Divine Peace – The Guard of the Mind

Philippians 4:4-7

4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Four characteristics of divine peace:

1- Divine peace comes only from God

2- Divine peace surpasses the mind

3- Divine peace guards the heart and the mind

4- Divine peace is only available in Christ

We’ll be discussing these characteristics further on; in depth. Let’s first learn about how to get to the state of peace being our guardian.

The Road to Peace in Christ

I - Rejoice in Jesus

There’s really only one true path to Joy, and that is in Jesus Christ

Romans 5:1-11

1 Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.** 3 Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.

6 You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. 7 Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

9 Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through him! 10 For if, when we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! 11 Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

In Jesus our rejoicing is threefold:

1- We’ve been justified through working faith

a. We can know we have salvation because we are not saved by our suppositions!

b. What gives me joy is true salvation because I know I have obeyed, not because of some feeling!

2- This gives us peace with God

a. Peace is a result of grace!

b. Amazing grace, how sweet the sound!

c. Knowing what a wretch I am, I see God cares and has saved me!

d. Wow! I have peace!

e. Faith à Grace à Peace à Hope à Joy

3- We have the hope of the glory of God**

**Christ in you, the hope of glory…

Colossians 1:27-28

27 To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. 28 We proclaim him, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone perfect in Christ.

This hope of glory, Jesus in us, as detailed above and in Romans 5:3-5, allows us to rejoice no matter what our circumstances may be because we are progressing in our growth and transformation toward an unearthly goal. There’s only so much hope you can have in what is seen. True hope lies in what you cannot see (Rom 8:24). But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has?

True hope does not disappoint. True hope recognizes the hand of God in your life, preparing you for the great finale (Jer 29:11). “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

Knowing you have peace with God eventually gives birth to hope and joy, which makes peace bloom into something that transcends understanding.

Hope: One of the three that remain… (1 Co 13:13)

1- Does not disappoint

2- Saves you from God’s wrath

3- Fuels your ministry of reconciliation

a. Makes you reach

b. Keeps you motivated

c. Helps you wait patiently, with peace (Romans 4:17-19)

Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations…

Once the Joy brought on by hope and peace continues to thrive in your Christian walk, the joy of the Lord continues to fuel your ministry which continues to give you joy as you grow in hope and in a deeper understanding of all the blessings you have in Christ (Philemon 6). This is the circle of joy. It is at the beginning, in the middle and towards the end of your growth and maturity.

All the true rejoicing happens when we are busy fulfilling our calling in Christ. We know the Lord rejoices when a lost soul is restored (Luke 15:7, 10).

II – Let your gentleness be evident

Gentleness can only be achieved through the process of hope building in Romans 5:3-5. Once your faith is combined with hope, then LOVE is established. We know that LOVE is the greatest of these!

LOVE enables us to let our gentleness be evident.

A gentle character: [Gentle, from the Greek epieikes (appropriate, moderation-KJV, patient, considerate-GW, reasonable - ESV)]

A- Does not give in to fears/anxieties

a. Anger, disappointment are symptoms of a selfish focus

b. Being afraid is a symptom of a worldly focus

B- Does not give in to the enemies of the mind – knows the Lord is beside him

a. Has self-control

b. Is reasonable

c. Thinks on others first

d. Lets hope remind him of the nearness of God

C- Has a grip on suffering

a. Understands suffering helps him relate to others

b. Is not upset when things don’t go like he wants them to go

c. His hope is in the unseen

D- Is a praying person

a. In everything present your requests to God

b. By prayer and petition he intercedes for others and himself

c. Always thanks God; for trouble and for peace

III – Peace will guard your heart and mind

Four characteristics of divine peace:

1- Divine peace comes only from God

2- Divine peace surpasses the mind

3- Divine peace guards the heart and the mind

4- Divine peace is only available in Christ

I- Divine Peace Comes only from God

A. Our God initiated peace keeping terms because we broke His covenant (Romans 3:23)

1. …for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God…

2. Divine Peace has to do with the reconciliation we receive from God:

a. God initiated the plan (John 3:16)

b. He put forth His Son (Romans 3:25)

& God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement,[a] through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished…

c. Jesus agreed to do this! (John 10:18)

& No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.

d. God wants us to know the truth and so be saved (1Tim 2:4)

3. It has to do with the atoning sacrifice on Jesus’ behalf

B. God’s wrath remains on us without Jesus

1. It is being revealed against all godlessness and wickedness (Romans 1:18)

2. It remains on those who reject Jesus (John 3:36)

a. Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God's wrath remains on him.

C. It is futile to look for peace apart from divine revelation

1. Man’s effort cannot promote peace – we are driven by selfish greed (Romans 3: 9-18)

2. The world cannot give peace like Jesus can

a. John 14:27 – “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”

b. John 16:33 – “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

3. Only God is the God of Peace, love, grace, comfort and hope

a. In the Spirit we have peace (Romans 8:6)

& The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace…

b. God fills us with joy and peace as we trust Him (Romans 15:13)

& May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

& The Holy Spirit gives us the power to hope against all hope, like Abraham (Romans 4:18)

c. From the Father and Jesus flows grace and peace (1Co 1:3)

& Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

d. In God’s Kingdom we promote His peace (Romans 14:17)

& For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit…

e. Those who are true disciples are peacemakers (Matthew 5:9)

& Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.

II- Divine Peace surpasses the mind

A. Ideally, peace represents absolute tranquility

1. Perhaps the absence of war or conflict

2. The absence of trouble, hardship or worry

B. Peace, however, is an attitude of mind – something achieved by conviction, not circumstance

1. It is a serenity of disposition

2. Makes the hardest moments bearable

3. Laughs at coming trouble

4. Is what enables us to be peacemakers in a world of conflict

C. It is beyond our ability to comprehend

1. It is an indescribable gift (2Co 9:15) – the grace of God!

2. Only words of thankfulness can be expressed concerning this grace (Col 2:7; 3:15, etc)

3. It cannot be faked

4. It cannot be forged (established) without God

a. The powers of this world are anti-peace

b. No man can devise a system that will maintain indefinite peace on Earth

& John 16:33 - I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.

& Jer 10:23 - I know, O LORD, that a man's life is not his own; it is not for man to direct his steps.

III- Divine Peace Guards the Heart and the Mind

A. Peace protects us emotionally and intellectually

1. phrouresei (to guard) means to keep, to protect; to act as a sentinel

2. Peace is not en emotion but is grounded in evidence (true faith = conviction)

a. That God’s promises are reliable

& Heb 11:1 - Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see

& Titus 1:2 - …a faith and knowledge resting on the hope of eternal life, which God, who does not lie, promised before the beginning of time…

& Hebrews 10:23 - Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.

b. That His judgements are based on obedience

& 1 Peter 4:17 - For it is time for judgment to begin with the family of God; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who do not obey the gospel of God?

& Psalm 103:17-18 - 17 But from everlasting to everlasting the Lord’s love is with those who fear him, and his righteousness with their children's children- 18 with those who keep his covenant and remember to obey his precepts.

c. This gives us confidence that generates joy (Romans 15:13) and tranquility

& 1John 3:18-24 – 18 Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth. 19 This then is how we know that we belong to the truth, and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence 20 whenever our hearts condemn us. For God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything. 21 Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God 22 and receive from him anything we ask, because we obey his commands and do what pleases him. 23 And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us. 24 Those who obey his commands live in him, and he in them. And this is how we know that he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us.

3. This knowledge-based peace is able to protect our heart:

a. Protects us from destructive traits (enemies of the mind)

b. Protects us from the desires of the flesh (emotional tolls)

4. This peace protects our mind as well:

a. Skeptical arguments cannot breach the well fortified soul that is at peace

b. Our faith is not based on fantasy, but on history; actual events that happened and can be verified.

c. Evidence and trusting our source gives us true peace of mind!

B. Any violation of God’s established law breaks peace

1. Physical laws – breaks physical peace

2. Natural (Moral) Law – breaks civil peace

3. Spiritual Law – breaks personal & eternal peace

C. Whatever success any psychological therapy can have on an individual depends on the use of the principles within the Bible

D. Absence of godly principles in our lives remove peace, for peace only comes from God and the practice of His morality

IV- Divine Peace is only available in Christ

A. What does it mean to be “in Christ”?

1. The closest thing on Earth is marriage, the shadow of the reality we have and will experience fully in Christ for eternity (Ephesians 5:30-32)

a. …for we are members of his body. 31 "For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh." 32 This is a profound mystery—but I am talking about Christ and the church

2. To be “in Christ” is to

a. Fellowship (koinonia), which means to:

b. Participate, commune, have interchange; exchange (social intercourse)

c. Be identified by free association and ownership: bodily, mentally and emotionally

d. Surrender your will and ways to your Head

e. Loose your self and be found integrated to the wholeness that is Jesus Christ (Galatians 2:20)

B. Incorporated in Christ = InC. = In Christ

1. Paul uses the expression “in Christ” or some other equivalent 35 times in Ephesians, the epistle concerning our vehicle of incorporation on Earth, the church: His body.

2. Baptism is the portal to incorporation (Romans 6:3-8): Or don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. 5 If we have been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection. 6 For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin— 7 because anyone who has died has been freed from sin. 8 Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him.

a. We die in/with Him

b. Buried in/with Him

c. Raised in/with Him to walk in newness

& Not according to our old life

& Not according to our own thoughts

& Not by sight, but by faith – trusting in Him to lead the way

d. Crucified, Sanctified, justified and eventually glorified IN HIM! (1 Co 6:11; Rom 8:30)

3. As Jesus incorporates us into Himself we incorporate His Spirit in our own bodies.

a. The Spirit seals us (Eph 1:13)

& And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit…

b. He is our guarantee of incorporation and final glorification (2Co 1:22)

& …set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.

c. He lives in us (Romans 8:11)

& And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you.

C. Why Incorporation?

1. Righteousness is only in Christ (Romans 3:22)

2. Justification & sanctification is in Christ (1Co 6:11)

3. Grace and Peace is in Christ (2 Tim 1:9; 1Co 1:4)

4. Hope is in Christ (Eph 1:12)

5. Wisdom, righteousness, holiness and redemption is only in Christ (Phil 1:6; 1Co 1:30)

6. Reality is in Christ Jesus (Col 2:17)

7. No condemnation in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1)

8. Salvation is in Christ (2Tim 2:10)

9. Eternal Life can only be found in Jesus Christ (1Peter 5:10)

10. Numerous other passages show us everything we have in Christ Jesus!