Worship Call 0695 Following the Prince of Peace

Robert, remember His sufferings! John 12:36-38 While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light. These things Jesus spoke, and departed, and was hidden from them. But although He had done so many signs before them, they did not believe in Him, that the word of Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled, which he spoke: "Lord, who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?" The apostle John quotes Isaiah 53:1, saying to whom has the z’roah [arm] of the Lord been revealed? It’s a question that God answers throughout the rest of Isaiah 53, describing in detail the life of Yeshua (Jesus) and the ultimate price He would pay for the sins of the world. The word translated, "revealed" (in Hebrew: "galah") actually has a more negative connotation. One of its meanings is "to be stripped naked in a disgraceful way". It also means "to be treated like a captive", and "to be carried away into exile", or, "to be shamelessly uncovered". So the Lord is not simply revealed, but stripped, humiliated, and deeply degraded in order to save us. The cost He paid was terrible. It's never easy for us to remember this or to think much about it, since it's hard enough to imagine an innocent human being suffering so much; but then to realize that I had some part in it... Yet, we should remember; because the reality of the Lord's cross belongs to us in every way, and we may yet be called to endure our own share of suffering with Him and for Him. Remembering His sufferings will prepare us for whatever may lie ahead. Robert, remember the Lord's sufferings. It will keep you spiritually honest, and prepare you for your own small share in them -- His memory will also draw out your love and gratitude, and keep your heart tender toward Him and everyone else. Your family in the Lord with much agape love, George, Baht Rivka, Elianna & Obadiah Baltimore, Maryland

For the unbeliever the Phrase, “Rest in Peace,” is only an accolade that is written on the tombstones of the dead.

“Poor so and so lost the battle of some disease and has now departed us, may he rest in peace.”

“He had a tough life, may he rest in peace”

“She was great woman; may she rest in peace.”

The believer in Christ however can have that rest in peace while still living. In fact, for the maturing believer the resting in peace takes place when we come to know our God and walk in His ways.

Hebrews 4:9–11 (NASB95) — 9 So there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God. 10 For the one who has entered His rest has himself also rested from his works, as God did from His. 11 Therefore let us be diligent to enter that rest, so that no one will fall, through following the same example of disobedience.

And it is in the prince of Peace in whom we rest.

Isaiah 9:6–7 (NASB95) — 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.

For the Christian the Resting in Peace are not those who are dead but those who are alive in Christ.

For the dead, without Christ, will never know rest. They will never know peace and that which is written on tombstones is the final lie to think that one could have eternal rest in peace without out the Prince of Peace.

The world looks for a Missiahless peace. A utopia. Where there would be no more death, or sickness, no hate, no poverty no hunger and so forth. All of that may sound good, but the golden rule for such a society, is the banning of the one true God. Oh, one may have a God but not the Christ.

Peace in the biblical Context is harmony between the creature and the Creator. Between man and His God. A peace that man was created in, as it was man who walked with God in the Garden.

Man was created naked in the sense that he needed no atonement as man and woman could stand before God with uncovered souls and not be ashamed.

That changed with the fall of our ancestral Father, Adam, who stands as the Father of the fallen human race.

Romans 5:12 (NASB95) — 12 Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned—

Sin is the falling short of the righteousness of God. it is the violation of God’s law, the stepping out and away from the relationship with God and bringing death into the world.

1 Corinthians 15:22 (NASB95) — 22 For as in Adam all die,

At the point of sin, man entered into a rebellion seeking independence from God. Denying his existence and lifting himself up to be his own god and his own arbitrator of what is right and wrong.

In rebellion there is the rejection of authority.

We live in a world governed not by the prince of peace but by the prince of darkness. It may be that the devil would like nothing more than to bring about a perfect peace on earth. That man could achieve all of his aspiration and success in life. It does seem that Satan can reward materialistically those that follow him. There may even come a day and I believe it will, where Satan will be able to establish a pseudo peace around the world where under the one world order all will seem to be perfect. But that peace will be built upon a house of cards and will in short order crumble under its own weight.

The only true peace can be found in the prince Peace the Lord Jesus Christ.

Peace begins with the one who has received the free gift of Salvation from the prince of peace on the basis of Christ’s work on the cross. An environment of peace having entered His rest begins to formulate within the soul of the believer who becomes properly oriented to the authority of God.

Walking in the spirit one is walking in peace even in a world that is in Chaos as it fights for independence from God.

Galatians 5:22–26 (NASB95) — 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. 24 Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. 26 Let us not become boastful, challenging one another, envying one another.

Once that peace is realized in the soul of the believer than that peace can extend outside of that one soul to touch other souls in order to bring them into harmony with their God.

What we call that?

Evangelism to include Discipleship

The mission of the church which is made up of individual believers in Christ is not to clean up the world or to establish the kingdom here on earth. That was never a goal or what the church is commissioned to do.

Afterall it was Christ who said

Matthew 16:18 (NASB95) — 18 “I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it.

Who’s tasked with building the Church?

Jesus says

“I will”

What is the role of the believer in Christ.

Matthew 28:19–20 (NASB95) — 19 “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

I have learned in this lesson and convey it to you. It is not our job to go out into the Devils world and tell the world how wrong it is. It is not our Job to cast dispersions upon the sinner whatever brand of sin that person is participating in.

Many Christians know what’s wrong and they are quick to point it out. But how many know The Christ and is sharing the light with the sinner.

We can be quick with our hatred built up by prejudice. We may hate and cast dispersions at the Atheist, the heathen, the drunkard fornicator, homosexual. We may kick them out of our churches we may avoid even speaking to them. We may see a man walking down the street dressed like a woman, and some of us will want to shake our heads and cross to the other side of the road as far away from the sight as possible.

But there within that person is not peace. And when it comes to the word as define it today, “GAY” is another lie for those in sin are tortured souls. Souls that Christ died to save.

The peacemaker is one who has at some point had defected from the darkness into the light. The peacemaker drawing near to the Lord begins to share the burden that belongs to the Lord which is the souls of man.

It is the peacemaker who weeps outside of the tombs of those who are living who have no peace in their tormented souls and will certainly have none when they depart their bodies no matter how they may have dressed up in this life.

The Job of the peacemaker is not to convince the world of Sin. That is the Holy Spirit Job. The peacemaker’s role is to share Christ with the fallen world and invite them into the only place of true peace.

The Peacemaker will be knock around.

Well

Wasn’t the prince of peace himself nailed to the cross?

The peacemaker, the one who found peace himself through the grace and mercy of God shares the peace with the lost.

2 Timothy 2:24–26 (NASB95) — 24 The Lord’s bond-servant must not be quarrelsome, but be kind to all, able to teach, patient when wronged, 25 with gentleness correcting those who are in opposition, if perhaps God may grant them repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth, 26 and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, having been held captive by him to do his will.

No, we are not doing kingdom work except for the souls of man. To do the work that were created for to reach those in the dark seeking to bring them into the light where true peace is found.

Ephesians 2:10–22 (NASB95) — 10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.

Drawing near to Christ, we become imagers of Christ.

Christ earthly ministry began at his baptism, and it certainly did not stop at the cross or his ascension but continues in us we as peacemakers seek to bring others into harmony with the prince of peace.

How do we make our enemy our friend?

But sharing the light and way to peace which is our Lord Jesus Christ the Prince of Peace.

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