Posts Tagged ‘ Ambassadors ’
“You have heard that it was said, Love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you”
Matthew 5:43-44, CSB
God calls us to rest, and that includes in our relationships. We are ambassadors for the peace of Christ, introducing rest from conflict and hatred through the love of the One who gives us rest, love, and peace with God.
I enjoy the Christmas season. I enjoy celebrating Advent.
The first week of Advent can be found here.
The second week of Advent is traditionally seen as being a time for looking at peace. This year, I am using some of the readings from the Revised Common Lectionary.
Let’s get into
Blessed is the Lord, the God of Israel,
Luke 1:68-79, CSB
because he has visited
and provided redemption for his people.
He has raised up a horn of salvation for us
in the house of his servant David,
just as he spoke by the mouth
of his holy prophets in ancient times;
salvation from our enemies
and from the hand of those who hate us.
He has dealt mercifully with our ancestors
and remembered his holy covenant—
the oath that he swore to our father Abraham,
to grant that we,
having been rescued
from the hand of our enemies,
would serve him without fear
in holiness and righteousness
in his presence all our days.
And you, child, will be called
a prophet of the Most High,
for you will go before the Lord
to prepare his ways,
to give his people knowledge of salvation
through the forgiveness of their sins.
Because of our God’s merciful compassion,
the dawn from on high will visit us
to shine on those who live in darkness
and the shadow of death,
to guide our feet into the way of peace.
Last time we saw how God is our hope, that we can put our faith in Christ our Priestly King.
This week, we look at the peace that Christ offers, but first we look at the faithfulness of God. He promised this peace would come starting with Abraham and through to David. It took a thousand years from David to get to the final prophet of the Old Covenant which came through Moses. John the Baptist, son of Zechariah and Elizabeth, was the prophet who ushered in the ministry of the Son of David, the Priestly King who would bring peace.
However, look at what the prophet Malachi said:
“See, I am going to send my messenger, and he will clear the way before me. Then the Lord you seek will suddenly come to his temple, the Messenger of the covenant you delight in—see, he is coming,” says the Lord of Armies. But who can endure the day of his coming? And who will be able to stand when he appears? For he will be like a refiner’s fire and like launderer’s bleach. He will be like a refiner and purifier of silver; he will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver. Then they will present offerings to the Lord in righteousness. And the offerings of Judah and Jerusalem will please the Lord as in days of old and years gone by.
Malachi 3:1-4, CSB
The coming of this Prince of Peace would be a time of refinement and cleansing. While it is a time of hope, peace comes when His people have been purified. This again looks to the future, when our Priestly King Jesus comes for the second time. Now, we are being made clean by His blood, but at His second coming will be the time that the rest of Creation is purified and renewed.
True peace is knowing the Christ. He has called His Church to spread the message of peace, and as 2 Corinthians 5 tells us, we are His ambassadors until He returns. May we warn the world of the coming judgment that they may have peace with God both now and forever.
Lord, prepare our hearts with the peace of the Holy Spirit, and guide us to those who will believe in the peace you offer. Make us your weapons of peace against the violence of sin and oppression, redeeming the world through us until Your return.
All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation
2 Corinthians 5:18, ESV
Just the name of God can save us. Let us be thankful for the salvation offered in Christ, and let us show that thankfulness by obeying the command to share that salvation.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.
2 Corinthians 1:3-4, ESV
Good doesn’t need to deal with the effects of sin, but He chose to come to us, shine His loving light of redemption, and comfort us in His grace and mercy.
Now, we can carry that light and comfort to this lost and hurting world in His name.
For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
Ephesians 2:10, ESV
We were created for relationship, but our sin separates us from each other and God. Therefore, God came to us and performed the greatest work: dying to save us from sin and restore relationship with us. Now we are tasked with the work of restoring relationships with others to show them this Jesus.
But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
1 Peter 2:9-10, ESV
We must realize that in Christ we are not who we once were. We have been imprinted with the likeness of Christ, holy and royal, examples of God’s goodness in a dark and lost world.
May we be God’s ambassadors rather than live for ourselves.
All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation
2 Corinthians 5:18, ESV
God has shown us mercy in not destroying us outright, and grace by reconciling us with Himself through the cross. Let us now lead others to that mercy and grace.
a simple man of God 