Fifth Sunday after Trinity
July 16, 2006
Scripture Readings: Habakkuk 2:1-4; Luke 11:37-54
Hymns: 267; 469; 764; 784

Grace to you and peace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. The word of God taken for our instruction in righteousness this morning comes from the letter of Paul to the Galatians recorded in the first chapter, the first five verses:

1 Paul, an apostle (not from men nor through man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father who raised Him from the dead), 2 and all the brethren who are with me, To the churches of Galatia: 3 Grace to you and peace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ, 4 who gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, 5 to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.

Theme: The Church’s Source of Peace

In the name of Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for our sins; Dear Fellow Redeemed,

There are many questions that human beings have struggled to answer throughout history. But one of the most important questions, and one which is often answered incorrectly is the question: “How can I find true peace in my life?” Cain sought peace by killing his brother Abel; the brothers of Joseph sought peace by selling their brother into slavery; Judas sought peace by betraying Jesus for thirty pieces of silver. David sought peace by killing the husband of Bathsheba, but only found true peace in repentance and God’s forgiveness. Peter sought peace by denying Jesus, but only found true peace in repentance and in his Savior’s forgiveness. Similarly, Luther sought peace by physically abusing himself, but found true peace only in the message of God’s grace which he discovered here in Paul’s letter to the Galatians. In these opening verses, and throughout this entire letter Paul describes for us the Church’s true source of peace - telling us that true peace is produced by God and not by man. May the study of this letter give each of you the lasting peace which only Jesus can give, through the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Of all the books of Scripture, there may be none which have had a greater impact on Christianity than Paul’s letter to the Galatians. Of all the books of Scripture, there may be none which have had a greater impact on Lutheranism than Paul’s letter to the Galatians. As we have heard many times, it was through the study of this epistle that Luther was brought to see how the Roman Catholic Church was destroying the heart of the message about Christ - the doctrine of Justification by faith. This sent shock waves through the world of that time which have continued on into our own time even within the Lutheran Church. Yet in spite of its importance, it seems that this letter is neglected or misunderstood by many Christians and Lutherans. So during our Trinity season this year we will consider Paul’s letter to the Galatians so that we, like Luther, may come to a more complete understanding of the true peace of God which surpasses all understanding.

In this letter Paul was writing to individuals who had come to faith in Jesus as their Savior during Paul’s first missionary journey into the area of the world which is now called Turkey. Back then it was known by its Roman provincial name - Galatia. The book of Acts records Paul’s work in this area, especially his work in the cities of Iconium, Derbe and Lystra (Acts 14). In these cities of Galatia many people came to faith in Jesus, so churches were set up and organized by Paul and Barnabas.

Paul and Barnabas did not have an easy job. The people of this region of the world, like most others of that time, were made up of Jews who had left Jerusalem, as well as Gentiles of many different backgrounds. When Paul and Barnabas came to Iconium and proclaimed to the people the peace which comes through Jesus the Christ, we are told that a large number of people believed. But there was also a large number who were angered at their teaching and attempted to arrest and stone them. From there they moved to the nearby city of Lystra where Paul directed the people to abandon the worship of false gods and serve the one true living God. But those who had attempted to kill them in Iconium followed them to Lystra, stirred up the majority against them, stoned Paul, and left him for dead. Yet the Lord preserved Paul’s life and he continued on to Derbe where they made many more disciples. Before leaving they told the believers in Galatia, “We must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God” (Acts 14:22).

That doesn’t sound like peace, does it? Being argued with, hunted and chased down, abused, and stoned doesn’t sound peaceful at all. Nor does enduring many tribulations sound peaceful! But that was exactly what Paul had offered to the believers in these Galatian cities - Peace with God. This is not the kind of peace the world looks for or offers. It is not the kind of peace that can be found within ourselves or with others. This is the peace which comes from the living God who was not made with hands, but Who created the world and all things in it.

Paul reminds his readers that the message of peace which he had proclaimed to them did not come from man but from God. He says, “Paul, an apostle (not from men nor through man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father who raised Him from the dead).” It was the risen Christ Himself that had called Saul to be His apostle while on the way to Damascus. His message of peace to the churches of Galatia came directly from the all powerful God who had raised Jesus from the dead. What other so-called god could do that? The God who is powerful enough to bring the dead back to life, is the one who offers this promise of true and everlasting peace. It is this peace that Paul was sent by Christ to proclaim to them.

Paul greets his fellow believers in Galatia with those words we have become so accustomed to hearing in our worship services: “Grace to you and peace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ...” With those two words “grace” and “peace” Paul addresses the readers of every one of his thirteen letters in the New Testament! Have we become so familiar with those words that we simply skip over them when we hear them? Have they lost some of their meaning for us? If so, I hope that you will consider them with me once again this morning.

Luther said that this greeting of the apostle Paul is “strange (or foreign) to the world” since it cannot be understood apart from Christ. At the same time these two short words are perhaps the best and most complete short summary of Christianity that there is - Grace and Peace.

“Grace” is the love of God which sent Christ as our Savior, and procured for us salvation through His death and resurrection. The word “grace” reminds us of all that God has done for us to secure the forgiveness of our sins through Christ and assures our eternal salvation. “Grace” reminds us that our salvation is a gift, completely God’s work for us, and that we have done nothing to deserve it. In summary, “grace” is God’s gift of freedom from sin through Christ.

“Peace” is something quite different. “Peace” is the result of God’s grace in our lives. “Peace” refers to the new relationship between sinners and God as a result of Christ’s work of forgiveness. “Peace” also refers to the relief our consciences feel when the weight of sin is lifted off of us and borne by Jesus on Calvary. “Peace” is the assurance that we receive from God that all is well between Him and us, and that we will spend eternity in heaven. “Peace” is also a freedom - freedom from the bondage and oppression of our own conscience which convicts us of sin.

In all his letters Paul retains this order, grace first then peace. The peace which we are offered in Christ comes to us only by the grace of God our Father. Without His grace, His love for us, His forgiveness, we can have no peace. Our only true source of peace comes from God and God alone as Paul states, “Grace to you and peace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for our sins.”

What purpose does the grace and peace of God our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ serve? “That He might deliver us from this present evil age.” The end result and purpose of God’s grace toward us in Christ, which offers His Church lasting peace is the confidence of our deliverance from this evil world which is full of sin and death and our inheritance of the sinless life to come. At times our flesh longs for this life with its lusts and pleasures. But the new man within us longs for a life without sin and all its consequences. That is what Christ came to deliver us from.

Again Luther says, “Therefore let us praise God the Father, and give Him hearty thanks for this His unmeasurable mercy, that has delivered us out of the kingdom of the Devil (in which we were held captives) by His own Son, when it was impossible to be done by our own strength. And let us acknowledge together with Paul that all our works and righteousness are but loss and dung (Phil. 3:8).”

This is something produced by God and not man as Paul again confirms in the closing statement: “according to the will of our God and Father, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.” All this is according to the will of our God and Father, by His grace offering His church true peace. We do not deserve the glory, it is God’s and His alone!

The desire to take credit for our accomplishments and achievements is very strong today. Everywhere we go people boast about what they have done and how far they have come. This is true spiritually as well. Our flesh wants to take some of the credit for our good will from God. It wants us to believe that we have done something to earn God’s love. We want to believe that we have brought peace to our lives by our right conduct, our good attitude, or our love towards others. Do not be deceived!

“How can I find true peace in my life?” Luther tried to find peace in himself, in relics, in his works, in his superiors, and in self-punishment, but like so many before and after him, he found only sin and despair. Like Luther, we have followed Paul to the cross of Christ where we have come to know the true grace and peace of God our Father. What Paul had to offer to the people in Galatia was something not from mankind - it could be found only in God, and in the work of Jesus our Redeemer. Christ is the Church’s source for peace, it is produced by God and not by man. All glory be to God our Father and to Jesus Christ our Lord, through whom we have grace and peace, now and forever. Amen.

And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:7 Amen.

Pastor Nathanael Mayhew