My His Wound We Are Healed.

I was told the story of an ongoing argument between a husband and wife. The actual subject of the argument is much less important than the process. As was often the case, the husband was certain he was right but couldn’t get his wife to back down and agree. The only thing they could agree on in this matter was to seek the counsel of their pastor.

The husband knew that the pastor would side with his position and designate him as “right.” As they shared their dramatically different perspectives, the husband made mental preparations to declare victory. To his considerable surprise, the pastor didn’t take sides, gracefully sidestepping the dichotomy of right/wrong, and the zero sum game that goes with it. Rather, he asked matter-of-factly, “Do you want to be right or do you want to be happy?”

Happiness, contentment, peace. Concepts that all of us desire, the problem is we seek it in the wrong places. C.S. Lewis said,

“What Satan put into the heads of our remote ancestors was the idea that they could ‘be like gods’—could set up on their own as if they had created themselves—be their own masters—invent some sort of happiness for themselves outside God, apart from God. And out of that hopeless attempt has come nearly all that we call human history—money, poverty, ambition, war, prostitution, classes, empires, slavery—the long terrible story of man trying to find something other than God which will make him happy.

God cannot give us a happiness and peace apart from Himself, because it is not there. There is no such thing.” —from Mere Christianity

There is truth in his statement, for when we seek happiness and peace away from God, we find ourselves never content. As we look to the New Year and finish our series, today we will talk about what it means to call Jesus, the Prince of Peace.

Isaiah 9:6 NIV

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

The Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary Peace (Old Testament)

The principal word used to express the idea of peace in the Hebrew Bible is šālôm. The root of the word is found in many Semitic languages. The Akkadian salāmū comes closest to the core meaning of the root, “to be hale, whole, complete.” In one form or another the notions of wholeness, health, and completeness inform all the variants of the word. Peace is not, then, simply a negative, the absence of war. Peace is a positive notion, a notion with its own content.

The writer of Isaiah tells us more about this individual in Isaiah 53:5, when he says...

Isaiah 53:5–6 NIV

But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

Out of violence comes peace. Isaiah tells us here that he was pierced for our transgressions. What is a transgression? More importantly what is the difference between sin, iniquity and transgression.

Sin is any disobedience towards God or another person.

Transgression refers to presumptuous sin. To transgress is to choose to intentionally disobey; transgression is willful trespassing.

Iniquity is more deeply rooted. Iniquity refers to a premeditated choice; to commit iniquity is to continue without repentance.

So, the violent death of Jesus has brought us peace or wholeness? But How? How did something so violent, something that happened so long ago, something that I was not even around for, How does it bring me wholeness or complete me today?

In Luke 2, at the birth of Jesus, a great company of Heavenly host appeared and praise God saying,

Luke 2:14 NIV

“Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

So, heaven announces that for those who find themselves in God’s favor, those who give their lives to Him, will find peace. But again, what does this peace mean?

Romans 5:1–2 NIV

Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God.

Romans 5 tells us that we have a complete and whole relationship with God.

Ephesians 2:11–22 NIV

Therefore, remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth and called “uncircumcised” by those who call themselves “the circumcision” (which is done in the body by human hands)—remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ. 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. Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.

Ephesians 2 tells us that we can experience a complete and whole relationship with the family of believers.

So, I imagine there are a few out here who are not buying all of this. You don’t fell whole. You feel like something is missing or not right. I want you to hear these words of Jesus:

John 14:27 NIV

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

I believe that we have these feelings because we are afraid and unsure. Jesus tells us he has given us His peace. He gives it to us freely and gives us the Holy Spirit to help us. To give us access to it.

Here is the solution I read in my Bible to experience this peace.

Matthew 6:25–34 NIV

“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Stop seeking your desires. Stop seeking those things that bring you worry. Live simple. Enjoy relationships more than possessions. God wants you to know that when you find rest in Him, you will find His peace given through Christ Jesus.

Tonight as we tell this year goodbye and as we enter this new year, I have one question for you.

Who will be the master or your new year. Will you continue to lead your life or will you turn it over to God? Will you choose faith over control? Will you choose death or life?