Welcome to this week's edition of the sermon. I am sorry that the sermon was so short last week. I had to have a tooth pulled, and I really wasn't feeling well at all. I did want to post something, so I did the best that I could. I hope that you are all doing well. Before I go any further, I would like to ask you to pray for where I live in the central US. There are really bad tornadic storms in the forecast. Please pray that these storms will not materialize and be bad. Thank you.
In today's message in our way of Jesus series, I want to say more about the theme of peace that we touched upon last week. One of the titles that Jesus the Messiah is given in the book of Isaiah is the Prince of Peace. Love is definitely the first thing that we think of when we think of the way of Jesus. Peace is the second thing that I think about. It is so important that those who claim to be followers of the Lord Jesus are seen to be those who follow the way of peace and not the way of war and aggression .
One thing that makes me really sad is that throughout the course of history, those who claim to be followers of the Lord Jesus have engaged in so many wars of aggression even with those who are supposed to be their brothers and sisters in Christ. This is so ridiculous. The warfare, violence and bloodshed among those who claim to know Jesus is one of the major obstacles in telling people about the reality of Jesus. Those who don't know Jesus see those who are supposed to follow Him killing each other and invading each others countries. It happened much in the past, and it is still happening today. Why would anyone want to follow a religion if its followers don't act any different from everyone else?
Wars come about according to James because people are greedy and selfish. Their sinfulness leads them into violence. Christians must stand up against this and say that there is another way.
Jesus gave us a teaching to follow that if all Christians would follow it, the world could be revolutionized. He told us to do unto others as we would have done to us. It is very simple yet so profound. If all people would follow this, we would see an end to war and violence. We would see peace because people would be following the teachings of the Prince of Peace.
It always bothers me when I see Christians, being aggressive with guns and violence. Jesus told us to put away the sword. He said that those who live by the sword will die by the sword.
Jesus also taught those who follow Him the way of peace through non-violence. He taught us to turn the other cheek and to go the extra mile. He taught us to overcome evil with good. If all of those who truly call Jesus Lord would act the way that Jesus taught us to act, they world would be the way that it should be.
Now, I'm not naive. There is evil in this world. We saw it in World War II. We see it today when a country invades another nation and attacks civilians. Sometimes, it is necessary to stop evil. However, with that said, Christians can stop violence by acting in the manner of Jesus. If we did, we could stop evil before it gets to the point where atrocities and war take place.
Let us take for example Germany in World War II. Many church people supported what was wrong, or they did nothing to non-violently stand against the Nazi evil. Evil triumphs when good people do nothing. If Christians would have never supported in any way the Nazis, they never would have been able to come to power. I know that there were those who did take a stand, but not enough people did.
Seeking peace means seeking justice. It means standing non-violently against evil so that little things don't grow into big things that cause resentments and lead to conflict.
So many things that Jesus taught against lead to injustice and conflict. For example, Jesus taught us to love one another, and the New Testament is firmly against any type of racism, classism or discrimination. If those who would call themselves Christians would follow the teachings of the Lord Jesus in these areas, so much conflict could be avoided before wars break out.
Now, I've said what I have to say about that for right now. There are two things that I want to add. Jesus is our peace. He gave us His peace so that we do not have to be afraid. The reason being is that He is with us, and no matter what happens to us in this life, we will go to be with Him in the place that He has prepared for us. Knowing this, we can stand for peace and justice without fear of the consequences.
Finally, peace will never fully come until the Prince of Peace returns to this earth in power and great glory. When He does come back, the Bible says that they will beat their swords into ploughshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nations will no longer rise against nation, and they will study war no more. Every person will sit under his or her own vine, the Bible says, and no one shall make them afraid. This is the day that I am longing for. In the meantime, let us follow the way of Jesus and work for peace and justice in this world as we follow the path of the Savior's love. Amen.
Prayer Requests
Once again, I would ask you to pray about the storms.
Let us pray for peace in this world. Here are the countries where I know there are active conflicts. There may be more: Afghanistan, Israel, Ukraine, Chad, Libya, Yemen, Syria, Sudan, Congo, Somalia, Ethiopia. Let us pray for these nations that they might have peace. If you know of others, pray for them too.
For our prayer focus nations this week, let's pray for those in the nations of Indonesia and Sri Lanka. Pray that many will come to know Jesus.
Next week, we will continue in our current series. I will post the verses on Monday, and I will try to post something midweek. May God bless you all.
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