Ruled by Peace

1/18/15            D. Marion Clark

Introduction

Uou are wearing the perfect outfit. Every part looks good; they all match; and they fit the occasion. Everything is fine as long as no one catches on to how you feel inside. Our verse takes us inside to the heart.

Text

And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful.

The first terminology to understand is “peace of Christ.” We are not told merely to have peace but “peace of Christ.” With the dress code in the previous verses, the traits stand alone – compassion, kindness, love, etc. All of the traits are to be connected with Christ, of course, but the Apostle Paul seems to emphasize the connection between peace and Christ. What happens when we contemplate the “peace of Christ”?

Without Christ, we think in terms of having peaceful feelings within ourselves, a peace that comes from quieting our spirits. We accomplish such peace by various means – meditation, yoga, seeking out a quiet place, listening to soft music, and so on. As helpful as such activities might be to feel peaceful, that is not the peace of Christ.

Without Christ, we might think in terms of spiritual harmony with God. Our spirits are not in harmony with God’s Spirit, which we obtain by meditation and other spiritual disciplines that get us in tune with God and the spiritual life. Certainly we want to be in tune with God, and spiritual practices can help, but that is not the peace of Christ.

So what is? It is the peace of reconciliation. Consider these verses from Romans 5:

Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ (Romans 5:1).

For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. ¹¹ More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation (Romans 5:10).

Without Christ we are counted enemies of God. With Christ we are reconciled to God. That is the peace that we now have with him. We are not at odds with him. We are no longer under God’s wrath, but rather have been justified by faith in the work of Jesus Christ, a work that brings us into peaceful relations with God.

It is that peace – the peace of Christ – which the verse says to let “rule in your hearts.” What, then, does it mean for the peace of Christ to rule in our hearts?

The basic meaning of the word for “rule” is “umpire.” It is taken from the sports arena, where an umpire or referee enforced and served as arbitrator of the rules, just as our modern sports have such officials who, not only determine when rules are violated, but also settle differences of opinion. The Bulldogs believe they stopped the first down; the Gamecocks think they made it. The referees settle the issue by their ruling.

In a similar manner peace rules the controversies that rage in our hearts. We feel pulled in two directions. Disputes wage in our hearts. We have inner turmoil. The peace of Christ is what can settle these disputes and allow us to move forward in a positive manner.

So far we have considered peace as a personal, individual peace. The next half of the verse brings us back to the point of the whole passage, namely what needs to take place in the church body.

to which indeed you were called in one body

We are called to the peace of Christ in the body of Christ. In Paul’s longer treatise about the body of Christ in Ephesians, he writes:

I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called  with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace (4:1-3).

In this passage Paul presents peace as the bond of the church, similar to verse 14 in our passage that presents love as the bond uniting all of the traits for the church. As love rules over the traits to unite them in harmony, so peace rules over us, the members of the body, to unite us in harmony.

And then the last sentence of our verse: And be thankful. We will discuss this thought later.

To recap, in verses 12-14 we are told to put on spiritual traits of compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, patience, and forgives. Above them put on love which binds them together in harmony. Then, let the peace of Christ serve as the umpire over our hearts so that we will live in peace within ourselves and with our brothers and sisters who are fellow members of the body of Christ.

Lessons

The question for us is how to we actually “let” the peace of Christ rule in our hearts? Let’s look to God’s Word for guidance. We have already considered what the “peace of Christ” consists of. It is about reconciliation. We were separated from God, not because our spirits were out of tune, but because we were enemies against him in our sins. But Christ reconciled us, so that we now have peace with God.

Even so, there are times when we do not feel at peace with God. Because we still sin, we might be anxious that God is not at peace with us, even that we were not reconciled with our Father. Because hurtful things happen to us, we might be angry with God, feeling like he has let us down. What do we do when we have lost that peaceful feeling?

We rest in the objective truth. We rest in the knowledge of who God is. Scripture is clear that God is in control. There are times we do not feel that he is, but our feelings do not change the truth that Scripture teaches. Scripture teaches that God knows all things, is present everywhere, and has unlimited power, whether or not we can understand such traits or feel their reality. Scripture teaches that God is love, despite how we may feel about it at any time.

We rest in the knowledge of what God has done. He has reconciled us to himself through the work of Jesus Christ. He has chosen us; he has justified us; he has adopted us; he will not let us go; he will carry his work in us through to completion. The war is over; we are no longer counted as enemies but as his beloved children. That does not change according to how we feel at any moment.

Rest in the knowledge of biblical truth. Rest in what Scripture teaches, not in what our hearts may feel. Rest in the work of God, not in our efforts. God the Father chose us; God the Son reconciled us; God the Holy Spirit regenerated us. This is what Scripture, which is the revelation of God teaches; believe and rest in God’s work.

Instead of looking to your heart to find peace, let the peace of Christ, as defined by the Word of God, rule your heart. Whenever you have inner turmoil about your status with God or because you cannot understand what God is doing, remind yourself of what God’s Word has to teach you. Such discipline – looking to Scripture for truth – will steady you and guide you through personal turmoil.

How then do we attain peace in the body of Christ? By again looking to Scripture to remind us of what the peace of Christ has attained. Christ brought reconciliation between us and God; he also broke down any walls of division between his people. Consider Ephesians 2:14-18:

For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace,  and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility.  And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near.  For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father.

The passage refers to the division of mankind into two groups – those who were “near” to God (Jews) and those who were “far” from God (Gentiles). The debate in the early church was over the place of Gentiles. Could they be saved and be regarded on the same level as the believers who came from God’s chosen people? The answer is that both groups needed to be reconciled to God by the work of Christ. Because Christ did reconcile both groups to God, there no longer could be considered two groups. Christ made us one; he broke down the dividing wall; he created in himself one new man in place of the two. There are no longer any distinctions. This is the peace of Christ for us together. Whatever hostility there might be because of these distinctions, there is no longer any foundation for it because the distinctions no longer exist. We all have the same Savior; all have access in one Spirit to the Father. As Colossians 3:11 says, “Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all.”

The reconciling peace of Christ removes whatever might have served as division. In the body of Christ, there is no person or group that is closer to God than another. There is no one with greater distinction or honor, nor are there family favorites. Dad does not love one child more than another. Therefore, act accordingly. If God your father is at peace with your brothers and sisters; if he regards everyone the same as you – showing favoritism to no one – then there is no cause for you to feel superior or inferior.

If you understand these biblical truths about yourself (that God is at peace with you and in control) and about your brothers and sisters (that God is at peace with them), then you will find your heart more often being ruled by the peace of Christ.

The last sentence of the verse also gives the secret to feeling peaceful. It is a simple method that does not require you to find a quiet place; you don’t need music; you don’t need yoga. All that you need to do is to pray to God with thankfulness.

Philippians 4:6-7 reads:

…do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. ⁷ And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Are you anxious, lacking peace? Pray to God and ask for what you need. But if you really want the peace of God, then add thanksgiving. It is difficult to remain anxious when naming things to thank God for. It is difficult to remain anxious while recounting God’s goodness and faithfulness. It is difficult not to feel reconciled with God when recalling what Scripture teaches about the work of Christ in reconciling us to God. It is difficult to feel animosity with fellow believers when recalling that same work of Christ done for them. Whatever may be troubling you now, it is difficult to keep your attention on your troubles when you are thanking God for the riches that you have in Christ; for the eternal security you have in Christ; for the love of God that you possess in Christ.

Do you see how it all connects together? When you understand that real peace is reconciliation with God achieved by Christ, you begin to distrust your personal feelings. Because you trust what Scripture teaches rather than what you feel at any moment, your sense of peace gains stability. As you rest in objective peace, you see how that peace applies in the body of Christ, whose members possess the same peace with God that you have.

James Montgomery Boice tells a personal story of attending an amusement park with Donald Grey Barnhouse. There was a very large revolving barrel, about seven feet in diameter and about thirty feet long.  The challenge was to walk through the barrel without falling down. Barnhouse liked challenges and so stepped in. It wasn’t long before his feet lost their sense of gravity, and he came tumbling down. He wanted to try it again. The operator of the barrel stopped him and gave him the secret of keeping his balance. “Do you see that mirror at the other end of the barrel?” “Yes.” “What do you see in the mirror?” “I see you,” Dr. Barnhouse replied. “That’s right,” the operator said, “you see me. Now this time, when you start through the barrel, forget that the barrel is turning, and instead of looking at the barrel, look at me in the mirror. That will give you a true sense of the vertical.”

When life is turning all about you, and you are losing your sense of peace, keep your eyes focused on your Lord Jesus. His peace will guide you through to the end.

I have been speaking as though each one here knows of the reconciliation that Christ has achieved for those who have faith in him. It may be there are some here who do not know of that reconciliation. You have looked to the ways of the world. You have tried techniques to win peace. You have accepted the teachings that tell you God loves you just the way you are, that you simply need to believe good things about yourself. You have tried to find peace in a human relationship, in achieving human goals, in attaining money or fame or power.

Will you not believe the peace that Scripture teaches? Will you not accept that your lack of peace is due to God’s displeasure with you? Yes, it hurts your pride, but you will find a deeper lasting peace when you accept the Bible’s verdict. The passages I read from Romans about reconciliation – how we were enemies of God: the Apostle Paul brings this up to make this promise – we have peace with God through Jesus Christ so that we can fully rest on him. Why? Because God knows us completely. He knows the full depth of our sins. He has no illusion about us. In that full knowledge of us, he saved us. In that full knowledge he nevertheless loved us. Now that is peace – to know that you don’t have to hide anything; you don’t have to prove yourself worthy. All that you have to do is to believe what God’s Word says is true – that Christ died to reconcile you to himself. Is it not time to accept such peace?