Philippians 4:8-9.…Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.  Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you.

The Peace of God, and the God of Peace -- They are the same, yet there is a small difference in the phrase.  I will try to explain that difference before I am finished with this message.

But for now, I want to ask you this question, “Who in their right mind would not want to have the God of Peace with them?”  I think, unless you are a “bona fide nut,” everyone here would want the God of peace with them. Well, I’ve got good news!  You can have Him.  This is one of God’s conditional offers.  God’s ordinary blessings are conditional.  I daresay there is something called a “common blessing.” We read in Matthew 5:45...That they may be the children of your Father which is in Heaven: for He maketh His sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.  This is a common blessing because it’s there for everyone. 

However, God sends extraordinary blessings that are conditional and are reserved especially for His children.

·        The first conditional blessing is salvation. Do you know you cannot become a child of God until you take the first step of faith? For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. (Romans 10:13).  Salvation comes when you first react in faith. That is when God will add you to His family.
·        The second conditional blessing is revival.  In 1 Chronicles 7:14 we find a list of things we must do before God will fulfill His promises to us.  If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from Heaven, and will forgive their sin, and heal their land.  That is a conditional blessing.
·        The third conditional blessing is a miracle.  No good thing will he withhold from those that walk uprightly. (Psalms 84:11).  God does not heap supernatural miracles on undeserving people. You have to meet the conditions in order to receive the supernatural blessings from God.  Having the God of peace with us is a conditional blessing.

You say, “Okay, Preacher, you have my attention; now, what are the things we need do in order to have the God of peace with us?”   The answer is in Philippians 4:8. “Whatever things are true, honest, pure, and lovely, and if there be any praise, then you must think on these things.”  God does not bless dirty vessels.   You must fill your mind with things that are pure and wholesome and keep your mind free of “junk.” All you have to do is push a button, change a remote control, pick up a magazine, or read the paper to fill your mind with some of the most evil things out there. Every sin comes from a thought, and bad thoughts build a corrupt mind.  So, if you will fill your mind with Godly things, there will not be room for the ungodly things. As the mind is, the heart is; as the heart is, the actions are. Regardless of what’s out there in the world, you must watch what you put in your mind because the Bible says to think on pure things. 

I don’t often say things about people and their beliefs; but written in the Church News Section of Friday’s Advocate-Messenger was an article by a man talking about how he was through with the church and through with religion; but instead of turning his back on the church he just modified the beliefs to fit what he thought it should be. This man went on to say he felt much better since he had changed his beliefs and no longer followed the traditional church.  Now he could smoke dope and know it would be fine with God. I’m telling you now that God has a standard and it will never change.  I know churches change, religions change, and I know the hearts and minds of people change, but God’s standards will never change. What He expected from the disciples, he expects from you and me. If you say, “I love Jesus,” and your actions are not supporting that statement, then you are deceiving yourself. James 1:22 says to “Be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.”

We all know the 23^rd. Psalms; David was going through a deep, dark valley.  He said, “Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evil.”   Why -- because David had the God of Peace with him.  “For thou art with me,” he said.  There is going to come a time in your life when you will need the God of Peace with you. When your world is spinning out of control, you will need the strong hand of God to hold you steady.  While everyone else is running around like a “chicken with their heads cut off,” you can have the God of Peace who will be there during the midnight hour.  When the doctor says there is nothing more he can do, the God of Peace will take over. When the bills are piling up, your friends have disappeared, and your family life is in turmoil, you’re going to need something strong to prop you up; the God of Peace is the anchor.

What is the Peace of God?  For me it is the knowledge that I am in His will. The God of Peace assures me that God is in control in every aspect of my life. God says, “I will never leave thee, nor, forsake thee.”  You can never have the peace of God until you know the God of Peace.

Sermon edited by Mary King

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 This page last updated: 03/07/08