My Peace I Give You
2nd Sunday of Advent, 2003
Based, in part, on a message by William Richard Ezell
Scripture Ref: Isaiah 9:6; 26:3 Colossian 3:15
Micah 5:4-5 Philippians 4:6-7
John 14:27 Psalm 119:165, 167
Romans 5:1-2; 14:19 Proverbs 3:5-6
Additional References: The Bible Knowledge Commentary
All the Messianic Prophecies of the Bible, Lockyer
1. 2nd Sunday of Advent Candle Lighting
a. Last Sunday we lit the first candle in our Advent Wreath, the candle of hope. We light it again as we remember that Christ will come again to fulfill all of God’s promises to us.
b. The second candle of Advent is the Candle of Peace. Peace is a word that we hear a lot. It is one of the things that we hope for. Christ brought peace when he first came to us and he will bring everlasting peace when he comes again.
c. The prophet Isaiah called Christ "the Prince of Peace." When Jesus came he taught people the importance of being peacemakers. He said that those who make peace will be called the children of God.
d. We light the candle of peace to remind us that Jesus is the Prince of Peace and that through him peace is found (a person lights the candle of peace).
e. Peace is like a light shining in a dark place. As we look at this candle we celebrate the peace we find in Jesus Christ.
2. Introduction
a. Lighting the 2nd Advent candle sets the theme for today’s message—peace.
b. It seems every time we turn on the TV, virtually every news story is peace related—the middle-East peace crisis, civil strife and war in Iraq, civil and unrest in countries throughout the world.
c. Another major focus on peace centers on personal peace, such as inner peace and peace of mind. And, over time, we have been offered many solutions from many prominent people such as Oprah, Dr. Phil, Dear Abby, and Dr. Joyce Brothers, and some not-so-prominent people such as family and friends.
d. What is this elusive “thing” called peace that we so desperately seek and, apparently, seldom seem to be able to find?
e. Webster’s defines peace like this: a state of tranquility or quiet; freedom from disquieting or oppressive thoughts or emotions; harmony in personal relations; and a state or period of mutual concord between governments.
f. Is it possible to have, simultaneously, all these variants of peace? The answer is a rounding, “YES!!!” However, it begins with us as individuals. As long as there is one individual within a body, an organization, a nation, or the world who does not have peace, there cannot be peace at large.
g. So, I first ask you this question, “How do we obtain and maintain peace?” And now, I’ll give you the answer.
3. The Prince of Peace
a. There is not one individual alive today who has not embraced the concept of world peace, or peace in some fashion.
(1) We live in comfortable homes, eat better than anywhere in the world, dress well, and eat well; yet, domestic violence continues to run rampant.
(2) We have some of the most sophisticated and technologically advanced cities in the world, yet our streets are unsafe.
(3) We are pushing the envelope in communication technology, yet we fail to understand ourselves and each other.
b. Isaiah prophesied four names that Jesus would be called, but saved what I believe to be the most important for last—Prince of Peace.
c. Read Isaiah 9:6—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.
(1) All Old Testament glimpses of the coming Messiah are centered around the idea that peace, not war, is characteristic of His ideal kingdom.
(2) This is probably why peace was the central theme of so many Messianic prophecies.
d. Micah prophesied that Christ would be our peace.
(1) Read Micah 5:4-5—He will stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the LORD, in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God. And they will live securely, for then his greatness will reach to the ends of the earth. And he will be their peace.
(2) Christ’s caring, guiding, and protecting role is accomplished by God’s strength and for His sake.
(3) As he shepherds us, we will have peace and security because His greatness will “reach to the ends of the earth.”
e. He shares this peace with us. Read John 14:27—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.
4. The Two-Fold Peace
a. The Prince of Peace came with a dual tasking—give us peace with God and give us the peace of God. This peace is two-fold in nature.
b. Physical Peace
(1) Part of our peace is physical in nature—peace with God—in that we are no longer warring with Him. We have given into and accepted what he offers us.
(2) Read Romans 5:1-2—Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.
(3) We have experiential results of our justification—peace.
(4) Some of the important Greek manuscripts read, “let us have peace with God.”
(5) In this sense, it means let us “keep on having” (in the sense of enjoying) peace” with God. We are not responsible for peace in the sense of making it, but rather, in the sense of enjoying it.
(6) We must have peace with God before we can enjoy the peace of God.
c. Emotional Peace
(1) The second part of the peace Christ gives is an emotional peace, the peace of God. It is an internal sense of well-being and order.
(2) Paul tells us that God is not a god of disorder, but of peace (1 Cor. 14:33).
(3) Christ not only wants to give us peace that confirms and settles our eternal destiny, but He also wants to give us a peace that brings security and hope to our existence in this life.
(4) How many of you have single-handedly faced and bested a devastating problem?
(5) Knowing Christ allows us to face any problem—even death—and still have God’s peace in our heart.
(a) Despite any problem—the death of your mate, critically ill children, a layoff at work—we can still have God’s peace even though we may not understand it.
(b) This peace we have been given is not the absence of conflict, but it is the ability to cope with conflicts and frustrations.
(c) Even in the midst of life’s most exhausting difficulties, God’s peace will be present.
5. Experiencing Peace
a. The most important question you can ask just now is, “How can I experience this peace?”
b. Paul gave the Colossians some sage advice in answer to this question.
(1) Read Colossians 3:15—Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.
(2) The Greek word translated rule, here, literally means to umpire.
(3) It is the only place in the New Testament where it is used, so that adds some significance to it.
(4) What does an umpire do? He makes sure the game is played in a smooth and orderly fashion.
(5) God wants to give us an internal umpire to keep us at peace even when everything seems completely out of control with no hope of ever calming down.
6. Corrective and Preventive Maintenance
a. How do obtain the peace of God and then maintain it after we have received it?
b. Paul told the Romans this. Read Romans 14:19—Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification.
c. In the systems operation and maintenance arena, when a problem occurs, it is repaired by corrective maintenance. Once repaired, the probability of it occurring again is minimized through preventive maintenance (expound). These same principles can be applied to our quest for peace.
d. Corrective Maintenance—Ask God for Peace
(1) To obtain God’s peace we must, after recognizing we don’t have it, ask Him for it.
(2) Again, Paul gives us a very simple formula.
(3) Read Philippians 4:6-7—Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
(4) Notice the simplicity and the sequence: Don’t worry; Pray and give thanks; Ask (prayer); Peace is given.
(a) When this advice is followed, the peace of God will overwhelm our soul.
(b) This peace is the inner tranquility resulting from our close walk with God.
(c) The great thing is that this peace that transcends all understanding is beyond our ability to understand.
(d) It guards our hearts and minds much like an armed military troop guarding us to protect our life.
e. Preventive Maintenance
(1) Obey God’s word and follow its principles
(a) We sometimes try to make things and life more complicated than it needs to be. This is one of those situations. We can maintain the peace of God by simply following His rules.
(b) Read Psalm 119:165, 167—Great peace have they who love your law, and nothing can make them stumble. I obey your statutes, for I love them greatly.
(c) In the verses immediately before these, the Psalmist said he rejoiced in the worth of the law. He loved it and praised God repeatedly for it.
(d) Here he says that those like himself who love God’s Word and hope in Him for salvation enjoy great peace or well being.
(2) Continually focus on God
(a) We must learn to recognize that Christ is always with us. If we continue to focus on Him, we become sensitive to His presence and to all that He gives us.
(b) Isaiah affirms this notion. Read Isaiah 26:3—You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you. Trust in the LORD forever, for the LORD, the LORD, is the Rock eternal.
(c) We have a choice as to where we expend the most of our emotional, spiritual, and physical energy—the problem or the solution.
(d) If we trust in the LORD, we enjoy perfect (i.e., complete or genuine) peace.
(e) Having this inner tranquility causes us to continue trusting in the Lord.
(f) Remember, it’s what we focus on that determines our level of peace.
(3) Trust in God
(a) Let me give you some advice. Even when you are so overwhelmingly confused and misoriented, stop trying to understand why and trust in God.
(b) We waste a lot of time and energy trying to figure things out.
(c) Read Proverbs 3:5-6—Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.
(1) To trust in the LORD completely means we should not rely on our understanding, because human insight is never enough.
(2) We may not understand God’s way of doing things, yet we have the assurance that he is trustworthy.
(3) All the wisdom we may acquire can never replace the need for complete trust in God.
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. Summary
a. Let me ask the question again, “In this season of stress and turmoil, how do we obtain and maintain God’s peace?”
b. We must recognize that pursuing peace is participative. It requires action on our part. It is not going to be handed to us on a silver platter.
c. We must recognize that Christ is the Prince of Peace, just as the Old Testament prophets foretold.
d. We must learn to “let go and let God.” That means, though, putting some very simple rules into place.
(1) First, we must discipline ourselves to follow God’s word and its principles.
(2) Second, we must continuously keep our focus on God. We must not allow anything of this world to come between us.
(3) Finally, we must place our complete and absolute trust in God.
e. Do you trust him?
8. Invitation
