Start with Peace

What is Peace

Peace - Reconciliation in Jesus (there is no us and them but the reconciled)

What is peace?

When you think of the word of peace, how would you describe it?

Turn to a neighbour and give them a definition of peace…

When you Google “Peace” you will be met with this definition:

“Freedom from disturbance” or “A state or period in which there is no war or a war has ended”.

Now with a definition like that could you say that you live a life of peace? Well Canada is not engaged in a active war, we are good there, although there is war in different parts of the world, my life is “Peaceful”

But is your life free from disturbance? Thats a much more difficult question. When I say that line, Freedom from disturbance you probably have some things come to mind. Maybe it’s a something but maybe it’s a someone…

They carry the title disturbance

Supervisor

Co-worker

Ex-tended family member

Sometimes they are in the room with us, don’t turn your head.

Can peace really be the absence of that person? Like never see them again and my life will be peaceful?

So it leaves us with a real question; Can I have peace in my life?

Well I want to invite you into a understanding of peace, but I need to invite you in to Ephesians, where Paul the author writes about Jesus Christ, and how he is our peace and we need to unpack how that directly shifts our understanding of what peace is and how to have a peace filled life.

We will be in Ephesians 2:14, while you turn there I want to tell you who this is written to and why.

Who: it was written to the church of Ephesus; hence the name Ephesians, the people of Ephesus.

Why: it stands as a letter about how the narrative of the gospel story should directly effect our personal story. If you are looking for somewhere to start reading your Bible I would recommend this as a great book of the Bible to read.

Ephesians 2:14–18 NIV

For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, by setting aside in his flesh the law with its commands and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new humanity out of the two, thus making peace, and in one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility. He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.

Verse 14 starts with Christ is our peace. He has made two groups one and destroyed the barrier the dividing wall of hostility.

Now if you are reading along in your Bible you would say to yourself or a neighbour, “Pastor Liam is starting right in them middle of this passage”. Well yes, I want to dig into the most important parts of what Paul is trying to say in this passage.

Paul has began by talking about two groups of people, the Jews and the Gentiles and if you don’t understand these groups it was like the chosen and not chosen, the half and half nots. There was an element of superiority for one but for both there was a disturbance between the two.

“I don’t associate with them unless I absolutely have to” was the life of peace that they would have aspired to.

Have you ever thought that was peace “I don’t talk to them unless I have to”

Well Paul is telling the church of Ephesus that there is no division of status, there is no wall of hostility. Because Christ has made peace.

Christs death on the cross brings about this reconciliation of people and God, through the removal of Sin in their life. But his restoration is not just a spiritual presence, it is also embodied in our community. We no longer need to be divide between each other, becuase Christ is two things,

Peace itself

The Peacemaker Himself.

Now how does he do these two things?

Verse 15 his death, was to fulfil a purpose and one of these purposes was to make peace out of people that felt they built a wall between each other.

In this reconciliation there is this boiling point. Jesus did not bring up the gentiles or those who were not chosen. He did not elevate them to a higher place.

Nor did Jesus pull down the chosen, the Jewish people so they would be lowered to a place of humility and be equal.

Jesus creates one out of two.

Paul in other writings says:

Romans 10:12 NIV

For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him,

There is now this one reconciled people group, this being those who call on the lord and are blessed by the lord, so all people.

The peace and peacemaker is Jesus who has created a new personhood in his disciples. If you choose to lay down your life and follow Jesus he will make you this new person. a person who experiences peace… This peace not being about lack of disturbance, this peace is not based on walls built up but he divides the walls.

So you ask me how this is played out in your life today, you follow Jesus how do you experience peace when the disturbance enters.

Well Verse; 17 he came and preached peace to those near and far, and 18 through him we both have access to the father by one spirit.

Peace is perfected through Jesus, becuase Jesus is our peace.

Now we have to understand that the only way to have complete peace on earth is for Jesus to truly have his way here on earth. To be in his Kingdom is to experience eternal peace.

So can we expect to have a peaceful life here on earth? Yes, we just can’t expect it to be the absence of disturbance. Rather our peace is the fullness of Christ in our life.

For you to have a life of Peace you need to have the fullness of Christ and that is the shedding of who you once were for taking on the person of Christ.

To become less of yourself and become more like the person of Christ. This being the end goal of discipleship.

Because it is only through the cross that we are saved, it is only through the cross that hostility is brought to death. so it is only through the cross do we move this idea from peace away from being about removal of disturbance in our life to the embracing of Jesus’ way around us.

However the same Jesus who gives you life is the same Jesus who has given or is offering life to the people you might wish you could avoid.

Peace is freely given in the kingdom of God. That is why Romans says that the blessings are given to both Jew and Gentile. All who call on him are blessed.

This is the new humanity that Paul refers to. One group of people, those who are blessed and we often call them the kingdom citizen. Someone who lives like they are apart of the Kingdom of God.

So how do we have peace today?

Accept Christ - He is our Peace

If you want lasting peace that is not escape from disturbance, but real lasting peace unlike anything you have ever experienced before then the first step needs to be accepting Christ into your life. Even in the moments where you feel un peaceful, or when you seek avoidance of things.

Accept Restoration - Christs peace in action

Jesus wants to make you new, that happens through his presence, his lasting peace starts with step one accept Christ. But if we do not allow the transformation of Jesus to reach every part of our life we simple dawn a title of Christian but do not live as disciples. So accept restoration in the areas of your life that need peace. This could be through the process of reconciliation with someone or something. Either way you need to view Jesus’ death was to make peace between us and God but also us and each other. He died so that our horizontal relationship could be restored. That we do not need to say peace is the lack of something but rather the reconciliation and contiuned restoration that leads to new life, peace is that new way of living.

What if Christ is asking you to make peace with others, Holy Spirit is prompting you to step forward and start the hard conversation rather then wait for it to start.

What if Christ is inviting you into forgiveness instead of a bitterness. Bitterness and avoidance go hand in hand and neither is peaceful.

We all desire peace, a new way of living where we are free. However most of this does not come simply, its often deeply rooted in who we are, that is why we are starting this series today called “A Season to Start”, and I want to invite you to come back next week as we talk about how we have a fresh start.

Today though we have a book to give you for free. It’s called “What’s driving your life” and it’s a 10 day turnaround for a fresh start. If you pick it up and start with todays lesson it’s about turning anxiety to peace.

We will have people at the back to hand those out.

But to help you reflect on this message and understanding of peace I want to ask you a difficult question:

Am I seeking peace or escape?

Are you will to go through the reconciliation with others? to process difficulties with people?