Lessons From the Secret Place Special Edition – Intimacy- A Place of Peace in the Prince of Peace
Isaiah 9:6-7, For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this.
The First Advent is described in verse 6a: “For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given.” The first clause speaks of His humanity, the second of His deity. The next part of the verse points forward to the Second Advent:
• the government will be upon His shoulder—He will reign as King of kings and Lord of lords. The rest of the verse describes His personal glories:
• His name will be called Wonderful—this name is a noun, not an adjective, and speaks of His Person and work.
• Counselor—His wisdom in government.
• Mighty God—the omnipotent, supreme Ruler.
• Everlasting Father—or better, the Father (or “Source”) of eternity. Eternal Himself, He confers eternal life on those who believe in Him.
• Prince of Peace (Sar-Shālôm)—the One who will at last bring peace to this troubled world. i.
It is this final phrase that will be the focus this study: Prince of Peace
Acts 17:28 tells us that in Him we live and move and have our being. In whom? In the Prince of Peace! When we come to Christ for salvation we are born again into a new kingdom (Col. 1:13-14). Yes, we still live on planet Earth, however, our citizenship is now in this new kingdom, an eternal kingdom, whose King is called the Prince of Peace. As citizens of this new kingdom, we are under the headship of the Prince of Peace. Jesus is not just called the Prince of Peace, He IS PEACE!
John 14:27, Peace I leave with you; My [own] peace I now give and bequeath to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. [Stop allowing yourselves to be agitated and disturbed; and do not permit yourselves to be fearful and intimidated and cowardly and unsettled.] (AMPC)
The peace Jesus spoke of could not be exemption from conflict and trial. Jesus himself had been "troubled" by the impending Crucifixion (12:27). The peace he spoke of here is the calmness of confidence in God. Jesus had this peace because he was sure of the Father's love and approval. ii.
Note that peaceful doesn’t mean “easy.” Jesus never promised easy; He only promised help. In fact, He told us to expect tribulation (John 16:33) and trials (James 1:2). But He also said that, if we called on Him, He would give us the “peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension” (Philippians 4:6–7). No matter what hardships we are faced with, we can ask for a peace that comes from the powerful love of God that is not dependent on our own strength or the situation around us. iii.
John 16:33, I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have [perfect] peace and confidence. In the world you will have tribulation and trials and distress and frustration; but be of good cheer [take courage; be confident, certain, undaunted]! For I have overcome the world. [I have deprived it of power to harm you and have conquered it for you.] (AMPC)
Isaiah 26:3-4, You will guard him and keep him in perfect and constant peace whose mind [both its inclination and its character] is stayed on You, because he commits himself to You, leans on You, and hopes confidently in You. So trust in the Lord (commit yourself to Him, lean on Him, hope confidently in Him) forever; for the Lord God is an everlasting Rock [the Rock of Ages]. (AMPC)
Both John 16:33 and Isaiah 26:3 speak of perfect peace. How do we find this perfect peace in the middle of the storms, during life altering illness, during painful loss and grief, amid the chaos that often surrounds us? Regarding Isaiah 26:3-4, D.L Moody said, “The tree of peace strikes its roots into the crevices of the Rock of Ages.” iv.
Matthew Henry wrote, “Thou wilt keep him in peace, peace, in perfect peace, inward peace, outward peace, peace with God, peace of conscience, peace at all times, under all events; this peace shall he be put into, and kept in the possession of, whose mind is stayed upon God, because it trusts in him. It is the character of every good man that he trusts in God, puts himself under his guidance and government, and depends upon him that it shall be greatly to his advantage to do so. Those that trust in God must have their minds stayed upon him, must trust him at all times, under all events, must firmly and faithfully adhere to him, with an entire satisfaction in him; and such as do so God will keep in perpetual peace, and that peace shall keep them. When evil tidings are abroad those shall calmly expect the event, and not be disturbed by frightful apprehensions arising from them, whose hearts are fixed, trusting in the Lord, Ps. 112:7.” v.
Psalm 112:7, He shall not be afraid of evil tidings; his heart is firmly fixed, trusting (leaning on and being confident) in the Lord. (AMPC)
We can only find the place of peace when we allow our roots to grow deep into the Prince of Peace. Matthew Henry listed the things a believer must do to maintain his/her place (position) of peace.
First, our minds must be stayed on him.
Colossians 3:2, And set your minds and keep them set on what is above (the higher things), not on the things that are on the earth. (AMPC)
Romans 8:6, For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. (ESV)
2 Corinthians 10:5, We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ. (ESV)
It is so easy for even the most experienced believers to find their minds becoming crowded with the things of this world. The enemy wants nothing more than to get our focus off Christ and our identity in Him and to entangle our thoughts with the cares of this life.
In John 16:33, Jesus clearly told us that we can have peace in the middle of struggle. We do this by keeping our minds focused on him (the things we cannot see) and not on the things happening around us (the things we can see) (2 Cor. 4:18). We must not allow our mind (thoughts) to dictate our peace, rather, we must take every wayward thought, every worrying thought, every vain imagining (thinking through all the possible scenarios), every harmful thought (those that deny the power or goodness of God toward us) captive and make them obedient to Christ, the Word!!!!!
Second, we must trust him in all circumstances.
Proverbs 3:5-6, Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. (ESV)
Psalm 37:5, Commit your way to the Lord [roll and repose each care of your load on Him]; trust (lean on, rely on, and be confident) also in Him and He will bring it to pass. (AMPC)
Matthew Henry wrote, We must make God our guide, and submit in every thing to his guidance and disposal; and then all our affairs, even those that seem most intricate and perplexed, shall be made to issue well and to our satisfaction, Ps. 37:5, 6. vi.
Jeremiah 17:7-8, [Most] blessed is the man who believes in, trusts in, and relies on the Lord, and whose hope and confidence the Lord is. For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters that spreads out its roots by the river; and it shall not see and fear when heat comes; but its leaf shall be green. It shall not be anxious and full of care in the year of drought, nor shall it cease yielding fruit. (AMPC)
Those who trust in human beings are referred to in [Jeremiah] vv.5-6; those who rely on God in vv.7-8. The results of choices are clearly spelled out: a curse on the former, a blessing on the latter. Where people depend on humankind, spiritual life cannot thrive; such persons are like the dwarf juniper of the desert, whose leaves are not refreshed by rain; so it is both stunted and starved. On the contrary, those who trust in the Lord are blessed indeed. They need fear no circumstance in life. Again, the figure of a tree is used. The blessed are firmly "planted" where there is abundance of water. Growth and fruitfulness, therefore, are assured. vii. [Added by me for clarification.]
Psalm 62:8, Have faith in Him in all circumstances, dear people. Open up your heart to Him; the True God shelters us in His arms. (Voice)
When we put our trust in God in every situation/season of life we can rest in his peace because we know that he will provide, sustain, protect, refresh, etc., his children.
Third, we must adhere to him.
Webster 1828 dictionary defines adhere as: To be joined, or held in contact; to cleave to.
John 15:4, Dwell in Me, and I will dwell in you. [Live in Me, and I will live in you.] Just as no branch can bear fruit of itself without abiding in (being vitally united to) the vine, neither can you bear fruit unless you abide in Me. (AMPC)
Psalm 90:1, Lord, you have been our dwelling place in all generations. (ESV)
Psalm 61:4, Let me live forever in your sanctuary, safe beneath the shelter of your wings! (NLT)
When our children were little, they would run to Scott or me when they felt afraid. It did not matter if the situation was too big for us to handle, they trusted that we would take care of them. As children of God, when we run and cling to the Father, we can rest in peace knowing that unlike with Scott and me, He CAN handle every situation we are facing. Staying in peace requires us to stay joined to the Savior, to adhere ourselves to him and not let go.
Finally, we must find our satisfaction in him.
Matthew 6:33, But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. (ESV)
Psalm 107:9, For He satisfies the longing soul and fills the hungry soul with good.
Psalm 17:15, As for me, I will continue beholding Your face in righteousness (rightness, justice, and right standing with You); I shall be fully satisfied, when I awake [to find myself] beholding Your form [and having sweet communion with You]. (AMPC)
We must in righteousness (clothed with Christ’s righteousness, having a good heart and a good life) by faith behold God’s face and set him always before us, must entertain ourselves from day to day with the contemplation of the beauty of the Lord; and, when we awake every morning, we must be satisfied with his likeness set before us in his word, and with his likeness stamped upon us by his renewing grace. Our experience of God’s favour to us, and our conformity to him, should yield us more satisfaction than those have whose belly is filled with the delights of sense. viii.
In closing, we find our place of peace in the Prince of Peace by, keeping our minds stayed on him, trusting him in all circumstances, adhering to him, and finding our satisfaction in him.
May we this week, find a quiet place to connect with the Prince of Peace and allow his peace to wash over us, removing the worry, fear, stress… and filling us with his perfect peace!!
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