First, Peace. Then, Power - Conclusion



"...God hath called us to peace," (I Cor. 7:15b).

 

"But the fruit of the Spirit is ... peace..." (Gal. 5:22, excerpt).

 

"And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body..."

(Col. 3:15).

 

 

I don't know who else this message may be for, but it is certainly for me.  One inmate wrote this week in response to these blogs on Peace: "The more I give in to anger, the less joy and peace I feel.  I make some excuse about this place [prison]; but, I can leave and get away from the person [that's making me angry].  But in truth, if I don't change on the inside, it's the same no matter the event or person."

 

All week long my peace has been challenged.  One frustrating event after another has come crashing down upon me.  In these days when Satan knows his time is short and he is seeking whom he may devour, he will use his weapons to disturb our peace and to cause the cares of this life to choke out the Word of God until it becomes unfruitful (Mark 4:19).  Luke 8:14 says that the cares of this life keep the Word of God from bringing any fruit "to perfection".  In other words, we do have the word of God in us, but we will birth to the wind, as it were.   We need to maintain the peace of God.  It has taken several weeks of pondering on this message and praying, to come to this realization:  If there are things in my life that continually disturb my peace and it's obvious that I have not received the grace of God to deal with it, then it is something that needs to be cut out of my life.

 

Any message we get from God must find practical application in our lives, meaning, the Word must bring about a change somehow.  If this word isn't changing you, you will not be ready to walk in the power that God wants to release to you.  It may take much struggle and warfare to get to the place of righteousness, joy and peace in the Holy Ghost, but here is what  we learned last week about these things (righteousness, peace and joy which is the substance of the kingdom of God):

 

"For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.   For he that in these things serveth Christ is acceptable to God, and approved of men," (Romans 14:17,18).

 

 

The place of peace is in itself, a place of power.  When you can maintain peace in the midst of a crisis, you are demonstrating the power of peace.  That peace is so powerful that it can extend itself to cover and protect others around you.  What might have happened if  Jesus had not spoken peace to the storm (Mark 4:35-41)?  What if He hadn't been on the boat that day?   What if the outcome had been left totally up to His disciples?  Perhaps the water would have filled the boat to the point of sinking.  However, when Jesus said, PEACE, BE STILL, a great calm came over the sea and wind.

 

As our Prince of Peace who has caused us to inherit HIS Peace, what can you and I accomplished through the power of that peace?

 

I recall an event that happened in my home some years ago when a rather contentious, unpleasant man and his wife were spending the weekend with us.  From the moment he arrived, the whole atmosphere of our home darkened with his negative words and self-centered conversations.  While trying to be good hosts, we had "given the floor" to him to speak; but the more he spoke, the worse we were all feeling.   We could feel the conflict between good and bad, light and dark.  The love and peace and joy that was normally prevalent was replaced by irritation, anger, confusion and a myriad of negative thoughts and energy. 

 

I had a hard time sleeping that night.  When morning came, I felt depressed, knowing that this man was in my home and I wasn't looking forward to another day like the day before.   So, I began to pray and ask God for wisdom on how to restore the peace that we were accustomed to.  As I spent time alone with God in my bedroom, praising and worshiping Him to strengthen my spirit, He showed me that I was to take the private praises and make them "public", as it were.   In other words, when I stepped out of my bedroom, I came out with a praise on my lips and declaring that this was a day that the Lord had made and that we would rejoice and be glad in it.  I kept lifting my voice in praise before everyone in the house until I felt the darkness break and the peace return.

 

What was so amazing in that experience is that the countenance of our guest not only lightened up with smiles, but his conversation that day was not negative, bitter or self-centered.  Instead of us entering his "atmosphere", we made him enter ours.  And it lasted the remainder of their time with us.  Speak peace.  Praise God and He will set a table before you in the very presence of your enemies.  Someone's spirit is going to dominate an atmosphere.  If you are carrying the peace of God, it might as well be your spirit! 

 

How ironic that the devotional I use on a daily basis, gave me this verse this week:

 

"And all thy children shall be taught of the Lord; and great shall be the peace of thy children," (Isa. 54:13).

 

I am praying for all of my children - both natural and spiritual - that the Word and Will of God become firmly established and manifested in their lives.   When we walk in righteousness, God extends His favor to our seed (children).  I can stand on this promise:  that MY children will be taught of the Lord, and MY children shall have GREAT peace.  Amen.  You can claim those promises too.   Your peace is not just confined to you.  It will spread out and cover and protect others as well.

 

 

FIRST PEACE, THEN POWER

 

^"Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you," (Luke 10:19).

 

In our first message on peace (April 21, 2013) we shared the story from Luke 10 about how Jesus sent 70 unnamed disciples two by two into every city that He was going to visit.  Read Luke 10:1-19 again.  Did you notice that when Jesus sent them out as sheep among wolves with the message about the kingdom of God being near, that they could only heal in places where they were accepted?  If they entered a city where they were not accepted, they were instructed to shake the very dust from off their shoes and move on to the next place.   They were not to engage in any conflict because He had sent them out in peace. 

 

It's not until they return successfully from this assignment, that Jesus then says to them, "I give you power...".  That's present tense.  In other words, I believe because they had followed instructions and returned successfully, they were "promoted" to another place.  God always rewards those who are obedient.  Never think that your labor is in vain.  When you do the right thing, there is a reward, beloved.   It's easy for me to believe that these 70 disciples were among the 120 that were gathered in the upper room when the Day of Pentecost was fully come.  Oh, yes!   "But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth," (Acts 1:8).

 

When the resurrected Lord appeared to His hiding disciples this is what He had to say to them:

 

"Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you" (John 20:19).

 

Jesus' first words were of PEACE.  

 

"And when he had so said, he shewed unto them his hands and his side. Then were the disciples glad, when they saw the Lord.

²¹ Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you," (John 20:20,21).

 

A second time, the Lord Jesus Christ speaks the word of Peace to His disciples.   First Peace.  Then...

 

"And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost," (John 20:22).

 

We know that they were to receive power AFTER that the Holy Ghost had come upon them (Acts 1:8).   So, this then is a principle in the Word of God:  He gives you peace before He gives you power.   What happens when a person has power, but not peace?   That is not the order of God. 

 

The anti-Christ understands that in order to look and act like God, and be accepted through deception, he must come in peaceably:

 

"And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand; and he shall magnify himself in his heart, and by peace shall destroy many..." (Daniel 8:25).

 

Yes, Satan will come in sheep's clothing, but Jesus warns us that we are to inspect "fruit", not gifts.  (read Mt. 7:19-21, 22-24; 2 Thess. 2:9).

 

Do not be deceived!  Do not be impressed by prophetic gifts or people working miracles, signs and wonders.  No not be impressed by the "appearance" of peace.  Check out the "results" of a person's lifestyle and ministry.   Do they have the fruit of the spirit as listed in Gal. 5:22-23?   There is no substance to artificial fruit.   How is their life affecting the lives of others:  for better or worse?  There is a peace of God that rules in our hearts.  If something or something disturbs that peace... if a "red flag" goes up in your spirit, be diligent to seek the Lord and know the reason for it.  Do not be naïve.  This is a day to stand strong.

 

In Jesus' name.

 

Amen.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



First, Peace... (Part Two)

 

Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid," (John 14:27).

Jesus is our Prince of Peace; therefore, the peace we inherit from him is a supernatural, divine force - a godly enablement to maintain an inner tranquility when all the forces of hell are attempting to break us down.   The evil days we're living in are only going to get worse.  Men's hearts will fail them for fear of the things they see coming upon the earth (Luke 21:26).  Nevertheless, we can prevail in the power of peace. 

The spirit of peace will keep you in control.  When you lose your peace, you give the control of your emotional state over to another spirit.  God's kingdom within you comes in righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Ghost (Ro. 14:17).  When you lose your peace, you stop acting like who you are in Christ; you stop acting like the righteousness of God and you definitely lose your joy.   Nobody can take these things away from you unless you allow them.  The Bible says that if a man's ways please the Lord, he makes even his enemies to be at peace with him (Prov. 16:7).   Whatever you do, make sure your ways, your works, and your words that come into the ears of Almighty God are not anything that you'd be ashamed of; make sure you don't lose either the peace of God or your peace with God.

At least six times in the New Testament God is called the God of Peace:

-   Ro. 15:33                     

-   Ro. 16:20

-   Phil. 4:9

-   I Thess. 5:23

-   Heb. 13:20

-   2 Cor. 13:11

We're told to

a)     Live in peace (2 Cor. 13:11)

b)     Be at peace among ourselves (1 Thess. 5:13)

c)     Bear the peaceable fruit of righteousness (Heb. 12:11)

"Moreover I will make a covenant of peace with them; it shall be an everlasting covenant with them..." (Ezek. 37:26).

There is such a vast difference between the conviction of the Holy Spirit and the condemnation of the devil.   One gives us the ability to approach a merciful and loving God when we know we need forgiveness and cleansing from sins; the other makes us feel ashamed, unworthy, guilty, unloved, unwanted, and punishable.   We can get angry at ourselves for our failures and shortcomings; and/or we can be upset with others for theirs.   We may struggle with forgiving ourselves and allowing ourselves to find peace with God enough to enjoy His presence and fellowship.   Yet, Jesus left a legacy of peace as a means to comfort His people.   It's His peace - a peace that passes understanding.

God made provision for peace offerings in the O.T. Levitical priesthood (Lev. 3:1-17).  There was one of three reasons for a peace offering: to perform a vow, as a voluntary offering, to show forth thanks.   The peace offering represented communion and was a meal shared with the priest and God.

Have you lost peace with God and want to know how to restore it?   Of course, repentance is always the first order of spiritual reconciliation.  As part of the royal priesthood of believers, our offerings to God are sacrifices of praise and thanksgiving.

"By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name," (Heb. 13:15).

It's important to create a spiritual atmosphere of peace in your soul; worship the Lord and enjoy Him forever!   Your communion and your confidence in the covenant He has established will lay a foundation of strength and stability in your walk with God.

When people would come to Jesus to get their needs met, He would not only meet the need, but pronounce peace to remain with them even in parting from Him.

- to the repentant prostitute:  "Your faith has saved you.  Go in peace" (Lk. 7:50, NKJV).

- to the woman healed of her issue of blood:  "Your faith has made you well, Go in peace" (Lk. 8:48).

At the very birth of Jesus the angels sang, Glory to God in the highest and on earth, PEACE, good will toward men! (Luke 2:14).   God's will towards men is still a good will.   Although sin and wickedness has greatly increased and evil men wax worse and worse, God's Word declares that where sin abounds, God's grace abounds even the more (cp. Romans 5:20; 6:1).

The Gospel is a gospel of peace (Ro. 10:15).   Part of our calling is literally a call to peace (I Cor. 7:15).   Peace is also a fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22).   Do you war within?  End the battle.  Let the peace of God RULE in your heart  (Col. 3:15).  God wants to take you somewhere, beloved; but it's first going to require you to establish a foundation of peace.   First, peace...

NOT AS THE WORLD GIVES...

It's okay to relax and enjoy the things of this life that Jesus gave us richly to enjoy.  Yet, none of those things should serve as a substitute for real peace with God.   Many people find ways to conjure peace without any communion with God.  That's not the kind of peace we're after.  Rather than real peace, there are ways that reduce stress and give people a feeling of mental and/or emotional well- being... if just temporarily.  I'm referring to things such as recreational drug use or casual sex.  Perhaps it could be things less sinful, such as that morning cup of coffee, a "good" movie, a vacation on the beach.  Maybe it's a night out on the town, reading a good book or relaxing while listening to classical music.  For some it may be an escape into the arts or just getting off alone somewhere for "peace and quiet"... tranquility.  Different strokes for different folks, as they say...

Jesus' peace comes with precious promises.  He has gone to prepare a place for us.  He has promised to come and get us and take us to where He is.  He gives us hope and a future.  He sent His precious Holy Spirit as a Comforter to be with us as a constant Companion and spiritual aide.  He's given us everything we need pertaining to life and godliness (2 Pet. 1:3).

At the time Jesus spoke peace to His disciples, change was coming.  He was about to leave and they would feel uncertain about the future without Him being physically present as He had been in the past.  Jesus spoke of going away to a place where they could not follow.   What were they supposed to do in the meantime?   Often there is a strong temptation to fear... to lose our peace.... when we don't know what to expect... when the future doesn't make sense... when there are major upheavals in our lives.  That's why we must trust God and remember all that He has spoken to us. 

"You will keep him in perfect peace, Whose mind is stayed on You, Because he trusts in You," (Isa. 26:3, NKJV).

God has ordained peace for us (Isa. 26:12).   Notice what Haggai declares concerning the latter day house of God:

"The glory of this latter house shall be greater than of the former, saith the LORD of hosts: and in this place will I give peace, saith the Lord of hosts," (Haggai 2:9).

The prophecy of the Psalms tells us that "But the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace,"  (Ps. 37:11).

The prophet Jeremiah reveals God's heart and thoughts towards His people, "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end," (Jer. 29:11).

Amen!

" Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant,  Make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is wellpleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen." - Hebrews 13:20-21

 

We will continue next week, beloved.

 

First Peace... (Part One)

I hear a word from the Lord as a prophetic revelation and warning, so I am changing the direction of my teaching and will be sharing a secret principle which was shown to me by our Lord some years ago.    As with most things the Lord shows me, before the revelation can be fully understood, a foundation must first be laid.   So, grab your Bible and let's begin.   We need this message now more than ever before.  Why?  Because it's time for the Body of Christ to activate the latent power and authority that has been dormant within.

JESUS SPEAKS PEACE TO THE STORM

There are some lessons to be learned from the incident recorded in Mark 4:35-41.  A group of ships were caught in a great storm of wind while Jesus lay fast asleep on a pillow  in the hinder part of one of the ships.  So much water was pouring into the ship that the disciples feared they would all perish.  What did they do? Probably the same thing we would have done.  They went and woke Jesus up!

^"And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm," (vs 39).

The result of their action was this:  Jesus arose; he rebuked the wind and calmed the sea.  Mission accomplished!  No more need to fear.   After he rebukes the wind, Jesus further rebukes the disciples:

"And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith?" (vs 40).

Now personally, I was a little stumped by Jesus words, "how is it that you have no faith".  Let's be real:  wouldn't we consider turning to Jesus in the midst of a storm... wouldn't we consider that an act of faith?   After all, if we didn't believe Jesus could do something about the situation, why would we approach Him?   I understand that they were afraid and that fear [False Evidence Appearing Real] and faith are opposites.   But, to say that they had NO faith, rather than say that they were operating in at least a little bit of faith.  Hmmm.

"And they feared exceedingly, and said one to another, What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?" (vs 41).

It would seem that it's easier to calm the sea than to calm men.  After Jesus calms the sea we see that the root of fear remained within His disciples so much so that it had intensified and they now feared "exceedingly".   The storm was over; a great calmness was upon the sea.  What are they afraid of now?   They were afraid of a man who could exercise authority like no man they had ever known before.

They missed the point...
We don't get it yet either...
But we'll come back to it later...
Remember, we're just laying a foundation right now. 

The word for "peace" is "shalom" [7965 in Strong's Exhaustive Concordance].  This word represents not only a feeling of being safe, well, happy and friendly, but also "welfare, i.e., health, prosperity, peace and rest."   Instead of saying "hello" as we do in greeting people in our culture, the greeting of "shalom" was a way of imparting a blessing to the person being greeted.

FIRST SAY, "PEACE"

Read Luke 10:1-9.  Many lessons can learned from this passage and we're going to take time to look at some of them because they will be relevant to our overall message.  The Lord Jesus Christ appoints seventy "no-names" to go into places, two by two, where he would eventually come himself.

Notice several key points from these nine verses:

1.     They were "appointed", not "anointed"
2.     Instead of following "behind" Jesus, they were going "ahead" of (or before) Him.
3.     They would be "lambs among wolves"  [and wolves love to eat lambs!]
4.     They were to carry nothing with them
5.     They were not to stop to salute (or greet) anyone along the way [no distractions]
6.     Upon first entering a home, they must pronounce, "PEACE to this house"
7.     They would discern peace in the house, a sense of rest and could remain in that house
8.     They were not to go house to house, but remain only where peace was dwelling
9.     They were to humbly receive whatever food was set before them
10.   They had the ability to heal the sick and to proclaim that the kingdom of God was near

In the following verses (10-11) Jesus instructs them not to remain in any city where they are not received.  In other words, they were not to try to do any kind of spiritual warfare to "take the city".  No!   If they were not received, they were to shake the very dust from their feet and simply leave.  Why?  They were lambs among wolves and the covering of peace would protect them from becoming lamb chops.  If they had stepped into an arena of conflict, we might not have the testimony of verse 17 which tells us that "the seventy returned again...".  In other words, not one of the 70 were lost.

THE SEVENTY REPLACED ONE MAN WHO LEFT THE PATH OF PEACE

That's right.  You want to know why it was necessary for the Lord to raise up these seventy unnamed disciples?  To finish the work of John the Baptist.

"And thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of the Highest: for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways," (Luke 1:76).

We are typically called to follow Jesus.  Yet it was the unique call of John the Baptist to prepare the way (coming) of the Lord by going before Him.

John the Baptist's assignment was to minister the knowledge of salvation and "To give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace," (Luke 1:79).
In other words, John was meant to walk as a lamb among wolves; but, what did he do?  This man of the wilderness began "wolfing" against wickedness in high places...even in the palace  (Mt. 14:3-4; Mk. 6:16-18).   And it cost him his head.  I believe John the Baptist died prematurely, with his work undone; therefore, the Lord had to raise up others to finish the work.   

It took seventy men to replace the one.  All because he stepped outside the boundaries of peace.  I know we live in a time of much spiritual warfare, but I must caution some of you:  if you are not anointed to deal with principalities and powers, leave it alone!   If God appoints you as an ambassador of peace, do not get involved in the conflict!  Honestly.  It's NOT for everybody!  Even those who are called to spiritual warfare must first be men and women who carry the love of God and the peace of God.  We'll explain why and show the scriptural support for this statement as we get deeper into this message.

PEACE LOST IN EDEN

There was peace in Eden and in Adam until sin entered in.  One of the things that sin brought was a disturbance of the peace.  That's when guilt entered in...and fear...shame...accusations against one another...division...confusion...loss of prosperity...pain...frustration...worries...concerns...stress.   The first couple had no peace of God after they sinned; therefore they hid when God came seeking for them in the cool of the evening.  They could only fellowship with God if they had peace with Him.  Once that peace was broken, fellowship was impossible until peace was restored.

Peace is the spiritual atmosphere and attitude God has towards us through which He works His loving kindness to draw us back to Him.  Peace is the power of reconciliation.  When there is no peace, there is war.  The absence of peace leaves you with confusion, bitterness, fear, worry, stress, murderous thoughts, feelings and actions.  

When peace is broken, it takes something to re-establish it.   It cost Jesus His life; His Blood.  Despite what He had to go through:  the rejection of his own family, the misunderstanding and hatred of the doctors of the law, the betrayal of his own familiar friend, the fleeing of his inner circle, the physical abuse and torment, etc., He never lost his inner peace; He never called down fire upon his enemies, never cursed them or prayed for their destruction.  He endured the contradiction of sinners against himself (Heb. 12:3) and won the crown whereby we call him the Prince of Peace (Isa. 9:6).

BEWARE OF FALSE PEACE!

"And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand; and he shall magnify himself in his heart, and by peace shall destroy many..." (Dan. 8:25).
"For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape," (I Thess. 5:3).

We will deal with this and more... next session.