Second Sunday in Advent:: Finding Peace with God

Scripture Focus (GOSPEL)        Matthew 10:34-39
“Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. And a person’s enemies will be those of his own household.  Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.

Message    Advent: Finding Peace with God

Does it seem odd to you that the Prince of Peace himself would declare from his own lips that peace on earth is not his purpose? Does it seem kind of weird that instead of resolving the conflicts people have with one another, Jesus seems intent on making them worse, creating conflict in the most basic and precious of relationships? On this second Sunday of Advent, when our hearts turn to the cry for peace, it is important we understand the reality of the truth Jesus proclaims in these words.

People long for peace. Conflict is hard. Conflict is costly. It takes great emotional and spiritual energy to fight against God, against other people, against circumstances, and even against our own conscience and will. Deep within us we know that we were made for peace. We know that we were created for rest in the goodness of our sovereign and trustworthy God. We know that our lives are meant to radiate his perfections. But we struggle against His purpose for us, demanding for ourselves the glory that belongs to God. We want to be our own gods, determine our own paths, set our own goals, fulfill our own desires. We have no delight in the righteousness and holiness of God. We have all sinned and fall short of the glory of God. We hear “peace, peace,” but we know there is no peace. We long for peace.

At first glance, the answer Jesus provides here to our cry for peace seems somewhat disappointing, at the very least. Jesus appears to say that peace is not his mission. But, consider this, in the synagogue in Nazareth, Jesus reads the passage from Isaiah 61:1-4. Find the passage in Luke 4:16-21.

And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up. And as was his custom, he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and he stood up to read.    And the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor.  He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind,  to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”     And he rolled up the scroll and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him.  And he began to say to them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”
At that very moment, Jesus tells them, everything they looked forward to in regard to the Messiah they longed for was sitting right in front of them. He himself was the One who would deliver them, set them free, bless them, redeem them, and bring them peace.

Now, along with these verses, consider also the words of Jesus to his disciples in the hours just before he is betrayed and taken away to be crucified: “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." (John 14:27).  

How then can Jesus say he did not come to bring peace on the earth? I believe what Jesus means for us to understand is this: the peace he brings to those who commit themselves to him will be rejected by others creating a spiritual division between those who surrender their lives to him and those who do not. Following Jesus as Savior and Lord may cost you your most precious relationships, but only those who are willing to pay the price are worthy of the peace Jesus brings. Following Jesus will always require a trip to the cross where we lay down our lives to him just as he laid down his life for us.

The faith to count the cost and trust Jesus with our lives is the path to real peace. Jesus calls us to a singular love for him above anyone and anything else in this world. He is quite clear about this. Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me.

Many Christians today live with Jesus as simply one of many loves. They are as committed to him as they are to their own self-preservation, or their own families, or their own futures. Few throw themselves upon the Savior as the love of their life for whom they would do anything, even lay down their lives. But wholehearted, single-hearted love for Jesus is the way of peace, so it is no wonder so many today have found a religion in Christ but have not found a true and lasting peace.

Think with me, for a moment, about Jesus, through whom we do in fact find peace with God. Jesus fulfilled every requirement of God’s covenant with man. There is no longer a reason to fear God as the just Judge, for Christ’s obedience and God’s choice to accept Jesus’ death on the cross fully satisfy all the demands of the law. We are free by faith to engage with God on the basis of love, not fear. And where there is no fear, peace reigns. Peace is possible for everyone who puts their faith in Jesus.

Through Jesus Christ, the just wrath of God against us is removed. Through Jesus Christ, the mercy of God is applied. Through Jesus, the forgiveness of God is offered. Through Jesus, the way to God is opened. Through Jesus, peace with God is gained.

But peace with God only comes through Jesus. If we do not come to God through faith in Christ, then we must come bearing our own sin and shame and guilt and stand before God as rebels who have much to fear in the light of eternal justice. Finding peace with God means finding faith in Jesus Christ alone and loving him above all other loves.

And how do we come to faith and love for Jesus? Through repentance. Through acknowledging and confessing to God our rejection of him and turning to him for forgiveness and the ability to live in loving accord with him. We find peace by baring our hearts to God and asking him in faith to make us new and keep us new as we live in obedience to his commands.

The second candle is the peace candle. It beckons us to come to Jesus, not because we will necessarily find our peace with everyone else, but because in him we will find our peace with God. And only when we are at peace with God can we be at peace with ourselves, with others, and with the lives we live in a world hostile to true peace.

Sometimes, God removes his peace from us in order to create a deeper sense of dependence on him. Sometimes, the believer’s peace is interrupted by the effects of living in a fallen world (illness, etc). Sometimes, we permit our attention to be turned away from God and engrossed in our trials. Sometimes, we forget that the faith to which peace is promised is a working faith that expresses itself in good works. Sometimes, and I believe more often than not, peace flees because of sin, and most often that sin is loving something or someone more than Jesus. We know that Jesus is not in the position of Lord and Savior and Love that he deserves to be in our hearts and our confidence before him is undermined, our trust in him is sabotaged, our reliance on him is abandoned, and we are left on our own to stand against the world.

The way to peace is through the cross to the Christ. Wherever you are today, whatever your heart condition, the invitation of Advent is to prepare your heart for peace, to find your peace with God through new or renewed faith in Jesus Christ.

God loves you. He has made the path to peace crystal clear. Jesus has come. Jesus is coming. Come to Jesus. Find your peace with God.