Peace in the Storms of Life

Turn please with me in your Bibles to 2 Thessalonians chapter 2. I'm sorry 2 Thessalonians chapter 3. 2 Thessalonians chapter 3 verse number 16. This is not really following speaking order or turns so I'm hoping that I'm not taking anybody's place but here we are and hopefully we can just look at some little verse that has I've been enjoying this week in verse number 16 of 2 Thessalonians chapter 3. Now the Lord of peace himself give you peace always by all means the Lord be with you all. Lord is a word that speaks of authority and ability.

So peace can come from one who rules the waves, can still the wind, he can silence the storm as well as soothe our fears. Authority and ability combined in one glorious person. It can actually be the ongoing common constant experience in your life as well as in mine to have peace.

That that can be your default, your normative, your normal experience in life and if it is something to the contrary to that it then underscores the logic of this particular desire as he comes to his close and is going to give them his closing salutations he says now the Lord of peace himself give you peace always always by all means. How reassuring to know that the omnipotent Lord has all things within his control and under his command. But it's not just Lord it is Lord of peace.

So if Lord speaks of authority then peace would tell me of harmony. He is both the fountain as well as the force that can supply this peace. It could also remind us that it is part of his character.

It is the expression I think the expression the God of peace is found five times in the New Testament and it makes an interesting study and a standalone study all on its own. This is the only time as far as I can tell and correct me if I'm wrong after or even now if you wish that the expression the Lord of peace is found in your Bible and so it is telling us then that he is both the source as well as the sovereign of peace. Isaiah 26 and verse 2 is the classic famous verse that says that will keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on thee or as someone has observed from another translation that will keep him in perfect peace whose mind stops at thee.

I think it's Mr. Vine that points out that peace occurs in each of the books of the New Testament save 1st John and as I've already reminded you of the expression the fivefold expression the God of peace scattered and sprinkled throughout different parts of the New Testament. The corresponding Hebrew word for peace is shalom and it primarily signifies according to Mr. Vine wholeness as per its use in Joshua 8 and verse 31 where it's translated unhealing or Ruth 2 verse 12 words translated full or Nehemiah 6 and 15 where it's translated finished or Isaiah 42 and 19 in the margin where it's translated or put as made perfect hence there is a close connection between one of those five locations in which God is called the God of peace in 1st Thessalonians and chapter 5 in verse 23 where it says the very God of peace sanctify you wholly w-h-o-l-l-y and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. So that tells me that God wants peace to be a common denominator that permeates and actually is found to predominate in every compartment of our lives how wonderful to know that that can be your experience it's not going to make life vanilla it's still it's going to be make life all that much more enjoyment enjoyable if you can have this particular truth of a character of God present in your life the God of peace and I think it's interesting that in the Septuagint the Greek translation of the Old Testament that the word Shalom is often translated by Soteria which is the word for salvation so sometimes for example the peace offering is often called the salvation offering and those of us who are saved we understand the connection between peace and salvation and we are greatly benefited as a result the Lord authority of peace harmony himself personally his own individuality his personal interest and intention that is constant for you and me is that there might be peace granted to us give the Lord of Peace himself it says here give so it tells me of his liberality it's his generosity it's not in meager supply it's not intermittent it is not barely enough for the occasion it can be something that is filling your cup to overflowing the Lord of Peace himself give you peace always by all means the abundant provision of his peace you is the plural here he's talking to everybody in this assembly at Thessalonica and he's wanting all the believers without exception it's telling me of the universality of his application to every believer it is you in the plural it is embracive it is inclusive of all in the assembly even the miscreants even those that were not behaving so there is without discrimination and without exception those who are walking and those who are not walking as they are he is simply expressing this commitment and this concern of his heart the Lord of Peace himself give you all of you and then he says give you peace always and that tells me that it's continually and if you and I lack peace on occasion it's not because there's not enough to go around it's not as if it a God has run out there is an abundant supply for it it's continually and it's by all means it's an expression that is sometimes translated in every way or in every circumstance and this is telling us that there is a universality with which this peace can be seen in every aspect of our lives so in summary he can grant this kind of harmony authoritatively liberally personally inclusively continually and universally in all aspects of your lives as individuals and in all aspect of your life as an assembly so this is God's great plan and God's great scheme I think of Matthew chapter 14 and it tells us that God can actually give peace in the middle of the storm you remember how the Lord Jesus was up on the mountain top praying and the disciples are now in the fourth watch of the night and the night has been long and it's dark and the seas are heavy and the wind is strong and they're wondering where is he he knew exactly where they were he knew their condition he was actually representing them if you like you have a picture of the Lord Jesus on high interceding and in his prayers for us while we are down in the sea and in the stormy seas of life but when there are storms that come into our lives it is then that we feel perhaps more keenly than ever our need of the Lord to be at hand but he determined a postponement of his intervention he knew exactly how much of the storm to measure how much pressure how much difficulty to give to them how much fatigue he would let them experience just to one extreme he would allow them to go and at just the right time with measured pace and according to his accuracy he comes and it is the presence now of the Lord not only as prayers but it is now his presence as he draws near and he speaks to their hearts and he speaks to their emotions and he says be of good cheer it is I be not afraid and we remember the remainder of that story and as Peter walks out of the boat and there is the lesson that he has for all that are in the boat and there's a lesson that he has for Peter and the lesson that he has for Peter is going to benefit Peter and it's going to benefit the rest of them that are all on looking Christianity sometimes is an embarrassingly public thing and here in front of all the rest of the disciples Peter is going to have his own experience with the Lord but on full display in front of the rest we'd all prefer to be private wouldn't we be a lot less embarrassing but here is this situation and the Lord draws near with his presence he gives his words to pronounce and to administer peace to their hearts in the midst of all of their distress and disturbance and it's when he finally gets into the boat that he is able to calm the seas and he is able to prove to them that he is the one who is worthy of their confidence and trust no matter how dark the night no matter how dire the storm he is one that can be counted on at all times and therefore he grew their faith he might try gently to Peter and say wherefore didst thou doubt O thou of little faith but can you imagine the upsurge and the strength of confidence that all of those men would then have thought from henceforth and forward as a result of an experience in the midst of their wobbling and their weak and their very small faith what a wonderful God we have come to know I don't know I'm talking to maybe somebody here and you're in a storm maybe it's a storm in your soul it's made of the turmoil and the trouble of not being saved we preach in the gospel that you can have peace with God we are preaching peace by Jesus Christ he is Lord of all and therefore being justified by faith you can have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ thank God for salvation that is found in the midst of the storm troubled soul that is looking for the harbor of peace I think perhaps there are some that struggle from a storm in your in the mind and I don't know if you've had to deal with that kind of a situation but sometimes it you feel all thumbs and it's a very it's a very challenging situation and sometimes the carelessness with which we can speak is because we are oftentimes oblivious to the fact that there are some people that are going through difficult storms in their mind sometimes it's to the extreme where they need professional help they need medical assistance they need medicine to help to control their situation they need a believer to accompany them they need people to give them attention give them affection they need people to give them time and they need people to give them space and they need people who understand that there are complex problems that cannot be fixed just in one day to another and so there is a sensitivity and there is a tenderness that is incumbent upon us and so what does the Word of God say to you today it says to you be anxious for nothing it's alright it's okay those monsters that you're imagining those invasive thoughts that come in and take a stranglehold upon your life and even from from one particular side of your mind you know that logically and literally speaking they are phantoms of your mind and they are not based in reality yet at the same time the nightmare is real and maybe it is something that is is causing great difficulty in your life you're going through a storm of your mind what does the Word of God say Philippians 4 and verse number 6 says be careful for nothing don't be anxious don't be overanxious about anything can I say to you today if you're going through this kind of a plight that you actually don't have one single thing to worry about you know it's all good it's all in his hands relax you can wait you can stay calm you can keep both feet upon the ground and for the child of God you know what is especially interesting even in the midst of circumstances where individuals are getting medical attention does not rule out the need for them to be getting spiritual attention and it is interesting how for the child of God how powerful is sometimes one word one verse from the Word of God to speak a little moment of reprieve in the midst of our mind that is battered by constant storm that instability that upheaval he says in everything 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 so the diligent discipline of trying to develop healthy habits in your mind you can work at those maybe just one at a time just doing something just one little bit to make and to start to work on the building blocks as you try to construct or reconstruct your path back to mental health and stability as you try to look and forge your way forward through the future that is all unknown to you and to me but it's all in the hands of a God who is not unknown a God who is worthy of our trust maybe it's a storm in your marriage and so 1st Corinthians chapter 7 gives us the case of a divided marriage they're still living under the same roof they're still husband and wife but they're very much divided one is saved the other is not tough circumstance sometimes there's a lot of division and contention and storms in marriages of people where both are saved and it's not the result of both being saved that's causing the problem but it sometimes is the result of both being saved but they're not on the same page spiritually there's a division there's a dichotomy there is a disagreement and there is difficulty as neither one or the other can figure out how in the world to improve and reconcile and try to bring about some solution to the dilemma that they're living and maybe they've tried not to breathe a word of it to anybody because they haven't really known what to do or where to look to try to get help and it's even something that is anticipated in the case in 1st Corinthians 7 of the unbelieving partner deciding that they want to abandon their spouse that is saved and desert them and leave them and initially he's trying to calm the heart of a person that is saved that just because your partner is not saved doesn't mean in some way that you are now fated to a destructive and to a completely frustrated experience as a Christian and he encourages him or her by saying that God has called us to peace he says what knowest thou or wife whether thou shalt save thy husband no one spouse can save the other and he's not trying to suggest that he says how knowest thou or me and whether thou shalt save thy wife he's saying don't be pessimistic don't be distraught and don't be defeated unnecessarily precipitatively because how do you know that by virtue of the way you conduct yourself and your consideration and your humility and your desire to honor the Lord even within this combative situation how do you know that ultimately the day will come when God will honor your prayers he will honor the practice of your life he is a God that has called you to peace and that's his long-term plan for your marriage even if currently it's beset by conflict and you're bewildered in the process God has called us to peace a storm in the marriage maybe it's a storm of persecution John 14 in verse 27 the Lord Jesus says peace I live 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 verse 33 of 16 he says these things have I spoken unto you that in me you might have peace in the world you shall have tribulation but be of good cheer I have overcome the world what help what helps us to have peace in that situation maybe it may be that many of us are exempt from living lives where we are fearing for our next breath where we are looking over our shoulder where each new day is as far as we're concerned a possibility of it being our last day because of a hostility of the world in which we are living but there are people in the world and that's what that's the kind of conditions that with which their life is fraught how good to know that even in the worst case scenario where they may be persecuted and there may be tribulation that'll cost them even their very life to know that that is a temporary situation that the outcome is long term and eternal and it is victorious that we are more than I you know it's easy to talk isn't it when we're all comfortable you know I think that maybe it's a storm of in your assembly and that was the case in Thessalonica hence his desire for them that the Lord of peace himself would give them peace always by all means he is going to he is actually making reference to their persecutions he says we ourselves glory in you and the churches of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that he endured chapter 1 chapter 2 they've got somebody that is masquerading as the Apostle Paul and trying to send them a missive to tell them that the day of the Lord has already come and so there's wrong doctrine and he begins to map out for them God's eschatological timetable and to correct the wrong teaching and in chapter 3 they have a problem of some that are being lazy bodies and they are not wanting to work and then they become busy bodies and it's a con it's a it's a bizarre kind of a bewildering circumstance and Paul gives special instruction and how can peace be achieved in that case by the response of the leadership to impose internal discipline but before they do that to explain to the man or to the men or to the brother to the sisters or to both just what actually the Apostle is is is prescribing to them and then if they refuse to listen well then he tells he tells the assembly that they have to with withdraw from every brother that walks in that way and how would that happen how would you turn and translate that into real life kind of a heart it sounds harsh it sounds like they're ostracizing the man maybe that's what's involved I don't know but it may be that they're cutting off the social food bank they're not continually to give the freeloader a free lunch they're gonna tell me you got two arms or legs two legs and a heartbeat get on get to work yeah so there's a practicality to Christianity that we're not supposed to be loafers and just hanging around and leeching off of the good heartedness of other Christians even if they happen to be sincere and almost too good-hearted right and so here is this you know it's almost almost impossible to predict the bizarre kinds of circumstances that can come into the life of a set of an assembly to threaten its peace you just talk if you could get the overseers in this gathering to talk and give their their their experiences and the things that they have encountered in their respective assemblies or even believers who are not overseers but have seen things that have happened you shake your head but it was happening as early as here in this assembly of the Thessalonians it was happening because not only of a not just in this case an internal one but all the churches in all of Judea and Samaria and Galilee all of them not just one a whole bunch of them all of them they were all suffering by the under the plague of persecution because of salt arsis and and there was people that were losing their lives and there were believers that were harried and hassled and they were being carried away and there was tremendous difficulty and what did God do he did what not a single one of those assemblies nor all of them put together with all the thousands of believers could even lift one finger to make happen you know what he did he reached in and he overruled the tactic of Satan and he saved Saul of Tarsus is it by any accident that the commentary in that particular place in Acts chapter 9 and 31 says then had the churches and the word is peace then had the churches rest or peace throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria and were edified and walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Ghost will multiply the funerals finally came to an end and the fear that had paralyzed these believers has now been subdued you know it's a wonderful thing when the Lord of Peace himself all alone single-handedly grants an answer in peace to troubled assemblies and he did it then and he can do it now of course we know that Galatians chapter 5 they were all had right to them and saying you better be careful because if you bite and devour one another be he take be careful that you don't you're not consumed you don't self-destruct you don't cannibalize and and devour yourselves what you would never do in a physical literally happens sometimes in a spiritual sense in fighting and as a result he says hey guys watch out you're gonna self-destruct and then he tells them about that long sort of ugly list of the works of the flesh and he says it's obvious it's manifest but he says the fruit of the Spirit is love joy peace long-suffering gentleness you know the rest what's he saying that the assemblies are actually the churches are actually so inherently weak that stand on their own they cannot therefore they need the fruit of the Spirit in practical you need to cultivate godly spirit filled Christian living in your life so that at least as an individual you might contribute to the overall piece of the assembly and the power of the Spirit of God can be evidenced and experienced not only individually but corporately by all believers submitting to the same power in their lives my I want to sit down here and there's many other case other occasions and lessons that we can be that we can learn from this but I just want a quick and make a shortcut and a fast track to a last point that I was thinking about and that's in James 3 this is now the obtaining of wisdom that is from above if you have bitter envy and strife in your hearts glory not don't brag and lie and lie not against the truth this wisdom descends not from above but as earthly but the wisdom where envy and strife is there's confusion and every evil but the wisdom that is from above is first pure then peaceable it's not peace at the expense of purity it's not peace at any price it's not peace at the expense of truth but it's truth and it's peace it's purity and it's wisdom knows how to combine the two in the same mix at the same time and it's gentle and it's easy to be entreated it's full of mercy and good fruits it's without partiality and without hypocrisy and we will put all that together and just sketch out the profile of this kind of a person a wise man it says I take this from a commentary that the man who is truly wise is genuinely humble he estimates others to be better than himself he does not put on airs but he puts others at ease right away his behavior is not like of the world around him it's otherworldly he doesn't live for the body but for the spirit in words and deeds he makes you think of the Lord Jesus his life is pure morally and spiritually he's clean then he is peaceable he'll endure insult and false accusation but will not fight back or even seek to justify himself he's gentle mild-mannered and tender-hearted he's easy to reason with he's willing to try to see the other person's viewpoint he's not vindictive but always ready to forgive those who have wronged him not only this but he habitually shows kindness to others especially those who don't deserve it and he's the same to all he doesn't play favorites the rich receive the same treatment as the poor the great are not preferred above the common people and finally he's not a hypocrite he doesn't say one thing and mean another you'll never hear him flatter he speaks the truth and never wears a mask unless one of these and the fruit and the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace are you a peacemaker or troublemaker and if you are a peacemaker be patient you might have to wait for those conditions of peace to be able to sow the seed of righteousness in the right climate conditions so that there will be fruit a harvest of righteousness the farmer the wise man who is a peacemaker the climate is pieced and the harvest is righteousness and so this closing benediction on a part of the Apostle is my closing comment just now and the Lord of peace himself give you peace always by all means may God bless his word