The peace of going God’s way… As much as we live by grace, and in so, have life in Christ, we still live – day-to-day - in utter dependence upon His gift of life, that is, by His grace, and not only dependence upon God and His grace, but also the grace of a splendid interdependence with God the Holy Spirit (Jo 14;16; Rom 8; Ga 5) and one another (Jo 17; Ro 12; 1Co 12). It was and is and will never be good for man to be alone! He was never meant to be.
The peril of going our way… Therefore, for us to go our own way, that is, without His grace’s guidance (by His word and Spirit and the encouragement of one another) is to sin (Gal 5;6). Remember, to sin is to go our own way, according to our own ideas and plans, pride and self-sufficiency, whims and desires, and to do so makes my relationship with God and others ineffective and unproductive.
Jesus' peace is by grace and we realize that peace by remaining in, waiting on, Him - that is His commands, His words, would remain in us, as his Spirit does and we would go His way according to those commands - words and Spirit (Jo 14).
Grace and peace to you!! 1Cor 1:1-4; Rom 1:7; Eph 1:2
2To the church of God in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be his holy people, together with all those everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ—their Lord and ours: 3Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Thanksgiving 4I always thank my God for you because of his grace given you in Christ Jesus. 5For in him you have been enriched in every way
Grace and peace are deeply intertwined and in the heart and life of the believer, inseparable in their effect
Grace: the Lord’s favor - freely extended to give Himself away to them - “Here I am!” He is always leaning toward us! Reaching to people because He is disposed to bless them with/by His nearness - His goodwill, loving-kindness, and favor - you are accepted! (Room 5; Heb 10)
Peace: Peace with God in and from Jesus - the tranquil state of a soul assured of its salvation through Christ, and so fearing nothing from God and content with their current assignment or lot - whatever that might be (Ph 4:11-13)
Paul demonstrates this type of peace in his letter to the Philippians…
11I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. 12I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. 13I can do all this through him who gives me strength.
Content: satisfied - grace’s inward sufficiency is as valid in “low times” as it is in “high times” (temporal prosperity) - in other words, it is not conditional - God’s eternal grace and peace are the same regardless!
Remember our peace with God is from Jesus, not us
“My peace I give to you…” John 14:1-3, 23-27
…to remove what was between us (enmity) and establish peace between us and God.
The state or feeling of being actively opposed or hostile to someone.
Animosity, friction, feud, conflict, discord (the opposite of harmony)
…to replace that enmity with friendship between us and God.
a conception distinctly peculiar to Christianity, "the tranquil state of a soul assured of its salvation through Christ, and so fearing nothing from God and content with its earthly lot, of whatsoever sort that is"
And Jesus doesn’t give like the world gives: Jesus: “...I do not give as the world gives”
There is an objective truth - with faith in Christ, we HAVE peace with God. That peace in Jesus is objectively permanent with regard to eternal life with God by Jesus having made peace between us.
Luke 15:11-24 The objective nature of God’s peace, the subjective nature of our peace
There is a subjective feeling - despite the objective truth that we are at peace with God, we don’t always “feel” at peace with God. What is so important is that we understand that how we feel does not make our permanent peace with God null and void, neither does it mean I an no longer at peace with God, but this feeling or sense of peacelessness can cause us to doubt and make our relationship with God and others ineffective.
To counter these feelings we must trust in that real and actual peace that we HAVE and seek to restore the feelings of peace that are sometimes a warning to us that our relationships with God and others may be injured
Our sense of peace is very often “subject” to feelings that seem to be opposite to our actual peace with God - that He made AND keeps - so that subjectively, our feelings of peace with God, can be fickle. But, why? There can be lots of reasons for this - here are a few:
Sin - to go our own way, by our own means, to fulfill our desires, as if… 1Cor 4:7; sin injures our relationship with God and others - James 4:1-(6)-15; Ps 51; 2Sam 11;12
Pride - causes God to oppose us - Ps 138:6; Pr 3:33; 1Peter 5:5-6 - going our own way, creating our solutions
Inconsistency or complacency - weakens the confidence and assurance of our faith - 1Cor 3; Phil 3:7-16; Hebrews 6; 2Peter 1
Broken earthly relationships - unforgiveness breeds discord and anxiety - Matthew 5; 18; Phil 4; James 4
Not discerning well our times - having to LET perseverance to its work - patiently working the process of rejoicing in tests, trials, and tribulations - or - afflictions - Romans 5; James 1: 1Peter 1; Heb 12; Ps 34
Growing in wisdom and stature
Being conformed into the likeness of Jesus
Here’s the truth:
Romans 5:1-4 ...since we have been justified through faith, we have PEACE with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character hope…
And He, God, the Father and the Son, seals His peace with a promise - Himself, God, the Holy Spirit
John 14:15-16 if you love me, keep my commands. And i will ask the Father, and He will give you another advocate - and be with you FOREVER - the Spirit of Truth
Romans 5:5 …this hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.
That is God, not just with us - Jesus, but now, in us - the Holy Spirit
If Jesus is the peace offering that makes and gives peace, then…
The Holy Spirit is the seal of the promise of continued - that peace has been given, received, and thus made
And, bonus, a fruit of the Spirit is - peace! Galatians 5:22-23
So let us remember: When we are at peace we can live in peace and even come to make peace - as long as it is up to us. This journey is too hard for you - therefore, what is impossible with man, is possible with God! So, let’s stick to His side, as He sticks to ours!
