We Can Have Peace on Earth

Luke 4:18 

Jesus Christ can bring peace into this un-peaceful world.

Alarmed by the possibility of a nuclear war, a wealthy retired couple decided to move to a remote group of islands in the Atlantic Ocean. They were large enough to provide a comfortable life but small enough to be unimportant. English rule made the government stable and the culture familiar. It was not long after they moved to the Falkland Islands that, to everyone's surprise, war erupted there.
 
We search for peace but there is no peace on earth today. Wars, terrorist attacks, rioting... peace is lacking between nations; between races; it’s lacking in homes and in hearts. It’s obvious that our world needs peace.

Many of the prophecies of the birth of Christ use the word peace.

He is the "Prince of Peace"

Zechariah says, "He will proclaim peace to the nations..." (9:10)

Micah adds, "He will be their peace" (5:4-5)

But our world has seen very little peace because it has not embraced Jesus Christ. Since the signing of the Peace of Westphalia (1648) there have been more than last 300 wars in Europe alone. There is not a single generation of Americans who have not known war. Most have known multiple wars.

Into this brawling, war-torn world, God sent His personal envoy of "peace on earth, good will toward men."

Peace is more than the mere absence of war. It has its roots in the Old Testament concept of shalom. It means wholeness, completeness, well-being, and prosperity. The lack of shalom comes from such sources as poverty, greed, the lust for power and spiritual emptiness. Into this turmoil we must bring the light of Christ by waging peace.

We wage peace when we feed the hungry, clothe the naked and befriend the lonely. (Matthew 25:44-46)

We wage peace when we stand for justice. (Isaiah 1:17) We wage peace whenever we share the love of Jesus with others. (John 13:34-35)

“The Spirit of the Lord is on me, 

because he has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.  

He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and 

recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, 

 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” 

Luke 4:18

see also:

We Can Have Peace with God

We Can Have Peace in our Relationships

 

We Can Have Peace in Our Relationships

Colossians 3:15

Jesus Christ can us move us from division to community.

People find it hard to live in harmony & peace with one another. We fight and we bicker. We criticize and tear each other down. Our courts are filled with people who can't get along. We encounter strife at work, at home and, even, at church. We compete for position, for attention, and for material gain. It was not long before Adam and Eve turned on each other. Jealousy drove Cain to kill his brother and drove Joseph's brothers to sell him into slavery. Lust drove David to take the wife of one of his mighty men. And so it goes.

In the New Testament we read repeatedly of enmity between the Jews and non-Jews. Ethnic and racial strife is as old as the Tower of Babel and is as fresh as the morning news.

There is good news. God has sent us the Prince of Peace. “Jesus himself is our peace, who has made the two one [Jews and non-Jews] and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility” (Ephesians 2:14).

The Bible teaches, “There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:28).

In a world filled with strife the church must be an oasis of peace. We should both examples and agents of reconciliation. After all, we are carrying out His ministry of reconciliation as His ambassadors.

Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts,
since as members of one body you were called to peace.
Colossians 3:15

see also: 

We Can Have Peace with God 

We Can Have Peace on Earth

 

We Can Have Peace with God

Ephesians 2:11-20

Jesus Christ is the only hope for peace in your heart.

We are all in need of personal peace. “remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world” (Ephesians 2:12).

The Bible tells us that, without God, we are restless and unhappy (Isaiah 57:21) but Jesus Himself is our peace (Ephesians 2:14). “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:1).

We find peace with God in surrender. Jesus told of a young man who thought that it was unbearable to live under his father’s roof. There were rules to follow, lots of work and too much responsibility. He demanded a cash settlement of inheritance and set off to live the fast life. He found life hard and cruel away from his father and returned home broken and defeated (Luke 15:11-32).

Jesus tells us: “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:29-30).

see also:  

We Can Have Peace in Our Relationships

We Can Have Peace on Earth

Honoring Veterans

Operation Iraqi Freedom 2005-06

The sacrifices made by our military are worthy of our honor but honoring veterans doesn’t always take extraordinary efforts. It can be as simple as respect, remember and repay.

David's mighty men honored their leader and future king with a daring raid behind enemy lines to collect water from a well. David returned the honor. “Far be it from me, Lord, to do this!” he said. “Is it not the blood of men who went at the risk of their lives?” (2 Samuel 23:16-17)

David poured out the water as an offering to God. He respected the risk taken by his mighty men. His act ensured that their valor would be remembered and payed the sacrifice forward.

Respect

My church gave me a small going-away party when I went to boot camp so many years ago. It was a sign of respect for this important right of passage. Today, when National Guard units deploy into war zones, they are honored both upon their departure and their return. Words cannot convey what I felt when, upon our re-entry to America, we were greeted by a line of senior veterans. They shook our hands and welcomed us home. Later, in the Atlanta airport, we were greeted by applause. I will never forget these simple acts of respect.

Remember

My church never forgot me while I was overseas. I received care packages and letters. My family was cared for. On the other hand, one woman told me that her church never once contacted her while she was deployed. She never forgave them.

Notes, care packages, church bulletins, and newsletters can be a comfort to a lonely service member, desperate for a reminder of home. Remember, also, the family left behind. A phone call to a lonely wife, an invitation to a meal, or an offer to take the kids for a while will mean a great deal. There is much that is missing from a family where one of the parents have been called to active service.

Repay

The cost of military service can be high. Some families have lost a member. Some soldiers have been severely wounded. All soldiers have had their lives disrupted. Education, careers and family are put on hold when duty calls.

After WWI discharged veterans got little more than a $60 allowance and a train ticket home, later, embittered, they marched on Washington to demand their due.

Following WWII the GI Bill transformed America by multiplying the number of educated Americans, populating our suburbs and creating new job opportunities. The GI Bill was one of the most successful piece of legislature in American history. Veteran’s benefits repay sacrifices that cannot be measured.

Let us respect, remember and repay our veterans and pray for the day when there will be no more war.

He will judge between many peoples 
and will settle disputes for strong nations far and wide.

They will beat their swords into plowshares 
and their spears into pruning hooks.

Nation will not take up sword against nation, 
nor will they train for war anymore.

 

Micah 4:3

The Power of Peace

Mark 11:1-11

As Jesus makes his way to Jerusalem the crowd grows larger. Jews flocked to Jerusalem from every corner of the world to celebrate Passover. The holiday commemorated the deliverance of God’s people from slavery in Egypt. It was a combination of Thanksgiving and the 4^th of July.

It was a time of high expectation; people would get excited about the possibility that – maybe today -- Messiah would come. There was tension in Jerusalem. Everyone was talking about Jesus. Passover was only a few days away. Would Jesus make a move? What would the authorities do?

Jesus entered Jerusalem riding on a donkey as the people waved palms and shouted Hosanna (save us). Many spread their garments on the road (Mark 11:8) in the same way they did when Israel's King Jehu entered Jerusalem (2 Kings 9:13). The prophet Zechariah predicted, “Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion! Shout, Daughter of Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and having salvation, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.” (Zechariah 9:9)

Jesus made an important statement about the character of his kingship by riding a donkey rather than a horse. In the East, when a king rode a donkey into a city it was a declaration that he came in peace; when the king rode a horse into a city it was a declaration of war. Jesus arrived as the Prince of Peace.

There is power in the way of peace. When a city council blocked the establishment of a proposed AIDS hospice, Mother Teresa got on her knees before the council and begged to allow the hospice to open – IT DID. Mother Teresa had no political power but she had influence earned by ministering to the dying on the streets of Calcutta.

Hard ball politics is not the way of Jesus. When the Montgomery Bus Boycott threatened to turn violent, Martin Luther King, Jr. rose to national leadership by advocating non-violence. He held no political office but wielded influence by using the words and attitude of Jesus

Like a tiny mustard seed the influence of God would grow. Like yeast it is unseen but powerful.

“Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,”

says the LORD Almighty

Zechariah 4:6