Peace is not the absence of conflict. Peace is the presence
of justice.
Jesus spoke this: John 14:16-21; 24-31................16 And
I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide
with you forever------17 the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive,
because it neither sees Him nor know Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with
you and will be in you.
18 I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you. 19 "A little while longer and the world will see Me no more, but you will see Me. Because I live, you will live also. 20 At that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you. 21 He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him." John 14:24-27 Amplified Bible 24 Anyone who does not [really ] love Me does not observe and obey My teaching. And the teaching which you hear and heed is not Mine, but [comes] from the Father Who sent Me. 25 I have told you these things while I am still with you. 26 But the Comforter (Counselor, Helper, Intercessor, Advocate, Strengthener, Standby), the Holy Spirit, Whom the Father will send in My name [in My place, to represent Me and act on My behalf], He will teach you all things. And he will cause you to recall ( will remind you of, bring to your remembrance ) everything I have told you. 27 Peace I leave with you; My [own] peace I now give and bequeath to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. [Stop allowing yourselves to be agitated and disturbed; and do not permit yourselves to be fearful and intimidated and cowardly and unsettled]. NKJV
1. The
person fearful, intimated, cowardly and unsettled will walk with hands outward,
not to worship God but to complain in their muddied water…muddied condition…a
muddied environment!
2. Holy
Spirit gives clear counsel, gives us ability to remember everything Jesus spoke
when we know what He has spoken
3. Jesus said: “do not permit” yourselves to be the agitated, disturbed, fearful, intimidated, cowardly and unsettled; Peter was warned: love others as I have loved you; Being a disciple of Jesus we are to love other disciples of Jesus, We are to love our neighbors as ourselves!
Hebrews 12:14 ..NKJV 14 Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord:
Holiness starts in one's relationship with the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ. Justification through God's merciful act of grace opens the door of access to Him, as well as the door to the Kingdom of God. Justification is entirely an act of God, a legal action on our behalf that we accept by faith because He does not lie. Others do not easily discern our justification, since in most cases it has no outward manifestation.
2. Unlike justification, sanctification cannot be hidden because it appears in our godly conduct. By it, a witness is made that God dwells in us. Where there is no holiness, there is no witness to glorify God.
3. So we see that justification and sanctification are two separate matters. They are related - indeed, they cannot be separated - but we should never confuse them. If one partakes in either, he is a partaker of both, but we should not overlook the distinctions between them.
Christians cannot take sanctification for granted. We must pursue it until we are assured that we are sanctified. Our course is clear: We must go to Christ as forgiven sinners, offering our lives to Him by faith, crying out to Him for the grace we need to enable us to overcome all the flaws in our characters. Anyone have in flaws in their character? We are to be responsible, but are we? Just saw where a governor is asking a certain party to put forth violence! Does that sound responsible to love your neighbor?
The apostle Paul writes in Philippians 4:19, "And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus." The same apostle adds in Ephesians 4:15-16: . . . but, speaking the truth in love, [we] may grow up in all things into Him who is the head - Christ - from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.
Close communication with Christ is the source of the perception, motivation, and energy to discern flaws and overcome them. Discernment is vital in today’s walk!
1. It is a biblical principle that whatever God requires, He provides what we need to accomplish it. Thus, we are to draw from this inexhaustible well and be renewed every day in the spirit of our minds (verses 23-24). Ephesians 4:23-24 NKJV 23 and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, 24 and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.
2. In John 17:17, on the night before His crucifixion, Jesus asked the Father to sanctify us by His truth. Will God not answer that prayer, especially when we desire to be sanctified to be like His Son? He most certainly will answer it so that our sanctification will continue.
Perhaps a word of caution is in order, and with it an admonishment that we also ask for patience. Growth does not always come quickly. In addition, as we grow in knowledge, at the same time we become more perceptive of our flaws. The more we know, the more flaws we see, and this can become humiliating and discouraging. The humility it produces is good, but the discouragement is not so good if it halts our growth.
1. Paul faced this, writing of it in Romans 7, but he most certainly did not let it stop him. By the time he finishes his discourse, he declares resoundingly that he knows he will be delivered by Jesus Christ.
2. Sinners we are when we begin, and sinners we find ourselves to be as we continue - we will be sinners to the very end. Salvation is by grace, is it not? Our absolute perfection will not occur until we are changed "in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet" (I Corinthians 15:52).
While reaching for God's holiness, we should not let our goals ever be anything but the highest. We should never let Satan convince us that we can be satisfied with what we are right now.
In the
New Testament, Jesus’ baptism marked four important events:
1.
The
Word came to earth.
2.
The
heavens were opened.
3.
The
Spirit descended.
4.
A
voice came from heaven and spoke.
The
moment God sends His word to our heart, the Spirit of God alights on that word
and becomes a voice. It is the Spirit doing it and not us. Our mouths are used
to voice that word.
Results
they saw in that day were miracles, churning seas became peaceful and the dead
walked out of the tomb! Christ Jesus gave a promise: “Most assuredly, I say to
you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also, and greater
works than these he will do, because I go to my Father”…(John 14:22) He was
saying “ I am going back to the Father, but you will become the voice of God.”
Christ is the Word of the Father, but we were to be that voice. In (Acts
2:4)…..” They were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with
other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.”
An important thing to note here is
that the Pharisees once asked Jesus when the Kingdom of God would come. Jesus
replied, the kingdom of God does not come with observation; nor will they say,
“See here!” or “Look there!” For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you..”
(Luke 17:20-21)
Conflicts can mount up in the lives of people! But Jesus told us to pursue peace. Matthew 10:13 If the household is worthy, let your peace come upon it. But if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you. Matthew 10:34 Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword.
1. From this Jesus is bringing truth and justice to earth.
2. Family relationships is not attacked but certainly can move past when loyalty is for Jesus only.
3. We cannot serve the world and Jesus too!
4. We must recognize and anticipate that personal discipleship and commitment to Jesus can result in division and rejection.
Ephesians 2:14 For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and broken down the middle wall of separation, 15 having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace, 16 and that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity. 17 And He came and preached peace to you who were far off and to those who were near. 18 For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father.
What Apostle Paul wrote here was to gives sight into Jesus the Man of Peace who accomplished removing that WALL of Separation. He abolished in His flesh the enmity and so created in Himself one new man from the two. He preached the Gospel of Peace to us and to millions around the world by the word given us in the Holy Bible. In Philippians 4: 6-7 NKJV Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests by made known to God.
1. This passage is more than petitioning, but suggests an intensity of earnestness in extended prayer----not to gain merit by many words, but to fully transfer the burden of one’s soul into God’s mighty hands.
2. Trust is to be in our Lord Jesus Christ. He is more than enough. To live in righteousness is far from conflict, but settled and centered in Christ and His Words of Peace!
3.
Salvation is a wonderful thing. Living for
Christ is living in light to see more light. But even more, we worship Him who
is seated at the right hand of God. We have a Great Intercessor is praying for
us who love Him. Maintaining God’s peace by focusing with interest and ambition
heavenward to cultivate His values: Colossians 3:1-16 NKJV If then you were raised with Christ seek those
things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. 2
Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. 3 For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When
Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory. 5
Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth, fornication, uncleanness,
passion, evil desire, and covetousness,
which is idolatry. 6Because of these things the wrath of God is coming upon the
sons of disobedience, 7 in which you yourselves once walked when you lived in
them.
1. So Paul lists those things we once lived in as to: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, covetousness which is idolatry
2. These come under the wrath of God and pertain to disobedience........... Why stop these? Because the wrath of God is coming upon those who participate and practice that disobedience.
3. Idolatry is the activity of the “human heart” :It starts in the heart, craving, wanting, enjoying, being satisfied by anything that you treasure more than God. This covetousness, a disordered love or desire, loving more than God what ought to be loved less than God and only for the sake of God.
4. Jesus warned Peter! Peter was to make note to “love one another; as I (Jesus) have loved you, that you also love one another. It is a heart ordered right in God and in His image! Interesting about Peter, Jesus knew that he was thinking about leaving and Jesus spoke to him and the other disciples in John 6:66-71 NKJV From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more. 67 Then Jesus said to the twelve, “Do you also want to go away?” 68 But Simon Peter answered Him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. 69 Also we have come to believe and know that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” 70 Jesus answered them, “Did I not choose you, the twelve and one of you is a devil?” 71 he spoke of Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon, for it was he who would betray Him, being one of the twelve.
The more we learn how Jesus walked each time, further into more peace and into that strength that can only come from God. It was not by separating Himself from that which He had to do. What we refuse to do, or even that which seems hard, but when we continue to walk with those God has placed around us, and speak to those we must speak to and with, we find, when a "storm" does come, it is one that we call that peace of God, to see the chaos removed.
What authority do we carry when walking through this journey of life? What amount of authority can be seen when facing an enemy we have never met before? The only authority that counts is that which is from God, and remaining in Him, and staying away from sin will mark the path we walk, abiding in Him, and seeing those waves grow calm.
Romans 8:31b If God is for us, who can be against us?32 he who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? 33 Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God Who justifies. 34 Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36 As it is written: “For You sake we are killed all day lone; W are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.” 37 Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.
Teaching at: Voice of Prayer
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