Peace in our Struggle

If you are one of the fortunate people, like me, who grew up watching the Charlie Brown Christmas Christmas on TV you will recognize the words “That’s what Christmas is all About, Charlie Brown” as one of the most magical lines of the Holidays. Linus recites the passage of Scripture and simply reminds Charlie that the heart of Christmas is wrapped up in the message of the angels that night- peace on Earth and goodwill to men.

These days couples have elaborate ways of announcing their pregnancy. They think of elaborate social media posts, fancy pictures and announcements, rolling over into gender reveal parties, when they gather all their friends around them and make an announcement about their pregnancy - they pop balloons, or shoot off popguns with blue or pink- my favorite is when they have blue or pink tire smoke coming off the burnout from their mustang!

But this was not so for Jesus, our Lord and Savior. His birth announcement was made to a group of shepherds off in a field on the outskirts of town. For some this seems like a questionable way to announce the coming of the Savior of the World, but for those of us who know the story of the Bible it makes so much sense. Shepherds call us back to the foundation of Israel- Abraham, Issac, Jacob, and even David- the first King of Israel, all shepherds. God is retracing the roots of his people, calling them back to the Patriarchs of their nation and their faith- of course the announcement comes to shepherds. It is also a call to the present, that the Savior that was born was a Savior for all! The Shepherds were the every day men of Israel. This Savior- Jesus was a Savior for all humankind, not just the rich and the powerful, not just the wealthy, but for all people, the every day people, the people that shepherds represented in the field that night. But the image of the shepherd also calls us forward to Jesus’ own ministry- after all Jesus fulfilled the role of the Lamb of God, and multiple times throughout his teaching he uses the imagery of the shepherd- referring to himself in one instance as the “good shepherd.” This imagery is a piece of the puzzle that communicates to us a depth of understanding of who our Lord is- of course the announcement came to shepherds!

And the message revolves around this word- PEACE.

But there was no peace in the land that day- at least not in the eyes of the shepherds. There was not peace in their land- they were living under Roman occupation and oppression. The world around them was in unrest. Israel found themselves in their 5th season of being dominated by another country. Babylon, Assyria, Persia, the Greeks, and finally Rome- while they were not in an active revolt or war, they were far from at peace with the world around them.

There was certainly not much peace with God either. God had been seemingly absent from the public life of Israel for 400 years- no prophet had been publically speaking for God. They had promises of a coming savior, but up till this point- nothing.

But peace on Earth is the message- but how? What does this message of the Angels, this message of peace, teach us today as we rediscover Christmas? Let’s all think about that today.

Peace comes in the midst of Storms

No one likes the storms of life. In all my years of ministry I have asked the question “Is there anything you need?” At least a couple thousand- maybe tens of thousands- times; and not one time have I had anyone respond with- “Jon, I sure could us a crisis! A good ol storm. Bring me something painful, something intense, something that feels like it is going to defeat me! That’s what I need”

But yet, we are reminded that without the storms of life, we would never fully understand the peace of Jesus.

Remember the Disciples in the boat? That time they panicked in the storm? Screaming “Jesus, Save us!” They end this scene with a more full understanding of just who this Jesus they were following was- an understanding and a call out for Jesus that they would have never experienced if they were not in the storm.

I know it sounds crazy, but I firmly believe in my heart that sometimes God allows certain storms in our lives because he wants to show us something so cool, so amazing, so unfathomably good about himself. Like the blind man on the side of the road, the disciples asked Jesus why the man was blind- and Jesus responds “so that the glory of God may be revealed”

So. you may be screaming today- THIS STORM MIGHT KILL ME; but the voice of God might just be saying “No, this storm might be the thing that saves you...”

Peace is often a choice that you make

One of the most common images of God in the Bible is a refuge.

Psl 46:10 “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.

Psl 91:4 “He will cover you with his pinions, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness is a shield and buckler.

Psl 62:8 Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before him; God is a refuge for us. Selah

Yes, it is true, God is our refuge. But you know the thing about refuges is that the refuge does not change the severity of the storm, does it? The point of the refuge is not to stop the storm, but to protect the people in the storm. -3

The problem is that sometimes we do not enter the refuge of Jesus- we stay outside of his protection and allow the storms of life to beat us up.

Friends, there are plenty of people that may not want to hear this- but peace is often a choice that you make, a path you choose, a way of being in the world that we enter into.

Consider Jesus’ words in John 14, when he guarantees the gift of his peace to the disciples. He says to them in v27 “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.” Friends, Jesus can leave his peace for you all day long, but if you fail to receive it, walk in it, and use it, the problem is not Jesus, the problem is you.

One of my favorite pearls of wisdom to live by is “You do not have to show up to every argument you are invited to.” This same rationale works with things that seek to invade my peace- I do not have to allow my peace to be overtaken by everything that enters my life. Sometimes the best remedy is to just say “I am choosing to not engage that” and walk in peace.

The Foundation of Peace is not a thing- It is a person- Jesus!

Ephesians 2:14 lays it out pretty plainly “He himself is our peace” There is peace in the person and presence of Jesus. We have all seen the phrase “Know Jesus, Know Peace or No Jesus, No Peace.”

But why, or how? Often the idea of Jesus’ peace is presented as an abstract idea; we say it, but offer little guidance on how we see this peace manifested. Well, let’s look at some practical ways the person and presence of Jesus brings peace-

Jesus’ sacrifice give us peace with God- Romans 5:10-11 tells us “For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.” If one lacks peace with God, it is pretty safe to assume we will lack peace in every other area of our lives.

DM Lloyd Jones once wrote “Peace with God is what we need first; it's important to reflect upon this, because there is so much inadequate Christian teaching today proclaiming the blessings first to people: 'Come to Jesus, don't worry about repentance. Do you want a friend, a buddy? Do you need help? Do you want happiness? Do you want prosperity? Do you want peace and joy? Do you want to be healed? Then come to Jesus.'

The problem with this type of teaching is it all starts with us and our needs. Jesus becomes the one who will satisfy those needs. He becomes like a baby's pacifier, meeting the child's temporary needs 'til it squawks again!

But before we can have our needs met, we first have the need for peace with God. We can have no benefits from God until we have the benefit of peace with God first.”

Jesus’ teachings give us peace with one another- Pray for one another; bless those who curse you; turn the other cheek; if your brother sins against you go to him; do not lie, gossip, or slander; forgive others as Christ forgave you- these teachings of Jesus lead us into the most healthy and whole relationships with other people. While these teachings of Jesus are quite counter cultural, they are quite radical- they are also really practical and kinda common sense if we were really honest. If we want to have the best relationships with others of course we should not lie, gossip, or slander, right?

Jesus was much more than a lofty philosopher teaching some abstract truths, Jesus was a teacher who gave us quantifiable and obtainable teachings that can and will make a difference in our lives.

In James 4:1-3 we are asked about the conflicts that erupt between Christians:

English Standard Version Chapter 4

What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you? 2 You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask. 3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.

James pretty much lays it out on the line for us, when we seek our passions of flesh instead of embracing the teachings of Jesus then natural conflict will arise. I guarantee you that if you want to bring peace to a broken relationship with a brother or sister in Christ, read through the teachings of Jesus, and practice them and you will see the relationship improve.

Jesus’ gift of the H/S give us peace in ourselves- Jesus promised to give us the Holy Spirit in John 14- and listen to what he said about it:

English Standard Version Chapter 14

25 “These things I have spoken to you while I am still with you. 26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you. 27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid

In Romans 7 Paul describes the war of the flesh that goes on inside of us. This war is the 2 natures living within us after we have accepted Christ and have the Holy Spirit living within us. He gives us a play by play of the boxing match that so many of us can relate to in our every day lives:

Romans 7:15–20 NIV

I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.

So, how do we find peace in ourselves? By listening to yielding to the voice of the Holy Spirit, the guide, the comforter that Jesus gave us- the Spirit that lives in us.

Let’s face it friends, we will always live in hostility somewhere, somehow; especially when we choose to follow Jesus.

In order to find this peace, we must be reverse the thoughts of the world. You see, those who do not have Jesus try to start with the world outside of them in order to make peace within themselves, but this is not what Jesus taught us. Instead, Jesus asks us to allow his peace to reign in our hearts and then let that peace spill over into the world around us. We are reminded of this in the Poem “Peace on Earth”

“Peace on Earth”

Peace on earth, with a world at war?

O what were the angels singing for

That far-away night when the Star shown down

With a glorious light on Bethlehem’s town?

Peace on earth! They were singing of Him

Who was born that night to redeem from sin;

Who still has the power to cleanse and to heal

The contrite heart who is willing to kneel.

Peace on earth, amid sorrow and loss?

Yes, peace indeed, at the foot of the cross!

Peace in a world that is troubled and torn,

Peace in each heart where the Savior is born.

Peace on earth, while the nations rage?

And history is making its darkest page?

Yes, peace on earth, for its steadfast light

Is burning in thousands of hearts tonight!