The Peace of the Believer — Alan Martin

The Messiah as the Prince of Peace

The prominent characteristic that every believer should be able to experience daily Regularly is peace. That's what was prophesied when Messiah would come. And a virgin shall be with child. You know and his name this child is going to be called wonderful Counselor Almighty God Everlasting Father Prince of peace and if of the increase of his government and of peace there shall be no end.

He came to guide us into the way of peace. This is what? Zacharias filled with the Holy Spirit. Prophesied about his son John that he would go before the Lord's Servant and the Lord's Servant was to shine the light into those sitting in darkness and in the land of the shadow of death and just Literally to straighten our feet into the way of peace.

And this is something that Jesus said. Jesus said These things I have spoken unto you that in me. You might have Peace. In Isaiah 26 3 the Prophet said Thou will keep speaking of the father that the father will keep in perfect.

Peace Him whose mind is steadfast. Because it's resolutely stayed upon God. Looking at God continually from every vantage point. Looking to him for guidance in every situation a Person can be kept in perfect.

Peace and how important is this? Solomon by the Spirit of God with the wisdom. He was given while he was still walking with the Lord Said that a heart at peace is life to the body. But a broken spirit dries up the bones.

The Peace Christ Gives Believers

So Peace is something every one of us needs to experience in a dynamic way. Now it's not going to necessarily be a peace like the world experiences because Jesus said Peace. I give unto you my peace. I give unto you not as the world gets.

So it's not going to be a peace like the world the world gets their peace when circumstances are right. So evidently the peace that we get in the Lord Jesus Christ is Something beyond the world with you're familiar with that word beyond when in Philippians where Paul says be anxious for nothing.

But in everything to prayer and supplication. Let your request be made known to God and what happens then the peace of God that Passes understanding. So if they've pieced it passes our own Understanding and what does that piece do it guards our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus?

But let's take a moment and consider what this piece is. To where you've heard a lot, but that doesn't necessarily mean we understand it in the Hebrew it's Shalom and the Jews will greet one another Shalom atah peace to you.

Mashallah. How is your peace. And In Greek it's Irene it's a Different word, but both words contain the idea of wholeness. Things are in sync. Things are properly fitted together. There's harmony and there's unity.

There is a flow. Things are in their proper relationship. Because you can have areas in your life that are doing well. But those areas that are out of sync. That are not whole that are not in their proper relationship.

That are that are either weak or out of place. Whatever it is it is those things that are affecting the quality of your peace. In a marriage when you're out of sync, you're not whole. You can be living in the same house.

You can be sharing the same bed. But if you're not in proper sync if you're not properly related together if things are not in a proper balance. It affects you. You're it's it's not a piece. The piece is not the depth of the quality that could be or it and it could be that if you're married you have children.

It could be that you and your wife or at peace things or things are good there. Things are in a good relationship there, but you're out of sync with your children. And that's it that's a source of strife there's friction there things are not properly aligned things are out of order.

Because everything in our life that's out of order. That's not properly sync. It's not held together properly and in its proper balance. Produces a tension and a friction that works against our peace.

And this is where we come and to our Heavenly Father who has created the universe and Particularly the the stars and the heavens that we see with such a perfect order. That they even the astrophysicists say there is it's a finely tuned universe.

That the laws that govern the universe are so finely Tuned that they are narrower than a razor's edge. And it if the laws of gravity and the laws of energy or even slightly different. If gravity was slightly stronger or slightly Weaker.

Life could not exist as we know it so God is excellent at putting things together in their order with balance where life is in sync and so that According to what his heart has always been. It will go well with us.

That's what the Lord wants as a matter of fact this peace is. Something we're not just supposed to experience. We are we are supposed to pursue it. If you want to turn with me and see it look at Hebrews chapter 12.

It's there in Hebrews chapter 12. I've mentioned this before a lot of men quote This passage using holiness and they stress the importance of holiness and they'll say as the Bible says Without holiness no man shall see the Lord.

Well, they've missed it. That's not what the verse says. Look with me a team there in Hebrews chapter 12. The verse is actually this verse 14. In the end in the NIV it's make every effort to live in peace with all and to be holy.

Without which no man shall see the Lord. So you that's a calling for you and I? We are to make every effort to be at peace with all. We are to be peacemakers. Blessed are the peacemakers. For they shall be called the children of God as saints were told to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

This peace were to pursue Wholeness and as a church as a spiritual family, we should be whole there should be no one out of joint. Some of you know what it's like to live with something out of joint. Your disc is slipped and it's pinching a nerve and you sit in one spot and it's like in a lightning bolt goes down your Middle your back and down your legs and you quiver and quiver.

Some of yours deal with so much pain. You can't even find a comfortable place to be You it's hard to get comfortable for any period of time because God designed things to be fit properly. Sin and Satan and The and the world as it is now is out of order.

It is out of sync. Government is out of sync communities are out of sync and it has a trickle-down effect to disrupt and disorder all of our lives. So how in Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Can we? Experience a life in this disordered and dysfunctional world. How can we have a complete life? Balanced. Everything is together. To be like that person that someone we look at that person that says man.

He's got it all together. Instead of that person who's out of sync or you can tell he's he's functioning. But he's constantly dealing with those Irritations not every necessarily every day. But the right set of circumstances and a little bit of tension a little bit more pressure and suddenly Ouch, there it is.

There is that pain there is that sorrow there is that anguish there is that reaction that makes the situation even worse. Because what is being revealed is not everything is properly ordered not everything is balanced.

You're not at peace. Peace is not guarding your heart and mind. That's what we want experience because that's a powerful testimony in the world. When you and I can be it's so much at peace that nothing unsettles us.

Nothing and I began to speak a little bit about this on Wednesday night. I wanted to go back to it and cover it just a little bit more. Because what is pursuing peace with all men look like I mean We all it should be obvious that the world doesn't necessarily think like we do.

How are we going to be at peace and experience peace in? The midst of a culture where this is we're living in a pretty divided culture, aren't we? It's pretty toxic. There's a lot of extremes out there.

How are you and I gonna have? Peace with this current world. Peace with God and peace with all because not only are we supposed to have peace with God. We should have peace with God therefore having been justified by faith we have Peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

We should have everything should be in order. But between us on our Heavenly Father. Nothing should be out of sync. We have his spirit. We have his grace. We have his word. We have his counsel. He's with us every day to guide us when things are in order when things are in balance.

Life is good. See, and that's the fruit of righteousness. That's what Isaiah said in Isaiah 32 that the fruit of righteousness is peace and righteousness. Means things are in the right order when things are in the right order.

The result is peace. The fruit of righteousness is peace and the effect of righteousness is a quietness and a confidence. The Prophet goes on to say the Lord actually do. The Prophet says my people will live in peaceful dwelling places.

Is that is that what describes your life now your marriage your family? Your job. Your relationship with your brothers and sisters in Christ. Is it so peaceful? Is it a sweet peace or things in balance or things in the right order?

Are you all together? How do you have that in this world? What do you do? Because obviously. There's tension in the world. There's difficulty in the world's their problems in the world so you and I need the help of the Holy Spirit and Guidance to be able to to see things come together in their proper relationship to live a life that's whole and Balanced where things are in sync.

Prayer as the Path to a Quiet and Tranquil Life

So let's look at a scripture if you have your Bibles and you want to turn with me turn to first Timothy chapter 2 pursuing peace with all. Paul actually instructs Timothy to help the believers. Pursue peace first Timothy chapter 2.

We'll start right at the first of the chapter. We'll read about the first four verses and then we'll look at verse 8 Just a little bit later. But let's look at the first verses 1 through 4 right now. Therefore I Exhort first of all and this first of all in the Greek would be protoss.

I mean it is of your primary the most important first. I Exhort first of all that requests prayers intercessions and thanksgivings be made For all men for kings and all who are in a higher position. So there you see it this is this is and and Paul is going to speak to how we're going to experience peace.

So listen, you want to know how to relate to the world? You want to know how to relate to government? You want to know how to relate to everyone at your work? You want to know how to relate to all your neighborhood?

First of all prayers petitions intercessions and thanksgivings be made for all All Kings everyone in a higher position of authority in Fact for all men and look look look why he says in order that you do this you do this in order that we may experience a quiet and tranquil life in all godliness and Reverence and then he goes on to say this is good.

And pleases God to live in quietness and tranquility to have all things together to be fully at peace in Balance and in sync in relating properly to Kings governments those in authority and That producing in you this quietness and tranquility.

That is Good in pleasing to God. Because for all of those we're praying for what does he want? He desires all men to be saved and to come to Either a full knowledge or a personal knowledge. You can translate either way at the conosco.

Either a full knowledge or their own personal knowledge of the truth. So let me just send that up again. Living quiet and tranquil lives in all godliness and holiness is going to be experienced through offering prayers and petitions and intercessions and thanksgivings for Kings and those in authority and all men.

That is what is going to produce quietness and tranquility in you and I and If you if you try to relate to the world in the way the world relates to the world. It's not going to produce quietness and Tranquility in you it's going to make your mouth move and make your mind work and stir up your emotions.

And it's going to do a lot of things that are not quietness and Tranquility, let's look at those two words because they both describe a type of having things all together. The two words are very similar quietness and tranquility, but one is more inward and The other is more outward and that makes sense, doesn't it?

Because if you were tranquil and quiet on the inside. That's the power to become Controlled and quiet on the outside because when you get stirred up on the inside Out it comes out of the overflow of the heart.

The mouth speaks. So if your heart is full of strife what's coming out of your mouth. Strife. When your heart's full of anger what's coming out of your mouth? Anger. So you've got to experience a powerful inward peace and rest in order for to be Properly relating to the external things in your life.

Inner Quietness and Self-Control

So, let's look at the word the first word is. For tranquil is the Greek word a sukiyos and It basically means no. I'm sorry. It's a mouse. The first word is a mouse and it basically means. And I love this definition.

Undisturbed. Want you to picture? It comes from an old French. How many of you know how many of you know what turbidity is? Turbidity you heard we don't you we don't see that word anymore anymore. Turbidity is the measure of clarity in water.

If water is turbid, it's cloudy. And why is it cloudy? It's because it's been stirred up. The water is not settled and so the particles are suspended in the water. For example, the the more energy there is in water the more sediment and other materials.

It carries along the Mississippi is one of the most powerful Rivers in the u .s. And because it moves so strongly and its current is so strong. There's another name for it. It's called the big muddy. Because it's just powerful water is Good for generating electricity.

But it's also pretty destructive. We need rain. But you don't want it to rain in two inches per hour. You want water to move? But you want to be careful how fast water moves, you know. When you when you have these potted we have these potted plants on the front porch and I have to kind of control how fast the water comes out of the hose because I can I can almost Uncover the entire root system of the plant by blasting all the dirt away and all I'm trying to do is water.

I mean a flood Destroys things. You know God gave us emotions and thoughts feelings. But when those things get stirred up. When they start moving with a speed. The whole idea of the Greek word for anger and Passion has the idea of speed the faster Atoms move on a molecular level the greater the temperature.

So when you have at high temperatures Molecules are moving extremely fast. If you want to slow them down, you'll see the temperature come down. See why it's important to be calm cool and. What? Collected together in sync because what happens and what temptation comes and when you're dealing with the world and you're dealing with other people and Something they are doing or something they say stirs up.

You on the inside. Danger starts happening. Because just like water stirs up dirt and debris Passions inside stirs up things can stir up memories. And usually those men, you know what those memories can become list Those you always kind of list Those you never kind of list.

Those lists that easily become indictments. Accusations.

Prosecutions war words.

Threatening words, I'm tired of this words because and you're out of sync. Things are not together. You're out of balance at that point. You've lost peace. Peace is not controlling guarding your heart and mind.

Because you disturbed another word turbid. That's what that word turbid cloudy. You can't see. You can't see. If one of someone here we lost a precious ring or a wedding ring into the water. Everyone Wants to help right?

If you ever seen it and it plops in the water. But there's moss at the bottom and as soon as it plops in of course. It stirs up stuff and someone want right away wants to stick their hand in and start looking for it.

And what do you say? No, no, no, no, wait. What do you tell them to wait for? If you don't stir the water. The settlement the sediments will settle down. And then you can see it's not safe to try to address things.

When your thoughts are all cloudy. When they're carrying emotions and sediments and memories and feelings. No, no, no look for the Shepherd to make you lie down in a green pasture and lead you beside Still waters.

So he can restore your soul to order and balance and sink. Because when you are stirred up when there is an inner Turbulence. It's not safe planes fly through turbulent at times. Don't they and it catches you off guard now.

It's nice when the pilot says we're you might put your seatbelt back on because we're we may be encountering some Turbulence, but you know what happens when you've done the turbulence you've got your drink, you know.

And here it comes and hit by the debating on how bad it is. It can disrupt all kinds of things and you know what? When you're driving you have your coffee and you think you're trying to be careful and then suddenly you have to hit the brake or You hit a bump and what it's all over you.

Because and you and it makes a mess and listen. When we are stirred up on the inside. When we are not at rest when we are not quiet on the inside. We don't see well. We make a mess with our with our words our count and it's not always words.

Sometimes it's just our looks if looks could kill. Yeah. Because you you can say in a look you disgust me. You can say in a look I'm sick of you and it's all because of the internal turbulence. Can you see why Paul said?

It pleases God. When we're quiet. Matter of fact, it's such a powerful testimony that in first Peter chapter 3 When Peters talking about the hub the relationship between a wife and husband. He took he tells a wife that don't let your beauty just be external.

I mean, we're not saying don't be beautiful externally believe me ladies. We like to see it. It's beautiful. But there's something even more powerful than the external beauty and that's what Peter said it's that thing which is valuable to God the unthinking beauty of a meek and quiet spirit.

Man when you when you meet a lady who's composed. She's got it together. The law of kindness is in her tongue. She sees clearly. She's a blessing to her husband. She does him no harm. She brings him good all the days of her life.

Because she's filled with the peace of Christ. She's powerfully upheld by the spirit inside. Keeping her emotions in check meek. That's what meekness means in check you. Yes, you're gonna deal with emotions.

I'm not saying you can become passionless or emotionless. I'm saying there is power in Christ to keep emotions and thoughts and attitudes and feelings in balance in Harmony that you can be whole. And in what it is is that it's a picture of quietness now.

I'm not necessarily a fan of Hollywood's violent movies, but I will say this I've always been impressed by that the portrayal of that guy like maybe Steven Seagal, you know. There's six guys in him with in front of him with guns and he's just as calm as can be.

He knows he's gonna take him out. He's not he's just thinking through what am I gonna do here? He's not afraid. He's not panicking. He's calculating. Don't you want to be that way? Don't you want to control your own emotion?

Are you tired of your emotions controlling you? Are you tired of? Loose lips, what do loose lips do? They sink ships. They sink marriages. They sink employment. They sink churches as people being out of sync.

Meekness, Speech, and Peacemaking

It's people who are not settled on the inside. So they don't see clearly and they end up speaking and acting without seeing clearly and the results are bad and that's that's the internal word and the other the external word is that Sukias Tranquil and that's this divinely settled Calmness.

In other words you calculated your words are chosen carefully. The heart of the righteous. Studies to answer. Is this the right thing to say? Is this the right time to say? Is this the right tone? To say it with.

Don't you want to live in that kind of self-control? You choose your words. Brother Rudy sent me a text from a friend of his said this. I would rather be king over my silence. Than a slave of my words.

Pretty good, isn't it? If a man is never at fault in what he says. He's a perfect man things are in order and he's able to keep his whole body in check more than. Maybe not more than ever before. I Shouldn't say that.

The world has had its issues a long time. But let me say this now. You and I have the opportunity to be peacemakers in a very divided and toxic culture to weigh everything we say carefully. To make sure it's wholesome.

It's full of grace. It's not slandering or unproductive. Criticism. We don't have to agree with everything we see but communication and debate and arguing just for sport. We pursue peace now back to what Paul said.

So how do we relate that? How do we experience this? Internal peace that's so powerfully helped by the Spirit of God that the peace of Christ is guarding our hearts and minds. So that we're not anxious.

Remember because that's what the the scripture there Paul said be anxious for nothing. But in everything through prayer and supplication very similar to what he's telling Timothy here deal with things That could be tempting you to become anxious.

Deal with them through prayer and supplication. The word anxious means to be divided in your mind. To try to work it through back and forth figuring out what are you going to say? How many of us know what I'm talking about when I say you have those imaginary conversations in your head with tensions going on inside.

And you imagine what you're going to say and then you imagine what they're going to say. And then of course, you're always Perry Mason, you know. You're always you're always saying something so powerful that just it just it wins the day and everyone is so affected and it's just vain.

It's temptation. It's not. It's not spirit-led. It's not from the heart of God. It's not pure peaceable. Full of mercy and good fruit. It's just earthly. It's just natural. Can even be demonic. It's not great.

It's not full of grace. So When we encounter things with our spouse our children our boss fellow workers. Our neighbors. Our government what did Paul say to do? What is it? First of all, this is what this is your first response.

I Would first of all the prayers be made. So the first thing you and I should do if we want to experience having a life this whole complete in Sync and in balance is. Everything we see we take it straight to God.

And what do we remember? He wants all men. To be saved. So whatever that person is doing whatever that government whatever that party whatever that group whatever that. Whatever they are doing. Your response is to go to the father and pray for them.

Yeah. That's your response. Because if you let what you see and hear on the news. Get you all worked up and you're gonna you know turn around and you're gonna work up someone else and then they're gonna turn around and Work up someone else and then they're gonna work up someone else and it's just gonna be the person you're mad.

You don't even know why. You just stir it up. You're bothered. Because you didn't look to the one who knows how to put all things in order. Who's over all? Because we yeah our government's over us but God is over our government.

And when that's your heart when that's your response it settles you down. You go to you draw near the throne of grace and there you receive mercy and There you find grace to help in time of need and there you do.

You remember the power of God? You remember the end of God, you know what even if they're getting away with it now, guess what guys? In the end Pay day is Sunday and no one is getting away with anything.

So you don't have to fret over the wicked. Actually, the scripture says don't even fret over the wicked. Their their end is their judgment is sure. It belongs to God and he has set a day when he's gonna repay.

So you don't have to fret and they're getting away with it now. And you don't have to let what you see going on cause you to lose your peace. You can walk in peace and you can be at peace. And yeah, he's over insurance companies.

He's over doctors and nurses. He's over government and political parties he's over it all and when that's your response when you're dealing with these difficulties and You're looking to him and you're going to him and you know.

Especially when you start to feel stirred up. When you start to feel stirred up. You can kind of sense it coming on. Your early radar has picked it up. There's an atmospheric disturbance potential for severe storms straight-line winds.

Seek shelter immediately. You know, that's uh when you can pick it up then you draw near to God and There you receive grace and help in time of need and there he settles your heart. Just like you can be like the disciples in the midst of the boat right there in the storm and there even though they're fishermen.

This was a bad one and they are scared to their wits end and they they in their fear. They cry out Lord. Don't you care? Telling the God of the universe don't you care? He sent his son that he could die for them sin to the whole world and in.

Jesus stands up and says peace be still and If he can do that to the winds and the waves. When you're in your own personal internal storm, he can stand up and tell you speak to your spirit and say peace.

Be still be still. Remember I've got this that's how you taste the stillness. Once you begin to get used to it. Once you're settled in that way. Then you can detect easier and easier when you begin to feel those early Temptations to stir you up.

Christ's Example of Resting in God's Sovereignty

I've given this example before. And you can kind of picture it picture behind me. It's early morning. There's no wind the Sun's come up and there's this beautiful pond behind me and when there's no wind.

What is the surface of a pond look like in those early morning hours? It looks like a sheet of glass. And then so the ponds behind me and I hear this. I Hear this plop. I Can turn around not even knowing?

Didn't see where it came from, but I can tell exactly where it entered the water. Because it's so still. When it hits you can see the ripples. So I can tell exactly when but on a on a windy morning if there's a pond behind me and the waters all Agitated you can throw a boulder in there and I can hear it crash.

And I can turn around and I have no idea where it came from. See if you're constantly stirred up if you're constant in agitation, and you only briefly experience inner calm and peace. You're so used to being stirred up you don't even really know what I'm talking about.

You you have to actually be at rest and still to be able to relate what I'm talking about. I mean of and For example, our Lord was so at rest and at peace in himself. That when people who were trying to kill him Invited him to dinner so that they could entrap him and something he would say.

He would accept the invitation and probably enjoy the meal more than anybody else that was there. Because he was he knew his father his time had not yet come. He knew his father was in control. This is a life.

I want to encourage us to pursue that when you're fit, whatever you're facing. Whatever medical issue because many of you in suicide at your age and what you're dealing with now. You're dealing with medical things and your body or your mind or both.

Is getting hard to control and you. Things don't seem together physically. You're challenged with what you're dealing with. You need the powerful interior peace. To not let any of that unsettle you to be able to be guided by God.

To remember that though the outward man we have is perishing. What do we have? We have a body for us. It's incorruptible imperishable waiting for us and even if this body which is wasting away is happening, it's only temporary and Compared to the surpassing weight of glory that awaits us.

It's light. It's momentary. So if Jesus told us don't fear those who can kill the body and After that, it's all they can do. Should you be afraid of anything that can kill your body? Nothing. Don't be afraid of cancer.

Don't be afraid of a stroke. Don't be afraid of kovat. Don't be afraid. I'm not saying don't take caution. Don't fear. Life is more than the body you see by going to fought the father. By looking to the father.

By praying about everything the peace of Christ. That passes understanding. Guards your heart and your mind. Death is the destiny of every man. All of us unless the Lord comes back we're gonna die physically.

We'll either die suddenly or we'll die slowly or somewhere in between. Nothing to fear. His grace is sufficient for us and we'll always have what we need. He didn't promise to keep us from suffering. He doesn't promise to keep us from pain.

He doesn't promise to make everything easy. That's what's so beautiful. The opportunity we have is Paul said this to the Corinthians. We have this treasure this internal power. He's what he's talking about the power of Christ in us to keep us tranquil.

Serene and calm. We have it in a common earthly vessel. So we can be we can be outwardly crushed, but we're not destroyed. We can be perplexed and not despairing. We can be struck down not destroyed. We can carry about in our body the dying of the Lord Jesus so that the life of the Lord Jesus might be manifest in our mortal body.

We of all people in Christ are in a win-win situation. What do I mean? Whatever single thing we're facing. Whatever our government does. Whatever our boss does. Whatever our co-worker does. Whatever our shift manager does.

Whatever that doctor does. Whatever that nurse does. Whatever the pharmacist does. Whatever they do. Whatever the policeman does. God Will work it together. For good. You see that he's able to put things in their proper perspective.

He's able to keep us whole at peace in sync in balance. What a way to live. And Part of our relationship with each other is to help one another live this way as your pastor. I want us to experience this.

Helping One Another Live in Perfect Peace

I do not want you to stir. Let not your heart be troubled. Neither let it be afraid. As Believers I want us to experience being kept in perfect peace. Where we see things clearly. We weigh what we say.

We weigh whether we say. We weigh when we say it. We weigh how? We say it and we don't say it until we look to our Heavenly Father for some guidance. Didn't Jesus say. I only say What my father? Tells me He was perfect.

That's our example. It if you're like me, I'm tired of foot-in-mouth disease. I Don't want the freedom to say whatever I think. I don't want to speak my mind. I Want my mind to be transformed to be renewed?

So that I can prove what is that good and pleasing and perfect Will of God because his good and pleasing and perfect will is that it go well with us and that there be fullness of joy and An abundant life where our marriages are in sync.

Our families are in sync. Our work is in sync. We are having God's grace and health in every single area of our life. And he's helping keeping it in balance and He's helping us stay calm Clear Settled Composed Orderly.

And that's that's the best way to live the best way to live and this is ours in Christ Jesus. And This is something we should be helping one another fully experience. And I'm committed to that and I'm just asking let's help each other find this.

We of all people on earth should be the most peaceful people there are and Everyone in our life should be the beneficial the beneficiary of our being Peacemakers. Sons of God. Peacemakers, okay.