True Peace in a World of False Peace

Introduction

Opening Illustration - Peace: Peace is a tricky word. When we speak about peace, we can speak about internal peace (as in the standing of soul and mind), and external peace (as in the condition of our life, and our community, and the world). Internal Peace of mind and soul is elusive for many. It is always around the corner. I read statistics this week that 25% of Americans seldom or never feel a deep sense of inward peace or well being. 70% of Americans say they needed more emotional support in the last year than they received. And a bout 50% of Americans say they feel lonely. Despite the fact that we are exponentially the generation with the most amount of counseling and the most amount prescription drugs, internal peace seems elusive. And external peace… Well, if you compare to the days of the imperialism of the Roman Empire, I’d say we’re doing much better. But certainly one must only turn the news tonight to see that we’re still searching for peace.

Personal: Do you have an internal peace. A peace of your soul that transcends your circumstances. What about external peace, peace in the world around you, do you have a clear vision of what that would look like, and what is needed to get there.

Context: Today we continue in our new sermon series that we began last week studying the book of Revelation. Last week was part 1 of our introduction, and today is part 2 of our introduction. Remember how we summarized the book of Revelation last week:

In Revelation we discover Christ our exalted King, ruling over his eternal kingdom, defeating all of his enemies, guiding world history according to his purposes, blessing and sustaining his beloved Church, and preparing the world for his return.

In our text today, as John continues to introduce the book, he bestows peace upon his readers. And what John lays out in these few verses are key and guiding principles that are going to help us understand the rest of the book of Revelation.

Revelation 1:4–8 “John to the seven churches that are in Asia: Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before his throne, and from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of him. Even so. Amen. “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.””

Meaning & Application

I GRACE MUST PRECEDE PEACE

The first principle of Revelation that we see in this introduction regarding “peace” is that grace must precede peace.

Revelation 1:4 “John to the seven churches that are in Asia: Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come…”

Grace & Peace: After the Apostle John introduces himself and who this letter was originally intended for, he begins his greeting with the phrase “grace and peace to you.” Seventeen times, in seventeen different books of the New Testament, the authors begin their greeting with this “grace to you and peace.” We might easily look over this little phrase as just a common courteous greeting. But actually there is something far more going on.

Cultural: This phrase for those first century readers was extremely cultural charged. In the Roman world that John was living in, official Roman correspondance and public decrees typically used gratia and pax in them. But for the Romans these terms meant something different.

Gratia: Gratia referred to a system of patronage where a superior granted something to an inferior and then that inferior would give them their loyalty and honor. Grace was earned by doing your duty to your superiors.

Pax: Pax was a very important concept for the Romans. In 13BC the Altar of Augustine Peace was constructed with one overwhelmingly clear message, Peace flows from Caesar. The altar visually communicated that the Roman Empire would usher in peace for all mankind, and Caesar would be the one to lead it. How would it be accomplished, through military might and conquest. For the Romans, peace was not the absence of violence, but the absence of resistence. The famous Pax Romana (the peace of Rome) was a centuries long period that was full of violence and fear and conquest. They call it the peace of Rome because Rome was crushing its enemies, meanwhile slaves, infants, the poor and needy were crushed under the iron boot of Rome. Caesar claims peace through power. Christ claims peace through grace.

Redefine Grace: Against that backdrop, the Apostle John undermines and undercuts emperor worship. “Grace and peace” not from Caesar, but from the living God. This is a declaration of war against Caesar’s claim. For John the terms mean something totally different. Grace is no longer mediated through social heirarchy. Grace is God’s unearned and undeserved gift of love in Christ. Grace says, your debt was bigger than you know because of your sin, but Christ paid it all so that you wouldn’t have to. Radically different concept of grace. A life changing alternative to Rome.

Redefine Peace: John’s concept of peace is also radically undermining Caesar. The greek word for peace used here is an effort by the biblical writer to capture the idea of Shalom in Hebrew. Shalom is a single word that captures both an internal and an external peace. There are many passages in the OT that allude to this. One of the most memorable is Isaiah 11-12 written 725 years before Christ, that speaks about the days of the Christ and His Kingdom. It says that in the days of the Christ’s kingdom there will be peace on earth. An internal peace of the heart knowing its right standing with God, joyfully content in God’s goodness and provision. People will sing for joy out of hearts overflowing with gratitude to God. And external peace, as violent men become peaceful.

Isaiah 11:9 “… the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.”

This is a full peace. It is a peace that only God can offer, and Caesar’s peace is just shallow caricature of the full peace that God offers.

Fallen Human Focus: John is directly confronting the false peace offered by Caesar with the real peace offered by God. The truth that it is not just John's day in the first century that sought peace through another means besides grace. There is only path to peace in this world, and it is through the grace that Jesus Christ offers. Whether we are seeking internal peace of the soul, or external peace in our world, shalom is available only through the grace of Christ. And every other effort is bound to fail.

Illustration - Pain Killers: It is a bit like a man who has a deep wound in his side from war. It's infected and it's spreading. Instead of going to a doctor, the man gets his hand on a bottle of painkillers. And for a while he feels better. But the truth is the pain killers eventually stop having their effect, and the wound is worse than it was before, because it was never dealt with. When he finally goes the doctor, the doctor says that he's got to start with the infection and that it's going to be painful. It will involve cleaning the wound and treating the actual cause.

Inner Peace: Like Rome before us, we are experts at medicating ourselves into believing we have dealt with the root issue of the disease, when in reality all we’ve done is taken some pain medication. Our modern culture is saturated in efforts to get some kind of peace for that nagging sense of the soul that something is not right. We keep ourselves busy, we find therapists, we download meditation apps, we medicate, we hunt for success, we try to keep ourselves looking young, we manage our social media accounts, we join the next big culture protest war. The list goes on and on, and meanwhile the statistics through the roof of the amount of people that report each year experiencing some kind of depression, loneliness, and need for emotinal support.

Wrap Up: Real peace is available, but it must begin with grace. It must begin with Jesus Christ and his free offer of forgiveness of sin, and a relationship with God. Any other path we take will never deal with the root issue, our sin before a holy God, and our internal hunger for relationship with God. Don’t settle for a painkiller, when Christ offers so much.

First Principle of Peace: Grace must precede peace.

II ALL THREE MEMBERS OF THE TRINITY ARE THE ANCHORS OF OUR PEACE

The second principle is that all three members of the Trinity are the anchors of our peace. Remember our doctrine of the Trinity, God is one God in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. It is not three gods, but one God in three persons. John writes:

Revelation 1:4–5 “… Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before his throne, and from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth…”

Whereas the Romans might expect to hear “grace and peace from Caesar”, John goes right to the actual source and undermines Rome’s vision of grace and peace. He’s setting a new reality. Let me show you how grace and peace flow from each member of the Trinity.

God the Father (Aseity): First, from God the Father. John begins “from him who was and who is and who is to come.” This is an incredible phrase that has roots all the way back in the book of Exodus. You may recall the story that when Moses was sent by God to the people of Israel who were held in bondage in Egypt, Moses asked God what his name was. And God answered

Exodus 3:14 “God said to Moses, “I am who I am…”

The name “I Am” in Hebrew is where we get the name YHWH. This phrase in our text today that describes God the Father is a brilliant grammatical way of saying what that great name of God really means, “I am what I am.” “Who was and who is and who is to come.” God is outside of time. He is independent, meaning his existence is in no way dependent on anything that he has created. He experiences all time (past, present, and future) as his reality. He is boundless and eternally glorious apart from us.

No wonder, grace and peace can be said to come from God the Father. He is “I AM.”

God the Holy Spirit: Second “grace and peace” come from God the Holy Spirit. John says

Revelation 1:4 “… and from the seven spirits who are before his throne,”

Now the phrase seven spirits make readers question what John is talking about. There is two ways to understand this. Either, he is again using the number seven to discuss the Holy Spirit’s perfection. In that sense, it’s a simple reference to the one Holy Spirit. The other interpretation I find more compelling contextually. To leave the technical things aside that cause me to believe, there are very strong grammatical reasons to believe that the best interpretation of this phrase “seven spirits” is not “seven spirits” but is “seven-fold spirit.” This carries the idea of the one Holy Spirit who is known for seven primary characteristics (again seven being the number of perfection).

Isaiah: John’s audience would have been familar with the idea of the seven-fold spirit. There are two OT passages that get at this. The one that speaks most directly is (a passage we have already seen today!) Isaiah 11, that very same passage we talked about earlier when we defined what John’s vision of peace may have been like.

Isaiah 11:1–2 “There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit. And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.”

There, we see the prophet Isaiah, speaking about the Messiah (the stump of Jesse) that would come in his future, and describing seven characteristics of the spirit that would rest upon him. John is saying that “grace and peace” come from the seven-fold spirit. This is exactly what Isaiah is saying in Isaiah 11. If you read through Isaiah 11, we have a picture of what Israelites coined Shalom, and what in English we call peace. This is describing seven characteristics of the Holy Spirit. Christ was perfectly full of the Holy Spirit. And when we believe in Christ, that same Holy Spirit is given to us. There is no lack.

No wonder, grace and peace can be said to come from God the Holy Spirit. Because the same spirit that rested upon Christ is available to you, in all of his perfection.

God the Son: Third, John says that this grace and peace come to us through God the Son.

Revelation 1:5 “and from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth…”

Remember what we saw last week, that Revelation is an unveiling of Jesus Christ. It’s all about Christ. In these three short phrases describing Christ, there is packed theology. In theological terms, we often describe Christ as fulfilling three offices. He was our great Prophet, Priest, and King. This sentence about Christ faithfully shows us all three.

Faithful Witness: First, he is called the “faithful witness,” or in other words, our great prophet. This speaks of someone who testifies in legal matters as a witness. This is the basic work of a prophet to point to the law of God and reveal our sin before God’s righteous standards.

Firstborn: Second, he is called the “firstborn from the dead” or in other words, our great priest. This speaks of Christ’s death and resurrection. A priest is one who offered sacrifices to God, and Christ offered himself as a sacrifice to God, and Christ resurrection is proof that his sacrifice was received by God the Father.

Ruler: Third, he is called the “ruler of the kings of the earth” or in other words, our great king. Christ as King leads his kingdoms, and demands our obedience to his kingdom’s laws.

Illustration - Physician: Christ is prophet, priest, and king. When we receive Christ, we must receive all of him not just part. Again, we can picture this through a doctor healing somebody. Picture a man who sees a great doctor. That doctor does three things. First, he diagnoses the illness. He tells the patient what is wrong (like a prophet). Second that doctor writes a prescription, gives medicine to to cure the problem (like a priest). Third that doctor gives a strict regiment for the patient to follow: rest, diet, excercise, and so on (like a king).

The problem for many modern Christians is that we want only parts of those relationships with Christ. Some want the cure but not the diagnosis. We want forgiveness without the hard truth about sin. Others want the diagnosis and the cure, without the recovery plan. They rejoice that Christ has forgiven their sin, but they resist the authority he claims over their life.

Christ is not offered in pieces. As prophet, he tells us the truth about God and about ourselves. As priest, he bears our guilt and reconciles us to God. As king, he rules our lives for our good. To refuse any one of those offices is not to receive a smaller Christ, but a different Christ altogether.

Wrap Up: Return to our larger section here. In three short phrases, John has shown that grace and peace flow to us through all three members of the Trinity: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Our peace is secure because it rests in the Father who is eternal and unchanging,

Our peace is secure because it rests in the Spirit who fully supplies all that Christ won for us.

Our peace is secure because it rests in the Son who speaks truth as our Prophet, atones for sin as our Priest, and reigns over all things as our King.

That means Christian peace is not fragile. It does not rise and fall with politics. It does not collapse under persecution. It does not disappear in suffering. It is grounded in who God is and what God has done.

II CHRIST’S PEACE EXPANDS AS CHRIST’S KINGDOM INCREASES

The third principle we will see in this text is vital to understanding Revelation, and to understanding our reality. Here is the principle: Christ’s peace expands as Christ’s Kingdom increases.

Skeptic’s Objection: One of the reasons skeptics will often try to discredit Christ, is they’ll say, “If Christ is king, and he brought “peace on earth”, where is the peace. Aren’t wars still happening? Isn’t there still murder in the streets? If Isaiah 11, has been fulfilled in Christ, why do people still die by violence? There are a few ways to address that. Some theologians say that Christ brought an internal peace of the soul for his followers, but the external peace (passages like Isaiah 11) won’t come until he returns. And that is an acceptable response, and I understand where that comes from. But I think that response is inadequate, and I think that response misses Revelation. I say this humbly, willing to be proven wrong, but I believe Christ does bring a peace into this world, and I think an honest look at human history would say that as Christianity has spread throughout the world, it has gradually improved people’s circumstances, brought about better and more fair standards of justice, improved living conditions, turned violent men into men of peace. I think history proves this principle correct. And if so, it is a radical call for us as his followers.

Passage: The rest of this passage lays out a progressive vision of peace. The next few phrases are like a great chain with six huge links holding it together. Each little phrase is connected and shows Christ’s peace working itself out in human history.

Revelation 1:5–6 “… To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.”

Loved Us: First, “To him who loves us.” Notice the present tense. The peace that God offers us has a starting point. That starting point is not global peace that trickles down into our hearts. The starting is Christ’s love, that overwhelms our hearts, then flows out of us into the world. Christ’s love is a transforming love. It is a love that radically overwhelms a person. The Bible calls a person who has experienced the love of Christ, born again. That’s not just symbolic. To know the depth of love of Christ, is to never be the same person again.

Freed Us: Second, the text says “he freed us from our sins by his blood.” Again, peace begins internally. This is the gospel. Christ death on the cross frees us from our sins. See the transformation. He loves us and frees us from bondage to sin. Before a person believes in Christ, they are enslaved to sin and all of its consequences. But Christ frees us. Sets our entire life in a new direction away from slavery to sin and towards joyful obedience to God.

Established a Kingdom: Third, the text says he “made us a Kingdom.” That’s fascinating language. Now, its moving from the individual internal work of the heart, to a more corporate experience in this world. A kingdom is a physical group of individuals who serve a particular King. A kingdom has a particular set of values and laws and norms that define it. So now Christians are bound together, across thousands of cultures and languages, all united in serving their King.

Priest to God: Fourth, it then says he made us “priests to his God and Father.” What did a priest do? A priest stood as an agent between God and man helping sinful men maintain relationship with God. He is speaking about every Christian here. Every Christian is a priest who is spreading God’s kingdom, through your voice and through your love of others. Where you go, you bring the saltiness of your God with you.

Glory & Dominion: Fifth, the text says “to him be glory and dominion forever and ever.” What is “dominion?” That word means to exercise ruling authority, to govern. This is similar to Christ’s wordss when he taught us to pray, “Your kingdom come, your will be done on Earth as it is in heaven.” That is a prayer for dominion! For the Kingdom of God, the ethic of heave, to be experienced, lived out, and propograted throughout this world.

Christ’s Return: Sixth, then verse 7 reads:

Revelation 1:7 “Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of him. Even so. Amen.”

At the end of the expansion of Christ’s kingdom, Christ the King will return. Those in Christ will rejoice at the presence of their long awaited king. Those who have rebelled against him will be dismayed and will wail for the rejected the truth when it was presented to them.

Illustration - Drop of Dye: The peace of Christ in this world is a like a drop of dye released into a cup of hot water. At first the drop changes the color of the water it touches immediately. But over time, the color spreads throughout the entire cup. At first, Christ peace begins in our heart transforming us, but then it flows through us.

Application: What is the principle here. Christ’s kingdom expands progressively. Like I said, I think this is exactly what we have seen in human history. The world you and I are living in, the West as it is called, and the standards we all take for granted: medical standards, educational standards, legal standards, justice standards. These things didn’t pop out of the air. These were brought about into this world, by Christians thinking Christianly about how to improve the world.

Boldness: What boldness ought this give the Christian. You might lose a battle today. It might look on the outside like secularism is on the rise, and Christianity is doomed in America. That’s what it would might have appeared to John’s recipients who facing persecution. Little could they have imagined how Christianity would grow and change the world! But John encourages them to see reality. This should make you bold Christian.

When your neighbor hits heartbreak and they can’t figure what’s gone wrong in their life, and you show up with the hope and love of the Gospel of peace, and you help that neighbor trust in Christ, and begin to live the life freed from sin, you are partipating in the gradual expansion of God’s kingdom and peace on earth.

When we as a church build a school in the city of Chicago, a school determined to honor Jesus Christ as King from the ground up, and educate the city’s youth, and raise capitol to grant scholarships to children of all financial backgrounds so they can learn the truth of God, we are partipating in the gradual expansion of God’s kingdom and peace on earth.

When you foster and adopt children, you are partipating in the gradual expansion of God’s kingdom and peace on earth.

When you stand for life at the abortion clinic, and are assaulted verbally and physically for trying to love those who God loves, you are partipating in the gradual expansion of God’s kingdom and peace on earth.

Conclusion

Where does real peace come from? Not from Caesar. Not from systems or movements or protests. Peace must come through the grace offered from our Tri-une God. Don’t search for it any other place. You won’t find it. But the offer is here for you today. Don’t wait, and don’t hesitate. There is one purpose to give your life for, its Christ and his Kingdom of peace.