Peace

i find the Lord often uses contrasts to teach us about Himself, and how to conduct ourselves worthy of our calling in Christ. Frequently the best way to understand God’s perspective about Shalom peace is to also investigate the striking opposite which is the world’s version of peace … which ends in chaos, turmoil, and strife.

         Lately, i’ve been thinking about the disparity between indifference and peace, which oftentimes look the same if we don’t do a closer inspection … Frequently the gap between peace and indifference is just a blur, but other times the difference is in perfect focus and you somehow “know” when you see real peace. Ahh, real peace…everyone wants it, but doesn’t know how to get it.

Nevertheless, not everyone sees the sharp line between real peace and the blur of indifference, often seeing only the blur. i believe much of the church doesn’t seem to want to discuss these issues, and i’m not making light of that, but these questions and their answers are vital ones. How many times do we judge, of ourselves, that we have peace based on outward facts but inwardly something is wrong? … truthfully, facts have no feelings, they just are, and there is a distinct difference between facts and the truth. Real peace isn’t based on worldly facts but on Christ who is the truth.

Peace, real shalom peace is only gotten one place in the universe. Many search for fulfillment, happiness, and contentment in material possessions, money, sex, entertainment, etc. But those things do nothing to fill “the hole in our soul” which only GOD can fill; those things only serve to distract and prevent us from finding true peace…the shalom that can only come from Him who created and put all things into place. Peace is from the fountain of the heart of The One, Jesus.

Recently, we’ve been discussing God’s details and how when you love someone you know their details and what they’re about. This evening’s production is about one of the Lord’s details, the Fruit of the Spirit: peace, as mentioned in Galatians 5:22-23.

We often use the word peace, sprinkling it around as if we’re sprinkling salt on food, so in a way, it has been used to both greet people or say goodbye, but it means much more than simply “be well”, “hello”, or “goodbye”. It’s more than feeling good or a lack of violence.

i don’t want to write, yet another article about peace … they are, after all it seems, dime-a-dozen. i don’t know about you, but i want to know what the Lord means when He says the things He says. i recognize, to a limited degree, what i think, but above what i think, what God thinks is vastly more important. i want to look between the words and see the white letters surrounding the words to see the long halls of wisdom in God’s library. Ecclesiastes 7:12, “For wisdom is a defense as money is a defense, But the excellence of knowledge is that wisdom gives life to those who have it.”

Jeremiah 30:5, “GOD’s Message: ” ‘Cries of panic are being heard. The peace has been shattered.”

Peace … everybody wants it, they’re all looking for it, wishing for it, dreaming of it. Many have been so long without it, it just seems like a faint thing in a dream from long, long ago. We have all been at war so long, we’ve never known anything other than war. War in our spirits, war in our minds, war in our bodies, war outside and inside. We so long for peace, but i think maybe true peace, as God intends it, is something most of us can’t relate to. What would it be like if there was no more war? Can’t imagine it maybe? Yea, me either. War is all i’ve ever known and honestly, i don’t know how NOT to be at war. Either i’m arguing with someone in my head, or i’m in a conflict in the physical world about something. To not be at war would mean … to have peace beyond our understanding, and it’s not just the volume of chaos and war around and in us turned down. The peace Jesus was speaking of means, no more war in ourselves, and i can’t hardly related to that. i’ve experienced that peace a few times, and it was exclusively God for it to happen. Only Jesus can give us perfect peace and take the war out of our lives. Some think that if the government would be at peace then everything would be a-ok, others believe that if everyone would quit eating meat, give up heating with petroleum, or save the whales, maybe the world would be well on its way to peace.

Jeremiah 6:14, “They have also healed the hurt of My people slightly, Saying, ‘Peace, peace!‘ When there is no peace.”

Worse still, the world, as a whole, has been getting incrementally less peaceful every year, and it’s not just nations with an army … there are some nations that don’t engage in any military actions and appear peaceful … but their inner turmoil is off the charts. Oh sure, they post really beautiful tranquil pictures, but underneath the tourist pictures comprising a false face, people are starving, warring, and being lonely to death every day.

The peace of the world is extremely dependent on feelings, people seem to need to see it to believe it, and they always want to manage it. The peace of the world doesn’t allow for trouble … and it, ultimately, fails every time, and it never fails to fail. The world’s peace deceives people into thinking that life is manageable. Since death entered the picture at the fall of man in the garden, the world we live in is a hostile environment. We may live in manicured neighborhoods, but under the influence of sin and death, the ill will of this world towards the Lord and righteousness is still, subtly there. The world offers no lasting peace but in it’s place it is merely the turned-down-volume of war, and if there is any semblance of peace offered, it is at a price that eventually requires more than anyone can pay.

The contrast is that God’s peace, shalom peace, is dependent on Jesus alone and trust, doesn’t need to be seen to be believed, makes room for trouble, trusts God to manage everything, and always endures. 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 heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” Notice that Jesus “gives” peace, meaning it’s not something we can go out and get … it is a gift of God, and “giving” is part of God’s tradition.

Peace, as the world knows it, seems to be when all things around us are quiet … we feel outward safety, or there is a momentary lull as turmoil and chaos seem to not be camped out in our living room … for now. Many feel peace is when they have what they want … but even when we get what we think we want … worldly peace is still a fading thing. Peace, as the world knows it, is fleeting, here and gone again, elusive, like a lump of gold, hard to get and hard to hold.

i think many alcoholics and drug addicts continue being addicts to escape the pain of the chaos and strife in their life … they inebriate themselves into a stupor where there is false calm, fake safety, and fictitious peace … peace born in a lie is no peace at all. It seems to be like saying to ourselves, “If i don’t notice the badness in my life, it’s not really there,” that is until that same badness grabs us by our lapels and demands our attention … oops! There goes the peace!

Not talking to your spouse or not dealing with your problems just to “keep the peace” is no peace either … it is just an exercise in pain, the game of who can careless, the most, the longest. Not addressing our lack of peace is only a band-aid. Psalm 119:165, “Great peace have those who love Your law, And nothing causes them to be offended.” Here are some sticky words, God-peace does not hold an offense.

If your life, inside and out, if we were at peace with God and the world around us, what would that look like? If war is all we’ve known, then war is all we can imagine. Can you picture no war? Can you even imagine such an amazingly, wonderful thing? Can you envision how you would look to yourself in the mirror … with the at-rest look in your eyes … Imagine, even though the world around you is exploding, yet, you are at peace in your heart and mind … How does that look to you?

Shalom peace doesn’t mean violence is absent.

God’s idea of “vision” is to possess one mind with one purpose, and di-vision is to be split into disunity. Do you get it? 1 Samuel 17 opens with a vision of two armies poised to go to war, the Philistines on one mountain, and across the valley, Israel on the other mountain. 1 Samuel 17:4, “And a champion went out from the camp of the Philistines, named Goliath, from Gath, whose height was nine feet, nine inches tall.” This guy was huge…. he was a loud-mouthed, arrogant giant of Gath with too many fingers, too many toes, and really bad teeth.

i believe most everyone would agree with me, the champion from Gath was a terrifying person to behold…there was just something insane and violent about him, and i think we can safely assume the giant probably loved fighting and blood and had a really bad temper… i also believe he was used to getting his way, no matter what. So, do you know where a 400Lb gorilla sits? That’s right, anywhere he wants to, and don’t you know Goliath probably invoked the 400Lb gorilla rule all the time. In vs 45 David declared, “I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.” A man without God’s peace would have easily been defeated by simply observing the giant who wore what seemed to be impenetrable armor, a massive helmet, and carried terrible weapons. i’m sure to Israel, Goliath looked like their idea of “insurmountable odds”.1 Samuel 17:24, says, “And all the men of Israel, when they saw the man, fled from him and were dreadfully afraid.”

David had none of the weapons or armor Goliath had. He was small and Goliath was huge; Goliath had a violent and terrible reputation, and David had a reputation of herding sheep … BUT … David had something Goliath did not. David had God’s peace, shalom peace, and would not be moved from his trust in God. Even though the battle was set in a wide array, from mountain to mountain … from David’s platform of peace, the entire battle was drawn into a well-defined, sharp focus.

Hear this: When we live with God’s peace in our hearts, it draws all things into their correct perspective, flattens out chaos, and dispels fear. God’s peace gives us confidence, it breeds trust and faith in the Lord. God’s peace renews our vision, sharpens our focus, and will see us through all our trials. That’s why God included it in the list of fruits of the Spirit.

When Saul scoffed and said, “You’re just a kid! And you’re gonna go fight a giant? HA! Surely you jest!” David told King Saul straight out in 1 Samuel 17:36, “Your servant has killed both lion and bear; and this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, seeing he has defied the armies of the living God.” Twice David defined the champion of Gath as one who defies the Living God, so it wasn’t just a physical battle, it was spiritual too.

Now i’d like us to see something here. i believe David possessed God’s supernatural peace … he was focused and clear-thinking. David walked out on that battlefield like a boss … no armor, no helmet, just a sling and 5 stones, one to kill the giant, and 4 for a backup … he went out there like he OWNED all the land where he set his feet. He was confident and had the razor-sharp focus that comes with shalom peace … there was no blur of indecision or shadow of turning. Even though David was surrounded by warriors and war, and threats of every imaginable violent scenario from all sides, in his heart of hearts he was in perfect peace … God-peace.

Here it is again, so listen: Shalom peace brings all things into alignment, and draws everything into its proper God context; it sets the correct horizon and focal point and is the only vanishing point based on God’s Che’sed, which is never vanishing … peace is part of God’s mercy and grace beyond the vanishing point. God’s peace is defined as God Himself, He is the pivot and pinion, and peace is part of the Fountain of His heart on which we hang our lives in confidence and assurance, never failing and always in shalom peace by the blood of Jesus. The fruit of the Spirit: peace, sets us apart from the world … light years apart.

Got shalom peace?

Before David appeared on the scene that day, the rest of Israel, although they wore armor on the outside, were naked and afraid on the inside, and because they were naked and afraid on the inside, they were not at peace … all they could see was the terrible war around them and the possibility that they were going to die, violently. War was all they saw, war was all they had ever known, and to imagine anything other than conflict and war was truly beyond them.

2 Timothy 1:7, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and a sound mind.” Of all the people on that battlefield that day, it appears David was the ONLY one who walked with a sound mind.

Peace… God’s peace, is one of the elements of the platform on which we plant our feet and live our lives… it is one of the ways we know we are in the fellowship of the saints.

Everybody wants it, but in the world today it would appear not many have it.

Is 26:3, “You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because their trust is fixed on You.”

A key word there is “fixed”, and being “fixed” on the peace of God comes through trust in Him, it means rooted and grounded, firmly persuaded of interest, and that nothing can separate us from it; “fixed” on the covenant and promises of God, which are unwavering and sure; “fixed” on the faithfulness and power of God to make us righteous.

“Steadfast” is the other key word – meaning to be established and stand up straight … as in “Steadfast” on Christ the Son of God and Savior of men; “steadfast” upon Jesus … as in laying the whole stress of our salvation on him; “steadfast” and “unmoveable” concerning His righteousness for our justification; anchored on His blood and sacrifice for atonement, pardon, and cleansing; “steadfast and settled on his fullness for the supply of our wants, and on His power for our protection and preservation. That all describes how it looks to live in God’s peace, Shalom peace. Doesn’t that sound attractive to you? It does to me… and my having experienced peace as the world gives, well… it simply isn’t enough.

i believe i understood the peace of this world was insufficient before i knew Jesus, but i didn’t know then like i know now just how insufficient worldly peace was. Now that i know Jesus, i can say without a shadow of a doubt, His peace passes all my wildest dreams and far beyond the heart of my own understanding. Why wouldn’t someone want something like that and be willing to leave the world behind to have it? It is bewildering to me the people in church who do not understand the difference between worldly peace and God-peace.

In fact, having met quite a few people who often seem to respond with something like white noise as to what they believe and why … i often wonder why they even go to church. How do they survive without God’s peace? Psalm 62:8, “O my people, trust in him at all times. Pour out your heart to him, for God is our refuge.”

For me, i can’t live without His peace, i really and truly can’t make it, and i have sincerely tried. While amid some very terrible situations, His peace was all that held me in place.

And you? Do you hold the elusive peace of the world which is like a vapor, only taunting your heart but never leaving you satisfied? Or is your heart established, and held upright by shalom peace? Philippians 4:7, “… and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” Real peace, lasting peace, satisfying peace ONLY comes through Christ … there is indeed only one way, and that is through Jesus.

According to God, peace is directly connected to very vital things which we all want, worldwide, believers or not.

God’s idea of peace, shalom peace, has “Ha’Shem – The Name” built into it. Looking at the root Hebrew word for peace…Shin, is the first letter, and, among other attributes, it represents Yeshua and the names of God. i believe if we want to thrive and prosper spiritually, we must emulate the attributes of the Lord. 1 Cor 11:1, “Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ.”, and, Ephesians 4:15, “God wants us to grow up, to know the whole truth and tell it in love—like Christ in everything. We take our lead from Christ, who is the source of everything we do.”

Also, the first letter is a picture of two opponents standing on each side, and Christ the divine mediator standing between them, the peacemaker of harmony and peace.

The second letter, lamed is about learning and teaching, in that we can’t teach others about peace unless we, ourselves, have first learned about peace … and if we are going to learn about peace then we must learn about Jesus, the sole possessor of real peace in the universe. Matthew 11:29, “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” Lamed is in the belly of the word denoting direction, goal, and purpose, three key elements of hope. Purpose inspires hope, hope inspires faith, and as we learn of Jesus and emulate His ways, we come to greater peace from glory to glory … as Jesus has it, not as the world gives. In the Lord’s gift of shalom peace, the more we “hold our peace”, as in possessing it as a precious stone, the more we gain a heart that understands wisdom. The more we are at peace, the more we are at peace.

The last letter in the root word is final mem, which speaks of an underground stream and completeness. Colossians 2:10, “and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power.” According to Isaiah 26:3, those who trust in God will be kept in perfect peace, peace which will run in us like a deep underground river that finds its way into all we do. Our God-peace is hidden in our hearts and revealed in our character and actions. Even the world knows when it is in the presence of divine peace, and they marvel.

Our God-peace glorifies the Kingdom of the Almighty. Psalm 145:13, “Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, And Your dominion endures throughout all generations.” Letting our peace flow to others is like the constant outpouring of His open hand of blessing, along with His merciful closed hand which holds back judgment. Our shalom peace seeps into all the open places and corners of our lives, running down our chins and onto the floor, oozing under the doors and makes wet the hem of our garments… it influences the world around us. All the more reason for us to find the darkest places around and then go be there, letting our light shine in being consistent and repeatable, kind and longsuffering, for the sake of the gospel. Think about it.

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 heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”

When the Lord uses certain words together it implies they connect … like the words “wind” and “water”, “love” and “joy”, “grace” and “peace”, etc, etc. i believe these connected words are intentional.

The peace of God is integral to so many important elements of real life. He connected truth and peace in Zech8:19, and life and peace in Mal2:5. In Psalm 85:10, the psalmist writes that righteousness and peace have kissed, they have embraced and go together. Long life is connected at the hip to peace in Prov 3:2, with glory, honor, and peace going together in Rom2:10.

In 2Corinthians 13:11, 2Thessolonians 1:2, and 1Timothy 1:2 love, grace, and mercy, are all linked to peace … peace being the common denominator between them all. Friends, God is revealed in our well-practiced Shalom peace which gives us the power to break the grip of our wildest fears, to still the upheaval of our heart, or to hush broken-hearted sadness – it invites mercy to forgive sin, and life to overcome the fear of death.

Peace, not as the world gives, but as Jesus gives … it is peace which is real, sincere, and never hypocritical. It’s as if Jesus is saying, “I said it, I meant it, and this is no kidding around.” What Jesus offers us to not only have but to live and walk in every day, is beyond the beyond and stretches into eternity … and He’s giving it to us. He’s not just talking a good line, or wishing it were so. Peace is the fountain of the One, The Name, Yeshua, Jesus our Savior.

Be strong and courageous, drive carefully. Pray for your neighbor and think about what you spend your time thinking about. How do you spend most of your time on what thoughts? Shalom my friends and i’ll talk to you next time. Amen.