Life and Peace
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Turn to Romans 6 and 14.
Peace. We long for peace. We want peaceful homes, communities, relationships. We want to watch a movie or have dinner in peace. Along with Miss America, we want world peace. We long for peace, but it doesn’t seem like we can ever get it.
We know God promises peace that surpasses understanding. The angels proclaimed peace on earth. Jesus said, “My peace I give to you.” We sing songs about peace; we have laws to enforce peace. But where is it? Do we really need to live on a tropical island or hide in the bathroom for an hour to have peace? Why is it so difficult to hold onto – especially when it’s promised in Scripture? Ah, but what is this peace that has been promised?
The dictionary defines peace as harmony, tranquility, freedom from disturbance, a lack of external or internal conflict. I would guess that that is the peace most of us think about or desire – a lack of conflict and tranquility. But is that biblical peace? BTW – not all conflict is bad.
The word “peace” is used nearly 400 times throughout Scripture,
and there are many nuances to it. It can mean lack of conflict and tranquility, but most often it means something deeper. The word “Peace” is Salōm in Hebrew (OT) and eirēnē in Greek (NT). For both Heb. and Greek,
The root meaning of peace is completeness or wholeness and usually refers to a state of existence.
For example – let’s say you have a privacy fence around your property and it has some broken and missing boards. That fence is incomplete; it is not in a state of Salōm (neither are your neighbors …). You put up new boards - mend, repair, restore the fence. The fence is now complete, it’s whole - in a state of Salōm – peace. That is the peace that Scripture most often alludes to.
Another example might be when I traveled to China and Kenya, I away from Susan for 2 weeks – I felt incomplete, separated from my wife. I was not in a state of peace until we were reunited, and I was whole again. That is also similar to our relationship with God. A life separated from God because of sin and unbelief is incomplete, restless, spiritually dead - not in a state of Salōm – peace.
Keep that in mind as we look at Romans 6. Some context is in order. Written by the Apostle Paul to the Christians in Rome. The first 6 chapters could be summarized by this one truth -
For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
And
but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
And that is the foundation to the Advent season – God came to us, born in the flesh to save us. That’s a big deal! Do not overlook that God became human!
Now, in Romans 6-7, Paul addressed the false notion that sin is a good thing. Why in the world would sin ever be a good thing? Before I answer that, let’s define sin.
Sin is rooted in a failure to properly and morally love God, others and self (“a disordered love” according to Augustine).
Sin is self-centered - asserting self over God.
Sin is abusing or corrupting “garbaging” what God calls good.
Sin destroys everything that is truly good. Nothing good or peaceful about sin. It can be enjoyable – temporarily – but ultimately sin leads to death (physical, spiritual); leads to separation of relationships (with God and others); leads to judgement and eternal death. Again, there is nothing good about sin.
Because God loves us and wants to be with us, He has given us the gift of forgiveness through Christ Jesus. When we sin and if seek God’s forgiveness, we receive God’s grace – His undeserved favor. That’s all correct. Now, here’s the ludicrous and heretical part that Paul addressed - the more we sin the more of God’s grace we receive. Therefore, sinning is good because it produces more grace. Whoever thought of that is smoking something. That is false and dangerous theology and completely ungodly.
Christ died because of our sin and to free us from the power and consequences of sin in this world and the next. How can anyone in their right mind justify living in sin? You can’t. When we receive Christ’s death, we also receive His resurrection from the dead – by faith. We receive new life and new family and we live differently because of Him. In Christ, we are to live the way we were designed to live – not for sin, death, self-centeredness, corruption – but for good, and love and for peace – salom. For peace.
Look at v9.
We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him.
For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God.
So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.
Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions.
Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness.
For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.
What then? Are we to sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means!
What does it mean to live to God? It means that He is central, not self. God is the aim ….
Followers of Jesus are to die to self-centered living and come alive to Christ-centered living.
That doesn’t happen overnight, and it doesn’t happen without effort on our part.
Because Christ died …
Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions.
Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness.
Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body [do not let sin rule or have control over you], to make you obey its passions. 13 Do not present [do not submit or offer yourself – do not open a door or make space for, do not make yourself available to sin] your members [lit. body parts – hands, mind, heart, mouth, ears, feet, spleen, tibia, epidermis … talents, skills, possessions, time …] to sin as instruments [hoplon – a Greek tool, weapon used mainly for fighting]for unrighteousness [if righteousness is right and healthy relationships, then unrighteousness is unhealthy, harmful, abusive relationships …], but DO present [do submit or offer, make yourself available] yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and [offer] your members [body parts – offer your hands, mind, heart, mouth, ears, spleen, tibia, epidermis … talents, skills, possessions, time …] to God as instruments [tools, weapons that fight] for righteousness.
If we offer yourselves to sin, sin will use us. The only thing sin does is kill, steal, and destroy people and God’s creation.
But
If I offer myself to God as His instrument, He will use me.
Wait? What does all this have to do with peace? Look at chapter 14.
For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.
Whoever thus serves Christ is acceptable to God and approved by men.
So then let us pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding.
If we piece all this together – the real work of peacemaking is not about calming everyone down or eliminating conflict or making the Israelis and Palestinians shake hands or cats and dogs love each (although nice).
The real work of peacemaking begins with me.
making sure I am healthy (spiritually and emotionally), whole, and complete in Christ but continually surrendering to Him – of course that’s a lifelong journey. Then,
Peacemaking is about offering myself to God.
as His instrument, His tool that He uses to bring peace / wholeness to others and creation.
“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
Jesus said, “Blessed [happy or empowered] are the peacemakers (salom makers), for they shall be called sons/daughters of God.” Who are the peacemakers? We are – His followers – the Church.
Remember the broken fence?
If the world is full of broken fences (i.e. people), we are the ones whom God has blessed / empowered to go and mend, repair, restore the brokenness of the world.
- we help bring completeness and wholeness to people, to families, to communities ….
What do you have that you can offer God and say, “Use me?”
Skills, talents ….? If you can’t think of anything, then say, “Here am I. I offer myself to you.”
Who might God be calling you to be a peacemaker to?
– to help mend, restore, lift up, to …?
What is one thing you can do to create a little more peace in the world?
Whatever it is – that’s Kingdom work.
An Advent Prayer
Adapted from Francis of Assisi (1181–1226)
Congregation: Lord, make us instruments of thy peace;
Pastor: That where there is hatred,
Congregation: may we bring love;
Pastor: Where there is wrong,
Congregation: may we bring a spirit of forgiveness.
Pastor: Where there is discord,
Congregation: may we bring harmony;
Pastor: Where there is error,
Congregation: may we bring truth;
Pastor: Where there is doubt,
Congregation: may we bring faith.
Pastor: Where there is despair,
Congregation: may we bring hope;
Pastor: Where there are shadows,
Congregation: may we bring light;
Pastor: Where there is sadness,
Congregation: may we bring joy.
Pastor: Lord, grant that we may seek to comfort, rather than to be comforted;
Congregation: To understand rather than to be understood;
Pastor: To love rather than to be loved; For it is in giving that we are received;
Congregation: It is by forgiving that we are forgiven.
All: And it is by dying that we awaken to eternal life. Amen.
Adapted from Francis of Assisi, Italian monk (1181–1226)
