1. The Light of Peace

7. What is Peace to Most People?
Absence of Conflict?
Deterrence of Conflict?
- Avoidance
- Defensive Posturing and Tactics
- Tolerance
Tranquility and Quiet?
Isolation in the Woods or Country?
Freedom from Anxiety?
Prosperity or Lack of Problems?

8. What is Peace to Most People?
Absence of Conflict?
Deterrence of Conflict?
- Avoidance
- Defensive Posturing and Tactics
- Tolerance
Tranquility and Quiet?
Isolation in the Woods or Country?
Freedom from Anxiety?
Prosperity?

11. What Deters World Peace?
Culture
Personalities
Worldview
Religion
Politics
Sin Nature
Peace is about Relationships
Broken Relationships Create Conflict

12. Definitions of Peace – Webster’s 1828
• In a general sense: a state of quiet tranquility,
freedom from disturbance or agitation
• Freedom from war with foreign nations
• Freedom from internal strife or civil war
• Freedom from private quarrels, suits or disturbance
• Freedom from mental fears or anxieties
• Heavenly rest – “He is at peace in heaven”
• Harmony – reconciliation between warring parties
or enemies
• Public order and security guaranteed by laws -
“peace officer”

13. What Does Peace Among
Enemies Require?
1. Desire or Commitment to Peace
2. Contract or Covenant of Peace
3. Obedience in the Covenant
4. Patience and Mercy
5. Reality of Consequential Justice
6. Honesty and Forgiveness
Peace is a willful decision between two or more
parties to keep a covenant and provide mercy

14. Man’s Greatest Enemy is God
God’s enemy is Man
Peace with other people is pointless
without first experiencing
peace with God.
True Peace is Reconciliation with God

15. God Established a Covenant of
Peace through Law
But…
Man Broke the Covenant
and the Treaty of Peace Ended

16. Isaiah 59:1
Behold, the LORD's hand is not
shortened, that it cannot save, or His ear dull,
that it cannot hear; [2] but your iniquities have
made a separation between you and your God,
and your sins have hidden His face from you
so that He does not hear. [3] For your
hands are defiled with blood and your fingers
with iniquity; your lips have spoken lies;
your tongue mutters wickedness.

17. James 4:4
You adulterous people! Do you not
know that friendship with the world is enmity
with God? Therefore whoever
wishes to be a friend of the world makes
himself an enemy of God.
1 John 2:15
Do not love the world or the things
in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love
of the Father is not in him.

18. Romans 5:12-13 Therefore,
just as sin came into
the world through one man, and death through
sin, and so death spread to all men because all
sinned—[13] for sin indeed was in the world
before the law was given, but sin is not counted
where there is no law.
Sin Has Separated Us From God
Every Person Has Broken God’s Covenant of Peace

20. The Prince of Peace
Isaiah 9:6
For to us a child is born, to us a son is
given; and the government shall be upon his
shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful
Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince
of Peace. [7] Of the increase of his government
and of peace there will be no end, on the throne
of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and
to uphold it with justice and with righteousness
from this time forth and forevermore. The
zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this.

21. What is Jesus’ Ministry of Peace?
Colossians 1:19
For in him all the fullness of God
was pleased to dwell, [20] and through him to
reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth
or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his
cross. [21] And you, who once were alienated and
hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, [22] he has now
reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in
order to present you holy and blameless and
above reproach before him…

22. What is Jesus’ Ministry of Peace?
Romans 5:1
Therefore, since we have been justified by
faith, we have peace with God through our Lord
Jesus Christ. [2] Through him we have also
obtained access by faith into this grace in which
we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of
God. [3] Not only that, but we rejoice in our
sufferings, knowing that suffering produces
endurance, [4] and endurance produces character,
and character produces hope,

23. [5] and hope does not put us to shame, because
God's love has been poured into our hearts
through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.
[6] For while we were still weak, at the right
time Christ died for the ungodly. [7] For one will
scarcely die for a righteous person—though
perhaps for a good person one would dare even
to die—[8] but God shows his love for us in that
while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
[9] Since, therefore, we have now been justified
by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him
from the wrath of God.

24. [10] For if while we were enemies we were
reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much
more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be
saved by his life. [11] More than that, we also
rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
through whom we have
now received reconciliation.

25. What is Jesus’ Ministry of Peace?
2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in
Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed
away; behold, the new has come. [18] All this is
from God, who through Christ reconciled us to
himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation;
[19] that is, in Christ God was reconciling the
world to himself, not counting their trespasses
against them, and entrusting to us the
message of reconciliation.

26. [20] Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ,
God making his appeal through us. We implore
you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.
[21] For our sake he made him to be sin who
knew no sin, so that in him we might become the
righteousness of God.
John 14:27
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to
you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let
not your hearts be troubled, neither
let them be afraid.

27. “Glory to God in the highest, and
on earth peace among those with
whom he is pleased!”
Luke 2:14