The Peace of God and the God of Peace Phil 4:9

The Peace of God and the God of Peace Philippians 4:9

This is our FINAL Lockdown simulated service from Ballymacashon Congregational Church.  Throughout the Lockdown I’ve been recording weekly services on CD’s and posting them to those that are unable to leave their homes.  Mostly, these would be elderly people, with no access to the internet.  We hope that church services in Northern Ireland will recommence next week, on Lord’s Day 5th July, God Willing.

Listen to this service as a PODCAST

 Praise,    Psalm  23 (Tune – ‘Crimond’)

“He maketh me to lie down in green pastures, he leadeth me beside the still waters.”

The Lord’s my Shepherd, I’ll not want; He makes me down to lie

In pastures green; He leadeth me The quiet waters by.

 

My soul He doth restore again, And me to walk doth make

Within the paths of righteousness, E’en for His own Name’s sake.

 

Yea, though I walk through death’s dark vale, Yet will I fear no ill,

For Thou art with me, and Thy rod And staff me comfort still.

 

My table Thou hast furnished, In presence of my foes;

My head Thou dost with oil anoint, And my cup overflows.

 

Goodness and mercy all my life Shall surely follow me,

And in God’s house forevermore My dwelling place shall be.

Bible Reading Philippians 4:6-9

Text.  Philippians 4:6-9

We have been looking at Philippians 4, where Paul concludes this reassuring admonition by writing,  ‘the God of peace will be with you.’   Now, what does it mean when Paul says that God is ‘THE GOD OF PEACE?’ 

1 Peace is an Essential Characteristic of God.  Philippians 4:9.  

The Christians in Philippi were living for Christ, worshipping the God of whom Paul often speaks as ‘the God of Peace.’ Romans 16:20,  1 Corinthians 14:33, 1 Thessalonians 5:23,  Peace is one of the attributes of God, like Love, Justice, Righteousness and Holiness.  And it is a characteristic of all three persons of the Trinity.  

• God the Father is described by the preacher to the Hebrews as the God of Peace, who in his power and omnipotence raised Jesus from the dead.  Hebrews 13:20 
• God the Son.  Isaiah 9:6  
• God the Holy Spirit.  It was he who brooded over the chaos of the creation, and calmed it, and brought it peace. 

This God, is the One who is peace, and from whom all true peace originates.

2 Experiencing God’s Peace is Through a Personal Relationship. 

Notice that in this passage there are two references that link God and peace.  In verse seven, Paul has said, ‘the peace of God will be with you.’  Now he says, the ‘God of peace be with you.’  More than a feeling or a calming influence, or an emotional experience, a PERSON.  

For a man like Paul, taught in Judaism, PEACE is not just the opposite of war, never just a negative concept.  Peace is living in a right relationship with someone else.

• It is so on a national or international level.  
• Same with us, at a personal level, we may not be aggressive with a neighbour, but if we are simply deliberately ignoring them,  we may not be fighting with them, but we cannot say that we are truly at peace with them.
• Same with the relationship between us and God! We cannot be indifferent about our relationship with our creator.  We may think that He and us can simply co-exist, with little or no contact, that we can happily ignore him, not blaspheming his name, doing our best to live a decent life, and then when life ends, go to be with him, enjoying a relationship with him for ever.  It cant be so.  Jesus made this very clear, when he tells us in his word that those who are not completely committed to him, and totally against him.  Matthew 12:20.   You cannot sit on the fence.  It’s total war, or total peace. 

So the God of Peace is the God who enters into Covenant relationship with His people. He provided access to that relationship at great cost, with the sacrifice of his only begotten Son on the Cross for sinners. In Jesus the enmity between God and sinners is ended and we are at peace with God.  Romans 5:1-2,  Life has become what it was meant to be, and we are enabled to walk in fellowship with our divine creator.  The God of Peace!   

3. That Relationship NEVER Changes, Regardless of our Circumstances.  ‘the God of peace will be with you.’

Because this promise not about a mood or a feeling or peacefulness or calm, but about the presence of a Person, Paul can assure his readers that no matter what our circumstances, the God of Peace will always be with us.  Like in Psalm 73:23-26.   And when that final day on this earth comes, we have the precious promise of Psalm 23 where David assures us that,“Yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for though art with me, thy rod and tight staff, they comfort me.”

So, the mention of ‘God of Peace’ to the Philippians would have been a great reassurance.  A reminder of an important personal characteristic of God, the God with whom they had been brought into a personal relationship through Jesus, and the God who would be with them, and would never leave them.

© BobMcEvoy June 2020