How To Have Peace

Bible Study
How to Have Peace

Peace is one of the most sought after things in the world… And one of the most elusive for many of those that seek it.

Peace is something everyone wants, yet many people don’t have.

With peace you can deal with anything, without peace, you can deal with nothing…

There are people that have little, as far as possessions, but they have peace… Then there are people that have a lot, but they have no peace.

The Bible has 450 references to peace in its various forms.

If you are looking for peace, you can find out how to get it in the Bible.

The world has its imitation peace… It’s placebos of peace, if you will.

The world and many of the people and things that are in it, promise peace, but they are not able to deliver it.

Jer. 6:14 They have healed also the hurt of the daughter of my people slightly, saying, Peace, peace; when there is no peace.

Ezk. 13:10 Because, even because they have seduced my people, saying, Peace; and there was no peace…

One of the hymns we sing, says There’s a peace in my heart that the world never gave…

And those of us who know that peace, respond in our souls with a hearty, Amen!

The world offers imitation peace, circumstantial peace, fleeting peace, but only the Lord can give you the real, sustaining peace, that transcends circumstances.

Now with 450 references to peace, you can see it is a vast subject in the Bible, and one that we certainly could not exhaust in one study.

But we will today, highlight some of the key, practical things that the Bible says about how to get peace… Starting with the most important thing And that is, in order to get peace, you need to…

1. Get Saved

Saved is a Bible word. The idea is being saved from your sins, and saved from hell, and saved to go to heaven.

To get saved is to receive God’s salvation. And that salvation is offered in one Person, and can only be gained, one way… And that way is Jesus!

Acts 4:12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.

Rom. 5:1 Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:

Know Jesus, know peace…No Jesus, no peace….
Peace is all wrapped up in God. Each member of the Godhead has an association with peace as part of His Being.

The Bible refers to God, the Father as➔ the God of peace…

Jesus is called➔ The Prince of Peace.

And the fruit of the Holy Spirit is➔ peace…

*It is the Christian’s birthright to have peace…

By that I mean, when you are born again, one of the things that goes with being a Christian, is peace. Every saved child of God should have peace

But not every Christian does have peace.

In our text, Jesus said to His disciples➔ These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.

The Lord wants you to have peace… The devil does not.

2. Get Sin Out of Your Life

Sin is a peace robber.

Is. 57:20-21 But the wicked are like the troubled sea, when it cannot rest, whose waters cast up mire and dirt.
{21} There is no peace, saith my God, to the wicked.
There is no such thing is having peace in your heart & soul, when you have sin in your life.

You might have the devil’s imitation masquerading as peace, but it will show its true colors in time; leaving you high and dry, miserable & filled with regret… That is anything but peace!

Sin puts a breach between you and the Lord. And where you allow sin to be in your life, you sacrifice a measure of the peace of God

And it is not worth it!! It is NEVER worth it.

Rom. 3:10-17 As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:
{11} There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God.
{12} They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.
{13} Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips:
{14} Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness:
{15} Their feet are swift to shed blood:
{16} Destruction and misery are in their ways:
{17} And the way of peace have they not known:

3. Get Righteousness in Your Life

The absence of sin, does not necessarily mean the presence of righteousness…
Right living involves keeping sin out of your lie, but it also involves doing righteous acts.

Doing right, living for the Lord, serving Him, worshiping Him, witnessing for Him, going to church, etc., etc., etc.

This is what the world says they want. Through the years there has been, and continues to be, much talk about peace on earth.

Some people think that is what the first coming of Jesus Christ was about…

History proves otherwise… And so do the Scriptures➔

Heb. 7:1-2 For this Melchisedec, king of Salem, priest of the most high God, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings, and blessed him;
{2} To whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all; first being by interpretation King of righteousness, and after that also King of Salem, which is, King of peace;

EXPOUND

Psalms 85:10 Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other.

Isaiah 32:17 And the work of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance for ever.

Isaiah 48:18 O that thou hadst hearkened to my commandments! then had thy peace been as a river, and thy righteousness as the waves of the sea:

Romans 14:17 For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.

4. Get Praying

Sometimes folks wonder how long they should pray? There are different answers for different circumstances…

But when the burdens press, and the cares distress, let me suggest to you, that you find a place to get alone with God and pray till you have peace.

The cares of this world will choke the peace of God right out of your life, if you allow them to…

But then you don’t have to allow them to! Peter taught us, with the following words➔

Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you. I Pet. 5:7

If you bear all your care by yourself… You will eventually be over-whelmed and filled with anxiety… That’s not peace.

But if you’ll cast all your care upon Jesus… He’ll bear the load and give you His peace.

Ps. 55:22 tells us similarly➔ Cast thy burden upon the LORD, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.
If you bear all your burdens by yourself, you will be crushed under the load…

But if you will cast your burden on the Lord, He will sustain you and fill you with His peace!

Casting your burdens upon the Lord & casting on Him your care is something that is done through prayer➔

Ps. 62:8 Trust in him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us. Selah.

Whatever is threatening your peace, you need to pour it out to God in prayer!

Prayer is one of the great keys that unlocks the door to the peace of God.

Phil. 4:6-7

The instructions are divided into two statements, one in each verse…
One of those statements is your part… and the other one is God’s part.

Your part comes first, God’s part comes second… But it only comes after you do your part.

God’s part is in v. 7 and it begins with the conjunction “And”… This indicates that

You do what’s in v. 6, “And” God will do what’s in v. 7.

If you like what’s in v. 7, you need only to implement what’s in v. 6 to obtain it… So let’s see if you like what’s in v. 7➔

Phi. 4:7
Do you realize that if you had that, you could make it through anything!

So what we have in v. 7 is indeed desirable. And God will give it to those who follow the instructions of v. 6… So now we need to look more closely at that➔

Phil. 4:6 – EXPOUND

According to these two verses, if after you are done praying you still don’t have peace There was something amiss in your prayers.

You then need to regroup, go back through the steps, and pray again…

And keep on praying till you have peace, and all your care is cast on Jesus.

Learn to pray till you have peace.

When the peace of God is drained from my soul, one of the things I do, is find me a place to get alone with God, and pray till I have peace.

5. Get a Love for the Bible

Ps. 119:165 Great peace have they which love thy law: and nothing shall offend them.

There is great peace associated with the word of God, and in particular loving it.

And of course if you love it, you’ll read it, and then in reading it as such, you will find great peace.
I have at times found myself drained of spiritual strength… Or beaten down in the battle… Or even defeated…

And with the specter of depression, pressing upon my soul… I made my way to the word of God, picked up my Bible and began to read.

And I read, and I read… and I read, and I read… and I read, and I read, and I read… till the peace of God inflated my deflated soul… and I could sail on for Jesus!

The truth is, if you live without peace it is because you choose to.

There is no wound that the balm of Gilead cannot make feel better…

And there is no burden that the Book of God cannot alleviate through its quick and powerful words…

Maybe the peace won’t come as quickly as you’d like. If you will take whatever time you need to do these things… the peace will eventually come… So hang in there and don’t be in too much of a hurry!

An hour or more invested in Bible reading, or prayer, or singing to the Lord, can save you from hours, or days, or weeks, or months, or even years of depression & defeat.

Read your Bible until you have peace!

Like prayer, folks wonder, how much Bible should I read… Well, how much do you need?

Some days, I need more than my average daily allotment of Bible…

And somewhere along the line, you will encounter days where you do too! On those days, read until the peace of God, permeates your soul.

6. Get Your Mind on God

For some you will first need to get your mind out of the gutter…

And rein in your thoughts➔

Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;

The promise for peace in regard to this point is found in Isaiah 26:3➔

Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.

Your problems want to take over your mind, but the Lord says, keep your mind on Him! And then you will have perfect peace.

Discipline your thoughts, and that will go along way toward giving you peace of mind➔ Rom. 8:6 For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.

Get rid of your stinkin’ thinkin’ and think about the Saviour & the Scriptures that tell you all about Him… And enjoy His perfect peace.

7. What About World Peace?

Matt. 10:34, Jesus said, “Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword.”

This is not to say that individuals or groups of people, can’t have peace on earth… It is to say that the whole world can’t have peace on earth… yet.

As Christians, in I Tim. 2:2, we are instructed to pray “For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.

Unfortunately, just as individuals are sometimes duped by a counterfeit peace, as I spoke about earlier, this world is also going to be duped by a counterfeit peace one day, from the person of the antichrist.

Dan. 11:21 And in his estate shall stand up a vile person, to whom they shall not give the honour of the kingdom: but he shall come in peaceably, and obtain the kingdom by flatteries.

Daniel 8:25 And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand; and he shall magnify himself in his heart, and by peace shall destroy many: he shall also stand up against the Prince of princes; but he shall be broken without hand.

Remember Heb. 7? That’s why the world doesn’t have peace… Because it doesn’t have righteousness.

The reason why the world does not have peace and will not have it anytime soon is because they do not seek righteousness…
Rather they gorge themselves on sin.

Luke 2:14 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

The reason why there was no world peace when Jesus came the first time, is because the world did not give glory to God!

“He came unto his own, and his own received him not.”

Where there is NO glory given to God and NO righteousness… there is NO peace!

This world will not know peace, until the Prince of Peace returns.

And then we will know peace on earth good will toward men… Not just here and there… But throughout the entire world➔

Is. 9:6-7 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
{7} Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.

Now, we’re not there yet… But when Jesus Christ comes back to the earth, after the great tribulation, and the battle of Armageddon… We will be…

Even so, come, Lord Jesus.