Introduction: Our theme this year is "Lord, make me an instrument of thy peace." This is part of a poem by a famous Christian of the Middle Ages. The rest of the poem goes like this:
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace:
where there is hatred, let me sow love:
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
and where there is sadness, joy.
Wherever Jesus is preached and received, peace is sure to follow. Peace WITH God. The peace OF God. Eventually, a WORLD at peace.
I. Peace WITH god must come first.
Much of the Christian world no longer addresses the concept of peace WITH God, because of defective doctrines: the doctrine of God's holiness, and a defective doctrine of sin and damnation. In many churches today the Old Testament God of Wrath is considered an old-fashioned, out-moded, untrue concept. Sin is not really all that bad; and God is just too nice and too loving to ever send anyone to Hell.
Our war with Japan 50 years ago is a good illustration to help us understand what the Bible means by peace WITH God. From 1941 to 1945 we were in a condition of war with Japan. There was no peace. In 1946 we were at peace with Japan. Something happened in September of 1945 that changed our relationship from war to peace. What happened? It was the total and unconditional surrender of Japan to General Douglas on board the USS Missouri.
Before people become Christians, they are like Japan before the surrender. They are at war with God. So says the Bible in Romans 8:5-8:
5 For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.
6 For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.
7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.
8 So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.
The word in verse seven that describes our war-time footing is "enmity." Enmity means conflict and hatred.
John 3:18-19, 35-36 informs us that mankind is rebellious and lost. Men love darkness, they cast off the laws of God, they reject the Son of God.
John 3:18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son.
John 3:19 This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil.
John 3:35 The Father loves the Son and has placed everything in his hands.
John 3:36 Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God's wrath remains on him."
People who are atheists, people who worship other gods and spirits, people who hear about Jesus but prefer other religions: they are all rebels, and they are all at war with God. In order for any man, woman or child to have peace WITH God, there must be a total unconditional surrender on the part of that person. When we repent of our sins, and believe in Jesus, God justifies us and gives us His peace:
Rom 5:1 "Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ."
II. The peace OF God is an inner condition of joyful confidence and rest, even in the midst of outward turmoil.
John 16:33 "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."
John 14:27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.
ILLUSTRATION: Many years ago there was an art contest in New York city. Artists were challenged to paint pictures that best illustrated the idea of peace. Hundreds of paintings were submitted by the artists of New York. There were pastoral scenes of cows out in the field. There were pictures of streams and rivers. Some artists submitted pictures of lofty mountains. But the picture that finally won the contest was a picture of a wild thunderstorm. The rain was pouring down, the wind was blowing hard, and the lightening was flashing. But tucked away under the eaves of a barn, safely out of the storm was a bird nest, and in the nest a momma bird, quietly sitting on her eggs, and unafraid of all that was going on around her. Peace in the midst of the storm.
Jesus did not promise to take us out of the storms of life, but He did give us His peace.
However, some of you may still not be experiencing the peace OF God in your lives. Please note: God's peace does not come automatically, just because you are a believer in Christ. You must do three things to have God's Peace in your heart:
1. You must pray. Philippians 4:6-7
Phil 4:6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
Phil 4:7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
2. You must live a godly Christian life. Philippians 4:9
Phil 4:9 Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me--put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.
3. You must trust God. Romans 15:13
Rom 15:13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
If you are a "prodigal son" type of Christian, you can't experience God's peace. The prodigal son was miserable until he repented and went back to his father, and begged to be a servant. You must repent of your sins, and serve your Heavenly Father, before you can have God's peace in your heart.
III. WORLD PEACE
A. The world is certainly not at peace NOW!
B. The Bible prophesies the coming of peace:
Isaiah 11:6-10
Isa 11:6 The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together; and a little child will lead them.
Isa 11:7 The cow will feed with the bear, their young will lie down together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox.
Isa 11:8 The infant will play near the hole of the cobra, and the young child put his hand into the viper's nest.
Isa 11:9 They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain, for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea.
Isa 11:10 In that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples; the nations will rally to him, and his place of rest will be glorious.
The key to world peace is the "Root of Jesse," who is Jesus Christ, the son of David. When the world turns to Christ, then the world will have peace.
Conclusion: What can we do to be Instruments of God's Peace?
1. Care about the lost world.
2. Respect Jesus' wishes in the great commission.
3. Give money and send missionaries.
4. Do our part to witness personally to others about Christ.