Peace

Peace Scriptural Selections I was browsing through some really old files and sermons of mine here a couple of weeks ago and surprised myself when I came upon this one. I first wrote it in May of 2001, over 20 years ago, and from the content of it, had been working on it for some time before that. Here a couple of years ago, I wrote a book I have mentioned before entitled What Price Peace – Even a Little. I got it copyrighted and have all the other licensing protocols necessary to publish, but I just never pulled the trigger to do so. I didn’t feel I was quite finished. I have edited it a little here and there but still something held me back from saying “Enough,” until now. I guess my karma wasn’t complete until I found and included this message. Twenty years ago it was a couple insights I penned to satisfy my discontent with life at the time. Today it is a joy to have begun to define a contentment of the soul. So, here are some words of mine from the past on Peace. I have wanted to do a study for some time on what I have come to appreciate as one of the unheralded, but greater, gifts of God. As we commemorate our military on various occasions, either in our battles won or lost, let us remember that all of war, all the sacrifice, all the millions of soldiers of all the ages, endeavored for one great achievement, one final purpose, namely, to have peace. Do not all our personal struggles as well seek after that haven of rest and resolution, that peace, that serenity of the soul, that reconciliation of our relationships?! Yes, of course they do. So - here’s to peace. You know, back at the dawn of creation, we are told from Genesis that the world was formless and empty, dark and chaotic. And the Spirit of God hovered over the waters and brought order, and it was good. From the beginning, God has sought to bring order out of chaos, whether from the formless void of the universe or from the aimless direction of our lives. Which way is your life heading, from chaos to order or from order to chaos? In answer, Paul offers to us his salutation, “Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord, Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:2). Peace has been one of God’s greater gifts throughout the ages. My Bible study class has heard me say this over and over and told me to write a sermon to get it out of my system, not peace, just the preoccupation for it. I looked in the concordance and counted up how many times peace appeared in the Bible. It numbered nearly 500 times. How many times do you think love appears, the 2 greatest of God’s gifts, a little over 500 in all its manifestations. So peace is a very important matter that I think we have so much wanted and too long taken for granted or missed out on, as the case might be. Proverbs 12:20 says “there is joy for those who promote peace.” What are you promoting these days, is it giving you peace? What have we seen on TV advertisements? We do well in promoting ourselves, our indulgences, and in our culture are hurt when not promoted to a higher position or recognized for what we have done, even if we haven’t done anything. TV promotes violence, hostility, sex, greed, power to name a few of our foibles. We might also promote others, but is it always in a positive way, or is it in gossip and demeanor? There is joy for those who promote peace. Power, position, money, indulgence, anger, selfishness will never bring you joy. Joy follows peace. There is joy for those who promote peace, so that is what we’re doing today. Psalm 34:14 says, “Turn from evil and do good, seek peace and pursue it.” Okay, let’s do that. Are we doing that? Isaiah 26:3 says, “The Lord will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in God.” If you are unwavering in your faith and have conviction about your belief in God, you are beginning to live a righteous life. Isaiah 32:17 reads that, “The fruit of righteousness is peace and confidence.” How many people do I see every day who have questions and doubt, whose self-esteem is weak or shattered, whose life is amoral and in constant turmoil? Any of that sound familiar? Pray for courage, conviction and confidence and God will grant you peace. One of my favorite verses that marries righteousness and peace is Psalm 85:10. It’s so sweet, it reads, “Love and faithfulness meet together; righteousness and peace kiss each other.” The peace we seek with one another may well begin with the intimacy of our own lives. Having a bad day with others, look within, you’ll probably find your problem there. I find Jesus’ life interesting when it comes to peace. In Isaiah 9:6-7, He is introduced as One who will come as the Prince of Peace and “of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end.” As Jesus lived and moved among His people, He brought forgiveness and healing to their lives. Many times He would say, “Your faith has saved you, go in peace.” Or He would say, “Your faith has made you whole, go in peace.” Saved you, made you whole, how much more complete could one be? What significance is there with Jesus sending those healed and forgiven away in peace? Could it be because peace is an end result of our faith? Could peace be the un-sung hymn of the gospel? 3 It was customary in Jesus’ day, that when you enter a house, you should greet your host with “peace to this house” (Luke 10:5). Jesus instructed His disciples to do the same in their travels. At the close of Jesus’ ministry, He says in John 16:33, “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart, I have overcome the world. I have told you these things so that in Me, you will have peace.” As He prepares the disciples for His death and departure, He assures them the Holy Spirit will come and counsel them and then, closes with this benediction, “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” Jesus then dies but the very first thing He says upon the resurrection (John 20:19) in greeting His disciples is: “Peace be with you.” I just think there is something more to this that we do not understand about the blessing of peace in our lives. Paul talks quite a bit about it throughout his letters. In Ephesians 1:9, the mystery of God’s will, which He purposed in Christ, is made known and it is to bring all things in heaven and earth together, under one head, even Christ, to bring harmony and unity, shalom, to all things. If that isn’t peace, I don’t know what is. In Ephesians 2:14-15, Paul says, “Jesus is our peace,” that through the blood, and the divine, unmerited love of God, He made peace. Sounds like He had to take a piece of iron and beat it into shape much like beating spears into plowshares. Well, actually, Jesus had more than just a piece of iron to work with. He had all of creation to remold. Colossians 1:20 says “that through Jesus, God reconciled Himself to all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through His blood shed upon the cross.” Paul talks about the God of Peace (Romans 15:33 and others) and the Gospel of Peace (Ephesians 6:15) as if peace were the sum and substance of our lives. In fact, in Colossians 3:15, he says, “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace and be thankful.” We are always talking about and being challenged with what is a call in our lives, what is God’s plan for us?! I would venture to say that whatever you are doing, if you are in the will of God - or - you will know that you are in the will of God - if you know peace. Got no peace? You are probably doing the wrong thing. Galatians 5:22 says that the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, and a host of other things. What did I say in the beginning? There is joy for those who promote peace. 4 Romans 14:17-19 sums it up pretty good when Paul says, “the Kingdom of God is not a matter of eating or drinking but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to build each other up.” How might we do that? In Romans 12:10-13 it reads, “Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.” Actually it is more like “outdo one another in showing honor and love…” That’s how you make peace and keep it. Jesus said, “Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall (what?) be children of God.” One of the verses that had quite an impact for me, in bringing consolation to my troubled soul in the past, is 1 Corinthians 7:15 which addresses the matter of marital dissolution. It reads, “if the unbeliever leaves, let him/her do so. A believing man or woman is not bound in such circumstances; for God has called us to live in peace.” Peace is a hallmark; it is an aspiration of the soul, a purpose in life, a pursuit of the highest order. It is God’s desire for our lives. What more could we hope for? There is so much more that could be said. I have only used a handful of the 500 versus available to us to learn about this lovely gift of God. I would leave you with Paul’s exhortation from Philippians 4:7-9... “Just think about such things, and the God of peace will be with you.” Heavens, imagine how blessed our lives would be if we actually put that thought into action... Seek peace and pursue it. Let me close for today with a verse from Hebrews 13:20, “Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead, our Lord Jesus Christ, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, equip you with everything good that you may do His will, working in you that which is pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.”