Wisdom Brings Peace
An all-creatures Bible Message

Wisdom Brings Peace
 
A Sermon Delivered to
The Compassion Internet Church
 
16 June 2019
 
Frank L. Hoffman, Pastor

Scripture References

Proverbs 8:1-4
John 16:16-33
Romans 5:1-5

Wisdom brings peace to the whole of creation, for without heavenly wisdom the world seeks peace through worldly means, which all too often brings about war and other acts of violence.
 
Veganism has a partial solution, because it begins with doing no harm to animals, and to some extent lessening the harm we are doing to the earth, but to achieve true peace, it also must incorporate heavenly wisdom which allows us to see the presence of God, and feel the pain and suffering of the whole of creation and do whatever we can peacefully to alleviate all forms of suffering, and show others the presence of God in His creation, for only heavenly wisdom brings peace.
 
We are charged by the Lord to be His stewards and protectors of this earth and all it contains, including all other human beings, all the other animals, and the environment in which we all live.
 
Let’s begin by looking at Proverbs 8:1-4, and see if we can sense the presence of wisdom in our own lives…

1. Does not wisdom call,
And understanding lift up her voice?

We should be hearing her voice and respond.

2. On top of the heights beside the way,
Where the paths meet, she takes her stand;

In other words, no matter where we go or what encounters we may have, wisdom is always there.

3. Beside the gates, at the opening to the city,
At the entrance of the doors, she cries out:
 
4. "To you, O men, I call,
And my voice is to the sons of men.
NASB

In other words, wisdom is present every place we may go; the challenge for us is to recognize Her presence and respond.
 
And as we learn to listen, we come to realize that wisdom is really God in the form of the Holy Spirit, who all true believers should have dwelling within them, but unfortunately most don’t seem to live like they are really listening.
 
However, if we were truly listening to Wisdom (the Holy Spirit), we would soon come to realize that wisdom brings peace, because we would be peacemaking children of God.
 
Now, let’s settle in and take a good hard look at John 16:16-33, and recognize the presence of wisdom in our own lives today, and respond, for only heavenly wisdom brings peace.

16. "A little while, and you will no longer behold Me; and again a little while, and you will see Me." 
 
17. Some of His disciples therefore said to one another, "What is this thing He is telling us, 'A little while, and you will not behold Me; and again a little while, and you will see Me'; and, 'because I go to the Father'?" 

Sometimes people just don’t want to accept the truth even when it is right in front of them.
 
This is a major reason why 95% of the people in this country say that they want to end the suffering of animals, while at the same time about 95% of the peoples are eating animal fresh and by-products; they have a total disconnect.

18. And so they were saying, "What is this that He says, 'A little while'? We do not know what He is talking about."

Sometimes we wonder if these kinds of situations are just hard to understand, or that the people just don’t want to understand, because they are afraid to face the truth because it would cause them to change something in their lives, such as no longer eating or wearing animal products or becoming vegan.

19. Jesus knew that they wished to question Him, and He said to them, "Are you deliberating together about this, that I said, 'A little while, and you will not behold Me, and again a little while, and you will see Me'?
 
20. "Truly, truly, I say to you, that you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice; you will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will be turned to joy.

The disciples wanted Jesus, the man, to remain with them; so they blinded themselves to having to commune to Him in the spiritual realm.
 
They failed to see that if they did, they could help the world by introducing the people of this world to God their Father, Jesus His Son, and the Holy Spirit, who could fill them and the whole world with the unconditional love, compassion and empathy that could end our worldly violence and indifference that causes millions of humans and billions of animals to suffer and die needlessly every year.
 
So because the disciples failed to see the truth in spiritual terms, Jesus gives them a worldly example to help them see the truth.

21. "Whenever a woman is in travail she has sorrow, because her hour has come; but when she gives birth to the child, she remembers the anguish no more, for joy that a child has been born into the world.

Then Jesus tries to explain to them the interrelationship of the physical realm with the spiritual realm.

22. "Therefore you too now have sorrow; but I will see you again, and your heart will rejoice, and no one takes your joy away from you.
 
23. "And in that day you will ask Me no question. Truly, truly, I say to you, if you shall ask the Father for anything, He will give it to you in My name.

But we also need to remember that God will not do everything for us, as an example, until the end times we are charged with freeing creation from its present corruption, which includes ending the exploitation and killing of animals.

24. "Until now you have asked for nothing in My name; ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be made full.
 
25. "These things I have spoken to you in figurative language; an hour is coming when I will speak no more to you in figurative language, but will tell you plainly of the Father.

Jesus is speaking of the spiritual realm, which is also where wisdom resides, and we can only tap into this realm through the Holy Spirit who hopefully indwells us.
 
So if we are seeking peace on earth, then we need to realize that only heavenly wisdom brings peace.

26. "In that day you will ask in My name, and I do not say to you that I will request the Father on your behalf;
 
27. for the Father Himself loves you, because you have loved Me, and have believed that I came forth from the Father.

This is all part of the faith that opens the doors to the spiritual realm where true peace for the whole of creation comes from, and which should be a part of our very being.
 
And if it is, then there should be no contradicting thoughts or actions emanating from us, such as, if it is not right to harm animals, then we implicitly understand that it is also not right to eat, wear, or use any product made from animals, for God created them to be our companions and not a commodity for us to use and consume.

28. "I came forth from the Father, and have come into the world; I am leaving the world again, and going to the Father." 
 
29. His disciples said, "Lo, now You are speaking plainly, and are not using a figure of speech.
 
30. "Now we know that You know all things, and have no need for anyone to question You; by this we believe that You came from God."
 
31. Jesus answered them, "Do you now believe?

We need to remember that belief is a passive thing, which only becomes active when we turn that belief into faith, which is what Jesus really seems to be questioning.

32. "Behold, an hour is coming, and has already come, for you to be scattered, each to his own home, and to leave Me alone; and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with Me.
 
33. "These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world." 
NASB

And we can do this too, for heavenly wisdom brings peace in the face of the tribulations upon this earth.
 
Let’s close our discussion today by looking at Romans 5:1-5, while also remembering that wisdom brings peace.

1. Therefore having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
 
2. through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we exult in hope of the glory of God.
 
3. And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance;

Looking beyond our tribulations by faith lets us understand that we will be with the Lord in heaven forever and ever, and this is the perseverance that we believe that Paul was talking about.

4. and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope;
 
5. and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.
NASB

If this is what has happened to us, then we should also be God’s peacemaking children who live in His heavenly will, and do everything in our power to help free creation from its present corruption, because God’s wisdom brings peace, and it is this peace that will end the violence upon this earth that is causing millions of humans and billions of animals to suffer and die every year.
 
We can help make this happen, if we want to.
 
We can!
 
Amen?
 
Amen.

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