Peace! - Romans 1:7

Believer, you have a sense of peace today what you dwell on what you feed your mind on what you moreover what you listen to what you read is a true is honorable is if your holy is it lovely is a gracious in other words, when you surrender to the Holy Spirit's control in your life.

Things qualities grow inside of you, and eventually surface and one of those qualities that services in the surrendered life is talk about having peace of mind at night.

We hope for a peaceful night's sleep. When children are boisterous. We long for a little peace and quiet.

When we watch the evening news. We pray for peace and war torn parts of the world burst so many kinds of peace that were longing for.

But as Christians there's a particular kind of peace that matters most. Peace with God. This is wisdom for the heart. Today Stephen Davey brings to a close.

His series out of Romans one called gospel truth.

Today we look at peace with God in a lesson simply called peace here Stephen with today's lesson from God's word in his introductory remarks.

Paul has delivered a summary of nothing less than the gospel truth. He describes the inheritance as he concludes to those who have chosen the song to those who been chosen by the sun, concludes his salutation by writing in verse seven of Romans one to all who are beloved of God in Rome called the saints. Grace to you and peace from God our father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

By the way, you cannot have this inheritance that he speaks of in less you have, what Paul implies that you have in the last phrase in verse seven he refers to God as your father in Jesus Christ as your Lord, try as hard as you like.

Your life will not be characterized by grace and peace unless you have a living intimate active relationship with God is your father an obedient and submissive surrendered life with Jesus Christ as your Lord. In other words, grace and peace are an interesting combination on the part of Paul. The word grace Curtis or another form. Kyra day was a common greeting among the Greeks translated grace in the Hebrew shalom here. The Greek counterpart. A ran a four piece was the typical Jewish or Hebrew greeting and so what Paul has done is combine the two and thus he properly greets both the Gentile and Jewish members of the church in Rome, but these words conveys so much more than a casual reading today.

Not today. We explore eight different contexts in which the word peace appears and what those eight differing contexts have been teach us today. First of all, peace is something that the world does not have twice. Isaiah quotes the Lord saying there is no peace for the wicked.

In Isaiah 5720, but the wicked are like troubled C4, it cannot be still required in its waters. Tossup refuse and mod. There is no peace says my God for the wicked. The world can simply not arrive at a state of peace. In fact, I have read that in the last 5000 years there have been at least 14,000 war in the last 400 years alone.

The Western world has entered into more than 8000 peace treaties and the life expectancy of a peace treaty in the Western world is just a little bit less than two years, peace one author wrote tongue-in-cheek is that glorious moment when everyone stands around reloading Jesus Christ is the Prince of peace. Today people want peace without the prints, but apart from the Prince, the world will never have peace, Donald Ray Barnhouse wrote men may be able to create alliances among a few states which are drawn together by common need or common greed, but a real unity among peoples is not possible in this world of sin and rebellion where men wish to exalt themselves above the creator of the universe. He wrote this on 50 years ago with the United Nations could really succeed man would cry out move over God. Get off your throne. We have succeeded in bringing peace to the earth and we do not need you anymore. Jeremiah decried the lack of peace in his own generation because people were attempting to ignore the word of God and disobey the living God.

Listen as Jeremiah writes in chapter 6, verse 10 behold the ears of this people are closed and they cannot listen. Behold, the word of the Lord is become a reproach to them. They have no delight in it, from the least of them even to the greatest of them. Everyone is greedy for gain, and from the prophet even to the priest everyone deals falsely. In other words, Jeremiah is saying everybody in my generation, among my people are consumed with greed. They want more. And they want even more and those from the leadership on down or living deceitful lives. They are lying to one another.

They are deceiving each other and they are being deceived goes on in verse 14 to say they have healed the brokenness of my people superficially saying peace. Peace. But there is no peace. I talk about peace. But they don't have.

They might patch it together for a few weeks or a few months, but it never lasts. In the New Testament. It's interesting that during the early days of the tribulation after the church has been enraptured to be with the Lord.

The world is occupied with an enamored by the talk of peace in first Thessalonians 53, Paul wrote while they are saying peace and safety, then destruction will come upon them suddenly like labor pains upon a woman with child, and they will not escape. That is at about the time they thought they finally had it. They didn't friends the world with its greed and selfishness. It's rebellion against God and rebellion against the word of God, they can have one peace summit after another.

They can sign one peace accord after another, but they will never last. Peace comes only to the one who has knelt before his Majesty and said you be the Prince of my heart, then that person. Peace comes peace. Secondly, is an attribute of God. Paul wrote later in Romans 15 verse 33. Now the God of peace be with you all recall this one of the moral attributes of God. Peace. Ephesians 214, Paul is speaking of Jesus Christ by saying or he himself is our peace was made both groups into one that is the Gentile and the Jew he's made them in the one breaking down the barrier of the dividing wall by a polishing in his flesh the enmity which is the law of commandments contained in ordinances so that himself he might make the two in the one new man, thus establishing peace and might reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross by it having put to death the enmity. In other words, you can only have peace when you come to the cross where the peace treaty, as it were, was signed between God the father, who represented all that was holy and God the son, who on behalf of sinful mankind represented all that was evil and all that was sin so the sun representing humanity died. Therefore, he embodied that peace treaty.

You could say that the peace treaty was signed by the blood of Jesus Christ and those who come to the sun, have peace with God. They are no longer the enemy of God and God is no longer there and one of the reasons why the number three pieces also description of the gospel. The gospel is simply the declaration that the peace treaty has been signed at Calvary between God and man, and those who come in place their faith in the blood of the slain lamb can have the full benefit of that peace treaty. But those who ignore the sun, they will never have peace in their lives. In the deepest resources of their heart and their world will never experience peace serving believers to spread the news of the gospel. It is the gospel of peace. In fact, part of our clothing. Paul told us in Ephesians 615 is to have our feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace. The gospel is the gospel of peace this piece Vin number four is something you receive in salvation. This is a position positional truth that you practice as we talked about grace and other things as well. Faith and obedience. Paul wrote in chapter 5, verse one. Therefore, having been justified by faith we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Colossians chapter 1:4 it was the father's good pleasure for all the fullness of deity to dwell in Christ and through him to reconcile all things to himself, having made peace through the blood of his cross.

Through him I say whether things on earth are things in heaven and although you were formerly alienated and hostile in mind engaged in evil deeds. Yet he has now reconciled you in his fleshly body through death in order to present you before him holy and blameless and beyond reproach. So, my friends, the average person might think that they can assume some neutral position before God. In fact, the average evangelistic approach to people, at least in our country. As you know you want to try Christ you want to try God you get to try all this other stuff and what you really ought to do is give God a try.

Friends, that's not the gospel. It's a slick sales job that ignores the fact that they are in perilous danger because they are according to the Scripture, the enemy of God. Whether they want to think of it that we are not meant to die without Jesus Christ means that you face the wrath of an eternal God for all eternity because you refuse the peace treaty that his son brought about in his death we go about it. We declare the gospel that people are at enmity with God. They need to sign the peace treaty in the person of Jesus Christ and if they don't in serious trouble. Whatever happened to the gospel presentation of an Englishman by Jonathan Edwards once preached 100 years ago, sermon entitled sinners in the hands of an angry God. Try that approach out on the street itself. Are you good this is the urgency of the apostle Paul said that he was under compulsion to preach that he had preached to every Gentile.

The message of this gospel.

He said that people come to faith by hearing and hearing by the word of God. But how will they ever hear what a preacher without a messenger without someone who has on his or her feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace, who will tell them the peace treaty has been made available to all. That is the urgency in our hearts for a world that is in desperate trouble before our God. I remember years ago I was probably about in junior high. My family and I made our annual summer trip to Minnesota. The place of our forefathers. And as we went. We would stop sort of zigzagging here and there and visit homes and churches. The supported my missionary family and so my four brothers and I were told, of course, to behave less.

My parents lose support. So we would go along and we would sit, try not to misbehave too much. Typically we find something to do outdoors bicycle or a basketball goal or an empty can. We could kick around but for whatever reason I still remember being at this one home in a home of an elderly couple. They had their aged father was probably in his 90s. They had him with them. Perhaps living out the rest of his days there and is comfortable at it as an environment as they could make and he was sitting in a chair I can remember, he had a blanket wrapped around his lower body and his chin was on his chest as if he were resting for whatever reason I don't remember what we were in the living room with my family and so we were sitting there listening and I imagine that somewhere before this conversation took place. This couple. The pulled my dad aside and said you were not sure if our data is saved. Would you say something so I'm sure that was in my father's mind and we sat there in the living room and and talk, will they talk and we listened and eventually my dad picked up his chair and he moved closer to this gentleman facing him and he said a little louder than normal. This man was a little hard of hearing Sir I can remember him saying if you died the day do you know for sure you'd go to be with the Lord in heaven. Remember that man with his head bowed, but annoy her to beard my father or not, but he was, I suppose, contemplating, and eventually he raised his head. He looked at my father and he said no. I don't know. My father began to share the gospel with him and remember his exact words but he shared the gospel that was freely given to mankind. I remember with urgency.

He was sharing the gospel and I was listening as well as my brothers attentively to this this discussion. Eventually my father said you understand what I have been telling you he nodded yes. He asked him would you like to do at this very moment, pray and receive this Jesus Christ as your own personal Redeemer and Savior. Remember, his head was ballot for the longest moment. Finally, he raised his head and looked at my father and he said I don't believe I will remember it being floored. This man had such little time to live, and he just turned down that which would give him eternal life.

I thought well my dad gave it his best shot presented the gospel. He evidently doesn't want it. My dad got up, took his chair and moved it right next to the man he sat down and started over wasn't as if the man could go anywhere and with urgency that I still remember to this day he again shared the gospel rudely, but with passion knowing that he was talking to someone who had very few chances left and he got to the end of it and he said Sir will you receive Christ as your personal savior and I remember we were all holding our breath. He sat there for the longest time and I still remember it as if it worked the day he looked up and he said to my father. I believe I will and I had tears coming down my cheeks and didn't want anybody to know, and I excuse myself as quickly as I could and I remember going out thinking that a man has just been rescued to know. That's why were still here. Why on salvation.

God didn't just take us home.

We are to deliver this this piece message with greater urgency because people are in trouble with God. John chapter 3 says that they are condemned already.

That's why there's true evangelism and urgency combined and I stand today as a warning to perhaps someone here. The opposite of peace with God is is not just some fitful nights sleep or some case of indigestion. The opposite of peace with God is the wrath of God that you will bear forever unless you come by faith alone to the Savior who has signed the treaty and all you have to do is claimant trusting in his shed blood.

And when you do you come to the peace give her the peacemaker, the embodiment of the peace treaty between God and man. You receive this inheritance called peace. Now there are several contexts where I have found the word as a relates to the lives of believers limit quickly give you them are five pieces something independent of circumstances is not only positional truth. It is something that can be practiced, but it is independent of circumstances. Isaiah the prophet said that will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed is mind is fixed, whose mind is rooted on the sea, peace is not at the mercy of outward pressure peace has to do with inward focus. Peace is not something you have. When everything goes right pieces something that you can have when everything goes wrong, why because your mind is stayed on the unmovable rock who is our God.

Paul wrote to the Romans Grace to you and peace.

Frankly, I think that's the oddest choice of words. At first reading peace is writing Romans is writing, believers living in the capital city that was filled with unrest already.

Nero had begun to show his true colors.

Poison Britannica is a threat to his throne. It already brutally murdered his mother. He had already married and divorced, and murdered his first wife. He had already formed a brigade of ruffians and they would travel the streets of Rome at night not dressed in his regal bearing so no one could recognize them in that visit the brothels in the bars and they'd pick fights with ordinary common people back on one occasion Nero attacked a woman, not knowing that she was the wife of one of his own. Sen. Sen. was there and jumped into the Friday and defended his wife and beat Nero up Nero laid low in the palace because of his bruises and his black eyes, and he wondered if the senator had known it was him. He thought he would make it public or he wouldn't say anything good and that would reveal his own embarrassment that Sen. had recognize Nero somewhere during that brawl and decided his only hope was to send Nero, which he did a secret letter of apology, but that was his undoing because Nero knew now that would be public and he had that man executed. This is the man that would light a fire and burn half of Rome to the ground because he wanted real estate to build his new homeland. There wasn't any.

Many blamed it on the Christian that began in the late 60s ADA about seven or eight years after the reading this letter. Great persecution where Christians would be thrown in as it were, to the liens you would think Paul would write something like Grace to you and courage or grace to you and perseverance they would need that no grace to you and peace. Why, because peace is not found in the absence of grief.

It is found in the presence of God pieces something you experience when you fix your focus not on the storm around you. But on the Savior who was the prints of peace. Furthermore, six pieces, something that we are to invest in others.

Romans 12 verse 18 says, if possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men. I love the realism of Paul somebody was trying to be spiritual or religious writer would've left off the first two words, if possible, not Paul. If if it's possible, as much as it depends upon you another would you do everything you can do. Be at peace with all men. Interesting. He did not say let all men be at peace with you because maybe it workers someone was not at peace with you because of your stand. Maybe there is someone living around you work sharing a dorm room with you or a coworker who doesn't like you because they know you're a Christian, in the presence of you rubs them wrong without you ever saying anything he doesn't say for all men to be at peace with you is is for you to be at peace with all men possible. He goes on to write a verse 19. Never take your own revenge as he assumed they would probably be thinking about such things for their enemies that wanted peace with them, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord, but if your enemy is hungry, freedom. If he is thirsty, give him a drink for in so doing you will heap burning coals upon his head, and you might like that burning coals part that sounds even better than revenge doesn't. The only trouble is, we don't understand this phrase because our culture is so different. Paul is referring here to an enemy whose fire has gone out and he has to start all over somebody didn't attend the fire and identikit cooking must have a good hot bed of coals and so what he's saying is that you're going to give him some hot coals from your fire so that he can quickly build his fire and cook so that he can eat. In other words he's saying when you do acts of kindness to your enemy. Paul says it is like giving him a bucket of hot coals which he will carry home in a bucket or a pot on top of his head so Paul's point of them was it's hard for somebody to remain your enemy when you're in the process of helping them rebuild their fire.

Paul wrote to the Corinthians brother and rejoice be made complete, be comforted, be like-minded live in peace, and the God of love and peace will be with you.

Number seven pieces something that accompanies gratitude in Colossians 315, Paul commanded not suggested he commanded. Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts and be thankful present tense be currently on glowingly thankful it indicates a continual action, pointing to a habit of life. Think about it in your own life is being thankful a continual action that points to a habit of life would believers who know you well say of you here or she is such a grateful person there there always thankful of the things that God has done for them and and and given to them or would you be known for complaining and whining. My strength is never strong enough. My health is never good enough. My life is never good enough. The weather is never pleasant enough, people are never kind enough, your paycheck is never big enough and so you complain and you complain and you complain and you gripe in your griping you gripe and gripe in great this is little to convicting. Let's move on to the Philippians he wrote the same thing with different words. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. Another would you pray with a context and within the context of Thanksgiving trench wrote in his book on synonyms Thanksgiving is that element which should never be absent from your devotion and what happens when Thanksgiving is a constant element of your devotions. The next verse in the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. In other words, peace is experienced in the lives of those who express Thanksgiving finally were eight pieces something you surrender to learn. It isn't something automatic peace with God is that's the position living surrounded by the sense of peace is something that you have to learn and you learn by surrendering Galatians 5 of the deeds of the flesh are evident. He's going to give you a list of things that do not bring peace, my friends, immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, but the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, love and joy and peace know what is it mean when it says it's the fruit of the spirit. It means that which grows in you. By virtue of your submission to the Holy Spirit. In other words, when you surrender to the Holy Spirit's control in your life. Things qualities grow inside of you, and eventually surface and one of those qualities that surfaces in the surrendered life is peace, Paul said again. Finally, brother, and whatever is true, here's how you learn it, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise dwell on these things.

The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me practice these things and then the God of peace will be evident to you believer. Do you have a sense of peace today what you dwell on what you feed your mind on what you mall over what you listen to and what you read is a true is an honorable is a pure and holy is lovely is a gracious believer.

Do you lack a sense of God's peace. What you practice.

What is your lifestyle. Is it one of that which is honorable and true and right and pure and lovely and gracious. He says if you dwell on these things and if you practice these things, you will sense not only the pleasure of God will sense the peace of God.

So when you surrender to God's spirit. You sense God's presence when we summarize all of the context in which we have rapidly read through talked about with four statements number one you have peace with God through Christ.

That's a fact.

Secondly, you have peace from God through obedience. That's really third you have peace within and through mental and spiritual discipline that the fruit peace with each other through the ability that's our fellowship.

I hope today's time in God's word is helped stand the peace that God offers you through Christ. This is wisdom for the heart are Bible teacher is Pastor Stephen Davey of colonial Baptist Church in Cary, North Carolina if you know someone who could benefit from hearing the lesson you just heard we have it on a CD and we'd like to send it to you. However, if you're new to our ministry and contact us for the first time it'll be our gift to you. Call us at 86 648 Bible. That's 866482425 and of course join us tomorrow for more wisdom for the hearts