Dr. Wayne C Solomon
Resurrection Sunday Message
Theme: PEACE
“And as they thus spake, Jesus Himself stood in the midst of them and saith unto them,
Peace [be] unto you.”
Luke 24:36 (KJV)
Text: Luke 24:36 “And as they thus spake, Jesus Himself stood in the midst of them and saith unto them, Peace [be] unto you.” (KJV)
If you read today’s news, you will see that our world is in a state of conflict. Urban violence is at an all-time high. Police brutality has become so common-place. School shootings continue to alarm us as even last month 3 teachers and 14 high-school students were mercilessly killed in Parkland Florida. Domestic violence still claims the lives of over 40% of the female murder victims in America. Today’s headlines read like a page out of Revelation. Brother against brother, nation rising up against nation, wars, and rumors of wars. There are over 500 wars being fought worldwide today on all continents and regions except the Caribbean, North America, and Australia. The manufacture of weapons continues to escalate in this volatile world. Though Geopolitical and military strategic interests govern the thinking of world leaders, commerce and trade are at the center of the manufacture and distribution of weapons designed to snuff out human life in seconds. The arms trade is a multi-billion-dollar industry that caters to the vile thirst for power being exercised by political leaders as well as the need for self-defense in developing nations worldwide. Developed nations are the manufacturers and developing nations are the customers. Britain, Switzerland, France, Russia and China and several other nations combined, sell and distribute 56% of the arms used worldwide, while the United States market share in this bloodletting industry is a whopping 44%. Between the year 2000 and 2014, almost 1.6 million deaths from wars have been reported. In spite of these alarming statistics, war drums are still being beaten. Russia and America, two world super-powers, are flexing their military muscles in a new arms race. North Korea is sparing no efforts to enter the nuclear club. Russia claims to have developed more powerful and more accurate weapons of mass destruction that will carve highways of death across the skies. The President of the United States has stated that he intends to make our military ‘the biggest and the "baddest" so that nobody will want to mess with us.’ China is conducting diplomatic negotiations with North Korea an undermining American leadership. China has stated that they will restart the production of nuclear weapons and enlarge their arsenal. America has said that the diplomatic negotiations that have been used over the last 20 years with North Korea are not working. I just feel like screaming at the top of my lungs, “stop the insanity”. It is either we end wars or wars will end us! Wars, wars and rumors of wars that is why the Message of Easter is so relevant to humankind. When Jesus arose from the grave on that first Easter morning, and later that day entered the upper room where his disciples were hiding, the first word He said to them was “PEACE….” In a world inundated by violence, murder, mayhem and war, Jesus is still speaking PEACE!.
The word peace is found 429 times in the Bible. In the Old Testament, the Hebrew word is shalom which means completeness, welfare or help. In the New Testament, the Greek word describes harmonious relationships between people, harmony between nations, between friends, freedom from molestation, order in the state, in churches, harmony between God and man. After His resurrection, the first thing that Jesus said to his disciples was “peace be unto you.”
The message of the risen Savior is a message of Peace.
Today we will look at three aspects of this peace: the Purpose, the Presence and the Power of His Peace.
1. The Purpose of His peace
a. was a benediction he wished the disciples peace
b. The purpose of this peace was a declaration of the position with God. The disciples were brought into a state of peace with God.
c. The purpose of this peace was an inspiration. He showered His peace on them.
d. The purpose of this peace was an absolution for he blotted out all their offences with His mighty peace.
HIS PEACE WAS PURPOSEFUL
2. Second the Presence of his Peace
This peace that Jesus gives is personal. It is His personal peace. He is the one who is giving it because He is the author of peace.
a. This is the same presence that breathed upon the face of the waters on the first day of creation.
b. This is the same presence that walked with Adam in the cool of the day in the garden of Eden.
c. This is the same presence who sent Moses to tell Pharaoh let my people go.
d. This is the same presence Who Moses spoke about when he told Pharaoh that “I am that I am” has sent me.
e. This is the same presence that cut a highway 3 miles wide through the Red Sea.
f. This is the same presence that rained down manna from heaven, pulled down the walls of Jericho, strengthened Samson, gave Gideon courage, knocked over Goliath and accompanied Shadrach Meshack and Abednego in the fiery furnace.
g. It is the personal presence of Jesus. It is the personal Jesus who is the author of peace.
h. As a young boy, this presence captured my soul and cleansed me from all my sin. Through the years this presence has strengthened me, kept me, uplifted me, delivered me, accompanied me, calmed me down, built me up, lifted me and changed me from glory to glory. This is the personal peace-giving presence of Jesus. When I was suffering with pain and sickness in my body, this presence broke the power of pain and brought peace into my body. When my mind was reeling in confusion this presence brought peace and tranquility to my mind. When I was turned around and did not know where to go and what to do this presence restored order into my life. When I was in need, this presence provided for me way beyond my wildest imaginations. When I was lonely this presence accompanied me. This presence is the personal Presence of the Peacemaker and the Peace-giver. This is the Presence of the personal Jesus, the Prince of Peace.
3. Thirdly when Jesus arose the power of His peace:
a. Banished their doubts.
b. He revealed and sealed his love upon their hearts by showing
them his hands and his feet.
c. He refreshed their memories
d. He opened their understanding.
e. He showed them their position
f. He filled them with joy.
g. This peace preserves us against temptation.
h. This peace consoles us in the midst of sorrow.
i. This peace gives us the incentive to get involved in the work of
God.
j. This peace causes us to be grateful to God for all that he has done.
k. This peace changes our present nature to perfect our future state.
l. Our nature would be perfected at the day of the appearance of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, when all the dead shall be raised incorruptible and we that may be alive shall be changed. Jesus has redeemed not only our souls but our bodies.
m. In the resurrection of our nature will be full of peace. Jesus would not have said “peace be to you” if you had not been a deep peace within Himself. He was calm and undisturbed. There was so much peace about His whole life but after His resurrection, His peace became very conspicuous. There is no striving with the Scribes and Pharisees. There is no battling with anyone after our Lord is risen. Such shall be our life. We shall be flooded with eternal peace and shall never again be tossed about with trouble and sorrow and distress and persecution. When we rise again our nature will again find it's home amid the communion of saints. When we rise again our bodies will serve our spirits. Now we are in constant combat to keep the flesh dominated and the spirit strong, but after the resurrection we shall be changed, our bodies will be spirit dominated.
n. The certainty of His peace flows naturally out of the certainty of His resurrection. Because He lives we have peace.
The Psalmist prophesied about it when he said in Psalm 72 verse number three the mountains shall bring peace to the people….
Then in Psalm 72 verse seven And in His days shall the righteous flourish; and abundance of peace so long as the moon endures.
Psalm 85 verse eight, I will hear what God the Lord will speak for He will speak peace unto His people…
The prophet Isaiah confirmed it when he said in Isaiah 26 three Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on Thee because he trusted in Thee.
Isaiah 52 seven says how beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bring good tidings that publish peace, that brings good tidings of good, that publishes salvation, that says unto Zion, Thy God reigns.
Isaiah saw peace coming and said and in Isaiah 53 verse number five, “But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon Him, and with His stripes we are healed.”
Isaiah 55:12 For you shall go out with joy and be led forth with peace….
We used to sing a song that said “I have peace like a river in my soul…” That’s how Isaiah felt when he thought about the coming Messiah. In Isaiah chapter 66 verse 12 he says “For thus says the Lord, behold I will extend peace … like a river…”
Because of the resurrection, God's covenant with us is one of peace.
Ezekiel chapter 34 and verse 25, And I will make with them a covenant of peace…
The angels announced the coming of Jesus as the advent of peace. Luke two verse 14 “glory to God in the highest and on earth peace goodwill toward men.
Jesus demonstrated it when He rebuked the winds in Mark 4:39 saying to the winds and the sea “peace be still.”
Jesus assured us of it in John 14:27 when He declared, “peace I leave with you My peace I give unto you. Not as the world gives, give I unto you. Let not your heart be trouble neither let it be afraid.
Peace was a feature of early church Evangelism. They preached peace, according to Acts chapter 10 and verse 36.
Paul wrote to the Romans in Romans one and seven Grace and Peace be unto you from God our father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Then in Romans chapter 5 verse one “therefore being justified by faith we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:”
Romans eight and 6. For to be the carnally minded is that death but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.
Romans 14:17 for the kingdom of God is not meat and drink but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Ghost.
Romans 15:13 Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.
Paul I assured the Corinthian's of their peace in first Corinthians 14:33, “For God is not the author of confusion but of peace…”
Paul advised them to live in peace in second Corinthians 13:11.
Galatians 5:22 but the fruit of the Spirit is love, Joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, Faith….
Paul told the Ephesians Christ is our peace, Ephesians 2:14.
He told them Jesus made peace for us in Ephesians 2:15.
He told them in chapter 2 verse 17 that Christ came and preach peace on to us…
He told the Colossians Christ made peace through His blood
He told the Colossians, that God's peace can rule our hearts.
CONCLUSION
In spite of what we see in our world today, in spite of the troubles, in spite of the violence, in spite of the wars and rumors of wars yet for all, the Christian can have the peace of God because Jesus came to give us peace. His first words to His disciples after His resurrection were “peace be on to you.”
It is an amazing PEACE,
It is a beneficial, calming, delivering, enduring, fascinating, God-given, Holy, indestructible, joyful, lifting, majestic, powerful, refreshing, saving, transforming, unshakeable, victorious PEACE….
Two thousand years later the message still rings through the corridors of time, PECE, PEACE, PEACE…..Peace be unto you!
