Alba 5-28-2023
THE ANSWER TO WORLD PEACE
Ephesians 4:17-32
This is Memorial Day weekend. Why do we call it “Memorial Day?”... It is a day to "remember" those who have sacrificed for us so that we could continue to have the freedoms established by the founders of our country.
Memorial Day was first widely observed on May 30, 1868. It was originally known as “Decoration Day” because it was time set aside to honor the nation’s Civil War dead by decorating their graves.
After World War I, observances also began to honor those who had died in all of America’s wars. And in 1971, Congress declared Memorial Day to be a national holiday.
Most of history has been filled with war. Only a small percentage of world history has seen a time without war. While we are thankful for those who have served our country in the military, both those who died and those who (praise God) were able to come home, we know that war is hellish.
War is such a tragedy because it uses man's best to accomplish man's worst. War has no prejudices. It brings havoc on the uneducated and the educated. It brings ruin to young and old, male and female, backwards poor nations and advanced superpower nations.
In times of war children bury their parents, and parents bury their children, and wives lose their husbands. And in today's military, husbands lose their wives. War destroys lives, families and cities.
We certainly see that in what is going on in the world today. For years people have yearned for and prayed for world peace. Why is there such an interest in world peace? It is because of the atrocity of war and the devastation it brings.
What is the answer? Is there one? Yes! There is an answer. But how can we think that? After all, it was Jesus Himself who said that there will be wars and rumors of wars. As in everything else, Jesus told the truth, didn't He!
Still, there is an answer if only people would put into practice what God teaches us in His Word. We would all get along better if we were truly practicing the things God has told us that He wants us to do.
Ephesians 4:17-32 would change the world if people would only do what it says. Relations between people and nations would be better if this section of scripture was practiced by everyone.
Let's read what it says. “17 This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind, 18 having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart; 19 who, being past feeling, have given themselves over to lewdness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.
20 But you have not so learned Christ, 21 if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus: 22 that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, 23 and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, 24 and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.
25 Therefore, putting away lying, “Let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor,” for we are members of one another. 26 “Be angry, and do not sin”: do not let the sun go down on your wrath, 27 nor give place to the devil. 28 Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need. 29 Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers.
30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. 32 And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.
These words obviously were written for Christians, which demonstrates that even Christians need to be reminded how to live and get along with others. But there is instruction here that would benefit anyone who followed it.
The tension that causes trouble between people and nations would be lessened if bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, evil speaking and malice were no longer being practiced.
This scripture speaks of a change which is very like changing clothes. There are things that need to be “put off” and other things that need to be “put on” in order to successfully achieve peace.
1. Verse 25 says put away lying. How many times have nations signed treaties with no intention to keep them. How many times have people said they would do something, and never did. Parents need to be careful to carry through with what they tell their children. Otherwise the lesson learned is that telling lies is ok.
If parents aren't able to be truthful, why would we expect their children to be so. For that matter why would we expect nations to be so. Lies are dangerous and never produce anything positive.
The apostle Peter gives a warning from Psalm 34 which he quotes in I Peter 3:10 saying, “Whoever would love life and see good days must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from deceitful speech.” (NIV)
The warning is that if we become skilled at lying and deceiving, then we need to be prepared to live a negative life.
Proverbs 12:22 says, “Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord, But those who deal truthfully are His delight.” Have you ever met someone who is a good liar? People who can look you in the eye and lie straight to your face. It’s a skill; although a negative one.
Did you see the April 2nd Sunday comic strip “Shoe”. Shoe is sitting at the bar and a lady says to him, “It's a shame when talent like you is wasted.” Shoe asks, “What do you mean?” The lady says, “Such a good liar in a non-political job.”
People who are good liars pride themselves on their ability to get one over on someone. Well, the Lord detests it; He loathes it. He despises it. On the contrary, God delights in the truth. He takes pleasure in hearing people tell the truth.
When communication is built on a lie, the one receiving the message is not getting good information. There are many shades of lying, from outright falsehoods, to artfully spoken words that are meant to mislead. We see too much of that in politics, don't we.
Communication must be rooted in truth, and truth springs from our relationship with Jesus. He is the truth.
What the apostle Paul wrote in Colossians 3:9–10 echoes what he wrote to the Ephesian church. There it says, “Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds, and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him.”
The words “put off” mean to discard, to strip off, to cast away. God is telling us to get rid of any falsehood and to start practicing telling the truth. That would bring improvement to relationships at home and between nations.
2. Then verse 26 says to put away sinful anger. Remember it says, “Be angry, and do not sin: do not let the sun go down on your wrath.” Notice it doesn’t say, “Don’t be angry”. But rather, “When you are angry, don’t sin.” Anger itself is not a sin, but the way we deal with it can be.
What God's Word is teaching us here is that we need to deal with anger in a timely fashion. Don’t let it simmer or fester. If anger is not expressed appropriately, it will wipe out relationships like a raging tidal wave.
There’s much wisdom in what God says here. Phyllis Diller got this wrong when she once said: “Why go to bed mad when you can stay up and fight!”
Some of us have been giving the devil a foothold in our relationships by not dealing with our anger appropriately.
We might be like the husband who said, “My wife is not talking to me today, and I’m in no mood to interrupt her.”
The longer we carry anger in our hearts, we will give the devil an opportunity to do some bad stuff (vs. 28), and bitterness will rise up like acid reflux in our lives.
We need to learn how to pick our battles. We need to ask, “Is this really something worth going to war over”? Some things really matter; some things don’t. But even when it’s something we feel is important we don’t have to let it turn into a battle.
Conflicts will happen. But the way the conflict is dealt with is what makes the difference. Often it is what we say when we are angry that starts the trouble. Proverbs 21:23 says, “Whoever guards his mouth and tongue keeps his soul from troubles.”
James chapter three warns us that, “the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity... and it is set on fire by hell... Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be so.” (James 3:6, 10)
And Proverbs 14:17 says, “A quick-tempered man acts foolishly.” Getting caught up in a back and forth angry confrontation isn't much different from the folly of nuclear war.
How stupid would it be to hear a leader of some country say, "So what if both our countries are blown to bits. At least our missiles landed first!" There is no victory there!
We need to be careful how we talk. As verse 29 says, “Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers.
3. And then verse 29 tells us to put away stealing. It says, Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need.
To often there is a selfishness that makes some people feel entitled to the things that belong to others. Today in some states people get away with breaking into stores and running out with as much as they can carry. Many are not prosecuted if the total amount is less than $950.00.
Stores have closed because of the rise of shoplifting has made it unprofitable to stay in business. It is the greediness of verse 19 that causes the selfish taking of what belongs to others.
But because it often appears that you can get away with taking what is not yours, even countries look at the territory of another country and try to take it by force. Ukrane is under attack by Russia and Taiwan has reason to worry about what China will do.
Not everyone gets by with stealing though. Here is the story of one man's troubles. Edward Blaine had spent 20 years in prison for bank robbery back in 1963. He thought he would try again in 2003 in Spotsylvania County, Virginia.
According to The Free-Lance Star of Fredericksburg, Blaine walked up to two tellers at Union Bank & Trust in Port Royal and ordered them to "be cool" and give him all the money in large bills. The culprit had a gun in his pocket but never pulled it out.
He was given several thousand dollars from two surprised bank cashiers. And as he fled he spilled $100 notes as he attempted to stuff the cash into his pockets and get away.
When he reached his hired getaway car he realized that he had locked the keys inside. Then he began beating on the window with a piece of wood. The commotion drew the attention of two people nearby who began chasing him.
Then he attempted to pull out his gun but failed and shot himself in his leg. But he kept fighting his would be arresters; one of whom shot the suspect in the leg also.
The local police charged the robber with 8 felonies, including robbery and 2 counts of attempted murder. He was taken to the hospital and recovered.
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/bungling-burglar-has-ivery-i-bad-day/
That is one person who should have followed the commandment, “Thou shall not steal.” It comes down to being selfish, someone wants what someone else has and they are not willing to work for it, they will steal it to get it.
When anyone steals, they are taking what another person has labored for. It should be easy to see how wrong that is. But people to fall into the trap of thinking they deserve things they did not earn.
When one decides they will work for what they receive, they will be in a better state, and they will appreciate what they have because they earned it. That is the goal of Watered Gardens for those who come to them for help.
By working diligently, the individual removes some of the temptation to steal. And by assisting others in need, he helps remove the temptation from them also. (The Glory of the Church: Studies in Ephesians)
So, when one comes to Jesus, turning from sin and following Him as Lord and Savior, that life should start to change. Anything less than that grieves the Holy Spirit. We are called to “be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.” (vs. 32)
There is no sensible reason for people, or nations, to be at war with each other. Christians should be people who seek peace with all in accordance with the spirit and teachings of Jesus. The true remedy for the war spirit is the gospel of our Lord.
The supreme need of the world is the acceptance of His teachings in all the affairs of men and nations. With a practical application of His law of love, Jesus Christ has the power to change individual lives and society.
To promote ultimate peace, we proclaim Jesus who died on the cross for our salvation. The power of that good news is that it will bring peace with God, and ultimately a final lasting world peace.
Isaiah makes a prophecy in chapter two of better days that will come. He proclaimed:
2 Now it shall come to pass in the latter days
That the mountain of the Lord’s house
Shall be established on the top of the mountains,
And shall be exalted above the hills;
And all nations shall flow to it.
3 Many people shall come and say,
“Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,
To the house of the God of Jacob;
He will teach us His ways,
And we shall walk in His paths.”
For out of Zion shall go forth the law,
And the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
4 He shall judge between the nations,
And rebuke many people;
They shall beat their swords into plowshares,
And their spears into pruning hooks;
Nation shall not lift up sword against nation,
Neither shall they learn war anymore.
He says that is the kind of world it will be. And it could be now if all people would begin to practice the instructions here in God's Word.
Think about how the world would be, no, think about how our lives would be if we would be willing to submit to God and allow Him to help put off the old ways, and begin to let the beauty of His Way rule in our lives.
CLOSE:
Many people are aware of the statue “Christ the Redeemer” that stands high above Rio de Janeiro in Brazil. Less known is the statue “Christ the Redeemer of the Andes” which stands on the border between Argentina and Chile.
Those two countries had been at war over their borders. As a celebration of the peaceful solution of the long and bitter boundary dispute which came after a treaty was signed in 1902, the statue was unveiled on March 13, 1904
The 25-foot-high statue is of Christ standing on a globe, holding a cross in his left hand, and raising his right arm as a signal for peace.
Engraved at the feet in Spanish are the words, “Sooner shall these mountains crumble into dust than Chileans and Argentinians break the peace which at the feet of Christ, the Redeemer, they have sworn to maintain.”
To commemorate the peace, it is said that the statue was made from the bronze of melted-down cannons that had been used as instruments of war.
What a glorious vision Isaiah had when this will happen on a global scale. When there is reshaping weapons of war into tools for harvest. May we pray for that day.
But you can partake of His peace today!
