Peace of God vs. Worldly Peace

The Model Prayer – 18

Sermon on the Mount - 35

Philippians 4:6–7 (NIV84)

6Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

7And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

It is the peace of God that will guard our hearts and our mind in Christ Jesus.

How does that come to pass?

Look at verse 6: Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your request to God.

Anxious = μεριμνάω merimnaō = to be apprehensive, have anxiety, be anxious, be (unduly) concerned.

To have an anxious concern, based on apprehension about possible danger or misfortune.

Prayer = προσευχή proseuchē 36x = to speak to or to make requests of God.

Petition = δέησις deēsis 18x = urgent (and humble) request to meet a need, exclusively addressed to God.

An earnest or urgent request (to God).

That which is asked with urgency based on presumed need.

plea, prayer, request, petition. (James Swanson)

An urgent request often made from a heart of desperation.

Peace = εἰρήνη eirēnē = peace of mind, tranquility, arising from reconciliation with God and a sense of a divine favor.

‘the peace that God has and gives’

a state of well-being

Transcends = ὑπερέχω hyperechō = from hupér, above, over, and échō, to have; to hold one above, superior or better than another.

to be of surpassing or exceptional value.

God’s peace transcends circumstances in a way that human intellect or reasoning cannot.

You can choose to rely on your own understanding (worldview) to deal with anxiety, or you can allow God’s peace to guard your heart from anxiety.

God’s peace is superior to our understanding’s ability to deal with anxiety.

Understanding = νοῦς nous = Mindset; worldview.

The definition of this English word understanding differs from the word understanding in Ephesians 4:18 (dianoia, our reasoning through process).

Guard = φρουρέω phroureō 4x = be on one’s guard against some eventuality; ‘to guard against, to keep under watch, to watch over.’

Peace stands on duty to keep out anything that brings care and anxiety.

Colossians 3:15 (AMP)

15And let the peace (soul harmony which comes) from Christ rule (act as umpire continually) in your hearts [deciding and settling with finality all questions that arise in your minds, in that peaceful state] to which as [members of Christ’s] one body you were also called [to live]. And be thankful (appreciative), [giving praise to God always].

This peace acts as a guard by telling us what is safe or what is out concerning our decisions and questions that may arise in our minds.

This peace is not an inward peace of mind. This is peace coming from Christ, who is our peace.

John 14:25-27 (NIV84)

25“All this I have spoken while still with you.

26But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.

27Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

What is this peace that Jesus leaves us?

How does it differ from the peace that the world gives?

Jesus’ peace is not a mere farewell greeting used in Jewish and Greek circles or a state of welfare free from worldly sufferings, but it is a gift of God’s presence, salvation and life to be enjoyed at present and at the end-time.

His whole salvation is included in this word.

Troubled = ταράσσω tarassō = cause great distress, trouble, disturb.

to be troubled; to be or become characterized by or indicative of distress or affliction or danger or need.

to cause inward turmoil, stir up, disturb, unsettle, throw into confusion.

Afraid = δειλιάω deiliaō 1x = to be timid, be in fear.

to lack courage, be cowardly/fearful.

Jesus is preparing to leave his disciples. He tells them that the Holy Spirit will be sent to them, and that he will give them his peace.

The Holy Spirit and peace are related.

The source of the peace of Jesus Christ is the Holy Spirit of God.

Peace I leave with you, reflects the customary Jewish greeting and word of farewell.

The departing Lord bequeaths to his followers the permanent end-time blessing of a right relationship with God. What a great farewell gift!

The word peace means the prosperity which people wish upon one another when they meet or part. “I leave you my farewell.”

The Holy Spirit, as God’s means of communication on earth, instructs believers and leads them to follow God’s will. The Spirit gives them access to God, His plans, and His wisdom. He can do so because of Jesus’ sacrifice for sins.

Through the Holy Spirit, we can continually have and experience God’s peace.

Jesus’ shalom (peace) brings an end to the brokenness caused by sin and will be the fruit of the Spirit given when he departs.

Galatians 5:22–23 (NIV84)

22But the fruit (singular) of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,

23gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

Fruit is singular. There are not nine fruits; there is one fruit with nine traits to it.

The fruit of the Spirit manifests itself in all nine aspects.

The fruit is not produced by a believer but by the Holy Spirit working through a Christian who is in vital union with Christ.

Peace is one aspect of the fruit.

This “fruit” is simply the life of Christ lived out in a Christian.

We are to submit our wills to God’s leading and our actions to God’s Word, but the actual results are up to Him. Only God can create peace through the work of the Holy Spirit. Especially the peace of a harmonious relationship with God.

John 15:5 (NIV84)

5“I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.

In the OT, the vine is used commonly as a symbol for Israel. Jesus specifically identified Himself as the “true vine” and the Father as the “vinedresser” or caretaker of the vine.

The true vine displaces Israel as the focus of God’s plan of salvation.

Faith in Jesus has replaced keeping the law as the primary point of reference.

Remain = μένω menō = to abide, to be in close and settled union.

An effortless resting in the Lord, confident in the promised union between the vine and the true branches; emphasizes an ongoing faith and loving obedience to the Father and the Son that results in fruit.

1 Corinthians 3:16, 6:19 (NIV84)

3:16Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives in you?

6:19Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own;

The presence of the Holy Spirit in a believer should result in the Holy Spirit’s fruit manifesting in that believer’s life.

The manifestation of the fruit of the Spirit is not dependent upon a believer’s ability to do good.

This fruit is not generated from the person and his ability to do good. It is a work of the Holy Spirit alone.

Psalm 85:8–10 (NIV84)

8I will listen to what God the Lord will say; he promises peace to his people, his saints— but let them not return to folly.

9Surely his salvation is near those who fear him, that his glory may dwell in our land.

10Love and faithfulness meet together; righteousness and peace kiss each other.

The greater the presence of righteousness (obedience to God), the clearer the examples of God’s blessings.

This principle works equally in the life of a nation or an individual.

The more we first seek God’s righteousness and his kingdom, as Jesus pointed out, the more we will see everything else taken care of by God (see Matthew 6:25–33).

Isaiah 32:17 (NIV84)

17The fruit of righteousness will be peace; the effect of righteousness will be quietness and confidence forever.

Fruit = מַעֲשֶׂה maʿaśeh = a product produced or accomplished through the effort or activity or agency of a person or thing.

Righteousness = צְדָקָה ṣedāqâ = adherence to what is required according to a standard; for example, a moral standard, though not always.

Peace = שָׁלוֹם šālôm = harmonious relations and freedom from disputes; especially during the absence of war.

“peace; completeness; welfare; health.”

Effect = עֲבֹדָה ʿabōdâ = service (work); work done by one person or group that benefits another.

That which righteousness produces; or the effect of the prevalence of righteousness on the nation.

Quietness = שָׁקַט šāqaṭ = to be still, to be quiet, to be undisturbed.

True religion would put an end to strifes and litigations; to riots and mobs; to oppressions and tumults; to alarms and robbery; to battle, and murder, and conflict.

Confidence = בֶּ֫טַח beṭaḥ = a state of confident hopefulness that events will be favorable.

When righteousness is present, there will be peace.

The result of adhering to God’s moral standard (righteousness) is a harmonious relationship with God and often with others.

The work of being righteous produces a quietness, a stillness, a state of being undisturbed, and a confident hopefulness that events will turn out favorable.

Romans 8:28 (NIV84)

28And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

We know, because we have a confident hopefulness that God always does what is best for us.

Isaiah 26:3 (NIV84)

3You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you.

“Perfect peace” (Hebrew shalom, shalom) is, literally “peace, peace.”

Isaiah 26:3 (HCSB)

3 You will keep the mind ⌊that is⌋ dependent ⌊on You⌋ in perfect peace, for it is trusting in You.

The righteous can count on peace instead of war, destruction, and judgment as long as they continue to trust in Yahweh. Judgment came because they did not fully trust in Yahweh.

The major sin and folly of Judah (and all the nations) was placing trust in themselves and their own power rather than trusting in and acknowledging Yahweh’s power.

The theme of judgment throughout Isaiah is intimately linked with the theme of human pride and arrogance.

It is not a peace that stems from the absence of difficulties; rather, it is a peace that guards their hearts and minds in the midst of great trials.

Psalm 119:165 (NIV84)

165Great peace have they who love your law, and nothing can make them stumble.

Woodrow Wilson: A man has found himself when he has found his relation to the rest of the universe, and here is the book (the Bible) in which those relations are set forth. And so when you see a man going along the highways of life with his gaze lifted above the road, lifted to the sloping ways in front of him, then be careful of that man and get out of his way. He knows the kingdom for which he is bound. He has seen the revelation of himself and of relations to mankind. He has seen the revelation of his relation to God his Maker, and therefore he has seen his responsibility to the world. This is the revelation of life and of peace.

“Great peace.” The Word of God gives both a high quantity and high quality of peace.

In time of trouble nothing gives such peace as the Word.

Mankind has tried tranquilizers and other pills to give peace, but that is only superficial peace at its best, and it does not last.

The Word gives soul peace, the greatest peace of all.

Modern society longs for peace of mind.

Here is clear-cut instruction on how to attain this: If we love God and obey his laws, we will have “great peace.”

Peace is a word reserved for those who walk with God in a positive relationship.

The wicked person, according to Isaiah, does not and cannot know the way of peace (59:8).

Romans 7:4 (NIV84)

4So, my brothers, you also died to the law through the body of Christ, that you might belong to another, to him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit to God.

Christians are saved in order that they might bear fruit for God.

Romans 14:17 (NIV84)

17For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit,

Romans 14:17 contains the only reference to the kingdom of God in the whole of Romans.

God’s kingdom is not about eating and drinking.

The kingdom of God is a matter of righteousness, that is, behavior pleasing to God.

Peace refers to the horizontal harmony that believers should manifest.

When these blessings are present, joy results.

All three of these characteristics are possible only where the Holy Spirit is at work.

Warren W. Wiersbe: Not the externals, but the eternals must be first in our lives: righteousness, peace, and joy. Spiritual priorities are essential to harmony in the church.

Romans 5:1–2 (NIV84)

1Therefore, since we have been justified (declared righteous, hcsb) through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,

2through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.

Justified = δικαιόω dikaioō = the act of clearing someone of transgression—‘to acquit, to set free, to remove guilt, acquittal.’

be acquitted, be pronounced and treated as righteous and thereby become δίκαιος (righteous).

What is the difference between peace with God and the peace of God?

Peace with God describes our secure relationship with God through Jesus Christ.

Peace of God describes our inner experience as believers, regardless of our earthly circumstances.

Not understanding the peace of God can create a lack of peace with God.

One of the ways that we can have the peace of God, when we are going through difficult circumstances, is to be reminded that we have peace with God.

God will never leave us or forsake us.

This enables you to move from the emotional roller coaster, based on experience, to be able to handle difficult challenges without wondering if you were in Christ or had lost your salvation.

We are justified (declared righteous) by faith. We don’t keep ourselves saved by good works. We remain justified by faith.

When we are made righteous by faith, we are to have the full assurance of our salvation, now and eternally.

Having this security in Christ also enables us to experience God’s peace in the midst of difficult circumstances.

The peace that Jesus gives is not temporary; it is everlasting and is based on the blessings of our God-granted righteousness and eternal salvation.

The world’s peace is not a genuine peace. This is a temporary feeling that gives a person a false sense of security, usually in the form of a quick fix that helps them out of some difficulty or dilemma.

This feeling only lasts until the next problem arises.

Hebrews 12:7–13 (NIV84)

7Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father?

8If you are not disciplined (and everyone undergoes discipline), then you are illegitimate children and not true sons.

9Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of our spirits and live!

10Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness.

11No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.

12Therefore, strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees.

13“Make level paths for your feet,” so that the lame may not be disabled, but rather healed.

No discipline is pleasant when we are going through it.

But, later on, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace, not for everybody but for those who have been trained by that discipline.

Verse 7 tells us to “endure hardship as discipline.”

Is all hardship discipline?

Is all hardship from God?

What kind of hardship is this talking about?

To be continued…