Christ the way of Peace
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Shalom!
Shalom!
You have heard that word before. Jesus is the way to shalom, and this morning we are going to look at “peace” but first we need to define peace.
(Insert - Shalom-1 picture here)
Shalom (Hebrew) meaning “completeness, soundness, welfare, peace) BDB Hebrew Dictionary
(insert - Eirene - Greek for peace picture here)
Eirene (Greek) meaning inner tranquility and poise of the Christ whose trust is in God through Christ - Nelsons New Illustrated Bible Dictionary
Isaiah foretold that the Messiah would be the prince of peace (Isa9:6-7)
6 For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.
7 There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace, On the throne of David and over his kingdom, To establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness From then on and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will accomplish this.
Jesus offers Himself as the way (bringer) of peace (Jn14:27, 16:33)
27 “Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.
Whose peace is Christ going to leave (v.27)?
He is leaving His peace
33 “These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.”
Where is peace found according to (v.33)?
In Me, so in Christ you may have peace.
Now the word peace in normal definition gives some great concepts.
“A state of harmony, tranquility”
“the absence of hostility, the absence of mental stress or anxiety.”
So that inner tranquility and poise found in the Way of Christ begins with
Peace with God, then followed by
Peace with self and then continues on to
Peace with others and that is what we are going to now turn to this morning in this Christ is the way series.
Peace with God
Peace with God
No God and you cannot know peace, have peace. Know God and you can know and have peace. This is true peace, eternal peace that is more than the absence of conflict.
No true peace without peace with God
Jesus is the peace of God (Rom15:33)
Paul says that God is the God of peace
Jesus offers perfect peace, peace like a river (Isa26:3, 48:18)
The steadfast in mind will have perfect peace because of their faith
And it will be peace like a river
18 Oh, that you had heeded My commandments! Then your peace would have been like a river, And your righteousness like the waves of the sea.
Notice the wording “that you had” meaning they had not heeded the commandment, for if they did they would have perfect peace, peace that was a like river
(Transition) - Peace with God, we want peace, and there are things we need to understand about having peace with God.
We just noted:
He is the God of peace who offers peace.Now may we look at the next thing.
Unforgiven sin, well, it makes peace with God impossible.
For it is sin that separates us from God (Isa59:1-2)
I may not read all the verses today, but will put them up as I reference them to you, but they, I may, so we will have to see as we go.
1 Behold, the Lord’s hand is not so short That it cannot save; Nor is His ear so dull That it cannot hear. 2 But your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, And your sins have hidden His face from you so that He does not hear.
It is our sin that makes our lives like the angry sea (Isa57:20-21)
20 But evil people are like the angry sea, which cannot rest, whose waves toss up waste and mud. 21 “There is no peace for evil people,” says my God.
(expand) sin must be dealt with, it cannot be denied, it cannot be discounted, for sin keeps us out of the kingdom. But the God of peace offers peace to the sinner through Jesus the Christ.
God of peace, offers peace through the Prince of peace for the sinner (Rom5:1-2, 6-11; 2Cor5:18-21)
1 Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we exult in hope of the glory of God.
Justified by faith, we have peace through Jesus
Justified by faith our introduction into the grace of God.
Justified by faith that brings the exaltation in hope of the glory of God who made peace and gave peace through the Prince of Peace.
6 For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die.
8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him.
I cannot stop there, I need to keep going for us to fully understand our justification comes through reconciliation
10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. 11 And not only this, but we also exult in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.
Reconciliation is so important, is so vital I need to give more on this
18 Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, 19 namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation.
20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. 21 He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
(Insert - Peace with God picture here)
The God of peace, made peace available through Jesus Christ who reconciles man to God.
Through the ministry of reconciliation the preaching of the gospel by the Apostles we have the words of reconciliation. Through their words as ambassadors they plead, beg on behalf of Christ for us to be reconciled to God through Christ.
That we may become the righteousness of God in Him, being Jesus the Prince of Peace who paid the price for our peace with His own blood.
Do you have peace with God? Have you been reconciled? (expand; slow down, take your time and expand on reconciliation made available)
(Transition) For peace with God brings peace from God in other ways too and now we will continue there.
Peace with self
Peace with self
Peace with God has many benefits, first and foremost is your very salvation made available through Christ who is the way of peace. Now we can have peace with self through the peace offered by Prince of Peace, Jesus.
Jesus offers peace within
An internal and eternal peace the world cannot provide (Jn14:27)
We read Jn14:27 earlier about Jesus peace given
Peace that is unfazed the the things of this world. the trials, tribulations or anything we may face (Jn16:33)
33 “These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.”
Peace that is in lieu of any circumstances, as Jesus says here about the tribulations we would have, to take courage for He has overcome the world
He overcame the world at the resurrection. The last enemy was defeated, death! For death was swallowed up in victory (see 1Cor15:54-56)
Peace provided through Jesus in several ways
Through His teaching
On faith (Mt6:25, 30, 8:26, Jn14:1)
25 “For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?
Then goes on a few verses later to say
30 “But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith!
On godly priorities (Mt6:31-34)
We need to keep God, keep Jesus in the forefront of our lives, our priorities
31 “Do not worry then, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear for clothing?’ 32 “For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.
33 “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. 34 “So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
Peace: those with the peace of God that is inner tranquility and poise that is found in and through Christ the way of peace are able to keep the peace by seeking God first.
On the simplified lives LK8:14, 10:41-42)
Don’t get caught up in the riches of this world (Lk8:14)
41 But the Lord answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things; 42 but only one thing is necessary, for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her.”
Chose the good part, the teachings of Jesus which remind us of the peace we have through reconciliation that gave us peace with God.
Through His intercession (Php4:6-7)
We can offer our prayers of supplication (Php4:6)
Where His peace guards us hearts and minds (Php4:7)
6 Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. 7 Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.
(Transition) Peace with God that comes through faith and faithful obedience in Jesus our way of peace has made the way for peace with self as we just looked at and now:
Peace with others
Peace with others
Ah, peace with God brings peace available to self, and that leads to being able to have peace with others.
Peace with mankind (Eph2:13-17; Gal3:28)
Through Jesus the barriers, walls, between men (Jew and Gentile) was broken down.
13 But now in Christ Jesus you who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. 14 For He Himself is our peace, who made both groups into one and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall,
15 by abolishing in His flesh the enmity, which is the Law of commandments contained in ordinances, so that in Himself He might make the two into one new man, thus establishing peace, 16 and might reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross, by it having put to death the enmity.
17 And He came and preached peace to you who were far away, and peace to those who were near;
Were far off have been brought new by the blood of Christ
Christ is our peace, He reconciled us to one body through the Cross
Christ come and preached peace! Peace available to all
Peace that removes all barriers
28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
Peace with and within family (Col3:18-4:1)
You can see in Colossians that Paul address
Wives, Husbands, Children, Fathers, Bondservants and even Masters
Peace with brethren (1Pt3:8-12)
If we were to read in 1Pt we would see
peace means we are to seek to be harmonious, sympathetic, brotherly, kindhearted and humble in spirit.
Not returning evil for evil. Not even insult for insult, but giving a blessing
According to Peter we must seek peace and pursue it, so not only look for it but to pursue it!
Peace with churches (Jn17:20-23; 1Cor14:33)
I just added in these verses today, I was just going to summarize but thought better of that
20 “I do not ask on behalf of these alone, but for those also who believe in Me through their word; 21 that they may all be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me.
22 “The glory which You have given Me I have given to them, that they may be one, just as We are one; 23 I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, so that the world may know that You sent Me, and loved them, even as You have loved Me.
One more
33 for God is not a God of confusion but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints.
So, God, the God of peace sent the prince of peace to bring peace so peace can be preached and had by all who believe. It was simple, for God is not the God of confusion but the God of peace, and peace in all the churches.
(Transition) So, peace with God, peace with self, peace with man, peace with families, beach with brethren and one more, peace with:
Peace with our enemies (Mt5:44; Lk23:34)
Turning to the words of Jesus
44 “But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,
and then exampled by Jesus
34 But Jesus was saying, “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.” And they cast lots, dividing up His garments among themselves.
(Conclusion/invitation)
Christ is the way, the only true way, to have peace. First Peace with God, peace with self, and peace with others. Remember without God there is no peace (Isa48:22)
(Invitation slide - do you have peace with God)
Have you made peace with God by obeying the gospel of Christ? Do you have internal peace within by growing in the grace of Christ? If no to these things would love to pray, baptize, encourage you in these areas this morning.
(Song) (Prayer) (Exit)