside of a man or a woman or a teenager or a child God looks at the heart. He looks at the interior he sees if you in your in most recessive have submitted yourself to God have submitted yourselves to him have thrown out your own works as a basis for your relationship with him and are wholly clinging to the cross God looks at the heart. And that's why being a hypocrite is not only a sin but just a rotten idea just a very bad plan for how to deal with this eternal dilemma God looks at the heart Jesus said to those Pharisees who are pretending that they could see he said that they were in the worst situation because while they are pretending they could see they're actually the blindness of all and the most doomed of all sin has brought separation and war between God and mankind. And just because it's beneath the surface and you're claiming to have peace with God doesn't mean that it's real I watched that great family favorite last night cops on television last night and every one of the folks that they pulled over and stopped said I'm not doing anything wrong except for one except for one she was very straightforward with them but every one of them said no I'm not doing anything wrong I am fine and then they will proceed to pull out guns and knives. And drugs and wides of cash the size of my fist and they would still say no I'm okay I'll serve their seven warts out for your arrest no no no those are on the stake it's funny and it's funny it's human depravity is funny and I can't help that but it's not funny that we're trying to pull the same business with God and it's not a humorous though sad television show being portrayed as we try to pawn ourselves off as being innocent when in fact we're not doing anything wrong. And we stand possibly guilty before the perfect judge the judge that cannot be buffalowed the judge whom the dream team can't get you off in front of that's the awkward part of this listen to Ephesians chapter two take this from a slightly different angle remember at that time you are separated from Christ excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise without hope and without God in the world but now in Christ Jesus you who will want far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ for he himself is our peace who has made the two one has destroyed the barrier the dividing wall of hostility by abolishing in his flesh the law with its commandments and regulations for through him we have access to the father of Christ. You are by one spirit consequently you are no longer foreigners and aliens but fellow citizens with God's people and you are members of God's household we can have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ but those who are his people those who are his people who repent of their lives of sin and who trust in Christ as the only way to have peace with God instead of their own works instead of their own affiliations the walls of enmity are broken down it is VJ day all over again it is the end of the conflict you are not only at peace but you're adopted by God not just a legal treaty with underlying hatred not just a legal treaty with God saying okay I won't kill you yet or I won't kill you at all and I'll suffer with you for an eternity but God deeply and forever loves his people he deeply and forever cleans to and guides and comforts and treasures and senses holy spirit now as a down payment to endure you now that you might know that you are his I'm looking at Romans chapter 8 now Romans chapter 8 affirms again that we have peace through God through our Lord Jesus Christ as it says who shall separate us from the love of Christ shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword no in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who love us for I am convinced that neither death nor life nor angels nor demons nor the present nor the future nor any powers height or death nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord do I hear an amen that's good news folks now word to the doubters doubters there's a group of you here who have peace with the God but do not have a very high level of assurance you keep struggling with that I would ask you to look to this passage of scripture in faith and to look at this list of things of life and death or angels or demons or nothing will be able to separate us from the love of God nothing I've looked up the Hebrew on that is as our old friend Steve Brown says and the Greek on that you know what nothing means there he means nothing and he's absolutely nothing that means that you can't separate you from the love of Jesus Christ do you hear what I just said if nothing can separate God's people from his love then that includes you doubters read in faith read the scriptures read this passage Romans chapter 8 verse 38 tack it to your bathroom mirror tack it wherever you need to it tells a good truth that we can have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ because we are justified by faith that is of our own will of our own power know a faith that is a gift from God and God does not take his gifts away have you experienced the pot clanging horn blowing joy of being at peace with God have you turned your back on God for so long that you've just gotten used to hating it but it's turned into just kind of a cold ignoring or just an anger without passion or depression you can have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ it is not too late to experience peace with God it's never too late to repent and believe the good news that repentant sinners can be saved from the just wrath of God through our Lord Jesus Christ it is never too late for us to get on our knees and to find favor before a holy forgiving God let us pray Father we come before you as a covenant community and we ask you to bless us and help us to richly cling to your gospel for the Christians let it be the power of God that leads them into great victory over sin victory over doubt and good news to tell their neighbors and their children for the doubters Lord let it be a bomb to cover up their wounds that they may trust you holy Lord for the hypocrite let it be a great warning to throw down their outer signs of peace to throw down their good works to throw down everything stand before God naked stand before God ready to trust in him and him alone and the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ that brings peace with God and Lord for the pagan that is here who knows that they hate God who knows that they're at war with God let that brother that sister that child all that teenager know that today is the day of salvation that they may come before God fall on their knees and find favor it's in the name of Jesus Christ that we pray this as God's people amen