The Peace of the Believer
Prairie Baptist Church – 9/13/09
P.M. Service
Text: Psalm 4
Key verse: Psalms 4:8 - I will both lie down in peace, and sleep; for You alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety.
Premise: God is our source of constant peace in a very war torn and ravaged world and we can constantly walk in that peace daily.
The Introduction
Several years ago a submarine was being tested and had to remain submerged for many hours. When it returned to the harbor, the captain was asked, "How did the terrible storm last night affect you?" The officer looked at him in surprise and exclaimed, "Storm? We didn’t even know there was one!" The sub had been so far beneath the surface that it had reached the area known to sailors as "the cushion of the sea." Although the ocean may be whipped into huge waves by high winds, the waters below are never stirred. The Christian’s mind will be protected against the distracting waves of worry if it is resting completely in the good providence of God. There, sheltered by His grace and encouraged by His Holy Spirit, the believer can find the perfect tranquillity that only Christ can provide.
There are several themes that could come from this Psalm, and one of those is peace.
• Verse 1a – God relieves distress – peace
• Verse 1b – God grants mercy what a relief – peace
• Verse 1b, 3b – God hears prayer – peace
• Verse 5 – Trust in God leads to – peace
• Verse 7 – God gives joy – peace
• Verse 8 – God gives safety – peace
The world is looking for peace, just in the wrong places:
• Self indulgence (pleasure, drugs, alcohol, etc.)
• Religion (outside of Christianity, earth worship, etc.)
• Philosophy
• Therapy
1. God’s Special Consideration – 4:1-3
2. God’s Serenity Counseled – 4:4-5
3. God’s Satisfaction Conferred – 4:6-8
Body
1. The Provision of Peace
A. The source of true peace only comes from God:
i. It comes through salvation and the resulting justification with God - Romans 5:1 - Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
a. Justification - To justify is to declare righteous the one who has faith in Jesus Christ.
b. An act of God whereby He declares the believing sinner righteous on the basis of the blood of Christ.
c. The major emphasis of justification is positive and involves two main aspects.
• It involves the pardon and removal of all sins and the end of separation from God (Acts 13:39; Rom. 4:6–7; 5:9–11; 2 Cor. 5:19).
• It also involves the bestowal of righteousness upon the believing person and “a title to all the blessings promised to the just.”
d. Other aspects of justification - Justification is a gift given through the grace of God (Rom. 3:24) and takes place the moment the individual has faith in Christ (Rom. 4:2; 5:1). The ground of justification is the death of Christ (Rom. 5:9), apart from any works (Rom. 4:5). The means of justification is faith (Rom. 5:1). Through justification God maintains His integrity and His standard, yet is able to enter into fellowship with sinners because they have the very righteousness of Christ imputed to them.
ii. Christ promised peace to those He left behind - John 14:27 - Peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
iii. This is God’s very nature - Jehovah-Shalom – the God of peace – Judges 6:24 - So Gideon built an altar there to the LORD, and called it The-LORD-Is-Peace. To this day it is still in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.
iv. To have peace with God means to be reconciled to Him – Colossians 1:20 - and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross.
B. Missionary statesman Hudson Taylor had complete trust in God’s faithfulness. In his journal he wrote:
Our heavenly Father is a very experienced One. He knows very well that His children wake up with a good appetite every morning… He sustained 3 million Israelites in the wilderness for 40 years. We do not expect He will send 3 million missionaries to China; but if He did, He would have ample means to sustain them all… Depend on it, God’s work done in God’s way will never lack God’s supply. Our Daily Bread, May 16, 1992
A. As God provides us peace, He expects us to:
i. Share that peace with others - 2nd Corinthians 5:18 - Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation,
ii. Reflect that peace in our fellowship with other believers – Psalm 133:1 - Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!
iii. Constantly practice and pursue peace in the body of Christ - 1st Peter 3:8-12 - 8Finally, all of you be of one mind, having compassion for one another; love as brothers, be tenderhearted, be courteous; 9not returning evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary blessing, knowing that you were called to this, that you may inherit a blessing. 10 For “He who would love life and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips from speaking deceit. 11Let him turn away from evil and do good; let him seek peace and pursue it. 12For the eyes of the LORD are on the righteous, and His ears are open to their prayers; but the face of the LORD is against those who do evil.”
2. The Promise of Peace
A. Sometimes we are lured in very easily. Two brothers were getting ready to boil some eggs to color for Easter. "I’ll give you a dollar if you let me break three of these on your head," said the older one. "Promise?" asked the younger. "Promise!" Gleefully, the older boy broke two eggs over his brother’s head. Standing stiff for fear the gooey mess would get all over him, the little boy asked, "When is the third egg coming?" "It’s not," replied the brother. "That would cost me a dollar." There are times when we are not discriminating enough with the choices we make, and like the little boy with the promise of a dollar within reach, we believe that we’ll get what we want.
B. God’s peace is promised:
i. To those who are in Christ – John 16:33 – These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”
ii. To those who love God’s Word – Psalm 119:165 – Great peace have those who love Your law, and nothing causes them to stumble.
iii. To those who trust in God – Isaiah 26:3 - Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.
iv. To those who pray – Philippians 4:6-7 - 6Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; 7and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
C. N/A (application already included above
3. The Practice of Peace
A. God expects us to do something with the peace He has given us
i. There is a principle that goes something like this: When God gives to us, we in turn ought to give to others – Luke 6:38 - Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.” (Prov. 19:17; 28:27)
ii. This peace is to be shared
B. Four ministers were discussing the pros and cons of various Bible translations and paraphrases. Eventually each stated which version, in his opinion, was the best. The first minister said he used the King James because the Old English style is beautiful and produces the most reverent picture of the Holy Scriptures. The second said he preferred the New American Standard Bible because he felt it comes nearer to the original Greek and Hebrew texts. The third minister said his favorite was the paraphrased Living Bible because his congregation was young, and it related to them in a practical way. All three men waited while the fourth minister sat silently. Finally he said, “I guess when it comes to translations and paraphrased editions of the Bible, I like my Dad’s translation best. He put the Word of God into practice every day. It was the most convincing translation I’ve ever seen.”
C. We have ongoing blessings and peace by:
i. Being peacemakers ourselves - Matthew 5:9 - Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.
a. In the giving of the gospel
b. In our daily interaction with people
c. In our families
d. In our church
ii. Looking to God as our trust and safety – verse 8
iii. Pleasing God – Proverbs 16:7 - When a man’s ways please the LORD, he makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.
Conclusion:
Do you have the peace of God?
As a believer, do you experience peace or do you constantly struggle?
Now is the time to place yourself in the hands of the master of peace.
