| Peace |
| “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:” (Romans 5:1). |
Beloved, for several days I have been burdened to bring a series of messages from the Word of
God on “The Keys For Christian Living.” As we walk through this life, we face many trials and
tribulations. There is much loneliness, discontent, disappointment and discouragement. But the
glorious truth is, God has an answer to these problems. The answer is not found in our feelings,
nor in the philosophies of man, but the answer is found in the Bible, God’s Holy Word. If it
would be the Lord’s will, I want to look at six keys that are basic, that are necessary for us to
live the Christian life of victory over the things that we face in life. As we will see, these keys
from the Bible do not teach us to deny, or hide from the trials and the problems of life. These
keys will teach us to face the reality of life, and will give us strength to overcome them through
the Lord Jesus Christ who has overcome the world. These six keys are Peace, Prayer, Praise,
Patience, Perseverance, and Preparation. Today I would like to begin with the first key, which is
Peace.
God on “The Keys For Christian Living.” As we walk through this life, we face many trials and
tribulations. There is much loneliness, discontent, disappointment and discouragement. But the
glorious truth is, God has an answer to these problems. The answer is not found in our feelings,
nor in the philosophies of man, but the answer is found in the Bible, God’s Holy Word. If it
would be the Lord’s will, I want to look at six keys that are basic, that are necessary for us to
live the Christian life of victory over the things that we face in life. As we will see, these keys
from the Bible do not teach us to deny, or hide from the trials and the problems of life. These
keys will teach us to face the reality of life, and will give us strength to overcome them through
the Lord Jesus Christ who has overcome the world. These six keys are Peace, Prayer, Praise,
Patience, Perseverance, and Preparation. Today I would like to begin with the first key, which is
Peace.
The Search for Peace
All down through the ages of time man has sought for peace. The peace that I am talking about
is peace with God. This peace is the peace that will calm the soul. This peace cannot come by
man. It cannot come by power, prestige, nor wealth. There was an actor in Hollywood that was
very prominent in the 40's and 50's, that took his own life. He had left a note which said, “I
commited suicide because I am boring, and I have lived long enough.” You see, beloved, the
passing glories of this world cannot bring peace. Someone once wrote a poem which says:
"0, that the world might hear Him speak
The word of comfort that men seek;
To all the lowly, and unto the meek,
Jesus whispers sweet peace."
The world is trying to find peace in their hearts through the wrong things. Dr. Charles Malik, a
former president of the U.N. General Assembly once said, “The United General Assembly
cannot initiate peace, cannot impose peace, cannot produce peace; but once a settlement is
reached, the U.N. can be instructive. The answers to world problems can never be found
through government, force, or the United Nations. The remedy must deal with individual
problems.”
The most important single problem in the world today is the total exclusion of the Word of God
in nearly all of our learning institutions, and even in a vast number of churches throughout the
world. In our schools the emphasis is on science, literature, and sports. But Biblical principles
and morals have become a violation of the law of the land. Yet it is in the Bible that we find the
real peace that mankind is hungry for. The foremost work of the devil is to keep people blinded
through ignorance of the Word of God. He does not want people to learn about God, and the
reason is, he wants to destroy their souls to eternity in the lake of fire.
The peace that mankind needs is inner peace with God. This is a spiritual peace. This is why it
cannot be found in wealth, power and prestige. You cannot satisfy inner spiritual needs with
outward worldly things. Yet, people are seeking daily to find peace from carnal sources.
is peace with God. This peace is the peace that will calm the soul. This peace cannot come by
man. It cannot come by power, prestige, nor wealth. There was an actor in Hollywood that was
very prominent in the 40's and 50's, that took his own life. He had left a note which said, “I
commited suicide because I am boring, and I have lived long enough.” You see, beloved, the
passing glories of this world cannot bring peace. Someone once wrote a poem which says:
"0, that the world might hear Him speak
The word of comfort that men seek;
To all the lowly, and unto the meek,
Jesus whispers sweet peace."
The world is trying to find peace in their hearts through the wrong things. Dr. Charles Malik, a
former president of the U.N. General Assembly once said, “The United General Assembly
cannot initiate peace, cannot impose peace, cannot produce peace; but once a settlement is
reached, the U.N. can be instructive. The answers to world problems can never be found
through government, force, or the United Nations. The remedy must deal with individual
problems.”
The most important single problem in the world today is the total exclusion of the Word of God
in nearly all of our learning institutions, and even in a vast number of churches throughout the
world. In our schools the emphasis is on science, literature, and sports. But Biblical principles
and morals have become a violation of the law of the land. Yet it is in the Bible that we find the
real peace that mankind is hungry for. The foremost work of the devil is to keep people blinded
through ignorance of the Word of God. He does not want people to learn about God, and the
reason is, he wants to destroy their souls to eternity in the lake of fire.
The peace that mankind needs is inner peace with God. This is a spiritual peace. This is why it
cannot be found in wealth, power and prestige. You cannot satisfy inner spiritual needs with
outward worldly things. Yet, people are seeking daily to find peace from carnal sources.
The Source of Peace
Inner peace comes only from God. The Bible says in (Psalms 29:11) “The LORD will give
strength unto his people; the LORD will bless his people with peace.” Here we see that God
has promised peace to His people. This means that if we are to enjoy the blessing of God’s
peace, we must be His people; that is, we must be saved. This leads us to the means through
which God gives us peace, and that is through the Lord Jesus Christ, His only begotten Son.
There can be no peace with God except through Jesus Christ. Our text says in (Romans 5:1)
“Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:”
Now here we see that we must be justified before we can have peace with God. We are justified;
that is, God declares us not guilty of our sins any longer, because Jesus Christ has paid the price
for us in His death on the cross of Calvary. This justification is an act of God that is based upon
our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. This justification come through our faith in Christ. This faith is
not believing that He exists, but it is believing on Him as He is revealed in the Holy Scriptures, in
His person and work of redemption. Our faith is in the Person, the Lord Jesus Christ, and His
death on the cross, His burial, and His resurrection from the dead. We are justified through faith
through his blood shed on the cross. The Bible says in (Romans 3:24) “Being justified freely by
his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: Whom God hath set forth to be a
propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins
that are past, through the forbearance of God;” Now notice here that we have the same phrase,
we are justified by “faith in Christ,” and the phrase, we are justified by “faith in His blood.”
Faith has to have an object. The object of faith is the Lord Jesus and His blood that He shed on
the cross for our sins. So then, the blood of Christ justifies by being the object of belief and the
object of trust. We believe in the Lord Jesus Christ as the Holy Son of God who died in our
place, shedding His innocent blood for us, that we may be saved forever from our sins. As a
result of this, we have peace with God.
Now another thing we see here is, that before we are justified; that is, before we are saved, we
all are enemies with God. All unsaved are at war with God, and He is at war with them. But
when we are justified by faith, the wrath of God which abides on us is removed, and we cease to
be enemies of God, and are at peace with God. Now right here is why I say that peace is one of
the essential keys to living a life of victory in Christ over our trials and tribulations. Now
remember, the source of our peace is from God through the Lord Jesus Christ. This peace
comes from the righteousness of Christ which is imputed to us, that is given to us from God. The
moment we are saved, the righteousness of Christ is imputed to us and it is followed by a sense
of God’s peace in our hearts. Even though we have been forgiven and cleansed of our sin, guilt
still remains in our conscience and will sometime rise up and cause us to doubt our salvation, and
this will cause us to be disturbed about our peace with God. It doesn’t affect our peace on God’s
side, but it does on our side. It is here that we must not let our faith waiver as to the power in the
Lord Jesus Christ and His shed blood. This is the ground that God forgives us of all sin. We are
forever justified in the sight of God through the blood of Christ. If we let the devil, or our old
flesh, cause us to waiver in our faith that God has pardoned us of all our sin, this will cause us to
be hindered in our spiritual walk and strength. Now remember, our faith may waiver or falter
sometimes, but God is faithful. Even though we may feel like we are not at peace with God, God
is still at peace with us because of the redemptive work of Christ. You see, we must view God as
being in Christ reconciling us to Himself through Christ, not imputing our sins to us, but imputing
them to Him. We see this in (Colossians 1:20-22) “And, having made peace through the blood
of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things
in earth, or things in heaven. And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your
mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled In the body of his flesh through death, to
present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight:”
Now beloved, the strength, power and blessing of peace in our hearts that helps us overcome the
trails of life, depends on the measure of faith we have in Christ and His work of reconciling us to
God. We must understand that our peace with God comes through the righteousness of Christ
that is imputed to us the moment we are saved. This righteousness is the righteousness Paul
talked about in (Philippians 3:8-9) where he says, “Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss
for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss
of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, And be found in him, not
having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of
Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:” This righteousness that is imputed to us is a
creation of God, (Isaiah 45:8) “Drop down, ye heavens, from above, and let the skies pour
down righteousness: let the earth open, and let them bring forth salvation, and let
righteousness spring up together; I the LORD have created it.” It is the righteousness which the
Holy Spirit brings in when He convicts (John 16:8) “And when he is come, he will reprove the
world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment.” When we understand this great truth, we
then rest on this imputed righteousness and see that we are perfectly reconciled to God and are at
peace with Him. The belief and trust in this satisfies our conscience, which is purged with the
blood of Christ (Hebrews 9:11-14) “But Christ being come an high priest of good things to
come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this
building; Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once
into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us. For if the blood of bulls and of
goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the
flesh: How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself
without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?”
Now again, this belief and trust that we have in this reconciling work of Christ satisfies our
conscience, which is purged by the blood of Christ, thus freeing us from guilt and condemnation,
brings us the sense of peace that calms our doubts and fears. Through this realization of being
pardoned for our sins, and being
at peace with God; that is, friends with God, the peace of God that passes all understanding,
keeps our hearts and minds through Christ Jesus our Lord. Beloved, we maintain this sense of
peace and pardon by obedience to the Word of God, and by a continual application of the blood
of Christ. The Bible says in (I John 1:7) “But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we
have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all
sin.” The more we do this the greater our faith becomes, and the greater our faith, the stronger
the sense of peace. The stronger the sense of peace, the stronger we are in the storms of life.
strength unto his people; the LORD will bless his people with peace.” Here we see that God
has promised peace to His people. This means that if we are to enjoy the blessing of God’s
peace, we must be His people; that is, we must be saved. This leads us to the means through
which God gives us peace, and that is through the Lord Jesus Christ, His only begotten Son.
There can be no peace with God except through Jesus Christ. Our text says in (Romans 5:1)
“Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:”
Now here we see that we must be justified before we can have peace with God. We are justified;
that is, God declares us not guilty of our sins any longer, because Jesus Christ has paid the price
for us in His death on the cross of Calvary. This justification is an act of God that is based upon
our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. This justification come through our faith in Christ. This faith is
not believing that He exists, but it is believing on Him as He is revealed in the Holy Scriptures, in
His person and work of redemption. Our faith is in the Person, the Lord Jesus Christ, and His
death on the cross, His burial, and His resurrection from the dead. We are justified through faith
through his blood shed on the cross. The Bible says in (Romans 3:24) “Being justified freely by
his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: Whom God hath set forth to be a
propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins
that are past, through the forbearance of God;” Now notice here that we have the same phrase,
we are justified by “faith in Christ,” and the phrase, we are justified by “faith in His blood.”
Faith has to have an object. The object of faith is the Lord Jesus and His blood that He shed on
the cross for our sins. So then, the blood of Christ justifies by being the object of belief and the
object of trust. We believe in the Lord Jesus Christ as the Holy Son of God who died in our
place, shedding His innocent blood for us, that we may be saved forever from our sins. As a
result of this, we have peace with God.
Now another thing we see here is, that before we are justified; that is, before we are saved, we
all are enemies with God. All unsaved are at war with God, and He is at war with them. But
when we are justified by faith, the wrath of God which abides on us is removed, and we cease to
be enemies of God, and are at peace with God. Now right here is why I say that peace is one of
the essential keys to living a life of victory in Christ over our trials and tribulations. Now
remember, the source of our peace is from God through the Lord Jesus Christ. This peace
comes from the righteousness of Christ which is imputed to us, that is given to us from God. The
moment we are saved, the righteousness of Christ is imputed to us and it is followed by a sense
of God’s peace in our hearts. Even though we have been forgiven and cleansed of our sin, guilt
still remains in our conscience and will sometime rise up and cause us to doubt our salvation, and
this will cause us to be disturbed about our peace with God. It doesn’t affect our peace on God’s
side, but it does on our side. It is here that we must not let our faith waiver as to the power in the
Lord Jesus Christ and His shed blood. This is the ground that God forgives us of all sin. We are
forever justified in the sight of God through the blood of Christ. If we let the devil, or our old
flesh, cause us to waiver in our faith that God has pardoned us of all our sin, this will cause us to
be hindered in our spiritual walk and strength. Now remember, our faith may waiver or falter
sometimes, but God is faithful. Even though we may feel like we are not at peace with God, God
is still at peace with us because of the redemptive work of Christ. You see, we must view God as
being in Christ reconciling us to Himself through Christ, not imputing our sins to us, but imputing
them to Him. We see this in (Colossians 1:20-22) “And, having made peace through the blood
of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things
in earth, or things in heaven. And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your
mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled In the body of his flesh through death, to
present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight:”
Now beloved, the strength, power and blessing of peace in our hearts that helps us overcome the
trails of life, depends on the measure of faith we have in Christ and His work of reconciling us to
God. We must understand that our peace with God comes through the righteousness of Christ
that is imputed to us the moment we are saved. This righteousness is the righteousness Paul
talked about in (Philippians 3:8-9) where he says, “Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss
for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss
of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, And be found in him, not
having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of
Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:” This righteousness that is imputed to us is a
creation of God, (Isaiah 45:8) “Drop down, ye heavens, from above, and let the skies pour
down righteousness: let the earth open, and let them bring forth salvation, and let
righteousness spring up together; I the LORD have created it.” It is the righteousness which the
Holy Spirit brings in when He convicts (John 16:8) “And when he is come, he will reprove the
world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment.” When we understand this great truth, we
then rest on this imputed righteousness and see that we are perfectly reconciled to God and are at
peace with Him. The belief and trust in this satisfies our conscience, which is purged with the
blood of Christ (Hebrews 9:11-14) “But Christ being come an high priest of good things to
come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this
building; Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once
into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us. For if the blood of bulls and of
goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the
flesh: How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself
without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?”
Now again, this belief and trust that we have in this reconciling work of Christ satisfies our
conscience, which is purged by the blood of Christ, thus freeing us from guilt and condemnation,
brings us the sense of peace that calms our doubts and fears. Through this realization of being
pardoned for our sins, and being
at peace with God; that is, friends with God, the peace of God that passes all understanding,
keeps our hearts and minds through Christ Jesus our Lord. Beloved, we maintain this sense of
peace and pardon by obedience to the Word of God, and by a continual application of the blood
of Christ. The Bible says in (I John 1:7) “But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we
have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all
sin.” The more we do this the greater our faith becomes, and the greater our faith, the stronger
the sense of peace. The stronger the sense of peace, the stronger we are in the storms of life.
The Strength of Peace
The search for peace can end in the Lord Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace, because He is the
source of all true peace. The strength of peace can be experienced and enjoyed by all the
children of God. During the time of death, tragedies, disappointments, changes in our lives that
come so hard, the peace of God will keep us. We see two things about the peace of God in
(Philippians 4:5-9). We see first in verses 5-7, the Promise of God. It says, “Let your
moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand. Be careful for nothing, but in every
thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God
And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds
through Christ Jesus.” What a precious promise this is! Here we see that we are not to panic
when trials come. We are not to worry about things, because the Lord is at hand; that is, He is
right here with us through all our trials. We are to pray and make our requests known to God,
and His peace that passes all understanding will keep our hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
And then we see in verses 8 and 9, the Presence of God. It says, “Finally, brethren, whatsoever
things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things
are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any
virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. Those things, which ye have both
learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you”
Here we see that if we will think of the good things, trusting in God, obeying His Word, then the
reality of the God of peace will be with us. The presence of God will be a constant reality giving
us strength during the storms of life.
Beloved, the Lord Jesus is always present with us. He will never leave nor forsake us. The
problem is that we don’t trust in Him as we should. If we will continually draw from the
promises of God, this will fill our hearts with power and strength for every trial that comes our
way. It will also release the fruit of the Holy Spirit in our lives, and one of these fruits is peace.
Peace is one of the keys to living the Christian life.
source of all true peace. The strength of peace can be experienced and enjoyed by all the
children of God. During the time of death, tragedies, disappointments, changes in our lives that
come so hard, the peace of God will keep us. We see two things about the peace of God in
(Philippians 4:5-9). We see first in verses 5-7, the Promise of God. It says, “Let your
moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand. Be careful for nothing, but in every
thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God
And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds
through Christ Jesus.” What a precious promise this is! Here we see that we are not to panic
when trials come. We are not to worry about things, because the Lord is at hand; that is, He is
right here with us through all our trials. We are to pray and make our requests known to God,
and His peace that passes all understanding will keep our hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
And then we see in verses 8 and 9, the Presence of God. It says, “Finally, brethren, whatsoever
things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things
are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any
virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. Those things, which ye have both
learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you”
Here we see that if we will think of the good things, trusting in God, obeying His Word, then the
reality of the God of peace will be with us. The presence of God will be a constant reality giving
us strength during the storms of life.
Beloved, the Lord Jesus is always present with us. He will never leave nor forsake us. The
problem is that we don’t trust in Him as we should. If we will continually draw from the
promises of God, this will fill our hearts with power and strength for every trial that comes our
way. It will also release the fruit of the Holy Spirit in our lives, and one of these fruits is peace.
Peace is one of the keys to living the Christian life.
|
Blessed Hope
A Continuing Ministry of Milford Cecil
A Continuing Ministry of Milford Cecil
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