Feb 13
9
WHAT IS PEACE Clay Curtis (extract from what are Grace and Peace)
2 Peter 1: 2: Grace and peace be multiplied unto you…
A. When God crosses a sinners path with the gospel of grace God reveals his righteousness in the face of Christ Jesus—God begins to make us truly hear—at first we have no peace.
God destroys every false refuge: a man will blame the preacher, the brethren, his dog and his cat.
When God shows the truth of his word, the truth of his law, it makes a lost man—religious or otherwise—to see that HE IS ALTOGETHER SIN.
· His lewdness—unrighteous
· His decision he made in false religion—unrighteous
· The works he thought would commend him to God—unrighteous
God makes him to see that all has only been the lust of his flesh. Sin becomes “exceeding sinful”. “The law worketh wrath”. Wrath from heaven is revealed against all his unrighteous ungodliness. He looks fearfully into the judgment and fiery indignation of God towards him. And Grace always wins! The poor wretch begins to cry out, “Woe is me, I am undone!”; “God, be merciful to me, a sinner!”
The Spirit of God takes the things of Christ, and shows them to him. The “Sun of righteousness” arises with “healing in his wings” saying, “Son, be of good cheer, thy sins are forgiven thee!” Matthew 9:2. His heart is sprinkled and his evil conscience purged from the sin of all his dead and dreadful works—he beholds the lie in his right hand and counts all his former confidence just dung. It is called repentance.
Grace flows and PEACE LIKE A RIVER FLOODS HIS SOUL. Peace with God—
· Peace of free justification by Christ’s righteousness
· Peace of full pardon and atonement by his blood and sacrifice
· Peace of being reconciled to God
· Peace that we are complete in Christ Jesus
· No more warring against God, no more guilt, no more working for acceptance, no more condemnation
· The peace of assurance by faith in Christ Jesus.
Romans 5: 1: Therefore being justified, by faith we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: 2: By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
The Peace Christ gives AND the Peace Christ is—is not the peace the world gives, nor is it given to his redeemed in the way the world tries to give peace.
John 14: 27: Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you.
When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.
How so?
My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!
My sin, not in part but the whole,
Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more,
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!
The Conclusion of the Whole Matter of Our Salvation
From the beginning, right now, and until we are finally with our God in glory the ultimate end of everything that God has and is doing towards, upon, and in his elect through Christ is:
Ephesians 1: 6:…to the praise of the glory of his grace.
Every believer that has tasted of his grace rejoices that we are “saved by grace” and we say with Paul
1 Corinthians 15: 10: By the grace of God I am what I am.
And this is all our peace!
Amen!