The Peace of God, Which Passeth All Understanding
The peace of God is a gift that brings rest and comfort to our souls, and it is only experienced when we cease from our own work and allow God to work in us.
A.B. Simpson emphasizes that it is not merely peace with God that sustains us, but the peace of God that transcends all understanding, acting as the breath of God within our souls. He explains that true rest and peace come only when we cease our own efforts and allow God to work in us, highlighting that God's rest follows the completion of His work. Simpson encourages believers to recognize the presence of the Holy Spirit, the Comforter, who brings hope and prepares us for Christ's return. This divine peace enables us to remain unoffended and steadfast in our faith. The sermon calls for a deeper reliance on God's grace to experience His peace fully.
Text
It is not peace with God, but the peace of God that [keeps our] hearts and minds. The peace which passeth all understanding is the very breath of God in the soul. He alone is able to keep it, and He can so keep it that "nothing shall offend us." Is this your experience? God's rest did not come until His work was finished. Nor will ours. We begin our Christian lives by working, trying and struggling in the energy of the flesh to save ourselves. At last, when we are able to cease from our own work, God comes in with His blessed rest and works His own divine will in us. Oh! have you heard the glorious word Of hope and holy cheer?
From heav'n above its tones of love Are lingering on my ear; The blessed Comforter has come, And Christ will soon be here.
Oh hearts that sigh, there's succor nigh, The Comforter is near; He comes to bring us to our King, And fit us to appear. I'm glad the Comforter has come, And Christ will soon be here.
Sermon Outline
- I. The Nature of God's Peace
- A. It is not peace with God, but the peace of God
- B. It is the very breath of God in the soul
- II. The Source of God's Peace
- A. Only God is able to keep it
- B. He can keep it in such a way that nothing shall offend us
- III. The Experience of God's Peace
- A. It comes after our work is finished
- B. It is a result of ceasing from our own work and allowing God to work in us
Key Quotes
“The peace which passeth all understanding is the very breath of God in the soul.” — A.B. Simpson
“He alone is able to keep it, and He can so keep it that 'nothing shall offend us.'” — A.B. Simpson
“The Comforter, or Holy Spirit, brings us peace by coming to us and fitting us to appear before God, our King.” — A.B. Simpson
Application Points
- We must learn to cease from our own work and allow God to work in us, bringing rest and comfort to our souls.
- The Comforter, or Holy Spirit, is always present with us, bringing us hope and holy cheer.
- We are not alone in our struggles, for the Comforter is near and is working to bring us to our King.