Sunday's Message: Easter in Seven Words - Peace

There are many words and images that we associate with Easter, both secular and sacred. During the Sundays leading up to Easter, we'll focus on seven words that the Apostle Paul used when he described the importance of the crucifixion and resurrection. We'll consider the following:

• February 26 – Grace (Romans 5:12-19)
• March 5 – Faith (Romans 4:1-5)
• March 12 – Peace (Romans 5:1-11)
• March 19 – Light (Ephesians 5:8-14)
• March 26 – Spirit (Romans 8:6-11)
• April 2 – Humility (Philippians 2:5-11)
• April 9 – Life (Colossians 3:1-4)

During the third message, we used Romans 5:1-11 to consider the word PEACE. Below is a copy and a recording of the sermon. You can stream the service by going to the Sligo Presbyterian Church YouTube Channel at 10:00 a.m.

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Y’all may not know this, but there was a lot of activity around the Rudiger house over the last week or so. I mean, it really started with Maggie coming home last Friday to celebrate Debbie’s birthday and all the stuff that surrounds getting a house where two people are living comfortably, ready for person number three. Now that was one. And of course, we had the birthday itself, with Debbie and Maggie spending Saturday doing some shopping at Ross Park Mall and then us going out on Sunday for a special birthday dinner followed by the customary reading of the cards and the opening of the gifts and the eating of the processed sugar. Now to be completely honest, we didn’t cut into a cake; instead, we had some slices of cheesecake that Maggie and Debbie had gotten the day before. And that was two. And then there was all the stuff connected to the blizzard we were supposed to get early Friday morning. I mean, conversations were had and preparations were made and then a big, fat disappointment was felt, at least by my wife when Friday didn’t become a snow day. That was three. And then, we’ve got this weekend, with an always exciting presbytery meeting yesterday and a lost hour this morning. In short, when compared to most weeks, this has been a hectic seven days.

And for me, that makes our topic for this morning really appropriate. Now just in case you don’t already know, we’re in the middle of a sermon series we started a few weeks ago, one entitled Easter in Seven Words. You see, as we approach the crucifixion and resurrection, we’re looking at seven different passages from the Apostle Paul in which he focused on a word that he considered important. And you know, since we’ve already looked at two, I hope y’all see how they relate to one another. I mean, first, we looked at the word grace, that incredible gift from God, something that we can neither earn nor deserve but that can change us in some pretty profound ways. Now that was the first word. And then last week, we looked at Paul’s second word, faith, you know trust. And if grace is something God gives to us, faith is how we can respond. And according to Paul, when we do, when we trust that God’s grace has already been given, our relationship with him is complete: God acts and we respond. And so, in a sense, grace becomes the content of faith. The gift is the focus of our trust. Now that’s what we’ve already done. 

And this morning we’re going to continue this progression and look at what comes from this relationship that’s grounded on his grace and our faith, and now I’m talking about the word peace, something that, personally, I found to be in short supply last week and that I think we all struggle finding as we find ourselves running in a race with the rats. And why shouldn’t we struggle? Given all the chaos we often end up facing in our country and our community, within our families and friendships, even inside our own hearts and minds, I think lasting peace, genuine peace, inner peace is pretty hard to find. And yet that’s exactly what Paul said that we have when he wrote this to Romans:

By faith we have been made acceptable to God. And now, thanks to our Lord Jesus Christ, we have peace with God. Christ has also introduced us to God's gift of undeserved grace on which we now take our stand. [Romans 5:1-2a, CEV]

You see, because God has been gracious to us and because we’ve made the decision to trust that the grace has been given, we have peace. 

And I’ll tell you, that’s what we’re going to explore this morning. You see, we’re going to spend a little time looking at Romans 5:1-11, you know, the passage on which we’re focusing this today, and I’ll tell you why. When we do, I think we’re going to see that our peace with God can shape our perspective in three different ways. I mean, first, it can shape the way we see the present. And second, it can shape the way we see the past. And third, it can shape the way we see the future. And in my opinion, those are three pretty good reasons for us to claim that peace.

And like I said, I think they’re all found in Romans 5:1-11. For example, according to Paul, first, I believe peace with God can shape the way we see the present. In other words, just knowing that some of the hostility or, at the very least, some of the indifference we might have felt toward God and assumed he felt about us, just knowing that some of this mess is gone, man, it can have a huge impact on the way we live, and I’m talking about in the here and now. At least, that was what Paul seemed to believe, because right after saying that “we have peace with God,” he wrote this:

So we are happy, as we look forward to sharing in the glory of God. But that's not all! We gladly suffer, because we know that suffering helps us to endure. And endurance builds character, which gives us a hope that will never disappoint us. All of this happens because God has given us the Holy Spirit, who fills our hearts with his love. [Romans 5:2b-5, CEV]

Now, that’s what Paul wrote, that knowing that we have peace with God can affect us in two ways right this minute. I mean, for one, it can surely make us feel happier, maybe more content and more satisfied as we live our lives. Of course, that really shouldn’t be a surprise. A little later in this letter to the Romans, Paul wrote, “I pray that God, who gives hope, will bless you with complete happiness and peace because of your faith. And may the power of the Holy Spirit fill you with hope.” [Romans 15:13, CEV] And so, knowing we have peace with God can make us happier. That’s one. But that’s not all, because, two, it can also help us endure some of the garbage that all of us are going to face whether we want to or not. I mean, just knowing that there’s peace between us and God, well, that can change how we view problems and pain, frustrations and fear. You see, instead of thinking that this kind of stuff may be some kind of punishment, you know, some kind of divine retribution, we’re now free to reshape and reinterpret what’s happening. In other words, because we’re at peace with God, we’re now able to see that set-backs and disappointments, even discomfort and suffering can actually lead to something that’s positive, you know, like growth and strength and maturity. In fact, I think it’s the same kind of thing Paul was getting at when he wrote this to the Philippians:

I am not complaining about having too little. I have learned to be satisfied with whatever I have. I know what it is to be poor or to have plenty, and I have lived under all kinds of conditions. I know what it means to be full or to be hungry, to have too much or too little. Christ gives me the strength to face anything. [Philippians 4:11-13, CEV]

In other words, this peace can actually enable us to endure, and that’s two. You see, when we trust that we have peace with God, it can shape the way we see the present. And that’s the first thing it can do. 

And second, I believe it can also shape the way we see the past, and I’m talking about all those things that we’ve done and left undone that cause us to cringe when we think about them, you know all the stuff we can’t change because it’s already happened but that can still distort how we see ourselves right now and can become an anchor as we move into the future. Trusting that we have peace with God can change how we interpret the past, and it’s all based on what Paul wrote in the next little section of our passage. He said, 

Christ died for us at a time when we were helpless and sinful. No one is really willing to die for an honest person, though someone might be willing to die for a truly good person. But God showed how much he loved us by having Christ die for us, even though we were sinful. [Romans 6:6-8, CEV]

Now that’s what Paul wrote, and just think about what it means. Since the peace we can claim is grounded in grace and since that grace was most clearly shown when Jesus died on the cross, his crucifixion becomes a powerful reminder of two things that can absolutely change how we see our past. You see, for one, the cross is an eternal reminder that left to our own devices, man, we’re messed up. We’re less than perfect. We’re sinners. And we can see that in the crucifixion. I’ll tell you, Jesus Christ wasn’t crucified because people are fundamentally good and spiritual. And it wasn’t because of human dedication and devotion. And it sure wasn’t because we were deserving of anything special. Remember, people like us drove the nails. No, when you get right down to it, the cross reminds us that we deserve nothing from God. That’s one. And yet, at the same time, I think it also reminds us that God loved us anyway, and that’s number two.  You see, the crucifixion was all about God doing something for us that was just plain impossible for us to do ourselves. You see, on the cross, Jesus died, and in him, we died too. And as we said a couple of weeks ago when we were talking about grace, it was through our death in him that the power of sin was broken, freeing us from all the shame that sin brings and breaking that chain that can prevent us from becoming everything that God has created and called us to be. In other words, we can live because Jesus Christ died. And I’ll tell you, this is something I think Paul believed right to the core of his being. I mean, just listen to what he wrote to the Romans:

All of us have sinned and fallen short of God's glory. But God treats us much better than we deserve, and because of Christ Jesus, he freely accepts us and sets us free from our sins. [Romans 3:23-24, CEV]

Now that’s what God has done. And let me tell you again, he did it 2,000 years before we were born without our permission or help. Man, we’ve been set free. You see, when we trust that we have peace with God, it can shape the way we see the past, and in particular, our past. And that’s the season thing it does.

And third, according to Paul, peace with God can shape the way we see the future. I mean, at best, what lies ahead of us is a mystery, and at worst it’s something to be feared. And yet, it can’t be avoided; therefore, like it or not, it has to be faced. And how we face it affects everything we do and every relationship we have. And for that reason, the way Paul ends the passage we’re looking at this morning is crucially important. Just listen to what he wrote:

But there is more! Now that God has accepted us because Christ sacrificed his life's blood, we will also be kept safe from God's anger. Even when we were God's enemies, he made peace with us, because his Son died for us. Yet something even greater than friendship is ours. Now that we are at peace with God, we will be saved by the life of his Son. And in addition to everything else, we are happy because God sent our Lord Jesus Christ to make peace with us. [Romans 5:9-11, CEV]

Now that’s what he wrote. And because of that, because we have peace with God, we can look forward confident of two things. You see, for one, we can be confident that God will always be our friend. He will always be the giver of strength and support. And he will always be the source of compassion and love. And I’ll tell you, that’s not going to change regardless of the mistakes and missteps we’re going to make along the way. And you know, this was something that Paul understood, and that’s why he was able to write this:

We know that God is always at work for the good of everyone who loves him. They are the ones God has chosen for his purpose, and he has always known who his chosen ones would be. He had decided to let them become like his own Son, so his Son would be the first of many children. God then accepted the people he had already decided to choose, and he has shared his glory with them. [Romans 8:28-30, CEV]

You see, we can trust that a loving God is leading us into the future, and that’s one thing in which we can be confident. And two, we can also trust that the future will be wonderful. You know, although it may be fine to talk about being saved, I think we should never forget that our ultimate salvation is coming. It’s at the end of our journey. It’s our destiny. And since we trust that it’s grounded in the eternal and all-powerful, in the gracious and merciful hands of God, we can use this vision to shape every step we take. And it can keep us moving forward even when the way becomes difficult. And again, it’s like what Paul wrote:

I am sure what we are suffering now cannot compare with the glory that will be shown to us. In fact, all creation is eagerly waiting for God to show who his children are. Meanwhile, creation is confused, but not because it wants to be confused. God made it this way in the hope that creation would be set free from decay and would share in the glorious freedom of his children. We know that all creation is still groaning and is in pain, like a woman about to give birth.

The Spirit makes us sure about what we will be in the future. But now we groan silently, while we wait for God to show that we are his children. This means that our bodies will also be set free. And this hope is what saves us. But if we already have what we hope for, there is no need to keep on hoping. However, we hope for something we have not yet seen, and we patiently wait for it. [Romans 8:18-25, CEV]

You see, those who trust in God’s grace can move forward with hope; therefore, our peace with God can shape the way we see the future. And that’s the third thing it can do.

You know, it’s interesting. When someone asks me about my week and I say, “It was uneventful,” that generally means the last seven days have been pretty good. And without saying that visits and birthdays and blizzards and presbytery meetings and losing an hour don’t add a little spice to living, having peace, man, that’s pretty good too. And you know, I think that’s possible for us all to experience. You see, according to Paul, 

By faith we have been made acceptable to God. And now, thanks to our Lord Jesus Christ, we have peace with God. Christ has also introduced us to God's gift of undeserved grace on which we now take our stand. [Romans 5:1-2a, CEV]

Now that’s a given. And I’ll tell you, when we believe it’s true, that peace with God can shape the way we see the present and the past and the future. I’ll tell you, it’s part of God’s gift to us. And next week, we’ll spend a little time talking about another word Paul considered important, namely light.