Shalom (Global Restoration I)
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· 3 viewsGod is building an empire, but not in the way we see it. As lovers of history will attest, there is this interesting academic effect where we begin to notice that no hegemonic power has a wholly innocent resume. Expansion, stabilization, and prosperity in a finite world, come at the cost of others. It is the natural order of things. This is where God's restoration of the world is different. As our God is not finite, He is not limited to the same pitfalls and requirements to reign through resource dominance and coercion which means He ushers in a world restored through the peace (Shabbat) first seen in the beginnings of Genesis. Christ does this repeatedly throughout His ministry: connecting the concepts of His sovereign nature with His nature of peace. It is what gives us confidence which rises beyond contention and worldly squabbles, allowing us to unite in a bond which is higher than our circumstances or culture.
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God is building an empire, but not in the way we see it. As lovers of history will attest, there is this interesting academic effect where we begin to notice that no hegemonic power has a wholly innocent resume. Expansion, stabilization, and prosperity in a finite world, come at the cost of others. It is the natural order of things. This is where God's restoration of the world is different. As our God is not finite, He is not limited to the same pitfalls and requirements to reign through resource dominance and coercion which means He ushers in a world restored through the peace (Shabbat) first seen in the beginnings of Genesis. Christ does this repeatedly throughout His ministry: connecting the concepts of His sovereign nature with His nature of peace. It is what gives us confidence which rises beyond contention and worldly squabbles, allowing us to unite in a bond which is higher than our circumstances or culture.
The Goal is Peace, Not Supremacy
The Goal is Peace, Not Supremacy
Hegemony has it’s cost.
Expansion typically requires military, economic, or political conquest.
Ancient empires all functioned this way.
Rome, Persia, more modern nations like Britain.
US does the same thing. Recent actions in Venezuela have been noted as something that, regardless of your political persuasion, are historically essential to maintain dominance.
PROOF IT’S THE NORM: People were amazed at the Mehrgarh civilization which supposedly lived in the Indus River Valley around 5000 BC. They were communal and peaceful which has fascinated archeologist who recognize this are strange behavior for any kind of dominance civilization.
The norm is that powerful culture and nations inevitably arise through a degree of turmoil and conflict.
This contrasts starkly with the type of sovereignty we see in God (Divine Shalom), who has no need for expansionist tendencies to assert His dominance.
33 I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace. You will have suffering in this world. Be courageous! I have conquered the world.”
True “Peace through strength”
No need for violence or fighting… He is already king
When we unite with Christ, we are already aligning with the sovereign
Echoed in the prophecies of a messiah (For example)...
23 I will establish over them one shepherd, my servant David, and he will shepherd them. He will tend them himself and will be their shepherd. 24 I, the Lord, will be their God, and my servant David will be a prince among them. I, the Lord, have spoken. 25 “ ‘I will make a covenant of peace with them and eliminate dangerous creatures from the land, so that they may live securely in the wilderness and sleep in the forest. 26 I will make them and the area around my hill a blessing: I will send down showers in their season; they will be showers of blessing. 27 The trees of the field will yield their fruit, and the land will yield its produce; my flock will be secure in their land. They will know that I am the Lord when I break the bars of their yoke and rescue them from the power of those who enslave them. 28 They will no longer be prey for the nations, and the wild creatures of the earth will not consume them. They will live securely, and no one will frighten them. 29 I will establish for them a place renowned for its agriculture, and they will no longer be victims of famine in the land. They will no longer endure the insults of the nations. 30 Then they will know that I, the Lord their God, am with them, and that they, the house of Israel, are my people. This is the declaration of the Lord God. 31 You are my flock, the human flock of my pasture, and I am your God. This is the declaration of the Lord God.’ ”
God’s struggle… not yours
God says He will judge the wicked rulers
God says He will remove the dangerous creatures
God says He will ensure we are not prey for the world
We… have only to receive blessing
There is a strange truth we struggle to accept in Christianity: our Christ calls for us to merely live for peace and contentment, leaning on His sovereignty to fight the battles of this world, but we are a belligerent people.
A certain type of Christian loves a good fight… fight against the secular culture, fight against pagans, fight against manufactured oppression…
It’s as if a ton of Christians are begging for an excuse to fight!
But (example)… Peter struck the ear of the guard and was criticized (John 18:10)
52 Then Jesus told him, “Put your sword back in its place because all who take up the sword will perish by the sword. 53 Or do you think that I cannot call on my Father, and he will provide me here and now with more than twelve legions of angels? 54 How, then, would the Scriptures be fulfilled that say it must happen this way?”
God does not need your army, He does not need your struggles, and He does not need your violence…
Government = “Legal Monopoly on Violence”
God has dominion over “violence”
If we insist on “fighting the culture” or “fighting God’s enemies”, then perhaps we really need to be asking ourselves if we truly believe God is sovereign.
IF OUR VIOLENCE IS REQUIRED… He is not sovereign and He is not God.
IF GOD IS SOVEREIGN… then your perpetual struggles are pointless and only serve to further harm your worldly goals and divine sense of purpose (love, compassion, truth).
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: Read John 16:33 and Ezekiel’s prophecies in Ezekiel 34:23-31 and note the presence of language emphasizing God’s sovereignty and His desire for us to attain peace.
1) How engrained is “struggle” in the American ethos? Struggle has many forms (violence, political acts, demonstrations, and other soft forms of rebellion). Why do so many feel they are drawn intrinsically to “struggle” and unable to enjoy contentment and peace?
2) If God desires for us peace, what might that imply about those who are obsessed with pursuing discord? Do they “not believe”? Is struggle and action a sort of social addiction? What are your thoughts?
God’s Victory Leads to Restoration
God’s Victory Leads to Restoration
There is an idea in military theory that for there to be a restored nation, certain ingredients must exist...
Opposition force.
Public support.
New governance structure.
God’s action on communities, societies, and nations is everlasting...
God is the head —> Governance Structure.
We desire God —> Public Support.
God calls us to action —> Opposition Force.
Godly “warfare”
13 For this reason take up the full armor of God, so that you may be able to resist in the evil day, and having prepared everything, to take your stand. 14 Stand, therefore, with truth like a belt around your waist, righteousness like armor on your chest, 15 and your feet sandaled with readiness for the gospel of peace. 16 In every situation take up the shield of faith with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit—which is the word of God.
Not You: None of the armor points to the individual; only God
Final call: PRAY...
18 Pray at all times in the Spirit with every prayer and request, and stay alert with all perseverance and intercession for all the saints. 19 Pray also for me, that the message may be given to me when I open my mouth to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel. 20 For this I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I might be bold enough to speak about it as I should.
It’s not about you, but that’s often exactly what it becomes.
Just because someone straps “Jesus” to their forehead or they flash it on a giant screen doesn’t suddenly make it about God.
Actually… it means something much more nefarious: they are abusing the name of Christ for some cultural fight, entertainment value, or business venture.
Worldly struggles lead to worldly results.
AGAIN… (scripture NOT on screen...)
52 Then Jesus told him, “Put your sword back in its place because all who take up the sword will perish by the sword.
This is why Paul begins his commentary on ‘the Armor of God’ with...
10 Finally, be strengthened by the Lord and by his vast strength. 11 Put on the full armor of God so that you can stand against the schemes of the devil. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this darkness, against evil, spiritual forces in the heavens.
Beginning with acknowledgement of God’s sovereignty, Paul then writes about our REAL struggle. The conflict we live for is not a conflict of this world, but a conflict over our soul.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: Read about the Armor of God in Ephesians 6:10-20 and note the beginning and ending being rooted in Christ’s strength, and the parts of the armor only being about applying tools of God’s dominion in our life.
1) What worldly, political, or social fights do people get passionate about that they feel are “matters of the heart”? What factors do they seem to revere the most?
2) Consider the Armor of God and their applications. How do we reconcile these elements with our worldly fights? If they don’t really connect, could that mean that a worldly fight is… not as important as we think or society wants us to believe?
3) What are worldly fights you feel you are PUSHED into caring about? How many of these fights impact your day-to-day life or your daily interactions with your neighbors? Now ask yourself this: how many of your neighbors does “fighting the fight” potentially alienate because you find yourself on opposite sides of the issue?
If Not Violence… Peace
If Not Violence… Peace
Where the Bible leaves us is with an image of a God unconcerned with the violence of men.
No marches and no demonstrations.
No armed insurrections and no riots.
It’s not that contemporaries of Christ didn’t care about these things, but those things were not of value. They were after something more.
44 “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure, buried in a field, that a man found and reburied. Then in his joy he goes and sells everything he has and buys that field.
The joy we find in Christ is that which brings us more than power, prestige, and worldly success… it brings us contentment.
If we learn to live for this sort of peace in our life, perhaps we will be able to understand that true restoration of our world won’t come from turning the world into a cheap counterfeit of God; it’ll come from realizing that we live for a world that is beyond the one we currently see.
