The Missing Piece of Peace

Image by Zoltan Matuska

​What is the one thing we are all actually after? Peace. We work hard to earn enough money so we don’t have to worry about life, which is just a negative way of saying that we would like peace. Why do we go to war as nations? Because someone either has upset or threatens to upset peace. Imagine that! War to get peace. Killing each other to get peace. It is the most sought after gift in the world, yet here it is, sitting right in the fruit of the Spirit. It’s not even the first one listed! 

Now, what is peace? I imagine that many of you have different answers to what that would mean for you. Some in here, I would imagine, would feel peace if this physical problem would just go away. If only you could hear like you used to, see like you used to, move like you used to, then there would be peace. Peace is found in a return to the past. For others in here, particularly the youth, peace is found in finally reaching the future! If only you could look ahead to see if life is going to be ok for you, you would find peace. For those of us in the middle of those two sections of life, we don’t want the past or the future; we don’t want time to move at all! In fact, if life could just be still for a minute, THEN there would be peace. 

All of that is a lie, and it isn’t even the first thing about what real peace is. Those may be pieces of peace, but they are not peace itself or even the things that lead to peace. Peace is a person, the one Who’s arrival caused the angels to sing that verse we’ve just read, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!” What impresses angels so much that they would say that? Well, let’s take a look at what peace means. I’ll give it to you up front, and over the course of the next few minutes together, you’ll see it come from the Scriptures. Peace is the feeling of wholeness solely founded on the fact of Christ's work for you.

The word translated “peace” in the passages we will look at today is the same word that is used to translate the Hebrew word for peace: Shalom. Shalom is an absolutely beautiful and massive word that isn’t limited to the state of not being at war, but is a sense of wholeness (Dictionary of New Testament Theology, 165). To be whole is to not be missing anything. Everything is as it should be when you experience shalom. Are you beginning to see how what Christ offers you when He offers peace is more than just physical wellness, lack of anxiety, and a nap that lasts longer than an hour? 

What or Who could possibly promise shalom, rightness with everything, wholeness in your life? Well, it starts at the birth of Christ the night sky lights up with angelic glory as they herald the birth of Christ, closing with a praise to God (Glory to God in the highest) and a proclamation to Earth, “peace, among those with whom He is pleased.” This Child that has been announced here is the key to this verse of praise! His arrival is the cause of God’s glory and peace among those with whom He is pleased. He has sent a Savior. 

Now think about what this might mean for the people there. Who is currently over the known world at this point? The Romans. They’ve brought what they call the pax Romana, the Roman Peace. Who is to stand in the way of the might of Rome? They have conquered so many nations there isn’t anyone really able to stand against them. Sure they tax a lot, but not having to worry about invaders is a pretty sweet gig if you can just get on board with Caesar's agenda.  What is this Jesus offering? And how is He going to offer it? Does He have something better than even the Romans can provide? 

We do well to answer this question today. America is way more powerful than Rome ever was taking modern military tools into account. Can you imagine Nero having access to an atom bomb? If we wanted to, we could close our borders and never talk to another country again with about 5 years lead time to put together some factories. And for many Americans, that is what peace would look like. 

But is that how Jesus defines peace? 

Well, if we skip to the end of the story, Jesus is all grown up, and here comes this peace talk again at the end of John 16. To give you context, Jesus is about to go to the cross, and these are the final things that He wants to tell them before He goes. In verse 33, He says, “I tell you these things so that in me you might have peace.” Ok, well, what are “these things”? Well, it points back to everything that has been said since chapter 14, which opens with “Let not your hearts be troubled.” Why is He saying that? He knows He is about to go to the cross, but the disciples don’t know that. He is about to go and be the Savior that He was announced as being in Luke 2, but the disciples can’t see that yet. 

So He tells them plainly that Peace exists solely in Him. It’s not in Rome or riches. How? First, because He is going to prepare a place for them (and us) in heaven and be the way to those who are going there. Jesus is not only building the room, He is being the road. You may know peace because you know Jesus. But how do you travel on the road of Jesus? John 15:4 answers that. Abide in Him. It turns out that Jesus isn’t a bridge to heaven that you’ve still gotta figure out how to walk across. It turns out the way to heaven is being still. It is living with Christ. Listening to Him. Obeying Him (vs. 9-10). This comes from already having a relationship with Christ. You are already filled with life, Little Branch, by being connected to the Divine Vine. Connection with Jesus is connection with God, and that is peace! What is wholeness! 

You and I are broken and rebellious. And if you’ve been on that path for any length of time you know you are doing what you need to. And if you’ve ever attempted to reform your ways, you know how often you fail. 

Abby watched the movie “The Star,” an animated movie about the nativity, with the kids the other day. She said that it was a cute movie, but they missed the gospel at the end. At the end of the movie, the villains are all gathered around the Christ child, look at Him and one of them says, “Are we good now?” Another replies, “We can try.” Doh! So close! No, you don’t look to Jesus for inspiration to live a good life, you look to Him for salvation to the good life. He is the road, He is the life-blood who gives you salvation. 

So what about this stuff about obeying Jesus? Well, peace exists solely in Christ, but Peace is experienced in obedience to Him. If you remember a time where you were joyous in Christ but now not so much, take a look at how you are living your life. Sin isn’t the only reason you lose peace, but it is a big one. Look at Phillipians 4:4ff: 

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.

In other words, if you aren’t doing these things, then it should be no wonder to you that you don’t have peace! If you are contemplating that which is ugly, worldly, and sinful, it should be no surprise to you that you don’t have peace. It has been well said that, “Facts don’t care about your feelings,” but it is equally true that feelings care deeply about the facts. What are you labeling as fact in your life? Are you keeping Christ and His work at the forefront of your mind? Do you see peace as only existing in Christ and experienced in obedience to Him, or do you think it exists and is experienced in money, sex, political dominance or even good things like a happy family? Feelings care a lot about facts, but they wait for you to tell them what the facts are. Are you telling them Jesus’ words here in John or cable news’ words? Are you giving them Biblical wisdom or your own? 

If you wander from the source of peace, Jesus loves you enough to take it away to draw you back to Him. It is Jesus’ loving discipline, like a good father, that will not only bring you back to Him, but expand your peace. Hebrews 12:11, in context tells us that God disciplines those He loves like a good father, so in verse 11 we read, “For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it” (emphasis added). Discipline will bring you peaceful fruit! Oh, talk to someone who has gone through something like that way back in their lives (often it takes a while to see), and they will tell you that though what they went through was hard, it has brought them closer to God than ever before. 

Sometimes we just put things in the way of our own peace. Your life in Christ is like running a race, but Jesus is carrying you as He is running. Meanwhile, you’re looking at your shoes going, “Whew! Glad I’ve got these shoes on. Don’t know how I would run the race without those.” Jesus then takes the shoes off, you panic, and grip hold of Jesus. At that point you say, “Oh, wow, look at Jesus go! It’s a good thing I’ve got strong arms to hold Him with!” then Jesus weakens your arms so you can’t even lift them. You panic again, but then you realize that Jesus is holding onto you. It turns out it was never the shoes or your ability to hang on that got your through the race. You feel more peace than you ever did with shoes or strong arms, because now you know it wasn’t anything you had or anything you could do that kept you in the race. It was Jesus the whole time. Now, you’re just grateful that you can see Him. And then, he covers your eyes. But this time you don’t panic. You’ve realized that He has always been there, and even if you can’t see Him, you know He’s there, and that is peace. Wholeness in spite of your circumstances not because of them. You know that peace only exists in Christ, is more richly experienced in obedience to Him, and is even expanded under His discipline. Peace has a name, and His name is Jesus. 

Look at Isaiah 51:12-16 with me. The quick translation of this verse? “How dare you trust anything else?” As John Piper put it, “Who do you think you are to trust something other than God?” Look at John 16:33, “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” Or as D.A Carson translates it, “I have conquered the world.” So don’t trust that which Jesus has beaten! Jesus has cut the arms and legs off of the world, and all the world can scream is “I can still bite you!” Why are you throwing in your peace with that? You don’t have to trust the world. You don’t have to find your peace in circumstances.  

Romans 8:31-39 “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? Who shall bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written,
“For your sake we are being killed all the day long;
we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.”
No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Piper points out that “in these things” means that all those horrible things can and do happen to us, yet! We Are More than Conquerors!  

How? Because Christ won the victory. He went to the cross, paid for our sin, reconciled us to God, and can therefore bring you peace. 

So what does this mean for you? Well, if you don’t have any peace, you should take it like the check engine light. Something is wrong. I don’t mean that anytime you are sad you are being disobedient. God gave ⅓ of the Psalms as laments, so He expects you to lament the sinful world and its effect. Peacefully lamenting is like swimming at the bottom of a deep lake with scuba gear. You feel the pressure, but you can still breathe. But if you are consistently missing peace, it is time for reexamination. Come to Jesus. Don’t run to distraction. 

We live in a time where you can recreate the “feeling” of peace without the facts to support it. You can forget about your troubles for a moment by scrolling through the internet. You can forget about them even longer with psychedelics, as many turn to those. You can forget your troubles even longer by pretending that the world is just atoms crashing into one another, and all of this Jesus stuff is just a crutch and probably doesn’t matter. It’s all a distraction that God will one day pull you back from or give you over to. We’ve built the modern Tower of Babel, the tower of distraction. God tells us to come to Him for peace, and we’ve gone to anything else. Don’t do that. You want peace? It’s right here. Don’t you dare run to the internet to get through your day. Don’t do that to yourself. Find true peace in Christ. 

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