Thanksgiving, Always part 3
I Am Thankful for God's Peace
Let us begin with a story in a university of an older day.
A university professor challenged his students with this question. Did God create everything that exists? A student bravely replied, “Yes, he did!”
“God created everything? The professor asked.
“Yes sir”, the student replied.
The professor answered, “If God created everything, then God created evil since evil exists, and according to the principal that our works define who we are then God is evil”. The student became quiet before such an answer. The professor was quite pleased with himself and boasted to the students that he had proven once more that the Christian faith was a myth.
Another student raised his hand and said, “Can I ask you a question professor?”
“Of course”, replied the professor.
The student stood up and asked, “Professor, does cold exist?”
“What kind of question is this? Of course it exists. Have you never been cold?” The students snickered at the young man’s question.
The young man replied, “In fact sir, cold does not exist. According to the laws of physics, what we consider cold is in reality the absence of heat. Every body or object is susceptible to study when it has or transmits energy, and heat is what makes a body or matter have or transmit energy. Absolute zero (-460 degrees F) is the total absence of heat; all matter becomes inert and incapable of reaction at that temperature. Cold does not exist. We have created this word to describe how we feel if we have no heat.”
The student continued, “Professor, does darkness exist?”
The professor responded, “Of course it does.”
The student replied, “Once again you are wrong sir, darkness does not exist either. Darkness is in reality the absence of light. Light we can study, but not darkness. In fact we can use Newton’s prism to break white light into many colors and study the various wavelengths of each color. You cannot measure darkness. A simple ray of light can break into a world of darkness and illuminate it. How can you know how dark a certain space is? You measure the amount of light present. Isn’t this correct? Darkness is a term used by man to describe what happens when there is no light present.”
Finally the young man asked the professor, “Sir, does evil exist?”
Now uncertain, the professor responded, “Of course as I have already said. We see it every day. It is in the daily example of man’s inhumanity to man. It is in the multitude of crime and violence everywhere in the world. These manifestations are nothing else but evil.”
To this the student replied, “Evil does not exist sir, or at least it does not exist unto itself. Evil is simply the absence of God. It is just like darkness and cold, a word that man has created to describe the absence of God. God did not create evil. Evil is not like faith, or love that exist just as does light and heat. Evil is the result of what happens when man does not have God’s love present in his heart. It’s like the cold that comes when there is no heat or the darkness that comes when there is no light.”
The professor sat down.
Now, this story is popularly attributed to Albert Einstein being the student, but there’s no actual evidence for that. In fact, there’s a strong possibility this whole tale never happened. It is simply a good story to illustrate a truth. Sometimes people think of peace as a lack of war or conflict, but the truth is, war and conflict is a lack of peace. God is the source of all things in life. If sin and corruption is a lack of something from God (which it is), then we can conclude an increase of sin will bring more chaos and conflict—excluding the possibility of peace.
Peace is the truth and substance. Where there is peace, conflict disappears. It is counterintuitive for how we popularly think, but if we can recognize this principle, it will change how we perceive and resolve conflicts among us.
Today, as we give thanks God’s peace, let it remind us that we do not try to remove conflict to leave peace, but rather we must add peace to fill the conflict.
He is the LORD of Peace
Several years ago I sat in a Systematic Theology class where we had to explore the various attributes of God. We talked about His love, His grace, His Omni-everything, and even dissected the idea of ‘Trinity’ far beyond our young minds were able. As part of a unit ending assignment, we had to write and present a biblical argument for one of His attributes. It struck me as a I began that not once had any of our books or class discussions centered on God’s Peace. So, off I went and wrote my project on “The God of Peace”. I have no idea why more systematic books do not have an entire section on this, because the Bible is filled with passages that point to directly, or at the least allude to, our God is the Lord of Peace. So ready yourself for some old fashioned Bible Drill!
Consider the most famous of prophecies concerning the coming Messiah—Isaiah 9:6-7:
Isaiah 9:6
For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given;
and the government shall be upon his shoulder,
and his name shall be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Jesus is called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. The Messiah is the incarnation of God Who brings us peace, because He is the Prince of Peace. Peace is available to us because Christ has come, and Christ has overcome the chaos of sin.
Romans 16:20
The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.
The God of Peace, our Prince of Peace, has already accomplished victory by defeating death on the cross. Now, Paul says, He will soon crush Satan under our feet. The victory of Jesus will one day soon be our victory over this world, as well. It is a peace-filled victory which we can experience today, though fully at the End of this Age.
Ephesians 2:14
For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility
He is our peace! Paul is addressing the great cultural divide between Jews and Gentiles, but they are all one now in Christ. He is our peace who, through His sacrifice, has broken down the wall of hostility. His victory brings peace, because He is peace. Last, we read a benediction prayer to the Thessalonians.
2 Thessalonians 3:16
Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in every way. The Lord be with you all.
The Lord of Peace gives peace, and Paul prays we receive peace "at all times in every way." We have talked many times about thanksgiving being a hallmark trait of a born-again Christian. This same thanksgiving brings peace, because Christ, the Lord of Peace, is with us.
That is a lot of Scripture I just gave you. Are there more verses about God's peace, you ask? Why, yes!
He is the LORD who gives Peace
As has already been mentioned, the Lord of Peace brings us Peace. Turn with me to John 14.
John 14:27
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.
Jesus leaves us peace. In this same passage, He promises to send us a Helper, the Holy Spirit, who will be with us, teach us, and dwell in us. This reason is why He says He does not give as the world gives. It is a gift that cannot be tarnished, stolen, or destroyed. The gift of the Holy Spirit comes with the gift of everlasting life and peace in this world. Our hearts need not be troubled, nor should we be afraid. The Lord of Peace dwells with us.
This promise of peace was made long ago at a time when God's people faced a catastrophe greater than anything that had happened since Egypt. Let's look at another famous verse.
Jeremiah 29:11
For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare[a] and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.
The Lord has plans for Israel, they are plans for 'welfare', or that word Shalom, can also be translated 'peace'. It is quite possible you've heard it before, because it is the same word that used in greetings in the Middle East. It is a greeting of peace and prosperity. The Lord planned a future of hope and peace for His people, and that plan came to fulfillment in Christ and continues into eternity. Consider this promise explained further towards the end of Jeremiah's book.
Jeremiah 33:6
Behold, I will bring to it health and healing, and I will heal them and reveal to them abundance of prosperity and security.
Jerusalem will once again see health and healing. Keep in mind, the Lord tells Israel this as they are beginning their exile. In their darkest day, the Lord issues His promise of peace. Likewise, in our darkest time of sin, Christ came to save us.
Romans 5:1
Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Jesus has brought us peace. In our darkest times, we have the hope and promise of peace. If God was able to bring peace to the exiled Jewish nation, if God was able to bring peace to Gentile pagans, and if God has brought us peace for our eternity, then He certainly will bring us peace for today.
He is the LORD who points the way to Peace
The way of peace is open to us.
Proverb 16:7
When a man's ways please the Lord,
he makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.
When our life is a blessing to the Lord, He will make peace for us with even our enemies. The peace of God is not just for us or for those we like, it is a peace that can permeate even into our enemies. Consider another promise from Isaiah.
Isaiah 26:3
You keep him in perfect peace
whose mind is stayed on you,
because he trusts in you.
When our mind is fixed on the Lord, His perfect peace rests on us. We trust in the Lord and allow Him to keep us at peace. Does this Old Testament verse sound a bit familiar? It is the same principle we find throughout the New Testament, especially in Paul's letters.
Philippians 4:6-7
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
And also in Colossians which we finished a couple of weeks ago.
Colossians 3:15
And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful.
When our minds are fixed on Christ, and He is ruler of our hearts, we will find ourselves at peace giving thanks for all that He has done.
He is our source for peace. He points us the way to peace. And, when we fix our minds on Him, He will give us peace.
So, why is it that we don't experience peace more often in our lives? Why is it that we still find ourselves in conflict, even among other Christians? It is because we are still in that growing process.
How can we experience God’s Peace?
Romans 8:6
For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.
The first step has already been mentioned. We must set our minds on the Spirit who is life and peace. We receive the Holy Spirit upon our surrender and trust in Christ Jesus. If you want peace in your life, you must place your trust in Christ. It is Christ who brings eternal life. It is Christ who forgives sin. It is Christ who washes the corruption away from our soul that brings us so much pain, worry, and death. Place your trust in Him, and then let the Holy Spirit fill you with life and peace that only the Lord can give.
2 Corinthians 13:11
Finally, brothers, rejoice. Aim for restoration, comfort one another, agree with one another, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you.
The next step is to make peace with your fellow Christians. Aim for restoration. Paul does not promise that we will be restored with every person, but we should at least aim for it. If we at least try to be restored with those around us, we may yet find ourselves with new, old friends. But, if we resign to live in conflict and misery, we will not be restored with anyone. Aim for restoration, and even if we are not restored with our brothers and sisters, we can at least know the God of love and peace is with us.
Ephesians 4:3 & 6:15
4:3 eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
6:15 and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace.
Paul again urges us to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. Be at peace with one another. And, in 6:15, we see peace is a part of the armor of God. Paul tells to put on that helmet of righteousness, belt of truth, and put on the shoes of readiness given by the gospel of peace. These are evangelistic shoes powered by the gospel which brings peace.
So, step 1 is to receive restoration and peace with God through surrender to Christ.
Step 2 is to seek restoration and peace with other Christians in whom our sin has caused conflict.
Step 3 is to eagerly maintain the unity of the Spirit, just a soldier readies for war, we are to prepare ourselves to spread peace.
Finally, the last step is not ours to take.
1 Thessalonians 5:23
Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
The work of peace begins with the Lord, and it will reach its fulfillment with the Lord. As we live a life surrendered to Christ, our Lord of peace, fixing our minds on Him and where He leads, then He will sanctify us completely. Our spirit, soul, and body will be kept blameless for the coming of the Lord.
It is absolutely vital as Christians we understand that peace is a product, and a measure, of our growth in Christ. The maturing Christian is one who finds himself more and more at peace--at peace with God and at peace with those around him.
Conflicts are inevitable while sin is still present. In fact, if you notice, these verses are all addressed to God's people. To be in sin and rebellion against God is to live in a constant state of turmoil and chaos. Why do wars rage? Why do people panic? Why do families distrust each other? It is all a product of the sin that is destroying this world.
But, for the Christian who has been given eternal life through Christ who saves us, we can overcome all that is in the world, because "Greater is He who is in us, than he who is in the world."
I am thankful today for the Peace of God, because it is through that peace I know I have eternal life. And, it is through that peace that I can experience a bit of that eternal life here on earth with those who also experience the Peace of God.
Today, if you are not experiencing that peace, fix your mind on Christ. Turn from your sin and find the Prince of Peace who gives peace.