2 Corinthians 13:11

Finally, brethren, rejoice, be made complete, be comforted, be like-minded, live in peace; and the God of love and peace shall be with you.

Sermon Series - the Five-Fold Vision Statements of Dr. Barry - #5

"Live In Peace"

My Brothers and Sisters in Christ:

One of the things that I have heard people comment about repeatedly is the contention in the Church. Denominations contend, often bitterly, with one another. Factions in each denomination contend, often bitterly, with one another. Individuals in congregations contend with one another, often bitterly. One of the most unpleasant experiences in the world is the Voter's Assembly where tension is high, tempers are flaring and the Spirit of God is seemingly absent. We have had such meeting ourselves, though, thank God, not recently.

The vision of Dr. Barry for our Synod, which forms our theme today is the vision of the Lutheran Church- Missouri Synod as a church which lives in peace. The text chosen by Dr. Barry uses a word for living in peace which is the verb form of the noun "peace." It could be translated "be peaceful, or at peace," or "keep the peace," or "do peace." Each of those potential translations adds something to our understanding of the exhortation spoken by Paul in this verse to the Corinthian congregation, but for the purpose of simplicity, we will stick with the most common translation of this verse - to live in peace. Let us consider what this exhortation means for us as Christians today.

Before we can understand what this means, we need to consider the concept of peace. What could Paul have been saying here? First, it is important to understand that this exhortation has nothing to do with the world's idea of peace. "Peace" for the world is simply the cessation of hostilities. It means that no one is throwing punches, or hot lead, or bombs. Although this is certainly an important aspect of peace, it is much less and very much different from the peace of which Paul wrote.

Secondly, the peace of which Paul wrote was not peace with the world. There is only one kind of peace with the world, and that is capitulation. The world hates God and hates the Gospel and despises Jesus Christ in particular. The world will only permit peace with us over the dead body of the Christian faith. That kind of peace will never exist within the Church. If you want peace with the world, you need to abandon the faith and eternal life and embrace the values and agenda of our society instead.

The peace of which Paul wrote is first peace with God. Paul was a Jew. He must have had the idea of shalom in mind when he wrote this text. Shalom is peace in the sense of the blessings of God and of personal well-being. This peace is the peace of the Gospel - a peace built on the blood of Jesus Christ, held in place by the cross of Jesus Christ, and sealed by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. It is what the words of our text spoke of with the phrase, be comforted. Your sins have been forgiven, and God has shown you His love and His will toward you. And what is the will of God toward you?

Therefore, be comforted. Do not be afraid of sickness, trouble, or death, for God is with you and His will for you is always salvation and blessing and good! This is why John wrote in his first epistle, There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear. We have peace with God in the forgiveness of sins, and through the knowledge of His Son Jesus Christ - Romans 5:1, Therefore having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Again, he writes in Colossians 1:19, For it was the Father's good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him, and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross.

The second part of that peace is peace with one another - Christian to Christian, believer to believer. It is a peace which is also grounded in Christ - Ephesians 2:14, For He Himself is our peace, who made both groups into one, and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall, by abolishing in His flesh the enmity, which is the Law of commandments contained in ordinances, that in Himself He might make the two into one new man, thus establishing peace, This passage speaks particularly about the peace between Jews and Gentiles in the Christian Church - but it applies just the same to us all. In the cross, Jesus broke down the barriers. He has forgiven us all of our sins, and we must forgive one another if we are in Him. In John 6:14-15, Jesus Himself said, "If you forgive men for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions."

Now, this peace in the church has, historically speaking, been quite fleeting. It does not last long in any one place, because men will not long abide the Gospel. The devil and our sinful flesh is always at work to destroy it and lead us back into sin and slavery. But wherever and whenever men and women hear and believe the Gospel and place their hearts wholly in Christ, and His Word, this peace will shine forth. It lives in the hearts of all those who believe -- but it shines outwardly to the observation of man only where the Word and faith dominate.

Once we knew such peace in the Missouri Synod. It was when we all used the same hymnals, and we all used the same liturgies, and we all used the same Catechisms, and we only had one version of Scriptures to read. But we no longer know such peace as a Synod. We have too many liturgies and too many hymnals and too many different opinions on everything, and no unity in doctrine. This loss of unity began over sixty years ago, but we didn't experience the reality of it fully until the last twenty or so years.

This peace of which we speak is a peace which is built only upon unity in doctrine. It exists only where we agree on the Word of God - on what it teaches -- and what it means -- and agree to boldly stand upon Christ and Him crucified. Where different doctrines are accepted as normal, and differences on issues about which Scriptures clearly speaks are tolerated, such peace cannot exist. Error and truth do not co-exist, they fiercely fight to destroy one another, and where there is no fighting, either error or truth rules completely. Paul mentioned this truth in our text when he exhorted us, be made complete -- complete in knowing the truth and in the faith, and be like-minded -- hold to the same truth, the same teachings, the same sound words of doctrine.

The vision of Dr. Barry is a vision of a Church whose members think alike about the questions and challenges that confront them because they begin with the same knowledge of God and trust in God and hope in God. In such a church, differences of perspective add insight, not tension. In such a church brothers and sisters trust one another, for there is no hidden agenda, but the common purpose of serving Christ, and loving one another, and reaching out with the Gospel to those who have not yet believed.

In the church today we need to live in peace. It is not a need of the law, but a need of the heart. We should have peace with one another by forgiveness. When a fellow believer, a brother or a sister in Christ in this congregation sins against us, we should forgive him or her. Gossip, anger, judging and complaining behind one another's back is not becoming of the children of God. We should put the best construction on everything, and trusting one another in Christ, we should eagerly forgive and readily make amends. When we have an issue, a hurt, or a complaint against one another, we should always take it to the other person -- in person. This is how God would have us live together, working together toward the same goals, helping one another, loving one another. When we share the same faith and the same hope, we can live in peace.

We can also work to spread that peace. This peace does not happen because we wish it to happen, or because we make it happen. It happens by the work and gift of the Holy Spirit. It is founded in the truth known and the truth believed and the truth shared. Therefore we can and we should work for peace by knowing the truth and by confessing it boldly among one another, and witnessing to it "out there" in the world.

We don't create peace by building homes for the homeless, although that is a nice thing to do. We don't make peace by regulating firearms, or by forcing everyone to take sensitivity training. We don't build peace by food shelves, clothing banks, or toys for tots Christmas give-aways. We build peace by sharing together in the hope of everlasting life, by boldly confessing Christ and Him crucified to the world in both word and deed, and we create peace by sharing the wonderful news of the Prince of Peace, that he that believes and is baptized shall be saved.

In the church we maintain our peace by forgiveness and on-going confession of the faith. We cannot have it any other way. We must tell the truth of the cross and of God's love for us and His will to save us, and we must demonstrate that it is a reality in our hearts by living out the love of God in forgiveness toward one another in the Church, and also toward all those who would hate us and hurt us in the world. We can only live in peace when we continue to believe the love which God has for us, and when we share that love with each other by confession of the sound words of truth, mutual encouragement in the faith, and when we, in Christ-like love, continually forgive one another from the heart.

When we do that, God promises us, in the words of our text that He will be among us and live in us. And that is power for true peace in this world! True peace is living as God would have us live - in faith, in love, and in Him. What a wonderful vision for the church - and for our little congregation: peace, and love, and trust day by day! And even better yet, God living among us, and in us, and blessing us. It is a true foretaste of heaven right here in the Church.

Finally, brethren, rejoice, be made complete, be comforted, be like-minded, live in peace; and the God of love and peace shall be with you. God grant it for Jesus' sake!

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.

(Let the people say "Amen".)

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