My Peace I Give To You Series

“MY PEACE I GIVE TO YOU”

Isaiah 9:6, John 14:27

1. INTRODUCTION:

We remember a time when everything had capsized for us. Schools, colleges, offices, businesses, transportation had stopped working completely. Roads were empty. Everything had silenced. People were worried, troubled and trembling. Many people were dying and death was lurking around the survivors. We were fighting with a virus. This will remain a unique experience of lifetime for our generation that survived.

But here is something great in front of us. Tomorrow onward many churches will celebrate Advent of Christ. That means, we are happy, as we are closer to the celebration of Christmas. It is giving a sense of Joy to us, a relief and definitely a Peace us.

And on a happy occasion like this the Prince of Peace wants to say, “My peace I give to you.”

During World War II London was attacked by bombs at nights. People of the city stayed in underground protection by night. But a Christian lady stayed at home and slept all the bombing nights. When asked about it she said, “Well, my God neither slumbers nor sleeps, and there is no need for both of us to stay awake!” She had peace in spite of the terrific bombings in the city.

Today, Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace, wants to say to us, “My peace I give to you.”

May the Lord Speak to us!

2. PEACE THAT JESUS GIVES:

Peace, generally means, absence of conflict, trouble or war. Peace was established in the past between kings to avoid war mostly through marriages.

Roman Empire was trying to establish peace by the use of military force and by use of power. Jews were looking for a ruler who would destroy the enemies and reestablish the golden days of Solomon.

The UN was founded in 1945 after World War II to stop wars between countries. The Nobel Prize in Peace, the highest honor was awarded since 1901 to peace makers.

The Hebrew word for peace is shalom. Root meaning ‘complete’ or ‘whole’ only when there is a true state of ‘wholeness’ meaning that everything is ‘complete’ does true ‘peace’ reign. And the wholeness can only be given by Jesus.

The name “Prince of Peace” is the Hebrew Shar Shalom, which means “the one who removes all peace-disturbing factors and secures the peace.”

The Greek word for Peace means ‘to join’ or ‘bind together’ that which has been separated. The perfect peace is the state of reconciliation with God.

It that is the real meaning of Peace, then it was Jesus who gives Peace. Jesus established peace by the blood of his cross (Col. 1:20). Jesus is the source of all peace, and the one who is Himself peace.

Peace has always got to do with personal relationships, a man's relationship to himself, to his fellow-men, and to God. And it is Jesus who can establish these relationships.

Jim Walton, who was translating NT for the Muinane people in Colombia, had difficulty finding the right word for ‘peace.’ But later after lots of attempt and through an incident he found the right word – “one heart”. Having peace is having ‘one heart’ with Jesus.

The world may be recognizing many people for making peace. The world may be giving Nobel Peace prizes to many. But, it is Jesus Christ who gives us total peace – within us, our family, between God and us.

3. MY PEACE IN YOUR WORLD OF CRISES:

Jesus says, “My peace I give to you,” in your world of crises. Is our world in crises? Does it need peace? To find an answer a few historians from Norway, England, Egypt, Germany and India came up with some startling information.

• Since 3600 B.C. the world has known only 292 years of peace!

• During this period there have been 14,351 wars, large and small

• In which 3.64 billion people have been killed

On the other side, World Economic Forum reported 820 natural disasters in 2019. A magazine wrote about 389 natural disasters in 2020 and 432 disasters in 2021.

And now human kind is in war with a deadly virus. In this war 64cr infected, 66 lakhs died, 220 country & land affected. Poor people were affected. The Church was affected. Ministry of the Church was affected. Christians worshiped from home and could not go to Church.

It was like the disciples, who were inside the closed door together because of the fear of the Jewish leader (John 20:19). But Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you”

To the terrified shepherds in the nearby field, the heavenly hosts said, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to those whom his favor rests” (Luke 2:14)

Because of the world events many of us are living in fear, many of our faith are shaken; many of us have questioned God for all these.