Given the circumstances of any given day, peace can easily be lost in the chaos, fear, worry, frustration… Just the same, You can have peace – today,
if I were not sure and certain, I would not invest my time or waste yours.
A fair question- Where are we to find peace?
Shalom, Hebrew salutation meaning peace, … to be complete, to be whole
Remember the jingle, I would like to buy the world a Coke… peace and harmony,
If only we could buy a soda and have peace
Mom’s everywhere want peace and ---- quiet!
We can say peace, sing about peace, want peace -
Still the question remains - Where are we to find peace?
Here is where we will begin. The disciples are gathered in the upper room behind locked doors for fear of the Jews. Look in your Bible.
John 20v 19- 23
Jesus came and stood in the midst, and said to them, "Peace be with you."…
So Jesus said to them again, "Peace to you!
Luke 24v 36- 39
Jesus Himself stood in the midst of them, and said to them, "Peace to you." But they were terrified and frightened, …
Open your Bible, Peace to you comes before:
- The commission of the disciples
- The promise of the Holy Spirit
- The explanation of the scriptures
The Risen Christ begins with peace - Peace first.
It is easy to deceive ourselves into thinking that we will find peace when we have worked through our list, even if our list is a good list, it will not come to peace. We tell ourselves we will find peace when we have sufficiently worked in the commission, received the Holy Spirit, understand the Bible, or any such endeavor. Yet God Himself introduces the commission, the promise and understanding under the premise of peace.
What do think you might have to accomplish before you can feel, know and carry peace? Before you make a long list – come back to God’s pattern, begin in peace.
Remember, Jesus comes to Jerusalem, the celebration of Passover, multitude of disciples are rejoicing and praising God, and Jesus saw Jerusalem and wept …
Luke 19:42-
… "If you had known, even you, especially in this your day, the things that make for your peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes.
What things, are hidden from our eyes, what things make for our peace?
What things are hidden?
I can not be sure and certain of this point, just the same, the very next paragraph, Jesus began to drive out those who bought and sold in the temple, then His authority is questioned, then questions of religious legalism…
Is it possible, in my life… that greed, issues of authority, religious legalism hide from my eyes the things that make for my peace?
Can I be so distracted by financial responsibilities, being in charge and the religious rules, that the things that make for my peace are hidden from my eyes?
Now we have cleared the way, what does God have to say about finding peace?
Issue of Heart.
Jesus is with His disciples, after the Passover meal…
John 14v 25-
Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
! God’s peace is a gift.
God’s peace is an issue of heart –
Do not let your heart be troubled…
Do not let your heart be afraid.
God’s peace is a gift we can feel, an issue of the heart.
Peace is not an academic, social, economic, physical achievement, simple enough- a gift, nothing you can do to earn, deserve or demand.
Albeit, a gift that you must accept.
Do not be confused here, the gift of peace accepted, will not remove from life all tribulation. Turn the page…
Same conversation with His disciples, Jesus tells us …
John 16v 33
These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.
God’s peace and tribulation are not mutually exclusive, there are days we will have both, and that is a good thing, to find God’s peace even in middle of our own daily struggles.
Remember the disciples in the boat, Jesus asleep in the stern, a great wind storm, waves beat the boat, water filling the boat, they wake up Jesus.
Do you not care that we are perishing?
His response to His disciples, Peace, be still. Why are you afraid? How is it that you have no faith. The wind ceased there was a great calm.
There may well be storms that rock your boat, you may well question if God cares that you are perishing… would He not share with us the same, - Peace, be still.
Issue of Mind
God’s peace is more than just a feeling, also an issue of mind.
Romans 8v 1, 5-
There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.
.. to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.
Peace is a discipline of the mind.
What to do- part 1.
Philippians 4v 4-
1. Rejoice in the Lord and again rejoice.
2. Be gentle
3. God is at hand. (know this)
4. Be anxious for nothing
a. Let your requests be made known to God
i. Prayer and supplication with thanksgiving.
Short list, easy enough, now look at the results –
Philippians 4v 7
and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding,
will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
Peace is a gift from God, an issue of heart and mind, accept the gift.
And here a short list, that the peace of God will guard your heart and mind.
We have little excuse, no valid reason – that we can not live each day,
alive in God’s peace,
- Feel His peace,
- Know His peace,
- Carry His peace.
What to do – part 2 (the good stuff)
First recognize peace, God’s gift. Jesus said, My peace I give to you…
Unconditional gift, therefore, unconditional acceptance of the gift!
Human mistake, error – To establish conditions.
We make our list, something like this, when I can come to some great spiritual achievement then I will have peace, when I am financially secure then I will have peace, when my children grow up, when I get a better job, when I retire, when physically well, when I am socially accepted, when, when when….. then I will be at peace.
We push peace to the conditional perimeter of our lives.
God said My peace, I give to you, no mention of when conditions are met, not even a whisper of if.
With peace on the conditional perimeter of our lives we have little choice, at the extremes we will either:
1. push through our struggle, work harder, pull our way through, deceiving ourselves the whole time that once we get out of this struggle we will finally be at peace. In the process we make ourselves and everybody around miserable.
2. or at the extreme, sit down in our struggle, give up, little hope of ever getting out of this mess, wishing the tribulation would cease and we could finally be at peace.
Neither extreme is any good – instead.
Begin in peace! Take peace with you. Accept God’s gift of peace, now, right here, no longer at the conditional perimeter of your life. You can work through any and all tribulation in God’s peace.
Peace is not the result of the struggle, peace is where we begin, we can feel God’s peace, know God’s peace, carry God’s peace through any, all and every struggle.
Whatever IT is, do not let IT,
hide from your eyes the things that make for your peace.
Final thought
We have peace with God through Jesus Christ
We can be at peace with ourselves, given repentance, forgiveness, and forgiving.
If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men.
Peace- accept the gift, give thanks and the glory to God.
2 Thessalonians 3v 16 - Now may the Lord of peace Himself give you peace always in every way. The Lord be with you all.
For He Himself is our peace, …
Blessed. Pastor Kevin p. www.blessingsflow.org
Scripture references used here are from
The New King James Version (NKJV) ©1979, 1980, 1982, 1992
Thomas Nelson, Inc., Publisher.
