If there is one region in the world which is starving for peace what would that be? The Middle East and more specifically Israel, right? At the end of the IInd World war, Robert Montgomery of the University of Texas warned, “Another war in an atomic age would mean the end of humanity. Montgomery declared, “We’ve got to have peace.” Since it is established as a sovereign state in 1948 Israel has been searching for peace” In fact the search for peace even goes back to the biblical times. In Psalm 122 6:8, we read, “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem, May those who love you be secure. May there be peace within your walls and security within your citadels. For the sake of my brothers and friends I will say, “peace be within you.” Let’s pause and pray for the peace of Jerusalem.
Since that time many efforts have been made to establish peace in Israel. One of such modern efforts was the development of the United Nations in 1945. Let me give you a brief tour into the U.N campus. You will b e confronted throughout by the many works of art and gifts from nations emphasizing the theme of peace. Many of these arts contain biblical illusions. A gift from Russia is titled “Let’s beat Swords into Plowshares.” With in the Security Council chamber is a large stained glass, “Peace Window” It was created by a Jewish artist Marc Chagall. The window depicts the tree of the Garden of Eden, the serpent, and the cross of Christ. There is even a mosaic called “the Dove of Peace” given by the Vatican. A gift from the small nation of Luxembourg a bronze sculpture of a .45 caliber revolver with the barrel twisted into a knot. Everywhere you look there are works of art portraying the world’s desire for peace?”
In spite of many world class leaders’ efforts, peace in the Middle East and in the rest of the world continues to be unattainable. Why has it been so difficult to achieve this goal? Are our methods and means faulty? Or are we looking for peace in wrong places or in the wrong person? Dr. Martin Luther King once said, “Peace is not merely a distant goal that we seek but a means by which we arrive at that goal.” In other words, no amount of methods or declarations will be able to bring peace; only through peaceful ways can we achieve peace. How can we find peaceful ways when people are not having peace within themselves and with one another?
Can the politicians and policies be able to bring about total peace? Is finding peace a distant dream in a world full of unrest? Is peace a thing or a person? Can we accomplish it by displaying bumper stickers on our cars? They may convey the message in a powerful way but they are not the answer. Let me introduce to you the one and only one who can truly give us and the world peace. He is the Prince of Peace and His name is Jesus!! Today we will be exploring scriptures to understand what biblical peace is all about; the hindrances of peace, why we should live in peace and how we can receive peace. Let’s begin by looking at what peace is and what it is not?
I. WHAT PEACE IS AND WHAT IT IS NOT?
When it comes to understanding and experiencing peace people differ in their opinions. Peace is not the end of all wars, but in the middle of wars (Dan 9:26) It is not positive thinking but wholesome thinking (Ph 4:8). It is not external but internal (deep within) (Col 3:15). Peace is not yearned by striving, but by trusting in God (Isaiah 26:3). It is not doing things right but living righteously ( Ps 85:10). In the English language peace means, a state of tranquility or quiet, a freedom from civil disturbance, a state of order within a community, provided for by law or custom, harmony in personal relations, a pact or agreement to end hostilities and enmity.
In the Bible the word used for peace is Shalom which has a range of meanings. The Hebrew word SHALOM is understood around the world to mean peace. In Israel, even though they don’t have peace they greet one another with Shalom. It is much more than saying hello or a goodbye. It means Completeness, wholeness, health, peace, welfare, safety soundness, tranquility, prosperity, perfectness, fullness, rest, harmony, and the absence of agitation or discord. So in essence, when they speak out the word SHALOM – they are not only proclaiming peace, but all the above meanings of the word over that person - that's a mighty blessing!!! No wonder why the nation of Israel is blessed beyond belief. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we replace our greeting from Hello, howdy, or how are you doing to Shalom? Maybe we too can be blessed like the Israelites. Who can truly give us peace or Shalom other than the one who was called Sar Shalom the prince of peace.
II. CHRIST: THE PRINCE OF PEACE
Isaiah 9:6 is a familiar passage for many of us. It is often red during the Christmas time. This scripture unveils the coming messiah, his name, nature and his mission. One of the names that were given to the messiah was Sar SHALOM (Prince of Peace). Eugene Peterson, in the message bible translated as the “Prince of wholeness or completeness.” We normally stop there, but Vs 7 says, “Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever.”
The prince of peace; Christ is coming back to establish a kingdom of peace which will last forever and ever. I am glad that I am going to be part of that eternal Kingdom so is every one who believes in Him. Is the Kingdom of God something that we are only to look forward to? Or can we experience some of those blessings of the Kingdom here and now on the earth? The answer is a resounding Yes! We can indeed experience those blessings here and now.
Several scriptures indicate how God promised to bless his Children with Shalom (wholeness).
Psalm 29:11, “The LORD gives strength to his people; the LORD blesses his people with peace.” What is that blessing? The blessing here is long life. Proverbs 14:30, “A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones.” When we read and hear the current news we have plenty of reasons to be fearful about the state of affairs. But for the child of God no matter what happens around him he will not be afraid because, Is 26: 3 reads “You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you.”
Not only will the LORD keep us in perfect peace but He also becomes our Peace. Micah 5:4-5, “He will stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the LORD, in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God. And they will live securely, for then his greatness will reach to the ends of the earth.” Christ the good shepherd promised that peace to his disciples before he was taken up to heaven. In John14:27, “Peace I leave with you my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives.” Here is the difference; there is a way to get peace in the world but that is not lasting, but the peace the Christ gives us lasts forever which is eternal life. But so often we don’t experience the wholeness or the abundant life that Christ has promised. What hinders us from receiving the Shalom from God?
III. THE THREE FOLD HINDRANCES TO PEACE (SHALOM)
Several hindrances will block us from receiving the fullness that God has promised his Children would enjoy. Three major hindrances to peace. A. Disobeying God’s commandments: Our early parents Adam and Eve disobeyed God’s commandment as a result they inherited a curse instead of a blessing. The LORD cursed the ground too because of their disobedience.
Subsequently, in every generation some obeyed God’s commandments and enjoyed God’s blessings while others disobeyed hence came under his curse.In Deut 11:26-28 “See, I am setting before you today a blessing and a curse. The blessing if you obey the commands of the LORD your God that I am giving you today, the curse if you disobey the commands of the LORD your God.” What curses would they inherit if they disobeyed God? Deut 28: 15-18 “You will be cursed in the city, and cursed in the country. Your basket and kneading trough will be cursed; the fruit of your womb will be cursed and crops of your land and calves of your herds and the lambs of your flocks. You will be cursed when you come in and cursed when you go out.” In other words, “You will be completely destroyed”
There is a classical story of disobedience in the Bible. God was displeased with Saul because he did not follow the clear instructions given by him through his prophet Samuel. God was fully aware of Saul’s deliberate disobedience, He sends his prophet to confront him with these words, I Samuel 15:22-23 “Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings, and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the LORD? To obey is better than sacrifice and to heed is better than the fat of rams. For rebellion is like the sin of divination and arrogance like the evil of Idolatry.”
God is not impressed by all the great things we do for him outside of his will but he is delighted when we obey his simple yet straightforward instructions revealed in His word. For example if we obey God’s law of respecting and regarding others better than ourselves we live in harmony with each other otherwise we devour each other. If we forgive others when they sin against us God will forgive our sins. But when we harbor bitterness and resentment, we will destroy our lives. Some one said, “Bitterness is like the acid that ruins its own container.” When we love our wives they way Christ loved the Church, we will have harmony in our marriage. When we discipline our Children and train them in the ways of God when they grow up hopefully they will continue to live for God. Our commitment to moral purity can save us from a lot of heartache. There are many such instructions are in God’s word.
When things are going wrong instead of asking why everything always goes wrong for me? We must ask ourselves, am I obeying God’s revealed truth in his word? Am I walking in his will? That determines my blessings more than anything else.
C. UNRECONCILED CONFLICTS:
Why do nations go to war with other nations? Why do people fight and even kill each other? Why do marriages fail, families break up, churches split, and relationships become sour? While there can be several factors, one factor I believe is common in all of them that is an unreconciled conflict. As we talk, several countries are fighting both internally and externally due to unreconciled conflicts. For example, Kashmir in India, the conflict over Kashmir is the longest unreconciled conflict on the UN Security Council docket. It began in 1947 and has continued for six decades, without any progress towards peace. As a result there have been continues border tensions between India and Pakistan, lot of bloodshed and unrest in the region.
Mankind has been living in conflict with God due to their disobedience. In other words they became the enemies of God. Romans 5: 10-11 beautifully explains how Christ has reconciled us. “For if, when we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life.
Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.” 2 Cor 5:17-18 “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation.” At a personal level any one who has ever been involved in a conflict understands that conflicts are never pleasant and they hurt, sometimes hurt so badly. Undoubtedly unreconciled conflicts rob our peace, joy, health and breakdown our relationships, that’s why Christ exhorted us to be reconciled with those we have offended.(Matt 5:23) In Romans 12:18, we read, “If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.” This is a hard task to accomplish but is a worthy goal to pursue.
3. UNBELIEF IN GOD’S CHARACTER
Unbelief is sin. When we move in unbelief in one way we are saying to God you are a liar and can not be trusted. Unbelief grieves God more than any thing else. Repeatedly the children of Israel acted in unbelief as a result God has cut them off from him just like a gardener would cut off an unyielding and non fruit bearing branches from the vine. In Hebrews 3:18-19, “And to whom did God swear that they would never enter his rest if not to those who disobeyed? Christ rebuked his disciples for their lack of faith time and again. We need to repent of our unbelief, because it robs our joy of trusting and destroys our God given dreams.
God wants us to live in peace with him, with ourselves and with others. Christ the prince of peace died on the cross and rose again after three days so that we might have life and peace forever. Now it is up to us to receive that peace. How? We are to make sure that we walk in obedience, work on our conflicts and believe in God, then “the Peace of God, which transcends all understanding will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Amen.
