Eastside church of Christ

06/14/2026

JESUS IS OUR PEACE

“Therefore remember that formerly you, the Gentiles in the flesh, who are called ‘Uncircumcision’ by the so-called ‘Circumcision,’ which is performed in the flesh by human hands—remember that you were at that time separate from Christ, excluded from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.
“For He Himself is our peace, who made both groups into one and broke down the barrier of the diving wall, by abolishing in His flesh the enmity, which is the Law of commandments contained in ordinances, so that in Himself He might make the two into one new man, thus establishing peace, and might reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross, by it having put to death the enmity.
“And He came and preached peace to you who were far away, and peace to those who were near; for through Him we both have our access in one Spirit to the Father” (Ephesians 2:11-18).

The Old Testament focuses primarily on the history of the Jews as God’s chosen people. Since they were “chosen…to be a people for His own possession” (Deuteronomy 7:6), they enjoyed special blessings from the Lord.

Paul explained that the Gentiles (which would include the vast majority of us today) would have been outside of this special relationship. However, all of this changed when Christ came. In making His sacrifice on the cross, He “broke down the barrier” that had previously separated Jews and Gentiles (the old law) so that He “might reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross” (Ephesians 2:14, 16).

This is why Paul described Jesus as “our peace” (Ephesians 2:14). Through Him, we all can obtain the forgiveness of our sins and enjoy peace with God. “He came and preached peace to you who were far away, and peace to those who were near” (Ephesians 2:17). No matter who we are, where we came from, or what our background might be, we have “access…to the Father” (Ephesians 2:18) and hope of eternal life through Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross.

–Andy Sochor

06/12/2026

06/10/2026

Listen to the whole sermon here – https://eastsidecoc.us/sermons/how-authority-is-established/

06/08/2026

The authority of Christ is expressed in His word. However, we need to understand how to use His word to establish authority for what we say and do.

Sermon audio – https://eastsidecoc.us/sermons/how-authority-is-established/

06/07/2026

EVERY SPIRITUAL BLESSING IN CHRIST

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, to the praise of His glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace which He lavished on us. In all wisdom and insight…” (Ephesians 1:3-8).

In this passage, Paul listed several of the special blessings we enjoy as Christians. We have been chosen by God (Ephesians 1:4), a reminder that God is interested in us personally and wants us to be saved. We are “holy and blameless” (Ephesians 1:4) and not recognized by Him as merely those who have sinned against Him. In Him we are children of God (Ephesians 1:5) and heirs of His eternal promises. These blessings are bestowed upon us “according to the riches of His grace which He lavished on us” (Ephesians 1:7-8). Not only has God blessed us as we do not deserve, He has blessed us beyond our ability to comprehend.

As Paul wrote about these things, he said that “every spiritual blessing” we have to enjoy is “in Christ” (Ephesians 1:3). Since God is holy and righteous and we have been separated from Him by our sin (cf. Isaiah 59:2), the only way we can have the opportunity to be “in Christ” and enjoy the blessings available there is to have our sins forgiven.

Thankfully, this is another one of the blessings God has made available to us: “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses” (Ephesians 1:7). Jesus’ death on the cross in which He shed His blood was what made this possible. Through His sacrifice, we can not only be forgiven of our sins, we can also enjoy every spiritual blessing that God has graciously offered to us.

–Andy Sochor

06/03/2026

Listen to the whole sermon here – https://eastsidecoc.us/sermons/the-need-for-authority/

06/01/2026

Jesus has all authority and His will is expressed to us in His word. If we hope to interpret the Scriptures properly, we must begin with a respect for Bible authority.

Sermon audio – https://eastsidecoc.us/sermons/the-need-for-authority/

05/31/2026

OF FIRST IMPORTANCE

“Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, in which also you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures” (1 Corinthians 15:1-4).

There are many things taught in the Bible about God and His will; about who we are, where we came from, and what we are to be doing; about the difference between truth and error; and much more. All of these things are important. However, when Paul preached the gospel, he was very clear about what was “of first importance” – the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Jesus died on the cross in order to make atonement for our sins. Without His sacrifice on the cross, we would be forever lost in our sins. Without His resurrection from the dead, we would have no hope of eternal life.

The reason why the Bible’s teaching on any topic matters is because of Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection. Paul explained later in this chapter that if this were not true, there would be no reason to follow and make sacrifices for the Lord. “If the dead are not raised, let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die” (1 Corinthians 15:32). This is why he said the fact of Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection were “of first importance.” Everything else is built upon that foundation.

Jesus died on the cross, was buried, and then was raised from the dead the third day. This is why we follow Him. This is why we have hope beyond this life. And on the first day of the week, we observe the Lord’s Supper to remind us of His great sacrifice for us so that we might never forget this foundation of our faith.

–Andy Sochor