“My peace I give to you…” John 14:26-27 Jesus came to make peace between us and God - in the most practical sense, Jesus is redeeming the Jewish idiom of greeting and parting “shalom” or the wishing of God’s peace, or peace with God - dismissing one with good wishes:
“Go in peace, may happiness attend you”
Not merely wishing peace, but giving peace…. Jesus is here is making peace. Up to now, there was the wishing of peace, but now Jesus has come to make peace and therefore give peace - as only the Son can, not as the world does (peace on “my” terms)…
…to remove what was between us (enmity) and establish peace between us.
The state or feeling of being actively opposed or hostile to someone.
Animosity, friction, feud, conflict, discord (the opposite of harmony)
…to replace that enmity with friendship.
a conception distinctly peculiar to Christianity, "the tranquil state of a soul assured of its salvation through Christ, and so fearing nothing from God and content with its earthly lot, of whatsoever sort that is"
Jesus: “...I do not give as the world gives”
There is an objective truth - with faith in Christ, we HAVE peace with God. That peace in Jesus is objectively permanent with regard to eternal life with God by Jesus having made peace between us.
There is a subjective reality - despite that objective truth of our peace with God, we don’t always realize or experience what that truth provides - felicity, tranquility, a feeling of peace… our inability to “feel” peace does not make our permanent peace with God by faith in Jesus null and void, neither does it mean that I am not still at peace with God objectively, but this feeling or sense of peace-lessness, or the reason we cannot experience or realize that peace in realtime, can make our relationship with God and others ineffective. To counter these feelings we must trust in that real and actual peace that we HAVE and seek to restore the feelings of peace that are sometimes a warning to us that our relationships with God and others may be injured
· Our sense of peace is very often “subject” to feelings that seem to contradict our (actual and real) peace with God - so that subjectively, our feelings of peace with God, can be fickle. But, why?
Sin - injures our relationship with God and others - Ps 51
Pride - causes God to oppose us - Ps 138:6; Pr 3:33; James 4:6; 1Peter 5:5-6
Inconsistency or complacency - weakens the confidence and assurance of our faith - 1Cor 3; Hebrews 6; 2Peter 1
Broken earthly relationships - unforgiveness breeds discord and anxiety - Matthew 5; 18
Not discerning well our times - having to LET perseverance to its work - patiently working the process of rejoicing in tests, trials, and tribulations - or - afflictions - Ps 34
Growing in wisdom and stature
And he seals His peace with a promise - the Holy Spirit - John 14; Romans 5. That is God, not just with us, but now, in us
If Jesus is the peace offering that makes and gives peace, then…
The Holy Spirit is the seal of the promise of continued - that peace has been given, received, and thus made
And, bonus, a fruit of the Spirit is - peace! Galatians 5:22-23
So let us remember: When we are at peace we can live in peace and even come to make peace - as long as it is up to us. This journey is too hard for you - therefore, what is impossible with man, is possible with God! So, let’s stick to His side, as He sticks to ours!
Sticking to God’s side? Nothing new – cultivating our relationship with Him and one another!
So, since we have peace with God, let us cultivate and realize that peace - Romans 5:1; Col 1:20
Word, prayer, worship, fellowship, and service (keeps our spiritual fervor) - keeps afresh our assurance of our peace with God - 2Peter 1:1-11
Matthew 5:9
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. NIV
God blesses those who work for peace, for they will be called the children of God. NLT
To be like Jesus, to be called children of God, to be seen as such, we need to be peacemakers, so that as long as it is up to us, we are to live at peace with all people
To do that we must receive, have, cultivate, and experience - live in - God’s peace. To “let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts…”
James 3:18 “peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness…”
peace between individuals, harmony, concord - an aut hor of peace
Where harmony prevails, in a peaceful mind, peace, a course of like promoting harmony - in/with a mild and friendly spirit, to promote concord, to effect it - with one’s “natural” tendency born from a heart cultivated with and for peace.
We bring because we are
We make because we do
We desire because we have - we want you, us, we to have it also
In general, this should be the essence of your being - attitude, speech, and actions toward others Romans 12:9-16; Col 3:12-17; James 3:13-18
Examine your own heart - in making peace, one must have peace and be willing to do what needs to be done to be able to make peace, or bring peace, to others: “if you there remember that someone has something against you…” Col 3:1-11; James 4:1-6 - have I done something?
Now, look at others, and respond properly to others’ pain or sin inflicted upon you –
Romans 12:9-21 “as long as it is up to you…
Caveat - do not expose yourself to unsafe or abusive people or situations
Jesus did not provoke those who wanted to harm Him, neither did He needlessly or carelessly expose Himself to them - as much as He was wise and had faith in His Father, Jesus learned from His earthly father discernment and discretion - John 7:1; 10:39; 11:53-54; following in the earthly father’s footsteps - Matt 2:13-23
Fleeing - Proverbs 7; 2Tim 2:22 - strategically work around places of peril, don’t even go there!
Be careful the company you keep…
Psalms 1 and Proverbs 9:8; 17:12; Matt 7:6 exhort us to stay away from, to not entertain people who would bring us harm - 1Cor 15:33 - bad company corrupts good morals
But we can pray and want God’s best for them - the same miracle of life God performed in you
Matthew 5 43“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor i and hate your enemy.’ 44But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.
