The Peace of God
Peace-Every human longs for it. Not every human finds it.
The Hebrew word “Shalom” means “Peace”. It also has a meaning of wholeness and well being.
For us to have peace in our lives we must understand where it comes from.
Jesus’ death and resurrection gained peace for all of his followers.
John 20:21-22
21 He spoke to them again and said, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” 22 Then he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.
It is God who brings peace to us-both physical and spiritual. This peace also unites us.
Ephesians 2:14,16-18
14 For Christ himself has made peace between us Jews and you Gentiles by making us all one people. He has broken down the wall of hostility that used to separate us. 16 Together as one body, Christ reconciled both groups to God by means of his death, and our hostility toward each other was put to death. 17 He has brought this Good News of peace to you Gentiles who were far away from him, and to us Jews who were near. 18 Now all of us, both Jews and Gentiles, may come to the Father through the same Holy Spirit because of what Christ has done for us.
We have peace by seeking Gods counsel in prayer
Phillipians 4:6-7
6 Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. 7 If you do this, you will experience God’s peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.
Having peace was so important that God instructed his priests to pray for it
Numbers 6:22-27
The Priestly Blessing
22 Then the Lord said to Moses, 23 “Instruct Aaron and his sons to bless the people of Israel with this special blessing:
24May the Lord bless you
and protect you.
25May the Lord smile on you
and be gracious to you.
26May the Lord show you his favor
and give you his peace.’
27 This is how Aaron and his sons will designate the Israelites as my people, and I myself will bless them.”
People desired peace so much that they were willing to put faith into false prophets, even though they would never receive it because of sin.
Isaiah 28:17
17 “I will take the measuring line of justice and the plumb line of righteousness to check the foundation wall you have built. Your refuge looks strong, but since it is made of lies, a hailstorm will knock it down. Since it is made of deception, the enemy will come like a flood to sweep it away.
The measuring line was Gods commandments. A plumb line would show how straight something was. “Hailstorm” and “Flood” were two very good words to use. It means as soon as a little trouble or something bad would happen that the false assurance from false prophets would be gone in an instant. True faith would be able to withstand any hailstorm of flood.
Jeremiah 28 shows that if a prophet truly speaks from God, what he says will come to pass.
Jeremiah 28:8-9
8 The ancient prophets who preceded you and me spoke against many nations, always warning of war, famine, and disease. 9 So a prophet who predicts peace must carry the burden of proof. Only when his predictions come true can it be known that he is really from the Lord.”
Peace cannot be experienced by those who are in rebellion against God. Separation from God by sin can only lead to the souls deteriation.
It is the fear of the Lord that keeps us from sin while sin keeps us from intimacy with God The primary manifestation of the fear of the Lord is unwavering obedience to the desires and will of God.. There are some who are saved, but lack intimacy with God, still living in the “outer court”; restricted by the veil of their own flesh, they cannot draw near unto the new and living way. (John Bevere, Drawing Near)
Even after we have salvation, it is difficult for some people to leave everything of their old life behind.
If we are separated from God by sin, how are we able to experience his peace if the Bible says we all have sinned?
It is only by the blood of Jesus we are made right.
Humanity was made right with God by the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross which offers us forgiveness.
Romans 5:1-2
Faith Brings Joy
5 Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us. 2 Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of highest privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God’s glory
Helen Keller was born blind and deaf. She was brought to a minister to explain the plan of salvation to her. In the simplest of terms the minister told the girl about Jesus. As she heard the Gospel, her face lit up and she spelled out in the hand of the preacher, “I knew all the time there must be one like that, but I didn’t know His name.”
It is not enough to simply believe in Jesus. We must accept what he has done in order to receive peace.
(Illustration-The B-Day Party Gift)
With this offer and our exceptance of it, we have peace and joy as we suffer and endure because of our hope and faith.
Romans 5:3-5
3 We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they are good for us—they help us learn to endure. 4 And endurance develops strength of character in us, and character strengthens our confident expectation of salvation. 5 And this expectation will not disappoint us. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.
“I have had many things in my hands and I have lost them all. But whatever I have placed in God’s hands, that I still possess.” (Martin Luther)
The peace you have with God is something that no man can take from you.
Even as a soldier walks into battle knowing that he will die, he can still carry the peace of God with him.
