Strive No More

Isaiah 9:6–7 ESV

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.

What is biblical peace?

Greek word ei-ray-nay (eirene)

Means the absence of war and dissension - akin to Roman Pax. But in biblical terms, peace isn’t just about the end of conflict. In fact, biblical peace isn’t really about war. The opposite of peace is not war. In our lives the opposite of peace is striving.

We are creatures who strive. Strife, and striving are a part of our nature.

Striving for God's love. Striving for God's favor. Striving for God's pleasure. This is the way of the world. We are born into strife. Its the curse that God lay upon man.

Christ Frees us From Inward Strife

At the fall, one of the first effect of sin was that Adam and Eve hid themselves. The question is, “Why?”

R. C. Sproul notes, “Prior to sin, the first couple was “naked and not ashamed” (2:25), because neither one had anything sinister to hide from the other — there were no barriers to God-glorifying intimacy. However, the pollution of human nature resulting from the fall created all sorts of opportunities, physical and otherwise, for misunderstanding and exploitation to occur. Knowing their new potential to inflict harm and feeling deep existential shame, Adam and Eve attempt to hide from each other so that they will not be further damaged by their own depravity.”

As their thoughts were marred by sin and they began to see each other in exploitative ways it created shame. Existentially, Adam and Eve in that moment realized that something was wrong.

Like a switch, they were changed. Adam and Eve fashioned makeshift coverings to cover their sin, but they were inadequate. Nothing could cover their shame.

All human attempts to overcome the strife inside of us are vain. They are fig leaves sewn together. They simply cover the problem. The problem is we're broken.

We spend billions each year trying to cover up or ignore the shame inside of us.

In 2020 Americans spent $10.5 billion on self-improvement books.

The health, gym, and fitness club market is estimated at $37 billion.

All motivational speakers (around 5,000 of them) earn over $1.6 billion every year.

Today, the mantra of our culture is "Be happy with the you you are." This seems nice, but it ignores a primary truth: We're broken spiritually. I am spiritually broken. The brokenness of the world is apparent all around us. Our need for a savior is apparent.

Once a man went to a doctor and said, “Doctor I have a serious problem, I hurt all over! When I touch my head it hurts, when I touch my eyes they hurt. When I touch my legs they hurt. I don’t know what’s wrong with me!”

After examining the patient the doctor then tells him he has two choices, “First he can quit touching those places where he hurts.” Or two he can put a cast on his finger because it’s broken.

Our culture has chosen the first solution: Ignore the brokenness and embrace it.

But Christ has come to fix what was broken by sin.

Ephesians 1:7 ESV

In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace,

But also to free me from the bondage to that brokenness.

The brokenness of sin tells us that we’re worthless. That there’s something wrong with us. It tells a young girl that because she’s different and she likes climbing trees and playing ball that she’s something she’s not.

It tells a young man that because he prefers baking to hunting, or decorating to building that he’s a woman trapped in a man’s body.

It tells us that we’ll never be good enough, that no one likes us. It tells a husband that the pretty secretary in his office will make his life better, and the wife that if she was married to someone else she’d be happier.

Sin tells children their parents are fools.

And yet Christ says, “You are mine, and I love you.” Jesus picks us up and he doesn’t excuse our brokenness, but he redeems it and restores it and renews it.

That’s peace.

Christ Frees us From Outward Strife

Isaiah 9:7 ESV

Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.

This does not mean Christ came to make us soft or to ignore the problems of day.

Matthew 10:34–39 ESV

“Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. And a person’s enemies will be those of his own household. Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.

In fact we are called to fight for scripture, to fight for the gospel, to press back against the gospel.

But what Jesus came to do is bring peace among people of differing backgrounds, differing races, differing sexes under the banner of the gospel.

Galatians 3:26–28 ESV

for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

We are called to

Jude 3 (ESV)

to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints.

That is what Christ came to do. To create a kingdom of believers united together regardless of who they were for the gospel.

Ephesians 2:19 ESV

So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God,

In the words of that great song we are to be going “Onward Christian Soldiers” together.

Only Christ, all people of all nations, of all backgrounds repenting of their sins and putting their faith in Christ will ever bring true peace.

Upward Strife

Romans 5:8–11 ESV

but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

"Surely the entire divinely arranged plan of our Redeemer’s [coming] in the flesh is the reconciliation of the world—it was for this purpose that he became incarnate, for this he suffered, for this he was raised from the dead—that he might lead us, who had incurred God’s anger by sinning, back to God’s peace by his act of reconciliation. Hence he was rightly given the name “Father of the world to come” and “Prince of peace” by the prophet; and the apostle, writing about him to those from among the nations who had believed, said, “And coming, he brought the good news of peace to you who were from far off and peace to those who were near, since through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father.”

Bede, Homilies on the Gospels 2.9.

Christ came to reconcile us to God. Yes he came to give us inner peace. Yes he came to unite for himself a kingdom. But more importantly he came to return the prodigal home, to find the lost coin, to restore the lost lamb. He came as one of us to bring peace to all of us.

That’s the Christmas Story.