Building Bridges to Peace | Ephesians 2:13-22

[0:00] Welcome to Ontario Community Church, where we are encouraging, equipping, and engaging lives for Christ.! I'm Pastor Patrick Daly, and you're listening to the sermon podcast for December 28th, 2025.

[0:15] This is a special Sunday, as it is the last Sunday in the year 2025. Today, we are looking at Ephesians 2, verses 13-22, with the sermon titled, Building Bridges to Peace.

[0:30] Looking back at 2025, this year the theme was Building Bridges. And as we come to the close of the end of this year, we find ourselves in a unique moment.

[0:41] We are standing on this bridge between two years, 2025 and 2026. We're right after Christmas, right before the new year.

[0:52] It is a time where we are in between these two years, and we reflect with gratitude with how God has been faithful in the past, we live in the present, and we look forward, trusting in God for what He has in store for us in the next year, 2026.

[1:09] In Ephesians 2, the Apostle Paul writes about how Christ is our peace. He is not just a teacher of peace, but Christ is peace Himself.

[1:21] Through His blood, through His sacrifice, those who were far off have been brought near. The dividing wall of hostility has been broken down.

[1:32] We who were once strangers and aliens are now fellow citizens and members of God's household, built on Christ as the cornerstone. This message also connects with 1 Samuel 7, verse 12, where Samuel raises up this stone called an Ebenezer stone, saying, Thus far the Lord has helped us.

[1:55] It's both a remembrance and a reminder of God's faithfulness, as well as a declaration of continued trust in Him for what is about to come next.

[2:07] I always found that so interesting, this Ebenezer stone, because it is connected with what we find in that famous hymn, Come Thou Fount. You may know the lyric in verse 2, Here I raise my Ebenezer.

[2:22] Many people, we don't know what that word or that lyric even means, but I found it so interesting how it's connected with 1 Samuel 7. As we listen to this message, we will explore the observation, the interpretation, and the application.

[2:41] Let us stand on the bridge and remember that God has been there with us the entire way. May we boldly cross the bridge faithfully. May we trust in Him, and may we be moved to be a peacemaker with Christ beside us.

[2:56] Let us dive into God's word together. This is one of the very few times you'll see me actually sitting down.

[3:09] I've been, I was sick this week and I've been recovering. I am recovered, but I don't want to move around and have a disaster go on.

[3:19] So I hope you can forgive me with that. But with that in mind, we're, you know, we're at the last Sunday of this year, of 2025, and it's been really remarkable seeing how much time has been flying by.

[3:36] You know, there's a famous saying that time flies when you're having fun, and I hope that a lot of us are having a lot of fun here in the process, right? You know, when we look back at 2025 and we think of just all of the things that have happened, I am amazed at how fast the year has gone by.

[3:55] Have you felt that way? The year has just completely just gone by, you know? I titled this sermon, Building Bridges to Peace.

[4:06] Kind of as a, we're going to open our Bibles together. We're going to go to Ephesians chapter 2, if you want to go ahead and open there. It's going to be from page 1160.

[4:26] Feel free to turn there. The theme for this year, for 2025, was building bridges. And the reason why that was the theme was considering how important it is for us as Christians to know that there is no dividing wall.

[4:52] There's nothing that separates us from the love of Christ. And just as Christ has loved each and every one of us, we are called to build bridges with other people.

[5:05] Those even in our own family. Those within our community. And just how to really think of how God has been working in this place has just been something that's been remarkable.

[5:20] And so, let's pray. And then we will read from the Word of God. And we'll go into it. And Father God, we thank you for this time and for this opportunity for us to gather on the last Sunday of 2025.

[5:41] I really hope and pray that each and every one of us who are here in person or here online, that they know that they are loved by you.

[5:52] And I hope that we've had a lot more good than bad. You know, as I was mentioning, Father, that time flies when you're having fun.

[6:04] I hope that we've had good experiences. But even if we've had bad or ugly experiences, may we turn to you. May we take this Sunday, this time, to reflect not only on our own personal walk with you, but how you have worked in and through our personal lives and in and through this church.

[6:29] We're so grateful for your love. We're grateful for you sending your son, Jesus, who is our peace. We love you.

[6:40] We praise you. We glorify you. And we honor you. It's in the name of Jesus that we pray and we all say together, amen. So, from Ephesians chapter 2, it's going to be from verses 13 through 22.

[6:57] We can actually start from verse 11, right, where it says, one in Christ. Therefore, remember that at one time, you Gentiles in the flesh, called uncircumcision by what is called the circumcision, right?

[7:14] So, it's talking about circumcision versus uncircumcision, which is made in the flesh by hands. Remember that you were at the time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenant, the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.

[7:35] So, we're thinking of the Gentiles, right? The idea that they were outside of salvation. They were outside of the fold of God. But it goes on in verse 13, but now, right?

[7:48] Don't you love when verses say, but then or but now, right? That's a very important thing we see. But now in Christ Jesus, what does it say? You who were once far off have been brought near by what?

[8:04] By the blood of Christ. That's very important, right? Verse 14, For he himself is our what? Our peace. Who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the what?

[8:18] The dividing wall of hostility. That's very important, right? Nothing that will separate us from Christ. By abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances that he might create in himself, one new man in place of the two, so making peace.

[8:41] And might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility. And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near.

[8:57] So, it's the same message, right? You see here that peace was being preached to those who were far off, those who were outside of the fold, and those who were near.

[9:12] Verse 18, For through him, we both have access in one spirit to the Father. What interesting language we see here, right? To have access to the Father, right?

[9:23] I always love giving this example where when we think of prayer, we can think of how we have a direct line to God. You know how difficult it is to have a direct line to a CEO, right?

[9:41] The boss, the administrator. We think of how difficult it is in our own everyday life to get in touch with somebody, and then if you get in touch with them, do they have the time, right?

[9:58] Usually, they're busy. They've got appointments and meetings. But when it comes to God, having that direct line and that direct access, as this text is saying, is something that is astonishing.

[10:14] So, it goes into verse 19. So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are what, church? Fellow citizens. With the saints and members of the household of God.

[10:27] That kind of reminds, should remind us of how when Christ says that in his, there are many rooms, right?

[10:37] We know of that verse. In the house, there are many rooms. And so, it goes on, verse 20. But the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the what?

[10:51] The cornerstone, right? The most important stone, right? The one that sustains everything together. That's very powerful. Verse 21. In whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord.

[11:07] Verse 22. In him, you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit. And so, this is very interesting.

[11:19] We're going to piece all of this together, right? We're thinking about it. We celebrated the Advent season, the Christmas season, right?

[11:29] We were talking about Emmanuel, God being, God coming near to us. And we have this verse, and you'll see it later on.

[11:41] It was in our interactive reading, where it said, thus far, the Lord has helped us. And this is connected to what we have in Ephesians and what we have for today.

[11:55] In moments when you're between, we're basically between two seasons here. As a church body, we celebrated our 80th anniversary.

[12:09] For many of us, we had all of the things happening in 2025, and we're about to go into 2026. We're in that little middle space.

[12:21] And it's a very interesting space to be in, isn't it? Right after Christmas, right before the new year. But we can think to ourself how the Lord has helped us and been there for us.

[12:34] A bridge between two years, looking back at last year and stepping forward into the new year. And how important it is for us to celebrate the past victories that have happened through Christ.

[12:53] And how we humbly come before the Lord for direction and for guidance. And when we look at this Ephesians passage, right?

[13:05] The language is mentioning those that were far off, those that were distant, and they are brought near by the blood of Christ. Mentioning the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross.

[13:20] We think of the Christian faith. We think of how the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, right? When we talk about the Advent season, right?

[13:31] Emmanuel, God with us. How we still have our nativity scene, right? The representation. The story of how Jesus is coming into the earth in such humble beginnings as a child.

[13:46] And we think all of this happens so that we can be included into salvation. That God gives us the opportunity for us to respond to that salvation.

[13:59] That we can have security in Him. Newness of life in Him. Ephesians is also saying that through the cross, Jesus creates one new humanity.

[14:16] Just like how Scripture says that we are a new creation and how important it is for us to lay aside the former things of the former life and to seek the things that are higher, the things that are nobler, to grow in Christ, not to just remain a spiritual child all of your life.

[14:41] But to mature and to grow just as a fruit tree will produce fruit, we are called to do the same thing. And the very notion that we have access to the Father by one Spirit is a remarkable thing.

[15:00] It should give us comfort when we hear that we have access to God. It always saddens me when I hear about people saying, well, God is distant.

[15:12] He is far away and He doesn't care. How wrong can you be knowing that we have access to God? We can pray to Him. And even in moments where we don't think He's there or in moments we don't feel He is there, He is still there with us.

[15:34] Just think of how in our own life here on the earth, God's going to be there with you in every season of your life, in every moment.

[15:53] That's a very comforting thing. And I, as a pastor, I speak very much against this notion that God is far away. we can see in the Christmas season and even in these passages the nearness of God and how He desires to be with us and how in the same way we should desire to be in the presence of the Lord, to be close to Him, to grow in Him as it were.

[16:25] And the language when it talks about no longer being strangers but being welcome in the household, it's just like how I preached previously about all of these parables that talk about being ready for the feast or the great banquet as it were and having the proper clothes for the banquet.

[16:48] There's so many different parallels that we can see here. in this verse, to no longer be a stranger but to be part of God's household.

[17:01] That's a sense of closeness, right? Imagine for, in your own story, if you invited someone, a stranger, into your own home, at what point do they become a member of the family?

[17:15] It takes a lot of intention. And I'm not saying you all should do that and I'm not saying it's all going to happen in our own circumstance but just think of the amount of trust, love, and intentionality that takes and for God to welcome us in.

[17:35] That's powerful. That's an amazing kind of love that God has for us. We are known to God. Scripture talks about how we are given new names, new identities, and even new clothes.

[17:50] Just like how we've been taking a break from our Revelation series but how in Revelation it says, blessed is the one who washes his robes.

[18:03] How that's so connected with going from filthy rags into new clothes. Isn't that powerful? How we see all these connections here.

[18:14] And it's a reminder for us that Christ is the cornerstone and we are being built together into a dwelling place for God. Christ being the cornerstone, being the most important stone that holds everything together.

[18:30] I love thinking of the famous children's song, He's Got the Whole World in His Hands. Right?

[18:40] Talking about the sustenance, the sustaining power of God, that He's got this. To have the whole world in His hands, that's a lot of care and intentionality, right?

[18:57] That kind of imagery. If you, some of you, you may have worked with model toys or model houses. I have a friend of mine who works with model tanks and the amount of work that it takes to make sure things are correct and things don't break is a lot of work and that's just a little tank.

[19:27] Imagine how God is sustaining the world. How powerful that is. And so, I have the slide here.

[19:41] What we can observe from that entire set of passages, if there's anything you can take away from that, is that Christ is our peace.

[19:53] And I have this image of, how many of you have experienced or you've seen something like this, right? You're at a very serene kind of lake and there's like that one drop and you see the ripple effects, right?

[20:07] It's very calming. It's very satisfying. And that's just one, a smaller example, but we can think of how Christ, in all of these verses, being our peace and breaking down that dividing wall.

[20:30] And we think how very often the text describes not only what the wall is, but that the wall is dividing and that it's hostile.

[20:45] And that's, I don't want that kind of wall. And to know that God is removing that kind of wall and offering peace instead is just something that is, it can be very hard for us to wrap our mind around.

[21:01] And it's something that can be very above our understanding and that's okay. But I just thought that image, nonetheless, you can think of how in your own context, in your own life, something that is calming and peaceful.

[21:18] And think of how Christ is much greater than just a drop on a lake or a, you know, whatever you have. I mentioned about 2025 how we were focusing on building bridges.

[21:36] And by the grace of God, we have had 10 children dedicated to the Lord. By the grace of God, we have had four baptisms.

[21:49] And from what I understand, we're looking at two beginning next year. Isn't that showing how God is working in this place? God is doing a new thing.

[22:02] And we are blessed by not just the 10 children in the four baptisms, but the families that are involved in it. And we think about how powerful evidence of God's grace.

[22:20] We are blessed that these families are dedicating their children to their Lord and that lives are being transformed. Making that public statement, saying, I believe in Jesus.

[22:35] Let us remember to believe in Christ is very personal. To be baptized then, that's very public. And it's very remarkable.

[22:46] It's something we should all celebrate together. You know, I always get a little, I get a little jealous sometime when I see videos of people getting baptized in the River Jordan. I think that's so cool.

[22:59] You know, I couldn't afford a flight. You know, I didn't get baptized in the River Jordan and not many of us can. But, in any sense, to show that sense of celebration, that public proclamation.

[23:18] We've seen in this course of this year that God has been allowing for us to partner with other organizations. My wife, myself, we've talked about our partnership with Building Healthy Families to help strengthen families and by us being present, that builds relationships.

[23:44] And, not to mention our STEAM Nights. Do you know our STEAM Nights are hosted by this church, our own church, and we have an average of 40 people who attend every single time?

[23:59] That's something that is for families, for communities, to be exposed to something that, to be exposed to the church, but also to be exposed to community.

[24:12] And that's something that the church has to offer. And, look, we're not a, we're not a big church. You know, what matters is building and cultivating those kind of relationships.

[24:26] Knowing someone by name, not knowing them by a number. And I certainly hope big churches don't go by numbers. Right? I know, you're all laughing, right?

[24:39] How many of you guys have seen that, that show, Cheers? Right? You, you probably know the theme song. You want to know where everybody knows your name.

[24:50] Now, that's talking about a bar. Let's be honest here. That's probably how a church should be operating, though.

[25:00] The same concept, okay? So, I'll tell you, go listen to the Cheers theme song and think of a church. Okay?

[25:12] The notion of that, I think, is very powerful. Right? Where you know people and you have those, those kind of relationships. And so, I bring all of that kind of, as we, we now go into Christ being our peace, Christ tearing down the walls, let's go into the interpretation, then, of what we can, we've gone over the observation, what can we observe directly in the text and the interpretation, then, is what we can learn from this.

[25:43] The first thing, then, is that, let's read it together, church, peace begins with Christ, not with us, right? Christ does not merely teach peace, right?

[25:57] That's very important. There's a lot of people that teach peace, but we're talking about how Christ is our peace. It's a subtle difference, but it's a pretty significant difference here.

[26:11] And we think of how reconciliation, then, it flows from the cross. In other words, we have to factor in what Christ has done for us, not what we can do.

[26:28] We think about that when it comes to our salvation and how the Lord encourages us and equips us to do great things in his name. we think about how in these verses it was talking about these walls, these dividing walls of hostility.

[26:47] It didn't just say walls were being destroyed. It didn't say unifying walls were being destroyed. Unifying walls of love. It's talking about dividing walls of hostility being destroyed, being torn down.

[27:03] And that is why for 2025, we focus so much on building bridges with other people.

[27:15] These walls are being torn down of hostility when we are called to live and love like Christ. And when we think of peace then, well, it begins with Christ.

[27:32] True peace. peace comes from Christ. How many of you have met someone who, they were so peaceful and no matter what happened in their life, there was something about them.

[27:50] They had a peace, right? Scripture talks about the peace that surpasses all understanding. talk about peace there.

[28:07] I mean, when we think of peace, we think of peace and quiet, you know? Can I get a moment of peace away from the boss who's nagging on me or whatever, you know?

[28:19] Can I, it's too loud, these kids are rambunctious. Not that I've ever experienced that, you know? I admit, I'm human, I've got five kids and there's a lot more loud moments than quiet ones.

[28:32] And to be very honest, I get a little more freaked out when it's quiet than when it's loud, you know? So I gotta be careful what I ask for, right? But anyways, with this, as we receive this true peace from Christ, we are called to share in the peace of Christ with other people.

[28:52] The second thing then is peace forms. I have a typo there. It forms us or forms a us, right? It forms us individually and collectively, right?

[29:05] I'm human. I have, I put typos every so often. Were they intentional or not? I don't know. I'll have to find out. We think about this that God not only saves individual people, but he forms people groups, forming a people, the body of Christ, transforming marriages or relationships with mother and mother and father, mother and child, father.

[29:35] I mean, you can go on with families and these kind of things. It is God's desire to make all things new. It is God's desire to transform each and every one of us and it doesn't stop in the individual though.

[29:49] It continues with others. Think about it. If I'm the only Christian in a completely evil and worldly family, you don't think that how God is transforming me is going to affect my family and everyone that I know?

[30:08] That's the transforming power of God. It affects a multitude of people. And we think about that, God's desire to make all things new.

[30:21] Christ being the transformer of all of us. And it should be our desire to want to be molded by the Lord, to journey with Him.

[30:33] And we think about that. To think that we're no longer strangers but members of God's household, that's a very intimate kind of setting.

[30:44] thinking about how Christ being the cornerstone, right? This peace forms us.

[30:55] We are transformed as we are transformed. We are to transform by living and loving like Christ. Christ. It is not our power, but it is the power that comes through us from Christ.

[31:12] It's just like how many of you have seen, I think it's the mummy, Tim. It might be the mummy, where they're trying to light a very dark room and they get a mirror to shine the light of the sun and they get all these mirrors to keep reflecting and to light this entire dark room up.

[31:37] I think that's a really great imagery. Right? The mirror is not the sun. It is reflecting the sun though to light up that room.

[31:50] In a very similar way, we have the light of Christ and we are to reflect, radiate, share in that kind of light of Christ with other people.

[32:04] A couple questions I want you to think about. Have you ever thought of the church as a household? You've probably thought of the church as, well, this is the dwelling place of God, right?

[32:21] This is God's house. I know my parents used to tell me that all the time. You don't want to be rambunctious because this is God's house. But have you ever thought of the church being part of God's household?

[32:34] It's kind of an interesting thought, isn't it? And then the other question is how often do we try to create peace on our own when we need that peace that surpasses all understanding?

[32:50] The third thing then is peace shapes us as witnesses and peacemakers. That's where we had this idea of the ministry of reconciliation, right?

[33:04] Where peace is not passive, it moves outward towards other people. Just as we receive the greatest gift of salvation, why would you not want to share that with other people?

[33:18] I've always been so confused by that. Why would you not want to tell everyone what you believe in? why would you not want to share how God's working in your life?

[33:28] Why would you not want to share the peace of Christ or share the simple fact that Christ is your peace? It's a call for you to share because this kind of peace is an active kind of peace.

[33:45] And I'm reminded how Christ calls us to be peacemakers and not peacekeepers. We'll go more into that next week. Blessed are the peacemakers.

[33:58] Very interesting when we think about the difference between a peacekeeper and a peacemaker. So let's keep that in mind. And so in all of this then let us go to our application then.

[34:16] What do we do about this? Right? We have the observation where we read the text. we have the interpretation is what are the underlying lessons here. And the application then is what we do about it.

[34:31] You know, it's very important for us to go over all of these because as we learn, as we grow, we need to live it out.

[34:43] Right? It's kind of, I always think it's interesting how, how many of you have ever bought a self-help book before, you can be honest here, right? And they always say you need to apply what you've learned.

[34:56] I mean, this can apply to life skills or training or whatever it is. It doesn't have to be just self-help. It can be any sort of thing. You have to apply the skills that you learn.

[35:08] That's no different than when it comes to scripture. When we read the text and we learn the lessons, we have to apply it to our very lives. And so we have the question then, how should we live, right?

[35:20] The first thing is, I've used this in connection with this idea of bridge building, is to stand on the bridge.

[35:34] Remember God's help. Now, I want you to think of a bridge just like how the text is talking about the dividing wall of hostility being gone.

[35:48] Think of the image of a bridge to God. That you now have that access. And so, as you stand on the bridge or as you're journeying in the bridge, remember God's help.

[36:05] Know that God has been there for you. Right? That he's calling for each and every one of you into a relationship with him. And maybe it's a possibility for you to think of one way that God has brought you near to him.

[36:24] Think of that. God is with us. He's calling for you to draw near to him. Maybe you can reflect on one instance that God has brought you near.

[36:37] And I also encourage for you to thank God intentionally for his faithfulness. God doesn't give up on us. Now, nobody here has to raise their hand, but it's the most disheartening thing when someone gives up on someone, right?

[36:56] Very disheartening. But when it comes to God, he is beyond our human understanding and our human reasoning. God doesn't abandon us.

[37:08] He's always there for us. when we read so much scripture talking about the Lord being patient, kind, and merciful, how the Lord is faithful.

[37:21] We should thank God for that. Just say, Lord God, I'm glad you're faithful in my life. And you're the same yesterday, today, and forever.

[37:36] And maybe this is a call for you to share in one story of God's faithfulness. The second thing, then, is to cross the bridge trusting in God, right?

[37:52] Be on this journey in the Lord. You can think of the imagery of a bridge, you can think of just journeying in life, right?

[38:02] You can think of sheep going to green pastures with the shepherd, you can think of many different types of imagery about journeying with the Lord.

[38:14] And I always love going back to the Psalms, where it says, even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil.

[38:26] Why? Because he trusts that God is with him. That's some amazing faith. faith. When you read that, that should give you great comfort.

[38:39] I mean, that's a lot of trust in the Lord. So I want you to think about one relationship or friendship. How can you represent Christ with a friend?

[38:55] Maybe it's a friend that has been marked by tension or distance. How can you represent Christ with others? And you can also, as you cross the bridge, trust that the Lord knows what he's doing.

[39:15] Trust in him. Take one step, right? I love that Christmas, there's a Christmas movie, it's the clay animation kind of thing, where it's, you may know the song, put one foot in front of the other.

[39:32] Do you guys know that song? It's the, what is it, the abominable snowman? Right? He's trying to walk and he's just a big scary monster, but he learns how to walk, right? But I love that.

[39:43] You put one foot in front of the other. I think, I know that's not the heart of that movie, but just like how, you know, going where everyone knows your name is not the heart of Cheers, but we can take little pieces of it nonetheless.

[39:59] us. And so, take one step towards peace, conversation, prayer, invitation, even forgiveness. And the third thing then, is to be a peacemaker with Christ beside you.

[40:16] And I want you to think about one way that you can be a peacemaker and you'll see there's a connection with being a peacemaker and a bridge builder.

[40:28] Prayer and discipleship, hospitality and welcome, community partnership, there's many ways, but in any sense, let this be a call for you to faithfully step forward to be a peacemaker with Christ by your side.

[40:45] And in closing, I want to take to this next slide here. You know, we sang that song, Come Thou Fount, and there's this verse here, which I think is such a strange verse, right?

[41:03] Thus far the Lord has helped us. It's kind of like, well, God has helped us so far, right, kind of thing. Well, and first, and we're not going to turn there, but in 1 Samuel chapter 7, God is giving the people of God victory.

[41:24] And it's in this moment in victory where they're saying, God has helped us so far, and because of this, I'm going to raise up an Ebenezer stone.

[41:38] And so I put this as kind of a representation. I have no idea what it looked like, okay? But in this, this stone was a representation, it was a remembrance of marking what God had done for the people.

[41:57] Not only was it a sense of remembrance though, but it was also the people of God trusting in the Lord for what he would do next.

[42:08] It's a moment in time. And so when we think of that hymn, Come Thou Fount, we think of that lyric, Here I raise my Ebenezer, right?

[42:23] It's raising that stone in victory and continuing to trust in God. And I think about that, it's such an unusual wording for a lyric of a hymn, but it's actually beautifully tied in with scripture and tied in with where we are at, not only in Ephesians, but where we are today at the end of 2025.

[42:54] That in the same way that the people of God raised up their stone, knowing what God had done, they were going to continue to trust in him, not knowing what tomorrow was going to hold.

[43:09] And I think about that. 2025 is coming to a close and we're going to enter in 2026. And quite frankly, we have no idea what that year is going to be like.

[43:21] And that can be very disheartening, it can be encouraging, who knows. But let's not worry about tomorrow just as Christ has told us not to worry about tomorrow.

[43:33] let us put 2026 into the hands of God, trusting in him, just as God knows what he is doing.

[43:49] So let us look back on God's faithfulness and let us step forward into this new year much as we cross the bridge, much as we know that Christ is our peace, may we step boldly in faith.

[44:07] Let us pray together. And Father God, we thank you for this time and this opportunity for us to go through these verses in Ephesians, learning a little bit about the Ebenezer stone, but also importantly, knowing about how your son Christ is our peace and how we are to receive this peace and to share this peace.

[44:39] The language, Father, of removing the wall, the dividing wall of hostility, just goes to show us the love that you have for each and every one of us.

[44:53] I pray for every person here today in person and every person who is watching online, whether it's YouTube, TikTok, Rumble, Facebook, or whether they're listening online to the sermon podcast.

[45:09] Christ, I pray that everyone will know that they are loved by you and they are called to receive salvation.

[45:21] They are called into transformation and they are called to live and love like you. We love you so much and we know that this is our last Sunday in 2025.

[45:39] May we take these last few days in the remainder of the year seeking you and may we trust in you to lead and guide us into next year.

[45:56] It is in the name of Jesus that we pray and we all say together. Amen, church. Amen. Thank you for joining us for this message from Ontario Community Church.

[46:09] As we close out this sermon and close out this year, I want to leave you with this. Jesus Christ is our peace. He has broken down the dividing wall of hostility through the cross.

[46:22] Those who were far off have been brought near. We are no longer strangers, but we are welcomed. We are members of God's household, being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.

[46:36] And we are standing on a bridge between 2025 and 2026. As we look back, let us raise our Ebenezer stone and say with Samuel, thus far, the Lord has helped us.

[46:51] God has been faithful, but that stone isn't just about the past. It's about continue trusting God for what's ahead. And here's the truth. We have no idea what next year will bring.

[47:04] that can make us feel anxious or uncertain or we may not know even what we feel. But Jesus tells us to not worry about tomorrow. Let us put this new year into the hands of God, trusting in Him because He knows what He is doing.

[47:21] You can find all of today's resources at OntarioCommunityChurch.org including congregational notes, Bible studies, sermon slides, and interactive readings.

[47:32] We're also on YouTube, Rumble, Facebook, or wherever you listen to your podcasts. May the Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you.

[47:45] May the Lord lift up His countenance upon you and give you peace. As we step boldly into 2026, may we live and love like Christ. Christ is our peace, and may we cross bridges with confidence because Jesus first built the bridge to us.

[48:04] May you have a happy new year, friends, and may God bless you in 2026. Bye-bye. God bless Thank you.

[48:43] Thank you.

[49:13] Thank you.

[49:43] Thank you.