There is a phrase in our society that some people are just addicted to “drama.” They seem to want to have things to be upset about, they look for issues of debate where they are at the center. Whether it is with friendships or co-worker relationships, it seems that some people actually need to have conflict in their lives- as in maybe they wouldn’t know what to do with themselves without a rallying cry of conflict to repeat early and often.
But most of us do not want conflict. Nobody wants to grow up in a home where parents are fighting and arguing all of the time. Personally, I have made a point to stop following the news for a time. I know that it is only going to be about conflict. And there is a time and a place for all of that. Peace sounds much better. Can we all just take a sabbatical from conflicts for about 6 months, or how about for three years?
Likewise wouldn’t it be nice if we experienced peace in the living our Christian faith. What if our faith was not met with protests? Perhaps instead our faith could be welcomed and applauded. Can’t we just have it where nobody would say anything against us if we talk about how important marriage is and how children need a mother and father living in the same household, raising them in the faith? Can we have a chance for an open platform of speech to share the message that Jesus alone provides the fulfillment people are looking for in life?
Wouldn’t it be great to have peace when we speak on behalf of the unborn and when we speak the truth that a baby dying is not a way to provide salvation, as in save people from difficult circumstances? What if we could have peace when we describe how old false idols and heresies only repeat themselves. What if we could talk about how Baal worship involved child sacrifice and pursuit of sexual immorality as a means of bringing on good times or material prosperity? And here we are today, people celebrate their constitutional rights to take the life of the unborn.
We know that this peace we would like is not going to be offered to us from the unbelieving world. Instead we have peace in a much more important way than being comfortable in our society today. We have peace through the gospel of Jesus. We have peace through walking the way of the cross.
It is only when our sinful flesh is killed and destroyed at the cross that we can once again be reunited in God’s image and know peace. This is what Jesus means when he speaks of coming not to bring peace but a sword. The sword is the truth of God’s Word that cuts through any desire we have to find peace outside of God, whether in the security of family relationships or whatever false idol we put our trust in.
It is important that when we listen to the words of scripture that we realize that God’s Word does not contradict itself. Nor should we allow people to discourage us about what God’s Word is saying through emphasis on what one passage of scripture says with a wrong interpretation or a lack of the big picture. “Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace but a sword.” Is Jesus advocating warfare? Is being a Christian all about being in conflict with others? What about if you just love to be peaceful and you do not want to always be in conflict with people? Does that mean living Your Christian faith is not for you?
We know that the Word of God cannot be used against itself. All of scripture points to the same truth of God’s reign in the world. We heard in the gradual: “Oh the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his ways! The wisdom of God involves the Prince of Peace, Jesus, talking about how he has not come to bring peace, but a sword. He is speaking about how family members can be an enemy when they do not live in faith, yet he is also clearly teaching in scripture the bonds of love that tie us together through our faith. Jesus treasures even the simple act of giving a cup of cold water in support of a servant of Jesus. Jesus speaks about bringing conflict because he will not settle for anything less than a perfect peace in His righteousness.
No matter how much the gatekeepers of our culture may accuse the church of causing division and making people feel shamed and judged for who they are, The truth is we are not the ones who are bringing conflict to the world. The conflict comes from the darkness of sin in the world hating the truth we carry with us as we follow God’s Word.
If Jesus were to come to bring the peace the world desires it would have needed to come in the form of his leading the way of man’s rebellion against God. The sword Jesus brings is to cut through the false idol worship that our world treasures through speaking the truth.
Look at our Old Testament reading from Jeremiah: “As for the prophet who prophesies peace, when the word of that prophet comes to pass, then it will be known that the LORD has truly sent the prophet.”
Deuteronomy chapter 18 first gave us the standard of knowing the truth of a prophet’s message in talking about a New prophet who would come greater than Moses:
“When a prophet speaks in the name of the LORD, if the word does not come to pass or come true, that is a word that the Lord has not spoken, the prophet has spoken it presumptuously. You need not be afraid of him.”
Any prophet would like to preach peace from their own wishful thinking, but it will be a false prophecy, what they speak shall not come to pass simply because they have spoken it. Wishful thinking peace always end up with conflict and war.
Only Jesus was able to offer a prophecy of peace that remains, he offered this prophecy when he preached about how he would following the Father’s will give his life on the cross and draw all men unto himself. “When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then will you know that I am he, and that I do nothing on my own authority, but speak just as the Father has taught me.”
This peace is the possession of the church. Although church’s are known for different conflicts among members or among pastors, between this family or that family, we have a foundation of peace in Christ that endures in the church through every time and place.
In our church body, our denomination, we do not struggle as many other churches do about whether God’s Word is true and reliable. We know that all of scripture is God breathed. We do not waste any energy over conflicts as to which Bible account is reliable and which is meant to be ignored. We have peace with one another in Christ because of this common acceptance of the Word of God as fully inspired by God.
Nor do we have division in our church over political issues, as we have a clear distinction of the difference between the right hand kingdom and the left. And we can agree on supporting causes that relate to the gospel, the sanctity of life, the importance of marriage, and the goodness of God’s gift of creation.
We also do not have divisions about the meaning of the Lord’s Supper or Baptism, where some see the sacraments as symbolic and others do not. We do not have divisions where some see a need for speaking in tongues and others do not.
Our unity and consensus of doctrine is founded in Christ. Some see doctrine as a bad word, that which tells us what to do and makes our faith an obligation instead of a gift. But doctrine is in no way a burden to us, it is a gift. Our unity of doctrine is the best way we know from the scripture of receiving Jesus as our Lord over and above any sinful human priorities in our life.
Doctrine helps us see how as a church we can keep our priorities from getting off track. As we recognize the centrality of teaching God’s Word and sharing God’s Word to the world, there are few things to disagree on. In our current context as a congregation we might disagree on how money should be spent and how to make sense of a building that was designed for a larger congregation than we can expect to be in the near future.
We also may experience a little friction over how we should respond to the Corona Virus crisis as a church. Some may feel more comfortable gathering than others, especially when public announcements discourage certain categories of age and health from being in public. We may see conflict over questions of erring too much on the side of safety or erring too much on the side of bringing everything back to the way it used to be.
We know solutions will not be perfect in managing building maintenance costs, but everything is in a different perspective when we recognize that what is important is that we seek to know Jesus and meet him where he has promised to be for us. We meet Jesus as we gather for worship, as we hold Bible Studies, and even as we make connections with those in our community through the gospel. Our perspective is clarified when we hope and wait for Jesus to return as something that is far more important than living up to past traditions of a congregation.
We sang the sermon hymn, ‘Let us Ever walk with Jesus’ In walking with Jesus we will have peace, no matter how the world sees us, no matter what we worry about. In the gift of the Lord’s Supper walk with Jesus and receive assurance of peace as we eat his very body and blood for the forgiveness of our sins. May the peace of Jesus guide us, and guide our Land until the day when we shall see Him face to face. Amen.
