The Source of Peace

What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me-practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.--Philippians 4:9

Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.--1 Thessalonians 5:23

Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant.-- Hebrews 13:20

This subjective, experiential peace that I have written about for the past two Sundays--the peace of God--has its foundation in the objective, factual peace--peace with God. The peace of God is not obtainable by those who are not at peace with Him. God alone brings peace. In fact, in Philippians 4:9, 1 Thessalonians 5:23, and again in Hebrews 13:20, He is called "the God of peace."

Jesus Christ is also seen as the One who gives peace. Jesus said, "My peace I give to you." Notice He says "My peace." Here is the key to the supernaturalness of this peace: it is His own personal peace. It is the same deep, rich peace that stilled His heart in the midst of mockers, haters, murderers, traitors, and everything else He faced. He had a calm about Him that was unnatural and nonhuman. In the midst of incomprehensible resistance and persecution, Jesus was calm and unfaltering; He was a rock.

Those who knew Him might have come to expect it, but you can imagine how it must have confounded His enemies and those who didn't know Him to see someone that calm. When Jesus appeared before Pilate, He was so calm, so serene, so controlled, and so at peace, that Pilate became greatly disturbed. He was furious that Jesus was standing before him fearless; and in a near frenzy, Pilate said, "Do You not know that I have authority to release You, and I have authority to crucify You?" (John 19:10).

Then in perfect peace Jesus replied, "You would have no authority over Me, unless it had been given you from above" (John 19:11). That's the kind of peace Jesus is talking about. That's the kind He gives to us. It is undistracted fearlessness and trust. So the source of peace is Christ.

In fact, Christ is seen throughout the New Testament as the dispenser of peace. In Acts 10:36, Peter says, "The word which He sent to the sons of Israel, preaching peace through Jesus Christ." Second Thessalonians 3:16 says, "Now may the Lord of peace Himself continually grant you peace." Jesus Christ gives us His own personal peace. It has been tested; it was His own shield and His own helmet that served Him in battle. And He gave it to us when He left. It should give us the same serenity in danger, the same calm in trouble, and the same freedom from anxiety.