What is Peace?

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Peace be with you.

A greeting that many various churches use when they greet each other all over the world.

After coming to Christ, at the very early age of 30. And with my great knowledge of church traditions I received from the great wisdom found in the congregation members of the Valley Bar.

I hopped from church to church like I was taught to hop from bar to bar. What I found astonished me. Their inter-church rivalries were extreme compared to the inter-bar rivalries I was so accustom to.

I visited Episcopalian churches, Protestant churches, and Pentecostal churches. And me being the type of person I am, not trusting anyone’s word for what to believe.

An attribute I received from my many years in the great fellowship hall of the Valley Bar. I began to search Scripture and pray for God to reveal the truth to me.

The more I studied the more I saw where each had some right beliefs and each had some wrong beliefs. I soon found myself not really fitting in with any of them.

I think I might have to start referring to myself as an Episcoprotecostal.

I still really like the greeting Peace be with you.

In it there’s a profound truth that all Christians should participate in—the peace of Christ. Do you participate in the peace of Christ?

We all struggle learning how to rest in the peace of Christ. We live in a world where there are far too many factors that fight against peace.

There a so many things that make it difficult for Christians to have peace. Frequent wars break out, severe division in our country, economic hardships, and anti-Christian social issues all push their way to the forefront.

On top of all that we have other craziness going on in our lives as well. Maybe it’s family feuds, friendships falling apart, my church is doing something I don’t like, church splits over the color of the carpets, or any plethora of other things.

Peace is one of the most precious commodities in the world. Think about it! I don’t know anyone that doesn’t want peace.

People will endure great compromise for peace. Countries spend countless hours negotiating peace.

Parents negotiate with their children for the sake of peace. Yet, as hard as we try to find peace, it always eludes us.

We think of peace as having harmonious relationships with those around us. We think of peace as the world getting along and not fighting over land, religion, or social issues.

We think of peace as having less crime, less chaos, and less pain and hurt.

But, you see, we don’t seek peace because we live in a perfect and peaceful world. We seek peace because we live in a tumultuous, chaotic world full of wars, murder, rape, human trafficking and other evil phenomenons.

What if I told you we are looking for peace in the wrong place?

What if I told you we are viewing peace completely wrong?

Have you ever wondered how God can say we are supposed to be at peace in the world around us?

He’s fully aware of all the horror and chaos all around us. So how can God say we are supposed to have peace?

I want to tell you a story.

It’s a story about a king who desperately sought a picture, a painting, that perfectly depicted peace. He traveled all over the kingdom looking through every nook and cranny.

Through the entire kingdom he was not able to find any such painting. So he announced he was going to have a contest to produce this masterpiece.

The contest began to stir the imagination of artists all over the kingdom. As the time for the contest was coming to a close paintings began to arrive from far and wide.

The day of judging of those paintings came and the judges uncovered one painting after another. The people were there and they clapped and they cheered.

The tension in the room as each piece was unveiled could be felt by all. We might say you could cut the tension with a butter knife. There were only two pieces remaining still veiled.

As the judge pulled the cover from one there was a hush that fell over the crowd. A mirror smooth lake, reflection of lacy green birches under the soft blush of the evening sky.

Along the grassy shore there was a flock of sheep grazing undisturbed. Just looking at the picture the people just sighed, surely this has to be the masterpiece.

The king that had created the contest looking for the masterpiece, uncovered the second painting himself, not waiting for the judge.

The crowd gasped, they were surprised, how in the world could this painting be peace. The painting was of a tumultuous waterfall cascading down a rock precipice.

The crowd could almost feel its cold and penetrating and blasting spray as it came off rocks at the bottom of the waterfall. Above in the sky were storm gray clouds.

They looked like they were menacing clouds preparing to explode with lightning, with wind, with rain. And in the midst of this painting, in the midst of the thundering noises, the bitter chill, there was this spindly tree.

Clinging to the rocks at the edge of the waterfall. One of its branches reached out toward the torrential waters. As if it were foolishly thinking to experience the full power of that waterfall.

As people began to look closer to this anything but peaceful painting. They noticed that there was a little bird who had built its nest in the elbow of that branch that was reaching out to those tumultuous falls.

Content and undisturbed in her stormy surroundings she rested on her eggs. Her eyes were closed, and her wings spread out to cover her little ones.

She manifested peace that transcends all earthly turmoil.

I’ll ask again what if we are viewing peace completely wrong?

Part of our problem is that we don’t really understand what peace is. Peace is not found in the absence of turmoil. Peace is not found in the absence of conflict.

Peace actually is found in the midst of it. Peace is found in a person not in a circumstance.

Look at Eph 2:14

Ephesians 2:14 ESV

14 For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility

The Greek word for peace here doesn’t mean peace between people or an attitude of peace. It represents a concept of being in a state of peace.

In fact everywhere Scripture talks about peace in relation to God or Jesus Christ, this is the Greek word used. Or in the OT the Hebrew word used brings the same understanding of Peace.

Peace isn’t something that comes due to circumstances in the world around us. Peace comes from having an internal state of peace.

Look at what Paul says in Col 3:14-15.

English Standard Version Colossians 3:14–15

And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful.

Let me read part of that again: “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts!!” Where do we find the peace of Christ? In our hearts.

The Greek word translated “hearts” is a word that emphasizes the inner self. This would be our soul.

The peace of Christ should rule our soul. I know it sounds sooo simple, right?

Why do we have such a hard time finding peace if it’s that simple?

We have faith, we have the Holy Spirit, so what’s the problem?

The first problem is that we naturally start seeking peace from outside. We seek peace through worldly avenues.

If we do start seeking peace internally, we try to forcefully will peace to be there. We rely on our own will power to find peace inside ourselves.

Take a deep breath. Slowly let it out. Let your body relax. Repeat again and again. Isn’t that what we’re recommended to do to find peace?

Peace always seems to elude us or if we do have peace it seems like it’s only for a flitting moment. Then poof, it’s gone again.

Peace is only found in one Person. He is our peace. A baby born of a virgin. Laid in a manger. Emmanuel, God with us, who died on a cross for our sins.

Who defeated death and rose again. And now sits at the right hand of God on the throne.

Peace eludes us because true peace only comes from humble submission to God in Jesus Christ.

As we look back at the birth of Jesus and look forward to His immanent return.

Let the peace of Christ rule your hearts. Because that’s how we have peace in the midst of this tumultuous, chaotic, stormy world. That’s how we have peace in the most difficult seasons of our lives.

May we wholly and completely say yes to the baby Jesus whose birth we celebrate this Christmas season. And whose immanent return we patiently await.