ADVENT: PEACE
“...the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.’ Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace (eirene) to those on whom his favor rests.’” (Luke 2:10-14).
· “peace, peace of mind… the health (welfare) of an individual.” - Strong’s Concordance
· eirḗnē –wholeness, i.e. when all essential parts are joined together; peace (God's gift of wholeness). - HELPS Word-studies
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Roots and Fruits (Part 2)
We are going to start in the book of Romans.
“ …to condemn the sin that was ruling in the flesh, God sent His own Son, bearing the likeness of sinful flesh, as a sin offering. 4 Now we are able to live up to the justice demanded by the law. But that ability has not come from living by our fallen human nature; it has come because we walk according to the movement of the Spirit in our lives.
5 If you live your life animated by the flesh—namely, your fallen, corrupt nature—then your mind is focused on the matters of the flesh. But if you live your life animated by the Spirit—namely, God’s indwelling presence—then your focus is on the work of the Spirit. 6 A mind focused on the flesh is doomed to death, but a mind focused on the Spirit will find full life and complete peace (eirene)….
The power of sin and death has been eclipsed by the power of the Spirit. The Spirit breathes life into our mortal, sin-infested bodies… You live in the Spirit, assuming, of course, that the Spirit of God lives inside of you…. If the Anointed One lives within you, even though the body is as good as dead because of the effects of sin, the Spirit is infusing you with life now that you are right with God.
11 If the Spirit of the One who resurrected Jesus from the dead lives inside of you, then you can be sure that He who raised Him will cast the light of life into your mortal bodies through the life-giving power of the Spirit residing in you. (Romans 8:3-11, excerpted)
“A mind focused on the Spirit will find full life and complete peace.” Why? Because the peace won by Jesus between unholy us and a holy God is perfect peace, a reality that goes much deeper than our feelings of peacefulness.
We then live in that peace - we “work out” our salvation into every corner of our lives (Philippians 2:12), like a baker kneading dough so that the yeast gets everywhere – as we walk in the path that the Spirit of God leads us. Fortunately, God’s Word clarifies that path for us.
We’ve been studying Paul’s second letter to Timothy. In it, he presents a pretty grim picture of what it looks like when people walk in the path of the flesh (which leads to chaos), and we are moving by implication to what it looks like to walk in the Spirit (which leads to peace).[1]
In the previous sermon we looked at 6 traits on the outermost bookends of this section. Today we are moving in a step to look at 6 more traits closer to the center. If I had to summarize all six, I would say they paint a picture of people who rebel against any kind of authority, restraint, or expectation that comes from outside themselves. Our contrast will be what it looks like to live by honoring the God-given authorities and boundaries in our lives.
1. rebels against parents
This was a deeply serious offense in all ancient Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cultures (see Deuteronomy 21:20 – 21).[2] While this was clearly about parents, for the Israelites, it was often broadened to mean those in authority in every aspect, specifically spiritual authority (I’m leaning toward this purpose here because another category is those who have no love for their family). How they responded to God-ordained spiritual authority had implications for they responded to God’s authority. HELPS Word studies puts it this way:
’Unwilling to be persuaded (by God), which shows itself in outward disobedience (outward spiritual rebellion).” – HELPS Word Studies
We often think of the foundation of spiritual authority in our lives as ourselves. “It’s just me and Jesus. Everybody else move away and let me figure out how to read this passage of Scripture, or apply it to my life.” That concept would have been unthinkable to the ancient Israelites and dare I say to the early church. There are spiritual authorities God has placed in the world, and God intends them to have weight in our lives.
Now, are they flawed? You bet. Are we following mindlessly? That’s a cult, so no. But there is the Bible; there are the creeds; there is the weight of tradition; there is denominational or local church authority. In the Jewish culture in the NT, parents were also responsible for being sure the Law and the Prophets were taught to their kids.
At the end of the day, we must own our spiritual decisions, but those decisions must be informed by the spiritual ‘weight’ God has ordained in the structure of spiritual authority. None of us think we are the ones who say, “Did God really say?” That’s what serpents whisper. But too often, our version is, “Eh, does anybody else really get to have a say in how I understand God, and His Word, and His world?” Because the answer is yes, they do. This has always been the case in biblical history.
So the opposite is the honoring parents/spiritual authority.
Meanings for honor in Scripture include the imagery of “adding wealth” or “giving weight.” This is such a tricky topic, because no human being other than Jesus deserves the full weight of anyone’s trust. We could probably do a series on what honoring spiritual authority looks like, but I’m going to try to summarize it: God intends for us to be formed by the weight of the God-ordained spiritual authorities in our lives.
Are you familiar with 3-D presses? They take blobs of material and make something functional of them. Those blobs of material don’t form themselves. They achieve their form because something forms them.
Unless we have been raised by wolves, we are inescapably spiritually formed by some sort of spiritual 3-D press.
· Paul told the Corinthians that he planted and Apollos watered (1 Corinthians 3:6-7). I would assume that means we all need planters and waterers in our lives.
· In fact, Hebrews 5:12 says, "you need someone to teach you".
· God created the offices and gives the gifts of teacher or elder or pastor to teach and shepherd.
· Leaders are expected to guide/protect/rebuke, which implies that people are to listen for their benefit and because God said to.
We go through a spiritual press. Sometimes it’s not of our choosing; sometimes it is. When you come to this church or any other church, when you fill yourself with a teacher online, when you join a small group, you are submitting yourself to the pressing process. Something will be formed on the other side.
This is God’s plan. Embrace it with wisdom and proper discernment.
Choose your spiritual formation wisely, and then let it do its work.
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2. ungrateful
ungrateful/ungraceful – “properly, without God's grace (favor) which results in unthankfulness (literally, "ungraceful"). – HELPS Word Studies
In a culture that expected those who were given gifts to repay these gifts with honor, those who were ungrateful were really looked down upon.[3]
To the original writers and readers of Scripture, while gifts (such as grace) could not be earned, they must be responded to. The giver does not function as if there are relational strings attached; however, the receiver does. The recipient of a gift was in the debt of the one who gave them a gift. And the bigger the gift, the bigger the response owed.[4] So if someone gave their life for you…. This is sometimes referred to as Life Debt, a trope that shows up in a LOT of stories, like 3:10 to Yuma.[5]
The grateful respond to a gift with a gift in some fashion. The Roman writer Seneca used an image of throwing a ball. You need a thrower (the giver) and a catcher (the receiver) who then throws and the other catches, etc. The goal is to keep the ball in the air. Paul seems very comfortable building on this virtuous reciprocal obligation[6] in a gift economy between people. In the NT church, the koinania relationship was one of giving and receiving. It’s a rhythm of life designed to foster relationship based on giving and responding with gratitude, then giving and responding with gratitude... (Philippians 2:30, 4:15; Romans 15:27; 1 Corinthians 9:11). To be clear:
· If I wait until someone has earned a gift from me, that’s too late. It’s a gift, not a payment for services rendered.
· If I give something back to prove I was worthy of a gift in the first place, I have missed the point and insulted the grace of the giver.
· If I give something bigger back to show the other gift up, or to coerce an even bigger gift, then I’m a jerk, and the relationship is going to be in trouble.
The basic idea is this: gratefulness is not just a feeling, it’s an act. It’s how relationship is built. You give me a compliment about my beard, an act of grace to be sure; I compliment you next Sunday on your taste in Michigan football teams, which is also an act of grace. The point is that I remember the gift you have given and I look forward to reciprocating in some fashion. You were kind; I will be kind. You ‘saw’ me; I will ‘see’ you. It’s how relationships work. This ‘gift economy’ is meant to be the transactional relational language of the church.
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3. unholy
“A lack of reverence for what should be hallowed.” – HELPS WORD STUDIES
There are verses that warn us not to give that which is holy to the dogs, or the pigs (Matthew 7:6), images in that culture of filth and degradation. So, what ought to be hallowed treated with reverence, or set apart as holy?
· God, clearly.
· People (who are all image bearers (Genesis 1:26-27, 5:1-2); followers of Jesus are temples of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 3 and 6)
I think those two are obvious. But….what should be “set apart” in the lives of believers committed to holiness? What should be viewed or appreciated or used in such a way that it God, people and all of God’s created world are honored and treated with appropriate care and reverence? Everything.[7]
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4. without restraint
“Incontinent.—Having no control over the passions or urges – emotions, words, appetites of all kinds.” (HELPS WORD STUDIES)
This image is literally that of one who cannot control the kind of bodily functions that expel waste. If you have experienced this, you know it’s embarrassing and frustrating. How odd that we live in a world that often glorifies moral incontinence, the uncontrolled unleashing of passions and urges. It’s the desire to live like a moral animal, a slave to instincts and hungers and lusts (but now I’m ahead of myself).
The opposite is temperate or restrained. It’s a blessing to be able to restrain when and how our body expels waste. Is it not also a blessing to be able to restrain the potential of our lives to expel moral waste? Sometimes, when it comes to physical incontinence, we can genuinely say, “I couldn’t help myself.” Christian brothers and sisters, with the exception of the kind of damage to our bodies that deeply harms our body’s God-given restrainers (like a TBI or significant developmental disorders) we cannot say “I can’t help myself” when it comes to the words that come out of our mouths, or the attitude we unleash, or any urge to follow our immoral instincts, hungers or lust. We have the Holy Spirit. One of the fruits is self-control. God helps us in those moments we cannot help ourselves.
When we say, “I shouldn’t have said that or posted that or looked at that, but I just couldn’t help myself,” we are liars. We have a form of godliness but are denying its power. Between the Holy Spirit, the guidelines of God’s Word, and the company of God’s people, there is no temptation to sin that we cannot bear (1 Corinthians 10:13). That is good news, indeed. God has equipped us to live in a community where were are tempered by the power of God to the glory of God.
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5. savage (bestial)
Fierce.—Inhuman, savage, or merciless, harsh, cruel. They are both soft and hard, incontinently indulging themselves and inhuman to others,[8] when they should be hardened to self-indulgence and soft toward others.” (Pulpit Commentary)[9]
This is actually a thread that runs throughout the Bible: will we be molded into the image of beasts, or of God? Will we find more affinity with animals or people? The opposite is hospitable (merciful), or “soft toward others.”
I know. We live in a culture where “soft” implies “weak” and nobody wants to be weak. Don’t tread on me!
· Yet God is describes as “abounding in mercy.”[10]
· Jesus told people to learn what it means that God desires mercy more than sacrifices (Matthew 9:13).
· I read blessed are the meek and the peacemakers (Matthew 5). Greater love has no one more than laying down your life (John 15:13). Serve others sacrificially.[11] Turn away wrath with a soft answer (Proverbs 15:1).
· Overcome evil with good (Romans 12:21). If someone strikes you or takes your cloak, don’t seek revenge (Luke 6:29). Shame them with kindness (Romans 12:20). Give food and water to your enemy, and the Lord will reward you. (Proverbs 25:21-22)
May God give us the strength to be weak in the eyes of the world so that the strength of God is highlighted and His mercy is made manifestly clear in His merciful people.
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6. haters of anything good[12]
“Despisers of those that are good; that is, hostile to every good thought and work and person.” – HELPS Word Studies
This is a terrible summary of what we have covered so far. The opposite, of course, is lovers of Good (good thoughts, actions and persons), the beautiful opposite. The things that are true, honest, just, pure, lovely, and of good report (Philippians 4:8), we not only dwell on them, we celebrate them everywhere we see them.
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So, back to peace.
“The fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.” (James 3:18). That’s first of all God to us, then us to others, and God has shown us how to do and empowered us to do it. “So then let us pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding” (Romans 14:19). That’s the goal as we live together in church.
THREE QUESTIONS
What does it look like for you to “work out your salvation” into every corner of your life? (By the way, that’s a way of understanding that passage the a preacher I respect recently introduced to me. It has different implication than ‘figure out and own your faith for yourself when you get saved,” which is how I’ve often understood it.)
What would it look like if we in the church really embraced the idea of “gift economy’ as a foundation of relationships? How might church life change, and how might it stay the same?
Biblically speaking, what characterizes solid spiritual ‘parents’? What does it look like to ‘give them weight’ in our lives without putting them on a pedestal or moving toward cult-like mindless obedience?
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[1] 2 Timothy 3:1 And know this: in the last days, times will be hard. 2 You see, the world will be filled with narcissistic, money-grubbing, pretentious, arrogant, and abusive people. They will rebel against their parents and will be ungrateful, unholy, 3 uncaring, coldhearted, accusing, without restraint, savage, and haters of anything good. 4 Expect them to be treacherous, reckless, swollen with self-importance, and given to loving pleasure more than they love God. 5 Even though they may look or act like godly people, they’re not. They have the outward form and look of godliness, but by their lives they deny God’ power. I tell you: Stay away from the likes of these. Keep them away from your people.
[2] NIV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible
[3] NIV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible
[4] To whom much is given, much is required. There is a reason why “presenting our bodies as a living sacrifice” is a “reasonable act of service” (Romans 12:1). But since this passage is about life together with those around us, let’s focus there.
[5] https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/IOweYouMyLife. It’s why Friday serves Robinson Crusoe, it’s all over Harry Potter, it’s in the Chronicles of Narnia and the Silmarillion, Star Wars, Mulan, Toy Story 2….
[6] There is a fascinating chapter called “Strings Attached: Paul and Seneca On The Modern Myth Of The Pure Gift,” by David Briones, in a fascinating book called Paul And The Giants Of Philosophy (IVP Academic). In it, Briones unpacks the idea of the ‘gift economy’ in the ancient world that flourished with virtuous reciprocal obligation and other-oriented self-interest, both of which show up in Paul’s writings and would have been fundamental in the early church’s understanding of how to respond to the grace received from God and others.
[7] “Disobedient to parents… with ‘unthankful, unholy,’ makes another triad: breakers of the fifth commandment (father and mother) go on to be breakers of the tenth (don’t covet); and thus throwing aside the second table go on to throw aside also the first… The word for ‘unthankful’ occurs elsewhere only Luke 6:35 in the Sermon on the Mount. For ‘unholy’ see notes on 1 Timothy 1:9. – Cambridge Bible For School And Colleges
[8] Jameison-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
[9] “Fierce (from ferns, wild, savage); ἀνήμεροι; only here in the New Testament, and not found in the LXX., but frequent in the Greek tragedians and others, of persons, countries, plants, etc.; e.g., "Beware of the Chalubes, for they are savage (ἀνήμεροι), and cannot be approached by strangers" (AEschylus, 'Prom. Vinct.,' 734, edit. Scholef.). It corresponds with ἀνελεήμονες, unmerciful (Romans 1:31).”
[10] https://www.openbible.info/topics/gods_mercy
[11] https://counselingoneanother.com/2016/06/17/the-joy-of-sacrificial-service/
[12] “Incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good; vicious or uncontrollable, unapproachable, unkindly to all good, a… triad, in which the characters of the libertine, the churl, the worldling are painted. The three words occur nowhere else in N.T. But the exact opposites are found together in Titus 1:8, ‘temperate, a lover of hospitality, a lover of good.’ – Cambridge Bible For Schools And Commentaries