Not to send peace

Mat 10:34 Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword.

When did this change? When did Jesus change this to peace on earth? You hear all the time talk of world peace. But Jesus didn't bring peace to earth when He was here and He didn't tell us to try and bring world peace. He wants us to find peace in Him, for us to promote His peace to others, but not to set a course for world peace. He tells us THINK NOT. He didn't want us to be confused on this issue. So many believe that the Messiah would come and bring peace with Him, today many believe He will come again and bring world peace with Him. But there will be NO world peace until sin is totally gone. Sin will not be totally gone until the day the author of sin is destroyed along with all those that have followed Him. People who spend countless hours, countless dollars are striving for world peace before the Bible tells us there will be world peace are misguided. I know this sounds contrary to a lot of people. Shouldn't we want peace? No, not the peace this world imagines, not peace without God as it's Author. The world will strive for some semblance of peace that it can manufacture, but at it's heart it won't be led by God. Jesus' own words tell us a different story. 'THINK NOT that I am come to send peace on earth, I came not to send peace, but a sword.' That sword is the Word of God, the Word of God is the truth.

Eph 6:17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God


Joh 17:17 Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.


Joh 14:27 Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.


Joh 16:33 These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.


Joh 17:9 I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine.


Joh 17:15 I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil.


Joh 17:16 They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.


Jesus didn't pray for world peace and He didn't tell us to seek peace for the world. Do a search online for world peace, you'll find it's something many, many people are seeking. To talk contrary about world peace makes you appear as a rebel, as contrary to something God and Jesus would want. But the Bible tells us differently, Jesus tells us differently. I believe it's very important we have this understanding because we know that the enemy of God likes to appear as an angel of light. The enemy of God likes to set up false hope and situations that are pure counterfeit- meant to appear as if they are from God but they really, really aren't.


Mat 10:34 Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword.


Our battle is with the same enemy of Jesus, and our armor, our weapons the same as Jesus used. We have to wear our armor and we have to wield our sword confidently, practicing and using it daily so that we NEVER are caught without it at our side, unprepared to use the sword when we need it the most.


These verses here tell a story so much different than the one we like to imagine--


Mat 10:34 Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword.
Mat 10:35 For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law.
Mat 10:36 And a man's foes shall be they of his own household.
Mat 10:37 He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.
Mat 10:38 And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me.
Mat 10:39 He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.


This is not a pretty picture of peace in the world. This is a picture of the warfare we are part of and if it's a warfare that can hit close to home and heart, what makes us think that it would be better for us with strangers and those who have no ties to us at all?


No, we are not to bring discord, we are to bring truth and if the truth brings discord we are to remain grounded in that truth and any discord that comes as a result is not to be unexpected. We can have the peace of God with us, but still be in a situation of discord. Peace in a storm. The storm may rage all around us, buffeting us unrelentingly, but we can have the peace of our Lord and Savior with us through it all. Satan will try and tell us that all the discord around us proves we are not really followers of Christ, because wherever we go there is upset and angst, but in truth that only proves how much Satan wants to draw us away from the peace by instigating the discord.


May God bless us all richly with His peace, with His amazing, all consuming love. May we hold fast to the truth in ALL things as we fight this battle of spiritual warfare.


By His grace and mercy!
Through His love and in His righteousness forever!


Amen.