Peace I Leave; Peace I Give
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trouble and turmoil marks our world
we see it in the unrest that happens internationally as nations experience conflict with each other
it has been estimated that in the last 3500 yrs there have only been 300 years of peace! (Will and Ariel Durant, The Lessons of History, P81)
it has also been estimated that in the last 5,500 yrs more than 8,000 peace treaties have been broken, 14,000 wars fought with the loss of 4 billion lives
in spite of our relentless desire for and pursuit of peace it seems impossible to achieve!
trouble and turmoil also marks our personal relationships
we all long for peace in our personal lives
we want freedom from the noise of every day life, release from the troubles of our past
we want harmony in our relationships
we even have a saying when we come to the end of our lives that reveals our longing for peace!
RIP!
yet if a person dies without Christ it will never happen!
lasting peace however seems to be an impossible goal
our world really has no idea how to find it
we can’t seem to find peace in temporal things like social change, economic stability, material prosperity and recreational pursuits
only God’s Word authoritatively points us to the source of lasting peace
peace:
Heb: wellness or salvation
sometimes uses as a greeting
can refer to the absence of strife between people, nations and between God and man
also speaks of personal completeness, wholeness, contentment, health, prosperity and fulfillment
true and lasting peace flows from a right relationship with God
does not depend on the circumstances of life but rises above them
NT GK word for peace:
“the tranquil state of a soul assured of it’s salvation through Christ”
it fears nothing from God (Rom 8:1)
it is content no matter the circumstances (Php 4:11-12)
Paul’s example in the most trying circumstances: attacked by a mob, shipwrecked at sea, stoned, church troubles
for most of the people in the world peace is the absence of things which destroy it
the problem: it’s possible to be free of them and still not have peace!
there is one source of peace found in Jn 14:27
setting of the Upper Room the night before Christ’s death
disciples are worried, anxious, afraid
promised them the HS, the basis of supernatural peace
The Nature of Peace
The Nature of Peace
“peace I leave with you”
in the NT peace has to do with a person’s right relationship with God
when they are right with God they experience peace in their everyday life
apart from being in a right relationship with God there can be no real and lasting inner peace
this is a peace that the unsaved can never enjoy
since Adam and Eve rejected God and His Word the human race has been in constant rebellion against God
they are all enemies of God to one degree or another
James says everyone who loves the world hates God (James 4:4)
the bible calls this sin and declares everyone a sinner (Rom 3:23)
as such they are under God’s wrath and condemnation and they know it
the good news is that enemies of God can be reconciled to him through the Lord Jesus Christ
because God has chosen to reconcile people to himself through faith in His Son Jesus this is the only way to enjoy everlasting peace
Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
the moment a sinner is justified their rebellion ends, all their sins are forgiven
though they were once enemies they become sons of God (Rom 8:12-17)
this is why the gospel is called, “the gospel of peace”
and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace.
it is the good news of how rebels can be at peace with God through Christ
righteousness and peace are inseparably linked
because God is holy and just, a penalty must be paid when a person sins
for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Jesus paid that penalty for those who put their faith and trust in him
“Though perfectly righteous, Christ was punished in the place of all who believe as though He were a sinner, so that they through faith in him could be treated as though they were perfectly righteous” John MacArthur
peace with God results in a personal experience of peace within
this is the peace that is spoken of in Php 4:7
And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
guard: a military term meaning “to keep watch over”
the peace of God guards people against fear, anxiety, worry, fear, sorrow
turns sorrow into joy, fear into boldness and doubt into confidence
peace is an essential part of the believer’s life
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.
The Source of Peace
The Source of Peace
“my peace I give to you”
God is peace:
May the God of peace be with you all. Amen.
see also Rom 16:20; Php 4:9; 1 Thess 5:23; Heb 13:20
Jesus also is peace:
14 For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility
15 by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace,
16 and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility.
17 And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near.
18 For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father.
verses which say, “Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ” (Rom 1:7; 1 Cor 1:3; 2 Cor 1:2; Gal 1:3; Eph 1:2; Eph 1:2; Col 1:2; 2 Thess 1:2; 1 Tim 1:2; Tit 1:4; Phm 3; 1 John 3)
God the Father and God the Son are therefore the source of all true peace
the ministry of the HS is to impart that peace to believers
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
the peace that Jesus gives is the same peace that guarded him when he was arrested, mocked, unjustly condemned, flogged and crucified
When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly.
we share in that peace when we fix our eyes on him
looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.
The Enemy of Peace
The Enemy of Peace
“not as the world gives to I give to you”
godless people in a godless world are in a state of constant turmoil
the only peace it can offer is temporary, momentary and fleeting
it has offered this peace through shopping, accumulating things, sex, drugs, false religion
now you can add FB likes and shares, Instagram, the number of Twitter followers you have, how well you have done on the lastest video game, how new your cell phone is, etc.
the bible’s testimony to this:
22 “There is no peace,” says the Lord, “for the wicked.”
17 and the way of peace they have not known.”
the world’s peace is an illusion based on temporary circumstances or foolish escapism
the world’s temporary peace is in reality blissful ignorance
if unbelievers understood the agonizing, eternal torment which awaits them in hell they would never enjoy a moment’s peace on earth!
The Possession of Peace
The Possession of Peace
“Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let let them be afraid”
having promised to give his disciples peace Jesus now repeats his command first given in 14:1
some might ask, “if Jesus gives us his supernatural peace, why does he to command us not to be troubled or afraid?”
the bible teaches us that we are responsible to act on God’s promises
while God baptizes every believer with the HS the believer is responsible to be filled with the HS (Eph 5:18) and walk in the Spirit (Gal 5:16, 25)
though we have been given eternal life we are reckon ourselves dead to sin and alive to Christ (Rom 6:11)
the HS has been given to lead believers into all truth and the believer’s responsibility is to study the scriptures diligently (2 Tim 2:15)
Paul said of himself “I have been crucified with Christ and it is no longer I who live but Christ lives in me” (Gal 2:20) also said “I discipline my body and make it my slave, so that, after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified” (1 Cor 9:26-27)
as with the Lord’s other promises we are responsible to take for ourselves Christ’s promised peace
listen to a few ways that believers do this:
14 Turn away from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.
165 Great peace have those who love your law; nothing can make them stumble.
3 You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.
17 And the effect of righteousness will be peace, and the result of righteousness, quietness and trust forever.
17 But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere.
18 And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.
God produces peace in our lives through discipline
11 For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.
when we believe in God and all that he has promised us he fills us with joy and peace
13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.
we are not to live in anguish and regret of the past, we are not to be anxious about present difficulties and we are not to be afraid of the future
6 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.
Jesus’ teaching in the Sermon on the Mount (Mt 6:25-34)
“God has forgiven the past, provided for the present, and guaranteed the future, leaving nothing to legitimately disrupt the believer’s peace.” John MacArthur
the good news of the gospel is that the war between the sinner and God can end
the resulting peace becomes a controlling and guiding force
15 And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful.
believers are to let Christ’s peace control the choices they make
will this choice disrupt oneness and harmony? if so reject it
will the choice affect my peace of mind that is the result of a clear conscience?
Christians who live in sin forfeit peace
example of David after his sin with Bathsheba (Ps 32:3-5)
the guilty conscience is healed when the believer confesses and repents (1 Jn 1:9)
knowing his sin is forgiven and his relationship with God restored he can then experience the supernatural peace that Jesus offers to his disciples