I met wonderful people, made new friends, and reconnected with old friends. We ate together, relaxed together, and worshipped together. I didn't know it was possible to preach four sermons on one verse, but in his eloquent English accent, Malcolm Smith spent the entire weekend on Isaiah 26:3, "The steadfast of mind You will keep in perfect peace, because he trusts in You." Here are a few of the highlights:
The Extent of God's Peace
We tend to think of peace as the absence of conflict, but the word for peace in the
Hebrew Scriptures is "shalom,” which is much richer and more vibrant. When we have the shalom of God, we are complete, fulfilled, content, harmony, rest, wholeness, secure, and safety. Because Christ is in us, we have His shalom.
Would we characterize our life as peaceful? Even if we're preoccupied with battles and struggles, when our mind is steadfastly trusting in Christ, we can know the peace of God. Remember, this peace is based on truth of God's Word, not on our fluctuating emotions.
Formulas vs Relationship
We are quick to come up with formulas and "how-to's" in order to explain how God works and how our faith can benefit us. We believe that if we follow the right steps and say the right prayers, we'll experience the peace of God. However, God is more interested in “who” instead of “how.” He is captivated with having a relationship with us. Peace is simply a byproduct'a fruit'of our relationship with Him. Instead of looking to formulas for how to experience the fruits of a Godly life, look to Christ Himself. In a relationship with Him, there is peace.
Contracts vs Covenants
We often approach Christianity as a contract with God. Contracts contain conditions, ifs, clauses, and ways to get out of it. In a contract, if one person defaults on their obligation, then the agreement can be terminated. Contracts depend on both parties to keep their end of the deal. Obviously, the problem with that in the context of our spiritual life is that we could not keep our side of the deal.
The good news is that when we died with Christ and were resurrected with Him (Gal. 2:20), a new covenant began. In it, God promised to uphold both sides of the agreement: His side, and our side by living His life through us.
Now or Later
Is the shalom of God available now or only in the sweet bye and bye? Do you tune into your evening news to read about events that are going to happen? No, you don't read about future events. You read about present events. Well, the word gospel means "good news, " the good news that Christ is in us, and we are in Christ, is a present reality. It's not something that we have to wait until we get to heaven. His peace is available for your life right now!
God's Love and God's Wrath
When we speak of God's wrath, we must see it through the lens of His love. Malcolm Smith illustrated this point with the following story. Suppose you see your daughter playing with a venomous snake, thinking it was harmless. What would you do? You would scream “No,” run over and forcefully yank your precious little girl away. To your child, who doesn't understand the danger, you appear to be angry. But of course your anger and wrath are not directed at your child, but at the serpent that could kill her.
God's wrath has to be understood through the filter of His love.
Jesus Understands your Pain
None of us can imagine the severe pain of a crucifixion. Why did Jesus have to experience such an excruciatingly painful death? In the Old Testament, the priests sacrificed the lamb with a quick and painless slice of the neck. Couldn't Jesus' sacrifice have happened like that? Why did God allow his Son to be tortured like he was?
Think about it. Some of us have suffered horribly, and how could God relate to our suffering if He himself had never experienced suffering? How could God relate to your abuse, if He had never experienced abuse Himself? How could God relate to your betrayal, if He had never been betrayed by those He loved? Jesus went to the cross in your name. He understands what you're going through.
Reach out to Him, swallow the full gravity of His sacrifice, respond to His love, and experience His perfect peace.
Be encouraged
P.S. Due to the problems we had with the barcode on return envelopes for the May encouragement letter, many donations we returned and our giving was considerably lower. Please, consider how you might give this month to recoup the deficit we experienced. We love you and need you!
