The Peace of Christ | Biblical Benedictions From the New Testament Season 2

Rabbi K.A. Schneider: I would have never thought that as I was driving home from work that day, someone was going to hit me on my bike. And I had some pain for it. It made me realize how temporary and uncertain things are. Tragedy can strike anybody at any time. A benediction is a pronouncement of blessing. And so we're going through the word of God and we're looking at those exhortations of blessing that we're receiving from the Father through the apostles often times so that we can understand God's perfect will for our life. One of the things that I love so much about focusing on these biblical benedictions is it helps me to understand how good God is because these benedictions again they're pronouncements of blessing. And blessing has to do with goodness. And I think at least I can speak for me personally and I feel it's safe to say that the same is true for many of you. We live in such a fallen and broken world that it's easy to lose sight of the goodness of God because of all that we're surrounded by. And so to retrain our minds and to refocus our minds on his goodness, on his purpose, on his blessing over us helps us to be joyful, to be happy in him, to have hope in him as I spoke of on a previous episode in this series. So we're continuing today focusing on biblical benedictions and we're going to begin by going to the book of Colossians. And we're going to go to the third chapter, the 15th through the 17th verse. Hear the word of God. Paul is speaking. He says, let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts to which indeed you were called in one body and be thankful. We're going to go through the 15th through the 17th verse. I'm going to take one verse at a time drawing our attention to key concepts in each one of the verses. So let's read it again. Then I'm going to point out certain words. Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts to which indeed you were called in one body and be thankful. Let's begin by talking about the benediction or the declaration of God's goodness over our lives which has to do with God's peace, the peace of Christ ruling in our hearts. So many times we look for the answer in our circumstances. People think they're going to feel better about themselves if they're promoted, if the world recognizes them, right? I mean, you look at humanity today and it's been the same ever since the fall. We think that our answer isn't something outside ourselves. That's what happened to Adam and Eve when they ate of the tree. They were cut off from their center where God is and instead they became self-conscious and flesh-conscious and they lost contact with their core. They suddenly felt ashamed and naked. And so in desperation they tried to solve that sense of nakedness and shame. We read about in the book of Bereshit or Genesis by running from themselves and from God. And then they tried to cover it up with the fig leaves, the the things of the world. And so mankind today apart from God is doing that same thing in a much more sophisticated way. We come to a place in our life as we enter into puberty where somehow we feel that things are just not right, that something's off, something's wrong. I'm not complete. I'm not fulfilled. I'm not all I feel like I should be. So what do we do too often? We run or look to the world for that answer. We look for our identity in things and in positions. Of course at the end of the day it's a complete lie because it all collapses. You can't take any of it with you. Regardless of what position of fame you may achieve, it's going to end. And as this concept that I'm describing now relates to peace cuz remember we're looking at the verse here, let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts. The concept that I've just shared about everything in the world being temporary relates to this specific concept of peace right now in the sense that many times we think that peace is found if we can control everything around us. And if we just have all the chess pieces in place and we have the perfect home and the perfect child and the perfect mate, if we can get all those things in place, then somehow we're going to have peace. And we all that have lived long enough and are self-aware enough have come to a place where we've realized it's a lie because the world is so dangerous that even if you have everything in place today, you're afraid that something's going to fall apart tomorrow because it's very possible that something will fall apart tomorrow. Often times the things that affect us, beloved ones, most in life are things that we weren't expecting to happen. I remember a few years ago I was riding my motorcycle and I'm turning into my driveway. And as I'm turning into my driveway, someone in back of me that I didn't even know was there, he must have come behind me very quickly. He decides as I'm turning that he's going to go around me. He hits me on my motorcycle. I would have never thought that as I was driving home from work that day, someone was going to hit me on my bike. Fortunately, the damage that was done to me was minor, but it sure shook me up. And I had some pain for it. It made me realize how temporary and uncertain things are. Tragedy can strike anybody at any time. I don't want to put fear in anybody. We're protected in the love and the power of God, but I want us to understand that peace is not found in everything in the world going right. And the things again that often times affect us most in life are things that we weren't expecting, things we didn't plan. And so we can't really find lasting, true, deep peace in anything that humanity or the world has to offer us. If we really want to find something substantial, if we really want to get grounded, if we really want to drink of water that will not fail us, if we truly want to come to a peace, the Bible says that passes understanding, we have to come into the peace of Christ. And so the benediction is let the peace of Christ rule in your heart. Jesus said, my peace I give to you not as the world gives. The apostle said that God gives us a peace that passes understanding. Why does the peace that Jesus gives come without being connected to the world? Why is it passed understanding? Why is it a peace that it 's not like the world gives as Jesus described? It's because it's not based in the world. It's not based on something that we can understand. The peace that passes understanding is a peace that you and I have when everything around us may be falling apart. You could have the biggest tragedy that you could ever imagine strike you. You'd be terrified if you imagined it happening. And yet if it happened and when it happened, you may be experiencing absolute total peace. Why? Because Christ is your sufficiency. His peace is passed understanding. It's not based in anything circumstantially. As Jesus said, my peace I give to you not as the world gives. And so the Father's purpose for us is that this peace that's not of the world and that passes understanding would rule in our heart. And in order for Christ's peace to rule in your heart, beloved one, and my heart, we have to practice cutting off the thoughts that keep us focused on the outside and learn instead how to drink of that living water that flows from within. Jesus within us is the hope of glory.
Dustin Roberts: You're listening to Discovering the Jewish Jesus. And Rabbi will be right back in a moment. But first I want you to know that our desire is to see God move powerfully in your life. And if you have a prayer request, we invite you to submit it online at discovering the jewishjesus.com. Our team will prayerfully lift up your request to the Lord believing with you for God's guidance and love in your life. Submit your request today. For if their rejection is the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead? Friends, this verse in Romans shows us that when the Jewish people come to Christ, we too will be blessed. The church will experience a spiritual awakening. Help us fulfill this calling to reach Israel. We can't do it without your faithful support. So partner with us today by visiting us online at discoveringthejewishjesus.com. And now back to Rabbi Schneider.
Rabbi K.A. Schneider: In the book of Jeremiah chapter 2 verse 13, the God of Israel said to the Jewish people, he said, you've committed two evils. You've dug out for yourselves cisterns that hold no water. In other words, you have forsaken me and instead tried to drink from the world. You've dug out for yourselves cisterns that hold no water. And he said, and you've forsaken me, saith the Lord. The fountain of living water. So my question, beloved one, to you and I today is this. Will we bring our thoughts and the trajectory of our life back into focus so that we're no longer seeking for peace in the world, but instead recognize that the only way to truly have peace is to build our house on the solid rock who is Christ Jesus, who is himself the prince of peace. That way even when your hairs are gray and your career is ended, maybe your spouse passed away, whatever it is, even when your hairs are gray, you'll still have peace because the peace that you have will be unshakable, immovable, and can never be taken away from you. So we're thinking about my friends, what will we build our life on? Let's continue on. After Paul says, let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, he says, to which indeed you were called in one body. So we're called to this peace, all of us will we yield to it. And he says, and be thankful. So Paul is saying, listen, I'm pronouncing the goodness of God over your life and the purposes of excellency he has for you. God has something important for you. And Paul said, now I want you to be thankful. And I have to say that there's days that I have to shake my head at myself and repent before the Lord and bring myself under his lordship and talk to him and say, Father, I just feel like something's wrong in my life right now. I feel out of alignment. I I don't feel thankful today. I don't feel in love with you today. I don't feel alive to you today. I don't feel close to you today. So Father God, I ask you to have mercy on me. Bring me into alignment. And you know, as soon as I do that, I begin to feel God's goodness over me and I feel thankful. And so you may be in a position today, beloved one, where you're feeling just kind of jaded. The world's beaten you up. The world's knocked you down. You've been through a lot of hard times. You've dealt with a lot of difficult people. You were given a shaken life that wasn't fair. You've been treated unjustly and you're just beaten down and discouraged and mad and angry. But I want to encourage you today. You can transcend that. You can overcome that by concentrating on the love of God. And when you do, be thankful. I've shared this story before, but I'll never forget a man that I used to know well. And every time I'd see this man, he didn't have much. He had a health issue. He struggled financially. Every time I'd say to him, how are you doing today? He would say the same thing back to me. He said, Rabbi, praise God. I am doing better than I deserve. And isn't that true for all of us? We're doing better than we deserve. So Paul says, be thankful. And then he continues in verse 16, let the word of Christ richly dwell within you. Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you. I think this is so so important. You know, we're living today in the western world. And I'm not speaking on behalf of everyone, but of many many. And the Christian culture that many that identify themselves as Christians are in is a culture in which the focus is on experiencing the good feeling that the worship music gives them. In other words, I remember when I was a young believer, I came to faith as many of you know in 1978. Everything was based on the word. Everybody it was still part of the Jesus Revolution. And all the young believers, all the young people, they would walk around everywhere with their Bible. You know, I always had my New Testament with me in my pocket. We carried our Bible with us everywhere. We loved memorizing the word of God. We spent so much time in Bible studies, just drinking in the word of God. But the culture today in America and other places in the world is not a culture that's based in the written word of God. It's rather a culture where people are simply looking for the feeling that the Christian worship songs give them. And I think that's a great thing. I love the feeling that I experienced during corporate worship when the music is anointed and the lyrics are anointed. But it can't stop there. You think about it. The early church when they came together, they didn't always begin their meetings with a song service. They began the meeting, beloved, with the word of God, the written word of God, the B I B L E, the Bible. And so Paul says here, let the word of Christ richly dwell within you. I want to encourage you today. If I'm talking to you, don't let laziness hold you. The reason that too many of us are not experiencing more is because the word of God does not dwell richly in us. And sometimes the root cause of that is simply the spirit of laziness, that we don't have enough desire or passion to be able to spend time with the Lord each morning. I think it's so important, beloved ones, for you and I to begin our day just sitting before the Lord, spending time in his word, even if it's only a couple chapters every day, one from the Hebrew Bible, one from the New Testament. I like have a devotional as well. Often times I'll put on beautiful worship music, not even necessarily worship music with lyrics to it. Sometimes just beautiful worship strings. And I just sit in the presence of the Lord getting in his word. And it it aligns me for the day. I bring God's word into my heart so that it richly dwells in me. And then I'm able to start the day positively with the right perspective, with power, bringing everything into alignment. And so, beloved, Paul continues. He says, let the word of God richly dwell within you with all wisdom and teaching. Wisdom is a gift from God. As you give yourself to God, he's going to give you wisdom. As you spend that time in the morning putting him first, seek ye first the kingdom of God, everything else the word of God teaches will be added unto you. Everything you need for the day, including my beloved friend, wisdom. We need wisdom. We need to know when to speak, when not to speak. We need to know what to say. We need to know what to do. Everything requires wisdom. And sometimes it really is very discouraging to see Christian people leading lives where there's such a lack of wisdom cuz you wonder well, God, they're talking about you all the time, but where's the wisdom? God wants us to be light in the world. The Lord said, if you'll put me first, allow my word to dwell richly in you, you're going to be given wisdom. And he says, with wisdom, teaching, we're going to understand life correctly. We're going to have been taught of God. And then we're to admonish one another. And just encourage each other. And finally Paul ends this biblical benediction, this pronouncement of blessing of God's hope and grace upon our life by saying, let everything you do, he says, be done in the name of the Lord. And so in the 17th verse Paul says, whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus giving thanks through him to God the Father. So we're to give thanks through Messiah to God the Father. The end is the Father. Jesus said, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man cometh to the Father but by me. Many Christians have made Jesus the end. But Jesus didn't claim to be the end. He said he was the way to the end. The Father is the end. Jesus said, no man cometh to the Father but through me. So Paul concludes by saying, whatever you do in word or deed, give thanks in the name of the Lord Jesus through him, through Messiah Jesus to the Father. May the Lord richly bless you, beloved one, more than you're even expecting as you continue to seek him. I know that if you have an open heart and you just sat through me preaching, you've been strengthened. God's word is life-giving. It's living and active and sharper than a two-edged sword. I'm going now as we close today, beloved ones, to the book of 3 John. I'm going there to the first chapter and the eighth verse. Hear the word of God. John says, therefore we ought to support such men that we might be fellow workers with the truth. What was going on here is John was encouraging God's people to support those that were faithfully preaching the gospel because you know what? The gospel can't be spread without God's people supporting it financially. I want to ask you, beloved, if you believe in me, if you're being blessed by discovering the Jewish Jesus, would you support us financially so that we can continue to feed you and in fact preach the gospel all over the world? Beloved, there's always a blessing when we put God first in our life. And when we put him first with our finances, it opens our heart to receive more. This is Rabbi Schneider saying, I love you. Thank you for your financial support and shalom.
Dustin Roberts: Amen. You can support the ministry of discovering the Jewish Jesus by giving online at discoveringthejewishjesus.com or call 800-777-7835. You can also mail your gift to discoveringthejewishjesus PO Box 777 Blissfield, Michigan 49228. And one of the ways that your generosity is flowing outward is through jewishjesus.com and our created to reach Jewish people with the gospel. At jewishjesus.com Jewish people can explore questions about God and the Hebrew scriptures, their Jewish identity, and the Messiah in a setting that's designed for them. They can hear Rabbi Schneider's story and examine passages about Jesus. Plus we've set it up where they can privately connect with someone who can respond to all of their questions. Think about someone searching late at night with questions that they may not feel comfortable asking anyone else. jewishjesus.com it gives that person a place to begin. And your giving it helps us reach Jewish people in the United States, Israel, and communities all around the world. But you know what? This new outreach it's only possible because friends like you believe in the work that we're doing and because friends like you step forward and give. Your generosity helps take the gospel beyond the people that we can reach personally and it puts biblical truth before Jewish people who are searching for answers. Thank you for helping this ministry keep the message moving outward. So to give a gift in support of discovering the Jewish Jesus, visit us online at discoveringthejewishjesus.com or call 800-777-7835. That's 800-777-7835. And now here's Rabbi Schneider to speak God's sacred blessing over your life.
Rabbi K.A. Schneider: The Aaronic blessing in the book of Numbers chapter 6 is not a blessing that comes from an impersonal being out there somewhere in the heavens. This special blessing comes from a person, Yahweh, God Almighty, our creator and maker. So receive God's blessing into your life right now. The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you. The Lord lift you up with his countenance and the Lord give you, beloved one, his peace. And now in Hebrew God bless you and shalom.
Dustin Roberts: I'm your host Dustin Roberts and this program is produced and sponsored by Discovering the Jewish Jesus. Rabbi Schneider shares how you can be refreshed by God's abundant love Monday on Discovering the Jewish Jesus.