This morning, we conclude our Advent sermon series. During the month of December, we’ve been examining four of the names of Christ, found in the Old Testament book of Isaiah.
"For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." -- Isaiah 9:6
Seven centuries before the birth of Christ, God pulled back the curtain on the future. He told Isaiah about the coming Messiah, the One He would send to save his people from their sins, the One whose birth forms the fulcrum of history, so that even today, we date everything that has ever happened by how many years it occurred before or after Christ. He never held public office, or commanded armies, or acquired great wealth, or even wrote a book, yet He is the most influential person who ever lived. And so, just as Isaiah and the rest of God’s people looked forward to the coming of the Messiah, so now we look back. We regard his birth, and life, and death, and resurrection as the most significant events of all time. He isn’t just the founder of a religious movement. He isn’t just a good man, or a wise philosopher, or an inspirational leader. He is the Savior of the world. He is God in the flesh. He is the One by whom and for whom all things were created.
This morning, we consider the title, "prince of peace," certainly one of the most well-known and well-loved titles by which Jesus is known. When the angels announce his birth to the shepherds, they sang, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests." (Luke 2:14). It warms our hearts to think of that newborn babe in the manger, watched over by his loving parents, worshiped by the shepherds and wise men. In our mind’s eye, as we imagine the scene, nothing disturbs their quiet adoration; no noise breaks the silence, save the rustling of cattle in their pens. That vision of peace and tranquility is reflected in the pictures on our Christmas cards, and in those little nativity scenes we place on our mantles, and even in our hymns. Take "Silent Night," for instance:
Silent night, holy night
All is calm, all is bright
Round yon virgin mother and child
Holy infant, so tender and mild
Sleep in heavenly peace,
Sleep in heavenly peace.
And yet, tragically, the peace doesn’t last long. As the gospel of Matthew tells us, when Herod found out about the newborn king, a potential rival for his throne, he ordered the slaughter of every male child under the age of two in the vicinity of Bethlehem. Mary and Joseph and their infant son barely managed to escape with their lives. After that, we don’t much about Jesus’ boyhood or early manhood. But we do know that once he began his public ministry, conflict and controversy followed him whenever he went. At times, he intentionally provoked it. He repeatedly challenged and antagonized the Pharisees. On one occasion, He verbally attacked them, calling them "hypocrites," "snakes," and "sons of hell;" he compared them to "whitewashed tombs filled with dead mean’s bones". On another occasion, he became downright violent. When he found vendors and moneychangers in the Temple, the center of the Jewish religion, the Bible tells us that, "he made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple area, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables." (John 2:15) Finally, when he was arrested and brought before Pilate, he outraged the Roman governor by refusing even to answer his questions, or say anything in his own defense! And we’re supposed to believe that this rabble-rouser, this hothead was the "prince of peace"? Just listen to what Jesus told his disciples! He said,
"Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to turn a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law--a man’s enemies will be the members of his own household." -- Matthew 10:34-36
What are we to make of all this? What does it tell us? Well, For one thing, it tells us we need to revise our picture of "gentle Jesus, meek and mild," as the old Wesleyan hymn puts it. At best, it is incomplete, and at worst it is positively misleading. Yes, Jesus is the good shepherd, caring for his people. Yes, he is humble, and full of grace and compassion. Yes, He did instruct his disciples to "let the little children come to me." But Jesus was not a wimp. He was not weak, or effeminate, or cowardly. He was courageous, and bold, and strong, and at times even ferocious.
But this morning I want to focus on something else these verse tells us. Not only do they indicate that Jesus is a different sort of man than we thought. They also show that the kind of peace he came to bring may be different than we thought. For instance, did Jesus come to bring peace between people? That’s the popular conception. And it’s certainly true that He intended for those who are part of his body, the church, to live together in peace.
"Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful." -- Colossians 3:15
"Live in harmony with one another. . . If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone." -- Romans 12:16, 18
In Christ, we can love one another by the power of God; our fellowship testifies to the presence and power of the Holy Spirit in our midst. There’s something unique about the way that Christians relate to one another; something supernatural. And that difference is the Spirit of Christ.
However, eliminating all conflict between people is not always possible or even desirable. As we saw in Matthew ten, the gospel, the good news of eternal life and forgiveness of sins through Christ, sometimes causes division even in our most intimate relationships. Some of you have experienced that in your own extended families. You aren’t condemning or judging them. You aren’t trying to be insulting. You love them as much as you ever have. Yet the mere fact that you have placed your faith in Christ antagonizes them. People who become evangelical believers are sometimes ostracized, rejected, even disowned, by their families. Attacked and ridiculed. But this should come as no surprise: Jesus warned us that this would happen. It’s an unavoidable consequence of the inherent divisiveness of gospel. Do we hope and pray for their salvation? Yes, of course. But until that happens, our faith in Christ will continue to offend and irritate them. Why is that?
"For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. To the one we are the smell of death; to the other, the fragrance of life." -- 2 Corinthians 2:14-16
In other words, we smell like Christ. We carry his spiritual "aroma". To other believers, that’s a fragrant aroma. It smells wonderful. But to unbelievers, we stink. We reek of some putrid odor. It’s a stench in their nostrils. And nothing short of their conversion will ever change that. In fact, if our faith provokes no negative reaction whatsoever, perhaps we should ask ourselves how much we really do smell like Christ. Perhaps our "peace" has been purchased at the cost of silence, by completely avoiding all mention of our faith, and conforming our behavior to the world around us.
Even within the church, calm is not always a sign of health. I don’t enjoy conflict; most people don’t. But if it comes down to a choice between truth and peace, truth has to come first. When Paul was battling doctrinal error at Galatia, has asked them this question: "Have I now become your enemy by telling you the truth?" (Galatians 4:16) Evidently, some in that church had taken offense at his vigorous proclamation and defense of the gospel. But Paul was committed to preaching the truth, even if it made him their enemy. And when it came to sin, he was just as emphatic:
"But now I am writing you that you must not associate with anyone who calls himself a brother but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or a slanderer, a drunkard or a swindler. With such a man do not even eat. . . Expel the wicked man from among you."-- 1 Corinthians 5:11-13
Would this tend to peace? Ultimately, yes, but not in the short run. If you’ve ever been part of a church that had to remove someone from membership, you know that it is rarely a peaceful process. People get angry. They take sides. They spread rumors. They leave the church. They threaten lawsuits. It would be much more "peaceful" to just ignore the whole problem and hope it goes away. But the Scriptures won’t permit that. They command us to confront. Now, obviously, much wisdom, and discernment are need here; much love and humility. Angry, bitter people shouldn’t be trying to correct or counsel anyone. And anyone acting out of a proud, self-righteous spirit needs to deal with their own heart first.
But even with all those cautions, the point is still valid: that preserving the "peace," defined as avoiding all conflict, is not the ideal. That’s not the goal. Honoring Christ with our lives and with our church is the goal. And so sometimes, we have to say and do things which may disrupt the peace, at least temporarily. That’s true for us as a body, and it’s also true of relationships between individuals. We must act out of love and humility. We should carefully plan the time and manner of speaking, so as not to give offense unnecessarily. We must be ready to repent ourselves, before we call others to repentance, to confess our own sin before we confront the sin of others. But in the end, we must be willing to speak the truth. Because that’s the only way to achieve a genuine, lasting peace.
Well, what about another kind of peace that people desire, the peace of a smooth, trouble-free life? Can we expect Christ to protect us from calamity and suffering, to shelter us from the storms of life? And here, the answer is mostly no. It’s true, that when we begin to follow Christ, we remove from our lives some of the attitudes and behaviors that tend to create conflict -- selfishness, greed, pride, hatred, malice, contempt, dishonesty -- and the more we leave these behind, the less we suffer the kinds of problems they cause. However, even godliness and a sincere devotion to Christ do not guarantee freedom from pain and suffering. In fact, we are guaranteed just the opposite, that "everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted" (2 Timothy 3:12). And Peter writes, "Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you." (1 Peter 4:12)
In other words, persecution and difficulties are normal for a Christian. What’s abnormal and unusual are the times of relatively smooth sailing. Why? Because God doesn’t care about us? Because he likes to see us suffer? Not at all. He does it because He loves us. God uses those times of grief and sorrow to transform us, to reshape our character, to increase our capacity for lasting joy in a way that nothing else can accomplish. As Paul writes,
"We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. . . Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all." -- 2 Corinthians 4:8-9, 16-17
Well, if we can’t necessarily expect relational peace, or peaceful circumstances, then what about inner peace? What about peace in my soul? And the good news here is that God does indeed promise this kind of peace to those who follow Him. We can possess a deep, authentic peace in our hearts, even if our circumstances are anything but peaceful, even if everything in our lives seems to be going haywire. Through prayer and faith in Christ, he can give us a peace so deep that nothing in this world can touch it.
"Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. -- John 14:27
"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." -- John 16:33
However, there’s a small catch. Even this peace is not the absence of struggle; rather, it’s peace in the midst of struggle. Because as long as we are in this world, we are at war with indwelling sin, with our inherent tendency to seek pleasure, and joy, and fulfillment apart from God. Listen:
"For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want." -- Galatians 5:17
For the disciple of Christ, there is genuine peace, peace deeper and stronger than anything the world can offer. But there is also a continuing internal struggle with sin. When Christ returns, God will transform us so that we are no longer subject to temptation. But until that day comes, we are at war.
I mention this because there are many people who have a false peace, a pseudo-peace. They think they’re doing well because they don’t suffer from anxiety or worry; they have a positive, optimistic outlook on life; they are pleasant, agreeable, well-adjusted people. They have a kind of peace, but it’s not legitimate. Because their peace is not a godly peace. It’s not a true peace. It’s the peace that comes from failing to engage the enemy. Their minds are untroubled, but only because they refuse to enter into conflict with the sin in their lives. They refuse to let the Holy Spirit expose the hidden corruption of their hearts. They look good on the outside. They live respectable lives. They don’t cheat on their taxes, they don’t cheat on their wives. They work hard, they don’t get drunk, or swear, they don’t look at pornography. They are model citizens and model church members. But deep down, in a place that’s not obvious to anyone else, there are pockets of lust, or rage, or pride, or envy, or greed that go unacknowledged and untouched. They’ve made a truce with sin. They’ve said to sin, "as long as you don’t mess up my pleasant life, I’ll leave you alone." But listen to what Christ said about that:
"You say, ’I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked." -- Revelation 3:17
They think they’re doing OK. But Christ sees it very differently. Does that describe you? Have you purchased relief from struggle by making a truce with sin? Have you decided that the way to have peace of mind is to leave your heart unexamined, to leave your sin unchallenged? Listen to what the prophet Jeremiah said about false shepherds, the unfaithful religious leaders of his day:
"They dress the wound of my people as though it were not serious. ’Peace, peace,’ they say, when there is no peace." -- Jeremiah 6:14
There is no peace, no true, lasting peace that fails to deal honestly with the seriousness of our sin.
We must face it, and confess it, and by God’s grace and power, forsake it. The good news is that Jesus Christ can not only forgive our sin, but also break its power over us. Won’t you come to him today and ask him to do that? To forgive your sin and free you from its power?
So, in conclusion, Jesus Christ truly does bring peace, but not necessarily as we expect him to. We have peace with one another by the power of His Spirit, but yet not at the expense of truth. Our peace does not consist in having a life free of troubles, but rather in having a quiet heart in the midst of troubles. And finally, although we do enjoy the blessing of inner peace, peace beyond anything the world can give; yet it’s tempered by our ongoing struggle with indwelling sin. In other words, our peace in this life, although very real and very precious, is incomplete. Our joy is tinged with sorrow, our peace is leavened with suffering. But that’s not a mistake. That is entirely as it should be, because God never intended for us to be fully satisfied with this life. He wants us to look forward to heaven, to yearn for the day when every promise will be fulfilled, every hope realized, every struggle ended. And so all of his gifts, including his peace, are just a down payment, a foretaste of the perfect peace and joy that is to come, the peace and joy that will be ours when Christ returns. That is why we say, with the apostle John, "Come, Lord Jesus." (Revelation 22:20) Yes, come quickly, Lord. Give us the grace to rest in your love during our time on this earth, and give us the faith to look forward to that great day when our faith will finally become sight. Amen.
(For an .rtf file of this and other sermons, see www.journeychurchonline.org/messages.htm)
