Do You Have Peace?
Let’s start out with a few questions to help us all come to an agreement about some things. Do you 100% believe that if you died this moment, that you would spend eternity in heaven with God? Are you consistently experiencing peace in your soul, the kind of peace where you are not afraid of the future, you are not constantly regretting the past, and you would describe your present life as one where your soul is at rest? Do you have a relationship with the Creator of the universe? If you could not answer yes to any of the above questions then we invite you to read on and consider the truth of God’s Word.
Definitions
Peace is a concept that can have several meanings. A country can be seeking peace from its neighboring countries. The meaning here is the absence of war and fighting.
A married couple could be seeking peace in their marriage. In this context the meaning is harmony and unity in their words, actions, and goals. Then there is the individual desire for peace that seems universal to everyone. The meaning here is the absence of worry and anxiety about the past, present, and future. That is a valuable gift isn’t it?
People have been looking for this kind of peace throughout the centuries haven’t they? They have looked to community to provide it. They have looked to family to provide it. They have looked to pursuits and hobbies to provide peace. Many have looked to wealth to provide it. Some have looked to pleasure to provide it: harmless pleasure as well as destructive pleasure. Others have looked to a soul mate to provide peace. Many have thrown themselves into jobs, careers, and social movements to provide peace. A few have given their lives to the good causes of mankind to make life better, simpler, more comfortable, and more enjoyable for others. Finally, religion seems to be a last ditch effort on the part of many to find peace. Often times a taste of peace has been possible in many if not all of these. But, if you and I are honest with ourselves, none of these provide lasting and deep peace, the peace that transcends outward problems, struggles, war, weaknesses, mistakes, wounds from others, suffering, abuse, shame, violence, oppression, and loneliness. The kind of peace that is present even when we are sick, poor, alone, and confused.
Is that kind of peace possible in our lifetime? If it were possible, would you do anything to get it? Would you at least investigate the possibility? The Bible does not answer every question about life, death, and the world. But it does have the best answer to all of the most important, the deepest, the philosophical, and the spiritual questions that all of us have. Are you ready to do some investigating? Our ultimate quest is to find the answers to the first few questions regarding lasting, deep peace that we asked in the very beginning.
Meaning
Why don’t relationships with people, pursuits of pleasure, religion and all other of our attempts at deep peace ever really provide peace? The Bible has much to say about this. Listen to the journal entries of one man who was king over Israel in Jerusalem. He had wealth, power, time, and the drive to have satisfaction in life. He sought the peace that we all seek. He says: “Behold, I have magnified and increased wisdom more than all who were over Jerusalem before me; and my mind has observed a wealth of wisdom and knowledge.” And I set my mind to know wisdom and to know madness and folly; I realized that this also is striving after wind. Because in much wisdom there is much grief, and increasing knowledge results in increasing pain (Ecclesiastes 1:16-18). This man was driven and would try out every aspect of life to find ultimate satisfaction and peace. The king tried pleasure saying “Come now, I will test you with pleasure. So enjoy yourself. And behold, it too was futility. I said of laughter, “It is madness,” and of pleasure, “What does it accomplish?” I explored my mind how to stimulate my body with wine while my mind was guiding me wisely, and how to take hold of folly, until I could see what good there is for the sons of men to do under heaven… I enlarged my works: I built houses for myself, I planted vineyards for myself.” He built great things and provided for his every desire, but at the end of his labor he concluded “behold all was vanity and striving after wind and there was no profit under the sun.” (Ecc. 2:1-11).
Let me ask you something. What are you investing your life into? Is it people, or you, or things, or projects, or great causes? You can answer this question by noticing what you do with your time, your money and resources, and with your energy and talents. When you pass on, what will become of your efforts, your sweat, and your projects? What is your purpose in life? What are your efforts producing and accomplishing? Survival is the best that some can achieve. An inheritance for their children is the goal of others. But what about peace, and life after death?
The king asked an important question during his life that is foundational for peace in this life and the next: “Who knows that the breath of man ascends upward and the breath of the beast descends downward to the earth”. We have found that the answer to this question directly affects our peace. For if we know what happens when we die, and if we can do something about it in this life, then there is purpose, and achieving that purpose will produce peace.
In the first set of books that God gave to the His people (the Old Testament) there is a promise of a person to come. That person would be someone known for peace. “For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6). Much of the Old Testament prophets wrote about this one who would come. They called him the “massiach” meaning anointed one. Today we know this word as Messiah. Here is an example from one of the promises about the Messiah: “The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers take counsel together against the Lord and against His Anointed” (Psalm 2:2, NASB). Also the purpose of the Messiah’s coming was prophesied here: “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the afflicted; He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to captives and freedom to prisoners” (Isaiah 61:1 NASB). This anointed one, the prince of peace, would be one who would bring good news, help the brokenhearted, and proclaim freedom to captives and prisoners. Sounds pretty good doesn’t it? But, you say, I am not a prisoner, I am not held captive, and I don’t need anyone or anything. You are true to an extent. If you desire to live without complete peace and if you are not concerned with your eternal soul’s destiny, then you are correct. But I don’t believe anyone who is honest with themselves is in that situation.
The Problem
According to the Bible, there is a single problem with every created person on the planet. A problem so deep that we often don’t admit we have that problem. We can see this problem in the worst of us. But, in our pride and blindness, we are unable and unwilling to see this problem in ourselves. This problem is the obstacle to our deep peace. It is not done away with by any sort of cure or solution that is manmade. Consider the following: “But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear” (Isaiah 59:2). Iniquity is sin. And sin is whenever we disobey God’s law and his commands. But, you might say, when have I ever committed sin? An easy test is to judge yourself by the Ten commandments. Ask yourself some of the following questions. Have you always kept God first? If not, you have broken number one. Have you ever used God’s name as a cuss word? That would be breaking the third commandment. Have you ever stolen anything, little or big the value is not significant? Then you have broken the eight command. Have you ever lusted after another person? Jesus said when you lust it is just as if you have committed adultery in your heart. If so you have broken the seventh command. Have you ever told a lie, big lies and little lies are still lies aren’t they? Then you have broken the ninth commandment. Have you always honored your parents? If not, you have broken the fifth commandment. I know no individual, myself included, who hasn’t broken at least one of these commandments that God gave to the world.
The Eternal Consequences
Okay, okay you might say. If that is God’s standard then everyone has sinned. That is exactly the point. The Bible agrees with you saying “for all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). Every person in every church, synagogue and mosque is a sinner based on the Bible. Every person in every religion is a sinner based on the Bible. That includes me, my church, and you too, right? So, what are the consequences of our sins? The bible teaches that God is a holy and good judge (Psalm 7:11). If you committed a crime and you went before a good judge and said “judge you are a good judge and a good man, will you let me go and not make me face the punishment of my crime?” That would be ridiculous wouldn’t it? A truly good judge would punish you for your crime. God promises to do that to us all: “For the wages of sin is death” (Rom. 6:23). All will die, that we can be sure. But an eternal separation from God is the death that is spoken of here. You see, the wrath of God is on all of us, every sinner. Are you still skeptical? Someone asked Jesus once what the greatest commandment was. Jesus answered saying “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself’” (Matt. 22:37-39). Have you always kept these two commands? No one has. That is bad news for all mankind. But there is some good news in all this.
The Bible says “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom. 5:8). We broke His laws, but the perfect son of God, the Lord Jesus, the Messiah prophesied about in the Old Testament, he paid the penalty. No one but Jesus could have paid this penalty because no one was a holy, perfect sacrifice. Jesus died on the cross and showed us that God was so holy that someone had to die for sins. At the same time, on the same cross, Jesus showed that God so loves us that he provided for us a way to make peace with Him. Jesus told his followers “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father but through me” (John 14:6).
So what remains for us to really enjoy the peace of God that he offers to us? The Bible teaches us “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Rom. 5:1). Jesus was crucified on the cross, he died, he rose up from the grave by the power of God on the third day, and he lives to save us and give us 1)Peace with God 2) Deliverance from the punishment of our sin (hell) and 3)Eternal life after our death. Our response to God’s gracious gift is to repent and turn from our sins, and place our belief, our faith, and our whole trust in the Lord Jesus to forgive us and give us that eternal life.
The Invitation
Would you turn to Christ in faith right now? The Bible says “that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.”
Why don’t you have an honest talk with God right now? Admit to God that you are a sinner, that you have broken His laws and by faith believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and He will save you. Oh yeah, you’ll also receive peace!
What now? Spend a few weeks reading through the New Testament (that’s the second part of the Bible). Whatever questions you have pray for God’s spirit to give you answers. Also, ask others whom you know have become followers of the Lord Jesus. They usually have learned a few things through reading the Bible, attending church, and making a lot of mistakes. Tell another follower of Jesus what you did. They will be glad. Find a church that teaches the Bible. You will need the Bible like food for the soul. If I can answer any questions for you, please use the email form below. May God bless your journey with Jesus!
Pastor Jonathan
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