What Makes for Peace? 

Luke 19:41-44 (ESV) 41 And when he drew near and saw the city, he wept over it, 42 saying, “Would that you, even you, had known on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. 43 For the days will come upon you, when your enemies will set up a barricade around you and surround you and hem you in on every side 44 and tear you down to the ground, you and your children within you. And they will not leave one stone upon another in you, because you did not know the time of your visitation.”

Understanding the timeline of The Triumphal Entry

Exodus 12:3-6 (ESV) 3 Tell all the congregation of Israel that on the tenth day of this month every man shall take a lamb according to their fathers’ houses, a lamb for a household. 4 And if the household is too small for a lamb, then he and his nearest neighbor shall take according to the number of persons; according to what each can eat you shall make your count for the lamb. 5 Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male a year old. You may take it from the sheep or from the goats, 6 and you shall keep it until the fourteenth day of this month, when the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill their lambs at twilight.

John 12:1-8 (ESV) 1 Six days before the Passover, Jesus therefore came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. 2 So they gave a dinner for him there. Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those reclining with him at table. 3 Mary therefore took a pound of expensive ointment made from pure nard, and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped his feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. 4 But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (he who was about to betray him), said, 5 “Why was this ointment not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?” 6 He said this, not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief, and having charge of the moneybag he used to help himself to what was put into it. 7 Jesus said, “Leave her alone, so that she may keep it for the day of my burial. 8 For the poor you always have with you, but you do not always have me.”

John 12:12-15 (ESV) 12 The next day the large crowd that had come to the feast heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem. 13 So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, crying out, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!” 14 And Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, just as it is written, 15 “Fear not, daughter of Zion; behold, your king is coming, sitting on a donkey’s colt!”

Jesus Weeps Over Israel…… 

State of Israel….  (MIGA – Ancient MAGA) 

Luke 19:41-44 (ESV) 41 And when he drew near and saw the city, he wept over it, 42 saying, “Would that you, even you, had known on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. 43 For the days will come upon you, when your enemies will set up a barricade around you and surround you and hem you in on every side 44 and tear you down to the ground, you and your children within you. And they will not leave one stone upon another in you, because you did not know the time of your visitation.”

Think of this scene as Jesus is so moved in His heart, pained by the condition of the people He loved and came to save. 

What kind of peace were they looking for when they cried out save us? 

• Political, social, financial ……
• What do many come to church or God in general looking for? 
• How do we as humans sell ourselves short when we define peace for our lives? 

The most important peace is the peace provided that our account with God is settled once and for all! 

• That it was finalized by Christ in His atoning death, burial and resurrection! 

Romans 5:1-5 Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. [2] Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. [3] Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, [4] and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, [5] and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

This peace, through a final and complete reconciliation through the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ, also includes also the Holy Spirit to walk with us. (verse 5)

• Verses 3&4: Peace is not absence of pain or hardship, but it’s the presence of God through it knowing that God is working all things for our good. 

Peace is not having to worry about when it comes time to stand before God and worry about standing there as an enemy. 

• As one who used to oppose God in every way possible doing evil deeds. 
• We have PEACE that we will stand there HOLY & BLAMELESS, above reproach. 

Colossians 1:20-23  and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross [21] And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, [22] he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him, [23] if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister.

God provides mental and emotional peace…… 

Philippians 4:6-7 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. [7] And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Peace in the midst of chaos, when the world is on fire burning itself to the grounds we can have peace. 

• When we give our hearts and minds to Christ and center them on Him and Him only, He will guard them. 
• We have peace through God’s protection of even our hearts and minds WHEN we totally surrender. 

God grants peace even in tribulation….. the world provides the tribulation, but Christ provides the peace. 

• The peace comes through knowing that God HAS overcome the world
• We are on the winning side! 

John 16:32-33 Behold, the hour is coming, indeed it has come, when you will be scattered, each to his own home, and will leave me alone. Yet I am not alone, for the Father is with me. [33] I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”

QUOTE: Peace is not the absence of conflict or merely calm circumstances, while it could include that, peace is actually the presence of God in the midst of those circumstances. Biblical peace is not something we can create on our own, it is the fruit of the Holy Spirit. It’s shalom, wholeness, calmness, completeness with Jesus the Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6). [2] It is Jesus’ nearness that calms and gives us peace in the middle of the raging storm. 

God gives peace through the defeat of the enemy that can’t be undone with no additional secret weapons being developed for a later rematch. 

• Our victory was made public by nailing it to the cross and openly defeating the enemy openly. 

Colossians 2:13-15 And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, [14] by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. [15] He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.

God gives peace in knowing that there will be a day when this world will be declared over and there will be a resurrection of those who have already died in Christ. 

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. [14] For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. [15] For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. [16] For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. [17] Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. [18] Therefore encourage one another with these words.

There isn’t an aspect of our lives in which God cannot, or will not bring us Peace if we will trust Him. 

2 Thessalonians 3:16 Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in every way. The Lord be with you all.