Perfect peace coming, and peace will fill our hearts

All around us, we witness a world that is filled with hate. We see it in racism, ISIS, political parties and rioting, as well as among other disorderly events.

Yet there is hope! God is love. God so loved the world he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believes in him should not Perish but have everlasting life.
The word “so” in this verse is not telling how much God loves the world but in what manner he loved each of us. His love is demonstrated by what he gives. He gave all he had for you and me.
In fact, every time the Bible refers to God’s love, it tells that he gave something as a result. Christ loved the church and gave himself for it.
There is nothing like God’s love. He proved his love for us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us. Jesus taught us to love our enemies and to do good to those who persecute us.
Without Christ, the world is incapable of this kind of love, but Christ in this is the hope of glory.
Jesus is the hope of the world. He is God’s anointed. He is God in human flesh. Jesus alone can mend the relationship between God and man.
Jesus joined God with man in his own person. We can also be one with God.
The hope of the world is man’s relief from the stress, depression and burden of sin. Because of sin in our very nature, we hardly recognize its effects on our living. When we are saved, the relief of the burden of sin gives is a foresight of what it will be like when we get to heaven and sin has been finally eradicated.
Sin separates us from God. It leaves a void that craves to be filled. Whence cometh wars and fightings among you? Come they not from the lusts that war within you?
Sin destroys the heart, mind and soul. It affects our entire existence. The earth groans and travails in pain. The emotions, intellect and will are depraved.
We struggle for peace and we despair of satisfaction. Our happiness is diminished. Many seek satisfaction in alcohol, drugs, immorality and many other vices that plague our race.
On the cross, Jesus took our sin upon himself. He bore our eternal punishment in his infinite suffering.
Christ died bearing our sins. Sin had exhausted its power by killing Jesus.
But grace is greater than our sin. God’s power had not been exhausted. The grave could not hold Jesus. He arose.
By faith we die to ourselves. We identify with Christ in death and we are raised to new life in him.
Faith appropriates the work of Jesus. It unites us with God through Jesus. The suffering heart within every man can be filled with the love of God.
A day of perfect peace is coming and peace can fill the heart of every person who receives Jesus as his personal Lord and Savior. As God restores the years the canker worm has eaten, even so he will remake this world as a paradise. Paradise begins in the heart of individual men.
You may have paradise in your heart today by trusting the death of Jesus for your eternal salvation.
Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
 

Rev. Olen Evans • First Baptist Church, Brownstown