Keep Making Peace!

Introduction

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God” (Mt 5:9). We are called to be peacemakers. But how is it possible for us to be peacemakers in a world that is so full of hate, conflict and strife, a world so divided? How is it possible for us to be peacemakers when many times we as God’s people work against peace, cause and contribute to conflict?

Peace is possible because the Prince of Peace, Jesus Christ, came and made peace possible. The promised Messiah came to establish God’s kingdom of justice, righteousness and peace. The Prince of Peace will come back to bring complete, perfect peace under God’s rule in the new creation. In this time, and in this world, we are called and sent into the world to proclaim peace, make peace, and live peace. We must keep making peace so that the knowledge of the Lord will fill the earth, and the nations will come to him. The Prince of Peace is the hope, the only hope for this world.

1. Who is the Prince of Peace?

Isaiah gives us the answer. “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the LORD Almighty will accomplish this.” (Is 9:6-7) God promised the Messiah, and he fulfilled his promise. The Prince of Peace is of course Jesus Christ, the Son of God. But what qualifies him to be the Prince of Peace?

He is the shoot, the branch, the root of Jesse. He is a descendant of David. He is “the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David” who has triumphed (Rev 5:5). He triumphed because he was the Lamb, who was slain, and therefore, he is worthy to receive “power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise” (Rev 5:12).

He is qualified because the Spirit of the Lord rests on him. The Spirit of wisdom and understanding, of counsel and might, and of the knowledge and fear of the Lord. These are the qualities of a godly ruler; a leader who walks in, and rules according to the ways of the Lord. Wisdom, understanding, knowledge and fear of the Lord are the key elements, the key ingredients, of righteous and holy living. Jesus has these in abundance and to perfection. He is clothed in righteousness and faithfulness (v5). The Spirit of counsel and might guides and empowers Jesus, enables him to rule as the Prince of Peace.

2. What Will the Prince of Peace Do?

He will not judge, make judgments, based on appearance, on first impressions. He will not jump to conclusions or make assumptions. He will not decide on hearsay or gossip, on lies, or twisted truths. He will judge and make decisions with righteousness and justice. He rules according to what is right, based on truth and honesty. He leads with integrity. He is faithful.

The Prince of Peace will “will deliver the needy who cry out, the afflicted who have no one to help. He will take pity on the weak and the needy and save the needy from death. He will rescue them from oppression and violence, for precious is their blood in his sight.” (Ps 72:12-14)

The Prince of Peace is also the King of kings and the Lord of lords who will judge all the peoples (Rev 19:15). His wrath will come down on the wicked, on all those who do not repent and believe; on all those who persist in their sin and rebellion against God. “And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of his mouth and destroy by the splendor of his coming.” ( 2 Thess 2:8)

3. What Will Happen?

What will happen because of his reign? What will be the outcomes? Look at verses 6-8. Wolf—lamb; leopard—goat; lion—calf; lion—ox; cow—bear; child—snakes; a little child leading the calf and lion together. They eat the same food. All the adversaries are at peace. They are enemies no more. There is no more conflict, strife, hate, dislike, revenge between them.

There will be no harm and destruction in God’s kingdom. The earth will be filled with the the knowledge of the Lord. There will be peace. How can people continue to fight and hate when they know and fear the Lord? But then also, because of Jesus the knowledge of the Lord will spread and fill the earth.

He “will stand as a banner for the peoples; the nations will rally to him” (v10). Peoples are coming to him, have been coming to him throughout history, and will be coming to him. And all will enter into his resting place which is glorious. The word for resting place is the same one used in Psalm 23 for quiet waters, or waters of rest. It is a place to rest from tiredness, a place for feeding, watering, and rest, for recovery, healing, and peace. It will be glorious, a place of exquisite beauty where the full splendor, power, wealth, riches, and glory of the Lord will be present and experienced. When we abide in Christ, live in the power of the Holy Spirit, we can already now in this life experience his rest, love, joy, and peace.

Jesus Christ came. He preached peace, he lived peace, and he made this peace possible through his death and resurrection. Because of Jesus we are now citizens of God’s kingdom, God’s children. We are followers of the Prince of Peace. He will come back to establish fully his rule of perfect peace in the new creation. Until that time, he calls and sends us, his followers, the people of God, the church, into the world to proclaim peace, make peace, and live peace.

4. Proclaim, Make, Live Peace!

We must make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification (Rm 14:19). How? Let’s read Romans 15:1-13. We make and live peace by following the example of Jesus Christ. We must have the same attitude and mind as Christ (v5, see also Phil 2:5).

We make peace by living for others. We must not live for ourselves, not please ourselves, but please others to save them, and to build them up. Some of us are strong in the Lord. We know that he is the Lord and Savior. We are contending for our souls. We are working out our salvation with fear and trembling. But many believers are struggling with this. “Accept the one whose faith is weak, without quarreling over disputable matters” (Rm 14:1). “Bear with the failings of the weak.”

To please ourselves is to look out for myself. My views, my needs, my desires, my theology, my politics, my methods, my ways are right and important, and I fight for them. When these things are our priority, our focus, our worry and concern, then we fall into self-centeredness, selfishness, and we seek to please ourselves. No, we must seek first the kingdom. Seek and work first for the righteousness, the justice, and the peace of our Lord. And everything else that we really need, our Lord will provide for us. (Mt 6:33-34)

Jesus Christ did not live for himself, and did not please himself. “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.” (2 Cor 8:9)

How do we live for and please others? By loving them like Christ loves them. By loving them like we love ourselves. We “do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking for your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.” (Phil 2:2-4) So we make peace by loving others. How does this love look like in practice? God’s Word describes this unconditional, self-giving love in no uncertain terms.

Rom 12:9-21 — “Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited. Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. On the contrary: “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”

And again in 1 Cor 13 it says, “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails”

Are you experiencing conflict with someone? Has someone hurt you? Have you hurt someone? Go, and make peace, as quickly as possible. Are you angry at someone or something? Deal with that anger quickly. Go, settle the matter, and make peace. If it is something that you can change, do your utmost best to change the situation to resolve the matter and anger. If it is something you cannot change, learn to accept it with the help of God. Pray the Serenity Prayer — God give me the serenity to accept what I cannot change, and give me the courage to change what I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.

When we cultivate anger, remain angry, cling to our grudges, it poisons our lives, our hearts, our souls. It destroys love. It destroys marriages and families. It destroys careers and friendships. It destroys our relationship with God. It prevents us from living the deeper life with God with love, joy, peace, and contentment. Anger destroys life. It’s serious business. That’s why the Bible tells us to deal with it as quickly as possible, before the sun sets. Anger always leads to sin.

We make peace and deal with anger through forgiveness. Go and ask for forgiveness. Forgive when someone asks you for forgiveness. Many times forgiveness is as simple as saying in your heart before God, and to God, I forgive so and so for what they have done to me. Hanging on to the hurt, cultivating the conflict, clinging to the anger, and not forgiving, that is pleasing ourselves. That is not living for others. That is not loving others. That is not making peace. Our Lord Jesus commanded us to forgive others, because if we do not forgive “others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.” (Mt 6:14-15) Do we hear this?

Radical life-changing love. Radical world-changing love. Because if we practice this love we show the Prince of Peace to the world. Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace, is the only Hope for this world and for the nations. But how can the world come to know Jesus, how can the knowledge of the Lord fill the earth, if they don’t see and recognize the Prince of Peace in us, his followers? So let us be radically different by living for others, loving others, and working for unity among God’s people. Let us proclaim peace, make peace, and live peace. When and where we make peace and live peace we are showing signs, putting up signs, that point to God’s kingdom. We are giving the world a foretaste of the Lord’s glorious resting place. We are raising the banner of our Lord. We are calling the world to the Prince of Peace, the Hope of the nations.