4-4-10 Easter – Peace

4-4-10 Easter – Peace 

Movie clip: Lord of the Rings 2 - at beginning of the movie – Gandolf fighting the dragon

Are you ever fearful? Are you ever afraid? Do you worry much? Do you ever have anxiety? Do you ever have conflict with your spouse or your children or your parents, or your boss, or your friends? Do you ever fear not being good enough or not making enough? Do you fear losing your job, your spouse, or your kids?

We sometimes live on fear more than anything else. We get so used to fear that we’re not even aware, because it is so normal for us to fear. We often only recognize our fears when they exceed the normal.

My question to you this morning is “Would you like it if you could live your life without fear? Would you like it if you truly, in your life had nothing to fear? Would you want to trade your life for a new life if, in the new life you only had peace despite all the conflict and chaos and uncertainty that was going on around you? What would you say if I told you that you were created to live that way? In God’s plan for your life, you and I were created to live that way.

Now, I have to be honest with you, I’m not sure if you or I can completely, 100 percent experience that on this side of eternity, but I do know this, you and I can a whole lot of peace, great mountains of peace on this side of eternity even in the midst of all the conflict, chaos and uncertainty and it was made possible by Jesus at Easter. That’s where we’re going today.

Last Sunday we talked about Good Friday and Jesus’ betrayal. We said that Jesus was betrayed, rejected, and abandoned at every relational level imaginable before his death on the cross, and yet, even in the midst of such horrific betrayal Jesus chose to love those who betrayed him, and the reason that he was able to love in the midst of all that betrayal, rejection and abandonment was because he had peace.

We said that Judas, who is always listed last among the disciples, and was probably the least connected with Jesus, betrayed Jesus out of greed. Judas loved money; it was his god. He betrayed Jesus by showing the religious leaders where Jesus was, all for a bag of silver.

What was crazy was that Jesus was eating a meal with all of his disciples and he knew that Judas was going to betray him and yet he ate a meal with him. Jesus knew that Judas was going to betray him and that betrayal would lead to his death, and not just any death, but crucifixion, the most horrific type of torture ever invented by men. Jesus knew all this and yet he ate with Judas and never said an unkind word to him.

Then we said that Peter, the so called super disciple, who is always listed first among the disciples, and who was arguably the closest to Jesus, also betrayed Jesus on that dark night. Peter betrayed Jesus when he was confronted by one of people in the outer courts saying to him, “you are one of Jesus disciples aren’t you?” and Peter respond by saying “I never knew the man,” and he said this not just once, but three different times to three different people.  We said this was kind of like over hearing your mom or your dad, or your best friend saying to someone in regards to you, “I don’t know him” or “I don’t know her”.

Next we said that Jesus was betrayed, rejected, and abandoned by the religious leaders. Jesus was the greatest Rabbi to ever walk the face of the earth and yet the religious leaders wanted him crucified. Jesus did more miracles in three years than the combined miracles of every prophet or man of God in the whole Old Testament. Not only did he do many tremendous miracles, but he spoke as one who knew God and he spoke with boldness, passion, and intensity that no one had ever experienced, and because of that, great crowds followed Jesus everywhere. The other rabbis and religious leaders where jealous and so stuck in their traditional ruts that they betrayed, rejected, and abandoned Jesus too.

But that wasn’t the end of this horribly dark day for Jesus, because the governmental leaders betrayed Jesus too. The scriptures tell us that Pilate and Herod didn’t find any evidence against Jesus, but because they feared an uprising caused by the religious leaders, they relented and had Jesus crucified.

We said that not only had Jesus been betrayed, rejected and abandoned at every relational level, but that you and I regularly betray, reject and abandon Jesus and that Jesus knew all this and still choose to die on the cross for the forgiveness of our sins, so that the Holy Spirit could enter our lives and help us begin to walk away from harmful, hurtful ways of living and give us peace.

On that first Easter Sunday, in the evening, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord. Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” John 20:19-22 (NIV)

In Jesus’ first encounter with his disciples, he repeats this phrase, “Peace be with you.” They are his first resurrected words to the eleven disciples, and he says it twice for emphasis. “Peace be with you.”

Because here’s the problem. Last week we all confessed that we had all been betrayed, rejected, and abandoned throughout our lifetime by parents and spouses, friends and family, churches and religious leaders, and our government and political representatives. And we said that when we were rejected, betrayed and abandoned that that really hurt us and left a black gapping hole in our heart, and in response to the harm that had been done to us, we either wanted to attack and destroy the person with our words or beat them with our fists, maybe we didn’t do that, but we wanted to. And that others of us would withdraw and isolate ourselves from the people who hurt us in order to keep from being hurt again. When we are betrayed, rejected, or abandoned, when we are hurt by the people around us, we often times go into fight or flight mode. We fight or we flee when people threaten us or hurt us.

But the problem with fighting or fleeing is that we respond to conflict, chaos and uncertainty out of fear, but God calls us not to fear, but to love. We are called to always act out of love instead of fear. When we act out of fear it is always destructive. It is never helpful. It is never healing. Love is never found in the presence of fear. Love is always found in the presence of peace.

So my question this morning is “How did Jesus do it?” How did Jesus face all of that rejection, betrayal, and abandonment at every level and not act out of fear or anger? And how do you and I act out of love and not out fear when conflict, chaos, and uncertainty come our way? And here’s the bigger question that I want to answer today. How do we have peace in the midst of a broken world with broken people all around us? How we find peace in the midst of the great turmoil and upheaval that is bound to take place in our lives? That’s where we’re going today.

I’d like to start us out in a very unlikely Easter story. It’s the story of David and Goliath. It’s a story that many of us know and many of you could come up here and tell the story, because you know it so well, but this morning I’d like you to take all that you know about this story and set it aside, so that God might be able to bring Easter peace to you through this story.

Now as you might know, there are two armies in this battle. The first is the Philistines. They are the enemy. The Israelite army is the second army and they are the home team, the team to root for. The Philistines are on one hillside and the Israelites are on another hillside and there is a valley between them. They are ready to go into battle when a huge Philistine, named Goliath comes out and challenges the Israelites and says,

Chose a man and have him come down to me. If he is able to fight and kill me, we will become your subjects; but if I overcome him and kill him, you will become our subjects and serve us. Then the Philistine said, “This day I defy the ranks of Israel! Give me a man and let us fight each other. On hearing this, the Israelites were dismayed and terrified. 1 Samuel 17

They were dismayed and terrified because Goliath was a giant of a man. He was way bigger and way stronger than any Israelite in the army. Just by looking at Goliath and the size of the weapons that he carried they knew that they wouldn’t last a minute with the man. So for forty days Goliath came out and taunted the Israelites and great shame in the Israelite camp because everybody was afraid to fight this giant.

Then unlikely character enters the story. His name is David. David is a boy. He is a shepherd. He looks after sheep; quiet, meek little creatures. But his brothers are part of the Israelite army and David enters the battle scene to bring his brothers food. He seemingly is to small and to young to fight. But when David is there delivering the bread to his brothers he hears Goliath come out and taunt the Israel camp. The story tells us that

When the Israelites saw Goliath, they all ran from him in great fear. 1 Samuel 17:24 David saw Goliath’s taunting the Israelites and saw their fear, and so he begins to ask around saying, “Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?”

Some people overheard his saying these things and told Saul their king and Saul asked for David to be brought before him. When David met Saul he said to him,

Let no one lose heart on account of this Philistine; your servant will go and fight him.

But when Saul looked at David, he realized he was only a boy. Saul told David, “You are not able to go out against this Philistine and fight him; you are only a boy, and he has been a fighting man since his youth.”

But David convinced him saying that he had successfully killed both lion and bear who were trying to eat his sheep. He said to Saul,

The Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine. 

Saul finally relented realizing that David was not afraid as all the other men who was twice his size. He gave David his armor, but it was way to big and heavy, so David faced the mighty Goliath with nothing but a sling and five smooth stones, while the giant Goliath was covered from head to toe in massive steal armor with a javelin slug over his back and a shield bearer that walked a head of him.

David and Goliath approached one another and as Goliath drew closer, he realized that David was only a boy and that he had no armor and he had only a sling with which to defend himself, and he despised him saying, “Am I a dog that you come at me with sticks” and Goliath cursed David and his gods.

David said to the Philistine, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the Lord will hand you over to me, and I’ll strike you down and cut off your head. . . . And then all those gathered here today will know that there is a God in Israel. All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves; for the battle is the Lord’s, and he will give all of you into our hands.

And then David reaches into his bag and pulls out a stone and slings it into the forehead of the great giant Goliath and he falls over dead and David, true to his word, goes over and cuts off his head.

With this done, the Philistine army, seeing that there hero is dead, turns and runs away in fear, and all the Israelite army gained courage by watching David defeat the mighty giant, and pursued their enemy and killed them.

So what’s the story of David and Goliath about? The story is about an opposing enemy that threatens to overtake the people of God. The Giant taunts the people of God day and night and the people of God are afraid, fearful, and without hope because their enemy seems to big for them to defeat.

But then comes an unlikely deliverer. He’s a small boy, seemingly unable to fight. He steps forward fearless, almost irrationally so, and he boldly steps up and destroys the giant and his enemy.

Today is Easter. Today is the day that Jesus fought the mighty giant of fear and death and won. Today, this Easter day, Jesus, the most unlikely person, from the most unlikely family, steps in and conquers the great Goliath of fear and death.

Jesus, though he faced unbelievable betrayal, rejection, and abandonment, and though he had all the power of God at his disposal chose to love and not to fight. He chose to create peace with his actions, not war. When Jesus was arrested and after Peter cut off the ear of the high preist servant, Jesus said this:

Put your sword back in its place,” Jesus said to him, “for all who draw the sword will die by the sword. Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels? Matthew 26:52-53 (NIV)

If Jesus was fearful he would have chosen to fight or run, but Jesus had peace that God was in control. Jesus said, “for all who draw the sword will die by the sword” and what I believe he’s saying is if you live out of fear you will die in fear, but God calls us to trust in him even to the point of death.

David did not act out of fear, but out of love. Love for God and a love for his people. Goliath is a figure that represents evil. David did not fear evil because he knew that his future and his fate was in God’s hands. David had no fear because he was filled with God’s love, and God’s love gives us the peace to stand in the midst of our enemies.

We said that on Good Friday, Jesus was rejected, betrayed, and abandoned and yet he did not fight or flee. He did not return violence for violence, but instead he returned love for violence. Jesus did not act out of fear. He acted out of love. He acted out of an inner space that was filled with peace. Where love resides, peace presides.

What was at stake for Jesus? Was he just a good guy who loved everyone? He was those things, but was much more. Jesus came proclaiming and demonstrating the kingdom of God.

What is the kingdom of God? The kingdom of God is about returning things to the way that God created them in the beginning. The kingdom of God is about you and I and the rest of the world becoming the people that God created us to be. The kingdom of God is about Heaven being on earth. The kingdom of God is about up there coming down here. The kingdom of God is about restoring our relationship with God and restoring our relationships with each other.

The reason why Jesus came to this earth and died on the cross was to create a way to set things straight and begin ushering bits of heaven on earth. Jesus died to forgive our sins so that we could begin a relationship with God that would allow us to be filled with his love and begin not to fear, to be at peace. Fear is the greatest Goliath in your life and mine. Fear is the primary evil that robs us of peace, it robs us of Joy, and it robs us of love. Fear is an acidic environment within us that keeps us from experiencing the great gifts of God. Fear is the primary thing that Jesus came to destroy at Easter because it is the thing that keeps us from experiencing heaven on earth.

Look again at the first words that Jesus speaks to his disciples after rising from the dead:
On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord. Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. John 20:19-22 (NIV)

Easter is all about peace. Both Jesus and David fought the Goliath of fear and death and won because they had the assurance of God’s love and that created a peace inside of them that God could work through. David chose 5 smooth stones in his bag to conquer the giant, but he only used one. Jesus had one large stone rolled against his tomb, but when he rolled that stone away, he conquered the great giant of fear and death.

So I’d like to give you 5 smooth, time-tested stones to put in your bag this morning in order to prepare you to slay the giant of fear and death in your life. The first one we’ve already covered.

5 smooth stones

1. It is the words that Jesus spoke to his disciples in the upper room after his resurrection. The stone is this: “Peace be with you.” Know that God’s will is for you to be at peace and to not have fear. That’s a really important stone to have in your bag. Hold on to that and pray into that.
2. The second stone that I hold on to is this: For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline 2 Timothy 1:7 (NLT). We were not created to have a spirit of fear and timidity. We were not created to fear. We were created so that we could experience fear, but we were not created to live in fear. That is to say that God’s will for us is for us to not live in fear, but in peace. Fear is when we don’t have faith in God. Fear is faith in the wrong direction. Fear is believing that God can’t or that God wants harm for you. That’s stone number 2.
3. Here’s stone number 3. For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future Jeremiah 29:11-12 (NIV).  I memorize those words to assure me when things look bleak and when I begin to feel anxious or fearful. These words reassure me and keep me on track with who God created me to be.
4. The forth stone is the 23^rd Psalm – read in Bible
5. The fifth stone is another Psalm, Psalms 27:1 (NKJV)
   The Lord is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; Of whom shall I be afraid?

It is Easter my friends and one of the primary reasons Jesus came into this world and was willing to die for the forgiveness of our sins was so that you and I could experience a relationship with him. God loves you so much that he was willing to give his life so that you could be set free from fear and anxiety and so that you could experience the peace that he created you for.

When we begin to live out the greatest Commandments, to love God with all that we are and to love those around us with a deep love that equals the love that we have for ourselves, then we begin to know a bit of the love that God has for you. And when you experience God’s love for you, you will also begin to experience less and less fear and anxiety in your life and it is then that you will experience God’s Easter Peace.

Clip: Lord of the rings 2 – middle of the movie where Gandolf appears in the woods at Gandolf the White where he reminisces about his fight with the dragon, his death, and his resurrection.

Other scripture that might be helpful:

Psalms 46:1-3 (NRSV)
God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,  though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging. Selah

Psalms 56:3-4 (NIV)
When I am afraid, I will trust in you. In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I will not be afraid. What can mortal man do to me?

The early church called Jesus the “Prince of Peace”. Isaiah 9:6