Peace Like A River

As we continue our series on Joy Unspeakable, a similar phrase came to mind -

**“Peace that passes all understanding.”

This comes from Philippians and in it’s context Paul has encouraged us to rejoice in the Lord always, rejoice! No anxiety, no worry as we come before the Lord. In Him and our relationship with Him, we can make our requests known with confidence that He already knows what we need and it’s His joy to take care of us.

Philippians 4:7 ESV

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

(The cross-reference is John 14:27! More on that below)

This is the kind of Peace that we are going to study today!

I want to be clear - This kind of Peace only comes from the Holy Spirit of Jesus Christ and our union with Him.

A Harvest of Love

John 15:5 NLT

5 “Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing.

Galatians 5:22–23 TPT

22 But the fruit produced by the Holy Spirit within you is divine love in all its varied expressions: joy that overflows, peace that subdues, patience that endures, kindness in action, a life full of virtue, faith that prevails, gentleness of heart, and strength of spirit. Never set the law above these qualities, for they are meant to be limitless.

Now, I want to take a minute to unpack the notes here, since it’s so powerful. Check this out ->

j The Greek word here can be translated “harvest.”

k There is clear textual inference that the “fruit” (singular) of the Holy Spirit is love, with the other virtues displaying aspects of the greatest quality of Spirit-life, agape(unconditional) love.

l The translator has chosen to supply action to these virtues, for they are not meant to be abstract virtues, but made visible with actions.

a The Greek word for patience is taken from a verb that means “ever tapping” or “never quitting.”

b The Aramaic word can be translated “sweetness.”

c Or “goodness.”

d Although the word self is not found in this verse, most translations render this as “self-control.” The word is actually “lordship,” or by implication “spirit-strength.”

e Literally “there is no law set against these things” or “there is no conflict with Jewish laws.”

Do you experience this Harvest of Love in your life today?

Peace in our heart, mind and with God

Psalm 4:8 NLT

8 In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, O Lord, will keep me safe.

-Maybe you know what I am talking about. The kind of peaceful sleep that comes upon you that is refreshing and restores your strength.

Another Psalm that comes to mind is Psalm 23 -

Psalm 23:1–3 ESV

1 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. 2 He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. 3 He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.

We don’t just receive peace, we receive HIS PEACE! I mentioned last week that we’re loved with the same love that Father God has for Jesus.

Now, Jesus tells us that we can truly rest as we are in union with Him, because we will experience the same type of peace that He experiences. That should get you to SHOUT!

John 14:27 NLT

27 “I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.

Have you entered into His rest?

Jesus is Lord of the sabbath, take rest in Him!

Peace that perseveres through Trouble

Not only that, I believe it’s magnified through it!

-> The Stories of Job, of Joseph, of Paul!

Job’s response -

Job 1:21 NLT

21 He said, “I came naked from my mother’s womb, and I will be naked when I leave. The Lord gave me what I had, and the Lord has taken it away. Praise the name of the Lord!”

Joseph’s response -

Genesis 50:20 NIV

20 You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.

And here is Paul’s response -

Philippians 4:12–13 TPT

12 I know what it means to lack, and I know what it means to experience overwhelming abundance. For I’m trained in the secret of overcoming all things, whether in fullness or in hunger. And I find that the strength of Christ’s explosive power infuses me to conquer every difficulty.

We strive (gk dioko) for peace Heb 12:12-14

One author put it this way:

The dove is a nearly universal symbol of peace(as well as the Holy Spirit). And a very appropriate one. Doves are beautiful, gentle, faithful creatures. They’re also, well, flighty creatures. It doesn’t take much to send a dove fluttering away. A harsh word, a rash gesture, and off she goes. If you want a dove to stay around, you have to be very careful how you speak and act. Which is a lot like what it takes to be at peace with other people.

The author of Hebrews tells us to “strive for peace with everyone” (Hebrews 12:14). His implication: peace — real, honest peace, not dysfunctional conflict avoidance — is hard to keep. How hard? Well, pursuing peace fits into the list of hard things he groups around this statement:

It’s hard like lifting drooping hands and strengthening weak knees when you’re tired and discouraged (Hebrews 12:12).It’s hard like continuing to walk when your leg is injured (Hebrews 12:13).It’s hard like living in a holiness that evidences the reality of your faith, even though your indwelling sin continually tries to derail you into unholy passions (Hebrews 12:14).It’s hard like not allowing the constant barrage of deceitful sin to harden our hearts and lead us away from God into apostasy (Hebrews 3:12–13), which is what the writer means by being defiled by a “root of bitterness” (Hebrews 12:15, quoting Deuteronomy 29:18).

When you are persecuted, what is your heart-response?

(“Binge Jesus” story about the chosen shirt)

Peace Like A River

As I was preparing for this message a couple of weeks ago, I thought of the phrase Peace that passes all understanding, which led me to the song, “It is Well” by Horatio Spafford.

If you are not familiar with the story, we’re going to watch it together right now.

Video - It is Well

Closing

What I hope that you glean from this story is that this walk that Jesus has called us to is not one that is free from pain or persecution. In fact, Jesus said that we would experience all that He did and more because we are His. It’s clear in history and recent history that the world attacks what it does not understand and we are not of this world. It’s our commission from Christ that we go into the world and we tell them the good news.

The Joy unspeakable, the Peace that passes all understanding, the sovereign Love that we’ve all yearned and searched for in found in union with Christ alone. He died so that we would accept His forgiveness and be drawn close to Him.

Whatever you may have experienced in your life, hear Him today. He has saved you for a purpose.

Are you ready to accept this free gift today?