WHY PRAY FOR PEACE

#1 · August 30, 2006, 9:23 am

Quote from Forum Archives on August 30, 2006, 9:23 am
Posted by: bhfbc <bhfbc@...>
WHY PRAY FOR PEACE?

August 20, 2006

TEXT: Psalm 122

Before leaving last Sunday, Karen Malone commented on the worship service, saying it was one that spoke to her. Like quite a few of us, Karen has a strong sense of wanting to get things done right and to do the right things. Some go so far as to call that perfectionism. Many times, the term is used with negative applications: Hes such a demanding perfectionist. In fact, during my seminary education, my chapel worship experiences were sometimes marred by perfectionists. I would be sitting next to a fellow student who was accomplished in some form of music, voice or instrumental, and he or she would just have to make some comment about the flaws in another students singing or playing. It sounded fine to me, but my worship experience would be monetarily interrupted anyway. You get the picture. Perfectionists.

Still, perfectionism isnt all bad. All of us rather hope that the people writing our paychecks or retirement checks have some sense of perfectionism. Oops! I didnt quite write that check for the whole amount. Oh well, close enough. That would probably bother most of us. Which type of service would we rather experience in stores: one where the clerks are standing around chewing gum and talking about last nights party, or one where we are greeted by a clerk interested in serving us? Doesnt it also make sense, then, that God would like to see His people doing their best to serve Him? I think so.

But perfectionism cannot become an excuse to not serve God. Thats why last Sunday I was relating the account from Acts about Ananias and Saul with simple obedience. Christians have no need to fear that simply responding, and responding simply, to any of Gods specific instructions is not enough. Neither perfectionism nor feelings of inadequacy should stop us from reaching out to others with Christian compassion and witness.

It was in this context that Karen mentioned that Psalm 122 had recently been one of her devotional Scriptures. As we have already heard, it is a Psalm calling for prayers of peace for Jerusalem. And given todays current events, it is certainly a passage with contemporary applications.

What Karen noted, though, was why? Why does Gods Word tell us to pray for the peace of Jerusalem when we know the rest of the story? We read, for instance, about the seven plagues in Revelation 15 and 16. Revelation 16:12-16 describes the plague of war: The sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up to prepare the way for the kings of the East. Then I saw three evil spirits that looked like frogs; they came out of the mouth of the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast and out of the mouth of the false prophet. They are spirits of demons performing miraculous signs, and they go out to the kings of the whole world, to gather them for the battle on the great day of God Almighty. Behold, I come like a thief! Blessed is he who stays awake and keeps his clothes with him, so that he may not go naked and be shamefully exposed. Then they gathered the kings together to the place that is called Armageddon. Gods Word not only predicts war; it prescribes war. Why pray for peace?

I have two answers to the question this morning. First, it is Gods instruction to pray for peace, so do it out of simple obedience. Christians are to be known as peacemakers. Jesus tells us this in the sermon on the mount, Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God. (Matthew 5:9). And then he said, You have heard that it was said, Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth. But I tell you, Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. (Matthew 5:38-39)

Even though Christians have fallen well short of this peacemaking ideal many times in the history of the Christian Church, it is impossible to disregard that Christians actions are most noticeable when they respond with compassion instead of revenge. Some make these Scriptures out to be instructions for only non-violent resistance or even pacifism. Lifted out of their context, they can be inappropriately applied that way. In fact, lifted from their context, one could interpret that Jesus calls his people to actually assist evil: Do not resist an evil person. Jesus resisted evil people and spirits throughout his entire ministry. Further passages in the New Testament tell us plainly that God establishes authorities to defend the defenseless and to keep evil in check. So Christians can certainly support appropriate police and military forces.

None of this impedes Jesus imperative to be peacemakers. To the extent that we can influence any given situation, we are to respond even to evil situations with compassion, wisdom, and even love. Christians are to be peacemakers.

The second answer to the question, Why pray for peace? is even more poignant. It comes from Karens reflection. That is, when the time comes for there to be no peace for Jerusalem, as it must come, then that will be the time for the return of Christ and the final judgment. That will be the time for the unsaved living apart from God to be judged and eternally separated from God and turned over eternally to satan. We pray for the peace of Jerusalem so that the unsaved can still have that opportunity to believe.

It is not at all unusual for the second coming of Christ to be predicted in any given age. First century Christians expected the imminent return of Christ as much as twenty-first century Christians. And scoffers took advantage of the delay to mock Christians in the first century as much as in the twenty-first century. Peter took advantage of the mockers message to make a very important point found in 2 Peter 3:3-4 and 8-9. First of all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. They will say, Where is this coming he promised? Ever since our fathers dies, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation. But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.

Just as it is throughout the New Testament, the message and meaning is clear: God wants no one to perish. He has sealed that message with both the sacrifice and the resurrection of His Son. Knowing that we cannot heal ourselves and knowing that we warp and pervert every method established through which our sins were paid by our own action - that is, the sacrificial system - God sent His Son to take on our sinful burden. God did Himself what we cannot do. God did it completely so that none of us could mess it up. God wants us to live with Him.

Does this mean, then, that Christ will never return? Of course it does not mean that. There will be a time, as in the days before the flood, when humanity will be so depraved that not even Christs compassion will make any difference. I have speculated before that I think that there is evidence that unholiness - sin - hurts God so much that the only way to remove the hurt is to destroy the unholiness. Standing before the Lord, whether literally or in a vision, Isaiah recognized his terrifying predicament. Isaiah 6:5-6 describes Isaiahs terrible situation and Gods cure. Woe to me! I cried. I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the king, the lord Almighty. Then one of the seraphs flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. With it he touched my mouth and said, See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for. There will be come that time when God will fulfill all that is predicted in His Word.

Until that time, and even during that time, we are to pray for the peace of Jerusalem. We do not know the day or the hour of the Lords return. I dont think that we know whether any of the plagues have been released or whether they are about to be released. Thats not our call. Praying for the peace of Jerusalem is our call, though. Seeking the lost and telling the good news of Jesus Christ is our call. Recognizing that each day delayed is another opportunity given to the person just about ready to give his or her life obediently to Christ is our call. That is why we pray for peace.

Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: May those who love you be secure. May there be peace within your walls and security within your citadels. For the sake of my brothers and friends, I will say, Peace be within you. For the sake of the house of the Lord our God, I will seek your prosperity.

Rev. Charles A. Layne
First Baptist Church
Bunker Hill, Indiana
-- To unsubscribe, send ANY message to: abesermons-unsubscribe@welovegod.org   

Posted by: bhfbc <bhfbc@...>

WHY PRAY FOR PEACE?

August 20, 2006

TEXT: Psalm 122

Before leaving last Sunday, Karen Malone commented on the worship service, saying it was one that spoke to her. Like quite a few of us, Karen has a strong sense of wanting to get things done right and to do the right things. Some go so far as to call that perfectionism. Many times, the term is used with negative applications: Hes such a demanding perfectionist. In fact, during my seminary education, my chapel worship experiences were sometimes marred by perfectionists. I would be sitting next to a fellow student who was accomplished in some form of music, voice or instrumental, and he or she would just have to make some comment about the flaws in another students singing or playing. It sounded fine to me, but my worship experience would be monetarily interrupted anyway. You get the picture. Perfectionists.

Still, perfectionism isnt all bad. All of us rather hope that the people writing our paychecks or retirement checks have some sense of perfectionism. Oops! I didnt quite write that check for the whole amount. Oh well, close enough. That would probably bother most of us. Which type of service would we rather experience in stores: one where the clerks are standing around chewing gum and talking about last nights party, or one where we are greeted by a clerk interested in serving us? Doesnt it also make sense, then, that God would like to see His people doing their best to serve Him? I think so.

But perfectionism cannot become an excuse to not serve God. Thats why last Sunday I was relating the account from Acts about Ananias and Saul with simple obedience. Christians have no need to fear that simply responding, and responding simply, to any of Gods specific instructions is not enough. Neither perfectionism nor feelings of inadequacy should stop us from reaching out to others with Christian compassion and witness.

It was in this context that Karen mentioned that Psalm 122 had recently been one of her devotional Scriptures. As we have already heard, it is a Psalm calling for prayers of peace for Jerusalem. And given todays current events, it is certainly a passage with contemporary applications.

What Karen noted, though, was why? Why does Gods Word tell us to pray for the peace of Jerusalem when we know the rest of the story? We read, for instance, about the seven plagues in Revelation 15 and 16. Revelation 16:12-16 describes the plague of war: The sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up to prepare the way for the kings of the East. Then I saw three evil spirits that looked like frogs; they came out of the mouth of the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast and out of the mouth of the false prophet. They are spirits of demons performing miraculous signs, and they go out to the kings of the whole world, to gather them for the battle on the great day of God Almighty. Behold, I come like a thief! Blessed is he who stays awake and keeps his clothes with him, so that he may not go naked and be shamefully exposed. Then they gathered the kings together to the place that is called Armageddon. Gods Word not only predicts war; it prescribes war. Why pray for peace?

I have two answers to the question this morning. First, it is Gods instruction to pray for peace, so do it out of simple obedience. Christians are to be known as peacemakers. Jesus tells us this in the sermon on the mount, Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God. (Matthew 5:9). And then he said, You have heard that it was said, Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth. But I tell you, Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. (Matthew 5:38-39)

Even though Christians have fallen well short of this peacemaking ideal many times in the history of the Christian Church, it is impossible to disregard that Christians actions are most noticeable when they respond with compassion instead of revenge. Some make these Scriptures out to be instructions for only non-violent resistance or even pacifism. Lifted out of their context, they can be inappropriately applied that way. In fact, lifted from their context, one could interpret that Jesus calls his people to actually assist evil: Do not resist an evil person. Jesus resisted evil people and spirits throughout his entire ministry. Further passages in the New Testament tell us plainly that God establishes authorities to defend the defenseless and to keep evil in check. So Christians can certainly support appropriate police and military forces.

None of this impedes Jesus imperative to be peacemakers. To the extent that we can influence any given situation, we are to respond even to evil situations with compassion, wisdom, and even love. Christians are to be peacemakers.

The second answer to the question, Why pray for peace? is even more poignant. It comes from Karens reflection. That is, when the time comes for there to be no peace for Jerusalem, as it must come, then that will be the time for the return of Christ and the final judgment. That will be the time for the unsaved living apart from God to be judged and eternally separated from God and turned over eternally to satan. We pray for the peace of Jerusalem so that the unsaved can still have that opportunity to believe.

It is not at all unusual for the second coming of Christ to be predicted in any given age. First century Christians expected the imminent return of Christ as much as twenty-first century Christians. And scoffers took advantage of the delay to mock Christians in the first century as much as in the twenty-first century. Peter took advantage of the mockers message to make a very important point found in 2 Peter 3:3-4 and 8-9. First of all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. They will say, Where is this coming he promised? Ever since our fathers dies, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation. But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.

Just as it is throughout the New Testament, the message and meaning is clear: God wants no one to perish. He has sealed that message with both the sacrifice and the resurrection of His Son. Knowing that we cannot heal ourselves and knowing that we warp and pervert every method established through which our sins were paid by our own action - that is, the sacrificial system - God sent His Son to take on our sinful burden. God did Himself what we cannot do. God did it completely so that none of us could mess it up. God wants us to live with Him.

Does this mean, then, that Christ will never return? Of course it does not mean that. There will be a time, as in the days before the flood, when humanity will be so depraved that not even Christs compassion will make any difference. I have speculated before that I think that there is evidence that unholiness - sin - hurts God so much that the only way to remove the hurt is to destroy the unholiness. Standing before the Lord, whether literally or in a vision, Isaiah recognized his terrifying predicament. Isaiah 6:5-6 describes Isaiahs terrible situation and Gods cure. Woe to me! I cried. I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the king, the lord Almighty. Then one of the seraphs flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. With it he touched my mouth and said, See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for. There will be come that time when God will fulfill all that is predicted in His Word.

Until that time, and even during that time, we are to pray for the peace of Jerusalem. We do not know the day or the hour of the Lords return. I dont think that we know whether any of the plagues have been released or whether they are about to be released. Thats not our call. Praying for the peace of Jerusalem is our call, though. Seeking the lost and telling the good news of Jesus Christ is our call. Recognizing that each day delayed is another opportunity given to the person just about ready to give his or her life obediently to Christ is our call. That is why we pray for peace.

Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: May those who love you be secure. May there be peace within your walls and security within your citadels. For the sake of my brothers and friends, I will say, Peace be within you. For the sake of the house of the Lord our God, I will seek your prosperity.

Rev. Charles A. Layne
First Baptist Church
Bunker Hill, Indiana

-- To unsubscribe, send ANY message to: abesermons-unsubscribe@welovegod.org