The Sword of Shalom
by Rev. Kirby Williams
Understanding the battle plan of the "Prince of Peace"
Text: Matt. 10:34-36
Date: 05/06/2012, the Traditional service.
Series: "Matthew" Part 96
Description:
As Jesus continues to unveil His battle plan for the advent of the Kingdom of Heaven, He shocks his Apostles (and through them us) by saying He has not come to bring peace to the world but a sword. This is a confusing statement indeed coming from the Davidic Messiah who has been prophesied to bring "peace to the nations". In this message we will discover that far from denying His role as "Prince of Peace", Jesus is actually asserting it. The sword He is referring to is not the sword of war, but the sword of peace-- real peace. We will explore exactly what this distinction is, and why conflict is unavoidable between the world and Christianity. We will then apply these truths both to the church and to ourselves, as we marvel at the life-changing impact of the "sword of shalom".
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I. Introduction
II. Exposition of the text, Matt. 10:34-36.
A. Context
1. What lies behind.
2. What lies ahead.
B. Peace and the battle plan of the Kingdom.
1. War and Peace, vs. 34.
a. The Prince of Peace, Isa. 9:6-7, 52:7.
i. The definition of "peace".
ii. The corrupted view of Messianic peace.
iii. Jesus' double meaning in "peace".
b. The sword of truth, Heb. 4:12, Luke 12:51, John 18:37.
c. Understanding the "sword of shalom".
2. Divide and conquer, vs. 35-36.
a. Old Testament context, Micah 7:6, John 7:7.
b. New Testament context.
i. The same level of apostasy, Micah 7:2.
ii. Impending judgment, Micah 7:4.
c. The social context.
d. The Kingdom context.
i. Total conflict, John 7:5.
ii. Conflict with a purpose.
III. Application
A. Peace as the ultimate goal of the Kingdom.
B. Conflict as the inevitable process of the Kingdom.
1. Struggling against the Amalekites, Ex. 17:14, 1Sam. 15:3.
2. The mission of the church in the world.
a. The inevitability of conflict.
b. Peace for the members of the family, John 14:27.
3. The human battle field.
a. The inevitability of conflict.
b. Peace for the members, Rom. 6:13, 19, 7:18-25.
c. The solution for the conflict.
i. Realize the source of the conflict.
ii. Realize the only solution for the conflict.
iii. Keep your eyes on Jesus, John 16:33.
IV. Conclusion
