OUR DAILY BREAD SUNDAY 9TH FEBRUARY 2025 ODB MESSAGE
Our Daily Bread Sunday 9th February 2025 Devotional TOPIC: Jesus Our Peace
BIBLE IN YEAR: Leviticus 6-7; Matthew 25:1-30
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KEY VERSE: He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. Ephesians 2:17
TODAY’S SCRIPTURE
Ephesians 2:11-18
11 Therefore, remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth and called “uncircumcised” by those who call themselves “the circumcision” (which is done in the body by human hands)— 12 remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world. 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ.
14 For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, 15 by setting aside in his flesh the law with its commands and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new humanity out of the two, thus making peace
16 and in one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility. 17 He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. 18 For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.
TODAY’S INSIGHT
Ephesians 2:11-22 is theologically rich. Like a cord of three strands, this passage brings together three key doctrines of the faith in Jesus: teaching about Christ (Christology), the church (ecclesiology), and the Holy Spirit (pneumatology). Jesus, through His reconciling work, is the source of our peace with God (vv. 14, 16) and through Him two disparate groups—Jews and gentiles—could become one new humanity (vv. 14-15).
The church is indeed one body and a new family (vv. 14-18) “built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone” (v. 20). The Holy Spirit has been and is at work in forming and sustaining the church. He facilitates our decision for salvation (v. 18) and indwells the church that Jesus is building (v. 22).
Our Daily Bread Sunday 9th February 2025 – ODB MESSAGE
Joan groaned when she saw Susan’s social media post. The photo showed ten church friends smiling around a restaurant table. For the second time this month, they were having a grand time—without her. Joan blinked away tears. She didn’t always get along with the others, but still. How strange to attend church with people who didn’t include her!
How strangely first century! But Jesus desires unity and came to heal our division. From the church’s beginning, people who didn’t get along were to find common ground in Him. Jews looked down on gentiles for not keeping the law, and gentiles loathed Jews for thinking they were better. Then Jesus “made the two groups one”; He “destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, by setting aside in his flesh the law with its commands” (Ephesians 2:14-15). Keeping the law no longer mattered. What counted was Jesus. Would Jew and gentile unite in Him?
That depended on their response. Jesus “preached peace to” gentiles “who were far away and peace to [Jews] who were near” (v. 17). Same message, different application. Self-righteous Jews needed to admit they weren’t better, while snubbed gentiles needed to believe they weren’t worse. Both needed to stop fretting about the other and focus on Christ, who was creating “in himself one new humanity out of the two, thus making peace” (v. 15).
Feeling snubbed? That hurts. It’s not right. But you can be a peacemaker as you rest in Jesus. He’s still our peace.
REFLECT: When have you felt snubbed? How can you be a peacemaker?
PRAY: Dear Father, when I’m snubbed, I’ll rest in Your Son.
Our Daily Bread Ministries (ODB) is a Christian organization founded by Dr. Martin De Haan in 1938. It is based in Grand Rapids, Michigan, with over 600 employees. It produces several devotional publications, including Our Daily Bread. our daily bread devotional for today audio our daily bread booklet
