The Peace Of The Believer

The Peace of the Believer

Prairie Baptist Church – 9/13/09

P.M. Service

Text: Psalm 4

Key verse: Psalms 4:8 - I will both lie down in peace, and sleep; for You alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety.

Premise: God is our source of constant peace in a very war torn and ravaged world and we can constantly walk in that peace daily.

The Introduction

Several years ago a submarine was being tested and had to remain submerged for many hours. When it returned to the harbor, the captain was asked, "How did the terrible storm last night affect you?" The officer looked at him in surprise and exclaimed, "Storm? We didn’t even know there was one!" The sub had been so far beneath the surface that it had reached the area known to sailors as "the cushion of the sea." Although the ocean may be whipped into huge waves by high winds, the waters below are never stirred. The Christian’s mind will be protected against the distracting waves of worry if it is resting completely in the good providence of God. There, sheltered by His grace and encouraged by His Holy Spirit, the believer can find the perfect tranquillity that only Christ can provide.

There are several themes that could come from this Psalm, and one of those is peace.

• Verse 1a – God relieves distress – peace

• Verse 1b – God grants mercy what a relief – peace

• Verse 1b, 3b – God hears prayer – peace

• Verse 5 – Trust in God leads to – peace

• Verse 7 – God gives joy – peace

• Verse 8 – God gives safety – peace

The world is looking for peace, just in the wrong places:

• Self indulgence (pleasure, drugs, alcohol, etc.)

• Religion (outside of Christianity, earth worship, etc.)

• Philosophy

• Therapy

1. God’s Special Consideration – 4:1-3

2. God’s Serenity Counseled – 4:4-5

3. God’s Satisfaction Conferred – 4:6-8

Body

1. The Provision of Peace

A. The source of true peace only comes from God:

i. It comes through salvation and the resulting justification with God - Romans 5:1 - Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,

a. Justification - To justify is to declare righteous the one who has faith in Jesus Christ.

b. An act of God whereby He declares the believing sinner righteous on the basis of the blood of Christ.

c. The major emphasis of justification is positive and involves two main aspects.

• It involves the pardon and removal of all sins and the end of separation from God (Acts 13:39; Rom. 4:6–7; 5:9–11; 2 Cor. 5:19).

• It also involves the bestowal of righteousness upon the believing person and “a title to all the blessings promised to the just.”

d. Other aspects of justification - Justification is a gift given through the grace of God (Rom. 3:24) and takes place the moment the individual has faith in Christ (Rom. 4:2; 5:1). The ground of justification is the death of Christ (Rom. 5:9), apart from any works (Rom. 4:5). The means of justification is faith (Rom. 5:1). Through justification God maintains His integrity and His standard, yet is able to enter into fellowship with sinners because they have the very righteousness of Christ imputed to them.

ii. Christ promised peace to those He left behind - John 14:27 - 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.

iii. This is God’s very nature - Jehovah-Shalom – the God of peace – Judges 6:24 - So Gideon built an altar there to the LORD, and called it The-LORD-Is-Peace. To this day it is still in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.

iv. To have peace with God means to be reconciled to Him – Colossians 1:20 - and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross.

B. Missionary statesman Hudson Taylor had complete trust in God’s faithfulness. In his journal he wrote:

Our heavenly Father is a very experienced One. He knows very well that His children wake up with a good appetite every morning… He sustained 3 million Israelites in the wilderness for 40 years. We do not expect He will send 3 million missionaries to China; but if He did, He would have ample means to sustain them all… Depend on it, God’s work done in God’s way will never lack God’s supply. Our Daily Bread, May 16, 1992

A. As God provides us peace, He expects us to:

i. Share that peace with others - 2nd Corinthians 5:18 - Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation,