God’s Peace - 1
November 27, 2022
Today is my 51st anniversary! Are you going to wish me happy anniversary?! Well, thank you! But you have absolutely no clue why you’re wishing me happy anniversary. Let me show you a picture from 51 years ago today. This is what I looked like as a 13 year old on the day of my Bar Mitzvah.
Wasn’t I cute? I know . . . what happened to me?
51 years ago, or about 446,000 hours ago, I stood, very nervously, I might add, and read from the Torah in the Synagogue. I chanted, which you won’t get me to do. Of course it was on a Saturday and as I was thinking about today, what struck me, and what I remember is the focus and anxiety I had on that day. I prepared for it, I practiced, I met with a tutor, so that I could annunciate every Hebrew word perfectly from the Torah. If you made a mistake, you were corrected. I wrote a speech, I got all dressed up and away I went. We had a party at night with tons of great food and a huge sweet table. That’s something you need to experience.
So, what’s my point in taking you back down memory lane? On this November 27th as I consider my intense anxiety, my nerves, the fact that I almost turned the lights on, which you don’t do on the Sabbath. How do we move beyond our anxiety? How do we find peace in this crazy world?
I mean, we’re on Black Friday weekend. The festivities started back in September and October. Sales come early and often. More stores are staying closed on Thursday to give families time together. That’s nice, but we’re into the season of peace – less – ness.
There’s no such word as peacelessness. But that’s part of what’s going on. Add to the holiday rush, sickness, inflation, insecurities about life, family issues, work issues and where in the world do we find peace?
So, for the Advent season, I’m going to focus on peace. We’re going to talk all about peace and my hope is that each week, you’ll have another nugget to take home that will help you experience the peace of Christ. Not just during the Christmas season, but all year long.
If you were given the opportunity to have one wish this Christmas season, what would it be?
More money, which isn’t necessarily bad, it can be . . .
A relationship, because you want community.
Maybe fame or success or happiness or health.
Maybe you’d wish for more wishes. That’s illegal.
I want to read a Christmas passage, which so many of us know, so, we kind of glance over it. In the birth story of Jesus, Luke tells us - - -
8 And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. 10 And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, 14 “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom He is pleased!” – Luke 2:8-14
The angels told the shepherds, glory to God in the highest and peace on earth.
What's interesting is when Jesus would talk to people, greet them in coming and in going, he would often say, "Peace be with you." Or after something would happen, even something traumatic, He would say, "Go in peace." The apostle Paul would start a letter saying, "Grace and peace be with you.”
He could have said grace and health. Or grace and joy. Or grace and power. Or grace and Tik Tok fame. But he didn't. He said, "Grace and peace be with you."
I really believe so many people really want this in life. We just don’t know how to receive this peace. So, we replace peace with addictions and other issues. We grab at things which are not necessarily healthy for us as we strive after not so good things. In many respects, it’s a lack of being content. And Paul told us we must learn how to be content. So, contentment and I’d even say peace are not natural for us to fine on our own.
It’s a peace which comes from heaven. It’s not an earthly peace. It’s a supernatural peace, which can also be scary. So, we find poor substitutes.
We can have all the toys in the world, the best homes, trendy clothes, money in the bank, even good looks, but none of that’s a guarantee for having peace.
We have tension, fear, anxiety, anger, bitterness, rage, and plain old unhappiness. We crave God’s peace, but so many of us have the opposite.
In the midst of our world, peace is so important right now. We’re at odds over race and justice issues, politics, Covid, gender issues, the economy. And that’s before we get out of bed in the morning. Then we have to deal with family, friends, school, and work issues. Add to that, all of the social media junk. And we have anything but peace.
I want to share from Isaiah 26 - - -
1 In that day this song will be sung in the land of Judah: “We have a strong city; He sets up salvation as walls and bulwarks. 2 Open the gates, that the righteous nation that keeps faith may enter in. 3 You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. 4 Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord God is an everlasting rock.
The people Isaiah was talking to were in turmoil as well as we are. They were being persecuted, hunted down. The northern kingdom was being taken captive by the Assyrians and the southern kingdom, where Jerusalem was, was under attack by the Assyrians. The Jewish people were worshiping gods called idols, not worshiping the One true God. There was a lot of sin . . . and no peace.
This is a great promise from Isaiah to the people. If, and that’s a big IF, if they would listen, but more than just listen, if they would take action.
Don't you love verse 3's promise from God? I want and need this promise. You’ll be kept in perfect peace, the peace of God that comes from heaven. Now I don't know about you, but I'm way more familiar with imperfect peace or inconsistent peace. I vacillate depending upon what day of the week it is and what time of day it is. Can anybody relate?
I can have peace one moment, and even pray to God and hand this burden off to God, and be fine for about 3 minutes, and then suddenly I'm kind of like, “God, why haven't you done what I asked you to do? God where are you? Well, OK, God, if you’re not going to handle this, then I will.” And of course, there’s no peace in that! You know it and I know it, but we tend to do this over and over and over again.
And yet, God promises something called perfect peace. What’s perfect peace? The word for PEACE in Hebrew is a word most of you have heard of.
It’s the word shalom. It’s so common, that when you spell it, spell checker doesn’t mark it wrong.
Shalom is really rich in meaning. It's a Jewish greeting. Both, in coming and going, you would say “Shalom.” But shalom means more than peace. It means wholeness or completeness. In other words it’s experiencing the fullness of God’s peace in your life.
It's peace with God, it's peace with other people. It's peace with yourself. That dark spot in your past that you're ashamed of, the thing that you did today that you wish you hadn't done, the thought you had, it's peace with yourself.
It’s trusting that you can proclaim - - - "I'm okay, I'm good with God." It's peace with your circumstances, even when your circumstances aren't what you'd want them to be. It's shalom, it's complete, whole peace from God.
NOW . . . comes the really cool part. At least it was to me. This is what’s so cool when you look at the original language. In fact, I had to pull out my Hebrew Bible for this one to check on the reliability of the lexicon I was using.
The text in Hebrew looks like this - - -
:????????? ???? ???? ?????? | ?????? ??????? ??????? ?????
Let me read it and tell me if you hear anything different about this sentence. Did you notice something unique about this sentence? It’s the 2 words in the middle!! Literally, the verse says . . . YOU KEEP HIM IN PEACE PEACE WHOSE MIND IS SET ON YOU.
The word shalom actually appears twice. This is an emphatic statement in Hebrew. It's saying, you get a double portion of peace. It’s like God saying, "I will give you your portion of peace, and I'll give you even more than you need."
It's perfect peace. It's a peace that goes beyond our human ability to understand. Of Course, peace does not mean you won't have trouble in this world. Jesus was really, really clear on this. In John 16:33, Jesus said - -
33 In the world you will have tribulation. - John 16:33
We know, we’re all going to have problems. People will hurt us, we’ll get sick, the people you love will get on your nerves, the raise you hoped for won’t come in, you won’t get that parking spot.
Peace doesn't mean you're not gonna have a difficult time. What is shalom, shalom? It’s the perfect peace of God.
Peace isn't found in the absence of problems, but peace is found in the presence of God. It's shalom, shalom. Peace is God's presence. It's God's perspective. It's God's assurance, even when life is anything but what you want it to be - - - that God is fully present with you. You’re not in this alone!
You see, often times there’s a war going on in our minds. We have these constant battles about right and wrong, good and evil, moral vs. religious law. It’s an everyday battle.
Isaiah’s telling us we’ll have perfect peace when our minds are stayed or focused on God. The Hebrew word really means to lean or rest on God. Which is cool. Think about how when you’re tired and you’re standing next to someone and you just lean on them to take the pressure off of you. That’s the same image Isaiah is painting for us. Trust and lean on God as you fix your mind on Him!
We’ll have perfect peace when our mind is fixed and focused on the truth of God. So, imagine leaning your mind on God because you trust Him.
Here’s another way to say this verse - - -
when you trust God you will have perfect peace because you lean completely on God's promises with your mind.
Perfect peace is when your mind is focused and leaning on God's unfailing, never ending, unlimited supply of promises.
Then Paul tells us in Philippians 4 - - -
8 Finally, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely,
whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, THINK about these things.
9 What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me — practice these things, and the God of PEACE will be with you.
What do you do when you’re struggling? Think about those things that are excellent and worthy of praise. And when your mind is fixed on God, when your mind is fixed on what's true, and admirable and worthy of praise, then the God of, what? The God of peace will be with you. The God of peace. When is the God of peace with you? When your minds are fixed on Him. Your focus is on God!
What do I tell myself? My God is good, He is always good. There is nothing gooder than my God. His promises are true. His word never, ever fails. Who is God? When I'm lost, He's my guide. When I'm weak, He's my strength. When I'm hurting, He's my comforter. When I feel defeated, He’s my Christus Victor. He’s my everything!
As we prepare to close, consider Romans 8:37-39. Ask yourself - - - -
35 Who shall separate ME from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?
We could modernize Romans 8 and say, what shall separate me from the love of Christ? Relational issues, loneliness, anxiety, loss, fear, or depression?” And the answer is always the same!!
37 NO, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Christ who loves us.
And because of this . . . I am convinced, and we must be convinced - - -
38 . . . neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers,
39 nor height nor depth, nor ANYTHING ELSE in all creation, will be able to separate me from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
So, our minds are fixed on Jesus. Through the power of the Holy Spirit will focus on God, we lean on the everlasting Rock. The immovable fortress, the Lord of the Heavenly Armies.
And when our minds are fixed on Him, He offers us SHALOM, SHALOM. It's the perfect peace of God that the world will not understand, because it's the peace the world refuses to accept.
In John 14:27, Jesus said - - -
27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. - John 14:27
Don’t miss what Jesus is telling us. He gives us His peace. And then He says something I don't want you to miss. Jesus then said, "My peace I give to you. I do not give you as the world gives. And because I give you my peace," He says, "do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid."
Notice this, Jesus is not giving you a peace, He's giving you His peace. And peace is not found in the absence of problems, peace is found in the presence of God.
Friends, this is our start. Focus your minds on Jesus. Lean on the rock of all salvation. Lean on the One who loves you so much, that He sent His Son into the world to save you and love you.
Focus on Him and begin to experience His peace.
* Series inspired by Criag Groeschel
