Peaceful Coexistence
An all-creatures Bible Message

Peaceful Coexistence
 
A Sermon Delivered to
The Compassion Internet Church
 
29 November 2020
 
Frank L. Hoffman, Pastor

Scripture References

Isaiah 64:1-9
Mark 13:24-37
 
Peaceful coexistence is more than getting along with one another; it is getting along with the whole of God’s creation according to His heavenly will.
 
This is also the first Sunday in Advent, the season where we are to look forward to Jesus Christ’s second coming, but for the most part, people think about this season as a time for celebration, and sometimes about the Christ child, but He already came some 2000 years ago, and they didn’t fully listen to Him then, just as people are not today.
 
We may talk about peace on earth, but for most people it is just talk, because many people are still bringing terror, pain, suffering, and death to billions of animals every year, who they eat, and in the process add more greenhouse gases to our atmosphere and further corrupt this earth.
 
This is not peaceful coexistence.
 
This is not peace on earth, nor can it ever bring peace to earth.
 
In Isaiah 64:1-9, he prophesies about Jesus’ second coming and at the same time about His first coming…
 
1. Oh, that Thou wouldst rend the heavens and come down,
That the mountains might quake at Thy presence — 
 
This did not happen at Jesus’ first coming, but this is what we are told will happen when He comes again, but most people didn’t seem to listen when He peacefully came as a child; however, they did feel the earth quake when they murdered Jesus, but it didn’t seem to change very much to this very day.
 
2. As fire kindles the brushwood, as fire causes water to boil —
To make Thy name known to Thine adversaries,
That the nations may tremble at Thy presence!
 
This didn’t happen at Jesus’ first coming, so this must also be about His second coming.
 
And, I consider COVID-19 as a wake-up call for us to seriously think about the way the Lord desires us to live, and a lot of people still think it is a hoax, and we certainly don’t see very much peaceful coexistence with the whole of God’s creation, even though it is a known fact that this virus came from humans eating animals (in this case a bat).
 
3. When Thou didst awesome things which we did not expect,
Thou didst come down, the mountains quaked at Thy presence.
 
Jesus did some awesome things 2000 years ago and most people didn’t listen, and we are afraid that not many more will listen when He comes a second time, for we sure don’t see very much happening in preparation for His second coming.
 
4. For from of old they have not heard nor perceived by ear,
Neither has the eye seen a God besides Thee,
Who acts in behalf of the one who waits for Him.
 
Today, for the most part, we seem to be living the same way that the people lived in Isaiah’s day, and we need to wake up.
 
If we don’t feel the presence of the Holy Spirit with us, we have lost contact with the Lord and we need to regain it.
 
Most people don’t have a peaceful coexistence with the Lord or His creation; instead they are part of this violent and corrupt world, which is clearly visible by the death on their plates.
 
Instead of peaceful coexistence, most people are doing the opposite by continually corrupting this world.
 
5. Thou dost meet him who rejoices in doing righteousness,
Who remembers Thee in Thy ways.
Behold, Thou wast angry, for we sinned,
We continued in them a long time;
And shall we be saved?
 
God does meet and remember those who are doing righteousness, and who are doing their best to live in the heavenly will of the Lord.
 
If some of these were formerly corrupting this world, God was angry with them, but forgave them when turned away from their worldly ways and began following the Lord.
 
God desires us to live in a peaceful coexistence with Him and the whole of His creation.
 
6. For all of us have become like one who is unclean,
And all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment;
And all of us wither like a leaf,
And our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.
 
We have not reached the point where all of us have turned away from following God, as Isaiah felt that the people in his day had done, and today, even though most people are corrupting this earth, there is a slow, but ever-growing population of people who are going back to the way that the Lord wants us to live.
 
We also don’t see a lot of people shaking in their boots about the corrupt ways they have been living.
 
So overall, we don’t believe that our society is as bad as it was in Isaiah’s day, but it is far from being good.
 
7. And there is no one who calls on Thy name,
Who arouses himself to take hold of Thee;
 
For Thou hast hidden Thy face from us,
And hast delivered us into the power of our iniquities.
 
Again, we are not as bad as those people were, but should not become complacent in our efforts to help free creation from its present corruption; it requires all of us.

8. But now, O LORD, Thou art our Father,
We are the clay, and Thou our potter;
And all of us are the work of Thy hand.
 
Yes, they were, and so are we, but we all need to allow the Lord to mold us into the people He wants us to be, which also means that we are willing and even desire to live according to His heavenly will.
 
9. Do not be angry beyond measure, O LORD,
Neither remember iniquity forever;
Behold, look now, all of us are Thy people.
NASB
 
One person, such as Isaiah, cannot speak for everyone though such people may try; each and every one of us has to decide for ourselves if we are going to be a child of God, who lives in His heavenly will, and this is why each and every one of us will one day come before the judgement seat of God.
 
We have to individually want to have a peaceful coexistence with God and the whole of His creation.
 
Let’s conclude or discussion about peaceful coexistence by looking at Mark 13:24-37…
 
24. "But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light,
 
To us the violence, pain, bloodshed, suffering, and death that plagues this earth is the darkness that shrouds the earth and reflects the way that most people live today.
 
25. and the stars will be falling from heaven, and the powers that are in the heavens will be shaken.
 
This will happen because God is fed up with the corrupt and evil ways that most people have been living on this earth, much like I suppose it was in the days of Noah before he built and boarded the ark.
 
26. "And then they will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory.
 
This is what happens when the Lord can no longer tolerate the ungodly ways that the people are living, and we had better decide now whether we are going to follow the ways of the Lord or the ways of the devil, with all his violence, pain, suffering and death. 
 
27. "And then He will send forth the angels, and will gather together His elect from the four winds, from the farthest end of the earth, to the farthest end of heaven.
 
At that time, we believe it is too late to be one of people who are living according to the ways of this earth; the decision must be made now, before it is too late, if we want to become one of His elect.
 
28. "Now learn the parable from the fig tree: when its branch has already become tender, and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near.
 
If people can see and understand the signs of the season, then they should also understand the signs and ways of the devil upon this earth and repent of such ways and become God’s children who live in His heavenly will.
 
29. "Even so, you too, when you see these things happening, recognize that He is near, right at the door.
 
We are already seeing the signs of His pending return, as we suppose the people saw when Noah was building the ark and paid little or no attention to what was pending.
 
And we cannot fool God, for He sees the intent of our heart and soul and knows if we are truly desirous of living in His heavenly will.
 
30. "Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place.
 
Time has shown us “this generation” did not mean the generation living when Jesus spoke these words, but rather the generation that sees the signs of God getting fed up with the ways most people have been living and further corrupting this earth instead of freeing it from its present corruption.
 
31. "Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away.
 
I hope and pray that His words echo loud and clear in all our brains to the extent we all become the peacemaking children of God that He desires us to be.
 
32. "But of that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone.
 
We may not know the exact time of the Lord’s return, but we should sure see the pending times of the end, such as global warming getting close to the point of no return.
 
33. "Take heed, keep on the alert; for you do not know when the appointed time is.
 
Most people are not taking heed, or they would have the empathy to feel the pain and suffering of the millions of humans and billions of animals who suffer and die every year, and do whatever they can to end it, beginning with what they put on their plates.
 
34. "It is like a man, away on a journey, who upon leaving his house and putting his slaves in charge, assigning to each one his task, also commanded the doorkeeper to stay on the alert.
 
We should all be doorkeepers of the Lord’s house, but the vast majority of us are not; thus, most people still follow the corrupt ways of this world.
 
35. "Therefore, be on the alert — for you do not know when the master of the house is coming, whether in the evening, at midnight, at cockcrowing, or in the morning — 
 
We have been sounding the warning, and more and more people need to wake up and see the signs of the times.
 
36. lest he come suddenly and find you asleep.
 
At that time, it is too late.
 
37. "And what I say to you I say to all, 'Be on the alert!'"
NASB
 
We strongly believe that being on the alert is no longer enough; we need to be actively working at freeing creation from its present corruption and encouraging others to do the same.
 
We hear people starting to talk about global warming, but very few of them are talking about the largest contributor, the meat and dairy industry, for animal agriculture produces more greenhouse gases than all of transportation put together.
 
We should sincerely desire to have a peaceful coexistence with the Lord and the whole of His creation, and this requires us to feel the pain and suffering of every human, of every animal, and of the environment in which we all live, and do something to bring the peace of heaven here on earth.
 
Amen?
 
Amen.

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