The Gracious Power of the Cross 2. Peace with God Isa 52:13-53:12;Ps 51:10-19; 1 Pet 2:21-25; Matt 4:12-22
Introduction
Any series on the cross must be a series about Jesus. If, “Jesus Christ is the atonement.” (Barth), “he/Jesus is our peace” (Eph 2:14). Unless we stay centred on Jesus we will define “peace” in terms of outer circumstances or inner feelings. This is not a biblical understanding.
The natural human inclination in a world which has lost the glory of God (Rom 3:23) is to think of peace as the absence of conflict and chaos. When in 1938 British PM Neville Chamberlain infamously declared, “Peace for our time.” he was not speaking in the language of scripture. To think biblically, we must understand conflict as the loss of peace i.e., peace has absolute priority. The famous pax Romana/Roman peace spared Europe from open war, but this sort of “peace” was enforced through fear. Paul could say of the inner state of a lost world, “the way of peace they have not known” (Rom 3:17 from Isa 59:7-8). Especially since COVID it is increasingly evident to be without Jesus is to be peaceless. (There is deep truth in the bumper sticker: “No God No Peace Know God know peace”) The peace that the cross has achieved is in fact radically supernatural.
When a Christian British soldier had the lower half of face blown off during the Maori War in M.Z. he lay dying but was able to write his own farewell, “Peace, peace, peace, deep flowing like a river.” When Horatio Spafford heard his four daughters had been drowned at sea he penned these famous words. “When peace like a river attendeth my way When sorrows like sea billows roll Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say It is well, it is well with my soul”
None of this will ever make sense to anyone without heavenly revelation. I remember sitting in a school staff room and this text from the prophets came up, “There is no peace,” says the Lord,]“for the wicked.”” (Isa 48:22), Another favourite of mine is even more dramatic, “Peace, peace, to the far and to the near,” says the Lord, “and I will heal him. 20 But the wicked are like the tossing sea; for it cannot be quiet, and its waters toss up mire and dirt. 21There is no peace,” says my God, “for the wicked.”” (Isa 57:19-21) One of the teachers made a quip about no peace for the good people either. This worldly assessment of life is completely understandable because unbelievers cannot comprehend (1 Cor 2:14) that the peace bought by the cross is nothing less than a share in God’s own peace.
The God of Peace
Despite the scripture clearly saying that God is a “God of peace” (Rom 15:33; 16:20; Phil 4:9; 1 Thess 5:23; Heb 13:20 cf. Eph 2:14; 2 Thess 3:16), strangely, to me at least, “peace” is rarely listed as one of the essential characteristics of God. Whereas in the Bible something serious needs to make God’s wrath become kindled (Num 11:1-2; Deut 31:11; 2 Ki 13:3 etc.), pure peace is what the Father, Son and Holy Spirit enjoyed in the richness of their eternal communion and which they always desired us to enjoy. There is a deep resonance with this in the human soul.
The Hebrew word for peace, shalom, sums up all the blessings of God. Whilst the gods of the pagan world (polytheism) were always in conflict with one another or rival cosmic powers (Zoroastrianism) the Lord of heaven and earth who “declares the end from the beginning” (Isa 46:10) had no real rivals. The biblical God “is not a God of confusion/ disorder, unrest, chaos but of peace.” (1 Cor 14:33). His omnipotence to bless is climactically expressed in the Aaronic benediction, “The Lord bless you and keep you; 25 the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; 26 the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.” (Num 6:24-26). In the early days of COVID a group of singers from across the UK combined to sing this as “The Blessing” and it went viral across the world, there was even a WA version. This is a wonderful blessing, but I doubt few who sung or heard it enjoyed it to the full.
I have prayerfully concluded that Christians in general fail to give full weight to the power, penetration and pervasiveness of God’s peace because, even though it belongs to us all in Christ, it has been weakly experienced. I cannot ignore the issue of divine peace because during a crisis situation in my early Christian life, I had to make a snap decision about what I was going to do for the next year of my life, the peace of the Lord was so overwhelming I thought I was going to die. The presence of God was that powerful. I am sure the Spirit has said to me that the fullness of peace hidden in God (1 Cor 2:7; Eph 3:9) from eternity was his complete assurance that “the Lamb slain from before the foundation of the world” (Rev 13:8) would win total victory over every power of chaos.
The Full Measure of Peace
The holy men and women of the Old Testament received promises about this peace, even if they didn’t understand how they would come to pass (Col 2:17; Heb 8:5; 10:1), on the face of it could never be realised in the world as we know it. “You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.” (Isa 26:3). “For the mountains may depart and the hills be removed, but my steadfast love shall not depart from you, and my covenant of peace shall not be removed,” says the Lord, who has compassion on you.” (Isa 54:10), “I will make a covenant of peace with them. It shall be an everlasting covenant with them.” (Ezek 37:26). The prophets speak of a future time coming of unlimited security and prosperity (Ezek 34:25-30) free from violence (Isa 60:17-18). This is an end time/eschatological space of immovable peace when God has no more wrath (Ezek 16:42 cf. Hos 11:9; Rev 15:1) for all his enemies are defeated. This time was achieved through the coming of Jesus.
New Covenant
Jesus is the “prince of peace” (Isa 9:6), not merely as God in the midst of a disturbed world, but as the human in whom the final victory of the kingdom of God was always working in the fullness of the power of “righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.” (Rom 14:17. In Jesus, God’s all conquering peace spread out everywhere. Jesus is in fact the perfect foundation and fulfilment of Matthew 5:9, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.”. Intimidated by his peaceful presence the demons were driven were crazed with fear because the victorious peace of Christ was a sign of their assured destruction (cf. Mark 5:7; Luke 4:34). The crowds following Jesus might have been looking for a kingdom conquering evil and unrighteousness on the earthly plane (Mark 11:9-10), but Jesus knew the eternal peace that ends all struggles could only come through his own death-and-resurrection.
On trial before corrupted Jewish and Roman courts the Lord’s peaceful silence puzzled his judges (Isa 26:3; Mark 14:60-61; 15:5). The cross is not like this. There is “no peace” (cf. Isa 48:22) in Christ’s cry of dereliction “My God…why have you forsaken me?” (Mark 15:34). As the one true Son who has never suppressed God’s righteous opposition to our evil (Rom 1:18-20) and bearing the consequences of our sin in his body on the tree (1 Pet 2:24), Jesus absorbs the full expression of divine anger as it hands over rebellious humanity to the disintegrating forces of evil (Rom 1:24, 2, 28). Last week I quoted Karl Barth about God the Judge Judged in Our Place. He continues to say God “was wholly against Him as the One who took our place as the place of evildoers”. At this time of his “descent into hell”, which is how Calvin applied the Apostles Creed to the death of Christ, Jesus becomes the centrepoint of universal chaos. In “becoming sin” (2 Cor 5:21) Jesus becomes the opposite of the eternal divine shalom uniting Father and Son in the Spirit. (hence the paining on the power point http://www.getty.edu/art/collection/objects/225482/taddeo-crivelli-initial-b-the-trinity-italian-about-1460-1470/)
The Lord was fulfilling the prophecy of Isaiah, “But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the punishment that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed.” (Isa 53:5). Remember we read from Leviticus last week how the sins of Israel were confessed “upon” the scapegoat on the Day of Atonement and taken away into the wilderness (Lev 16:21-22). All the sin of the world was laid “upon” the crucified Jesus and has been taken away (John 1:29). The reality and stability of the peace and wholeness procured for us in Christ is the atoning work of the cross. Only God’s fatherly heart expressed in his Son could pay the price for our disordered lives and he has paid it in full (1 Cor 6:20; 7:23).
When the writer to the Hebrews ends his letter with this blessing, “Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, 21 equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.” (Heb 13:20), he understands that the peace Jesus received in his resurrection is now shared with us. This gracious gift of peace stabilises our consciences in our relationship with a holy God.
Peace in Us
On his way to the cross Jesus had promised, “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), so the first thing that Jesus spoke to his disciples when he was raised from the dead was…“Peace be with you.” (Luke 24:36; John 20:19, 21, 26). (Not a rebuke for their gross unbelief cf. Luke 24:25-26). This word of “the gospel of peace” (Eph 6:15) must have completely stilled their guilty consciences. So much so that the message of universal peace in Christ gripped the apostles.
Peter testifies, “preaching good news of peace through Jesus Christ (he is Lord of all) (Acts 10:36). Paul proclaims, “he himself is our peace” (Eph 2:14), “he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near. 18 For through him we both have access in cone Spirit to the Father.” (Eph 2:17-18), and “in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross” (Col 1:19- 20). God’s peace in Christ is now at the centre of all things and will be fully manifested as the centre of the world to come. The Jesus who has defeated every chaotic power now lives in us. Hallelujah.
The declaration of Romans, “Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (5:1) testifies that Christ’s Spirit-filled peace (Rom 8:6) assures my heart and conscience (Rom 9:1) that before the judgement seat of God I stand uncondemned in every area of my life (Rom 8:1). Since God is at peace with me, why fear mortals. This is the secret of how, even though James has just been beheaded, Peter can sleep in his prison cell chained to two guards (Acts 12:6 cf. 16:25). In preparing this address I was reminded of the first part of a wonderful song, “Before the throne of God above I have a strong, a perfect plea; A great High Priest, whose Name is Love, Who ever lives and pleads for me.”
The peace that comes into our lives through the indwelling Lord of peace (Acts 9:31) energises us, as it did Jesus, for the warfare between the kingdom of God and the dominion of darkness (Col 1:13). Engaged “in the same conflict” (Phil 1:30 cf. Col 1:29; 2:1; 1 Tim 6:12; 2 Tim 4:7; Heb 10:32) as the early Christians we are called to appropriate the power of Christ’s victorious peace to establish his kingdom on earth. At the end of Romans Paul says, “be wise as to what is good and innocent as to what is evil. The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet.” (Rom 16:19-20). As to the effectiveness of this indwelling peace he teaches the Philippians, “the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Phil 4:7 cf. Gal 5:22). The inner testimony of Christ’s peace relieves us of asking those “why” questions, about financial stress, rejection, sickness, or premature death, that rob us of God-given inner rest (Isa 30:15). God’s peace settles all these questions because it comes from a future when all such sorrows have been taken away (Rev 21:4).
Conclusion
Dietrich Bonhoeffer would die as a martyr to the Nazis, but as a wise pastor he counselled, God’s “peace is the opposite of (human) security”. The COVID era has exposed that fear and anxiety are normal parts of the fallen human condition. Paul prophesied of such end-times, “While people are saying, “There is peace and security,” then sudden destruction will come upon them as labour pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape” (1 Thess 5:3). Only the peace of God can protect us from such terrors and we are called to recognise just how evangelistically potent is the supernatural peace we enjoy in Christ. To the degree that the kingdom of God reigns in our hearts to that degree we will radiate God’s peace. This reminds me of a plea in a song from long ago, “Reign in Me, Sovereign Lord Reign in Me”, this must be our plea.
The blessing with which many liturgies end, “The peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in the knowledge and love of God and of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord; and the blessing of God almighty, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, be among you and remain with you always. Amen”, is not a feel-good end to a cosy service but a declaration of the total victory of Christ to strengthen us in his service in the battle that always lies before us. Let us agree with this petition from the end of 2 Thessalonians, “Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in every way.” (3:16).