Will There Every Be Peace on Earth? Part 4
The central question of these recent posts has been whether or not we will ever know the peace of God on earth. The answer we have in the Holy Scriptures is a resounding “Yes”! But the peace of God on earth is often thought of as only a future reality, not a present one. So, which is it? Is it a present reality, or is it only a promise to be filled in some future reality, eternity perhaps?
The answer lies in the overall reality of the Kingdom of God, which is both a present reality initiated by the first coming of the Lord Jesus, the Prince of Peace, that will be completed when he appears a second time to usher in the restoration of all things as the King of kings and Lord of lords. He will then reign forever and ever over the peaceable Kingdom. We’ll get into that next time in our concluding post.
For now, let’s get back to an underlying, secondary question that I raised last time. If the peace of God is a gift of God’s grace to those who believe, why is this promised peace so difficult to keep? Why is it so fleeting and elusive?
I can’t imagine that anyone who has ever experienced the peace of God would ever intentionally do anything to lose it, but lose it we do. Like a treasured piece of art that hangs prominently on our living room wall, one day we’re shocked to realize it’s no longer there! What’s worse is that we have no clue how long it’s been gone or what on earth happened to it. To us, at first glance, it just seems to have vanished! Now, this vacant spot on our living room wall stares back at us accusingly. “Why didn’t I guard it more closely?” we ask ourselves.
I think the key to understanding the peace of God, which surpasses human comprehension and intellect, is in an understanding of the Kingdom as God gives us the light to understand it. The Kingdom of God is a present reality where God reigns supreme in the lives of his people, and wherever God reigns supreme there you will find his peace, given to us through the Lord Jesus.
Nevertheless, when, even as believers, we fall into idolatry (placing something or someone above God as our first love and our highest allegiance); when we seek to please ourselves or others as our highest priority; when we break fellowship with God by disobedience and walk in the darkness of sin; when we simply fail to pursue the things of the Spirit and walk by faith; and when we do not take up our cross each day in surrender to the Lordship of Christ, why would it surprise us that God’s peace has taken its leave from us?
There are a number of Scripture passages that when taken to heart and faithfully applied to our personal practice of the Christian life can help assure that Kingdom peace remains with us, or, help restore it when it disappears. I’ll just point you to two passages that serve this purpose: Consider, first, the familiar passage in the Sermon on the Mount where Jesus doesn’t directly speak to peace, but, rather, one of the causes of a lack of it – worry.
In Matthew 6, Jesus teaches his followers about Kingdom life, addressing such topics as giving to the needy, prayer, fasting, forgiveness, money and possessions, and worry and anxiety. These, of course, aren’t random topics. They are interrelated. He concludes the chapter with an imperative (command): So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need. So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today (Matt. 6:31-34 NLT).
The challenge here is not not to worry. The challenge is to have faith as a child of God, as a citizen of the Kingdom, that our King is going to provide for us and take care of our needs. The challenge is in Jesus’ words to seek above all else the Kingdom life and the right way of living. That is, living by faith in the Lord Jesus who makes us right with God – righteous.
The second passage is found in Paul’s letter to the Philippians. Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again—rejoice! Let everyone see that you are considerate in all you do. Remember, the Lord is coming soon. Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me—everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you (Philippians 4:4-9 NLT).
Do you see the parallel in both passages, the similar themes? It’s when we seek with all our hearts to live by faith and seek the Kingdom, and walk in fellowship with God now, in anticipation of the Lord’s promised return, that our lives are filled with joy, worship, prayer, thanksgiving, and the peace of God. Having the peace of God is practicing the presence of God. Then, as Paul says, His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. We don’t have to guard God’s peace. God’s peace is what guards our hearts and minds!
By surrendering our hearts to God daily, what we will or desire will become what he wills or desires for us. So, we needn’t worry. Peace is on duty! But our minds do play tricks on us, and what we think about shapes our mindset, our attitudes, and perspective. It’s why Paul admonished the Philippians to fix their thoughts on the excellencies of the Kingdom. When we develop this kind of thought-life, he says, then the God of peace will be with you.
That, my friends, is the Gospel of peace (Ephesians 6:15).
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Update: I just completed a year-long small group study with two groups of pastors in the Santee Baptist Association. They have asked me to lead them in another study called Preventing Ministry Failure. I’m excited for this opportunity! Your support is very much appreciated!