“We are not at peace with others because we are not at peace with ourselves, and we are not at peace with ourselves because we are not at peace with God.” – Thomas Merton

Establishing peace with God is the number one issue facing mankind. Our greatest challenge is not climate change, nuclear disarmament or any other earthly problem. The most pressing concern that must be addressed is that we do not have an intimate relationship with our Creator. This is the ultimate purpose for human life. Until this relationship is mended we will never fulfill the purpose for our existence and we will never experience what it is like to be what God created us to be. We will always feel unsatisfied and continually struggle with life. Peace with God is the missing ingredient that prevents people from solving all the problems of life and fulfilling what we are supposed to be. Restoring this broken relationship between every human and God is the sole purpose of why Jesus left heaven and came to earth to be crucified.

The word peace is found in all civilizations for it is a concept that appeals to people of every culture and tongue. But in all honesty, though it is an idea strongly desired, in actuality the concept has pretty much eluded our world in spite of our best human efforts. However, the day Jesus stepped into our world and was crucified the plight of humanity changed forever. Peace with God was now possible.

Heaven was filled with excitement the day Jesus was born in a manger. An angel appeared in the hill-country outside of Jerusalem and announced His birth to some lowly shepherds tending their flocks while a multitude of angels appeared in the sky above them praising God and saying:

            “Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace among men with whom He is well pleased.” (Luke 2:14

So then what were the angels singing about if peace has never really dwelt on our earth? The key to this verse is found in the words, “And peace on earth among men with whom He is well pleased. This peace that Jesus came to bring was not world harmony but a peace that can only be experienced by those with whom God is well pleased. This certainly brings to light an important question that needs to be addressed – what does someone need to do in order for God to be well pleased? The answer is found in how Jesus says we should respond to the gospel of the kingdom. Throughout the rest of this book we will be examining the way Jesus says someone can become pleasing to God.

When Jesus was around thirty He started a three-year journey on earth that would end about forty days after He was crucified and resurrected. During His last days on earth, and before He ascended back into heaven, Jesus spent time with His followers and gave them His final instructions for their lives.

         “To these He also presented Himself alive after His suffering, by many convincing proofs, appearing to them over a         period of forty days and speaking of the things concerning the kingdom of God.” (Acts 1:3)      

Jesus concentrated on teaching about the kingdom of God during His last forty days on earth. That by itself would make the kingdom an extremely important truth that needs to be fully understood. If you read through Matthew, Mark, Luke and John you will see that the kingdom was also the focus of everything He taught and did before He went to the cross. Look what it says when Jesus first began traveling from city to city preaching and teaching:

“From that time Jesus began to preach and say, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.’“ (Matthew 5:17)

“And after John had been taken into custody, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’“ (Mark 1:14, 15)

“Soon afterwards, He began going around from one city and village to another, proclaiming and preaching the kingdom of God.” (Luke 8:1)           

The reason Jesus came to earth was all about this good news of God’s kingdom because only through this message will peace with God be understood and established. And the message that Jesus taught on the hill in Galilee gives us the clearest look at how a person should respond to the gospel of the kingdom.

Establishing peace with God is just one of the truths that is taught in the gospel of the kingdom. Who we are supposed to be is also a vital point taught in this message as well as how to live in a relationship with God while on earth. Of all the things known to man, what Jesus taught here about our response to the kingdom is the most important truth we need to know and understand. Nothing will alter the course of our lives more than having a proper response to this message. And a correct response to the gospel of the kingdom is the only thing that determines where a person will spend eternity. 

When you consider what the angels declared about peace and what Jesus said about the kingdom, it is not too hard to figure out that Jesus was born to reestablish peace between God and man. He did this not only by preaching the gospel of the kingdom. He did this by offering Himself to be the sacrifice that would make it possible for a Holy and Righteous God to be at peace with sinful human beings.

So come sit on the same hill as Prodigo did and learn as we dissect this wonderful gospel message that Jesus not only came to share but for which He also gave His life.

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