Sunday, Aug.
12, 2018 - Ephesians 6:23
Having the
Peace of God in Your Life, Pt. 2
The Hindrances to Peace in Your Life.
Grace
Fellowship Church
Pastor/Teacher,
Jim Rickard
5. The Encouragement, vs. 21-24.
Continuing in vs. 23, we note the “peace” of God that Paul desires all believers
to experience.
Eph 6:23, “Peace be to the brethren, and love with faith,
from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.”
Yet, there are
several hindrances to your inner peace, mostly stemming from a negative mental
attitude. Just as righteousness and truth are the noble companions of peace, so
sin and falsehood are its great hindrances.
Jeremiah said in Jer 17:9, “The heart is more deceitful than
all else and is desperately sick; who can understand it?”
Jesus said in Mark 7:21-23, “For from within, out of the
heart of men, proceed the evil thoughts, fornications, thefts, murders,
adulteries, 22deeds of coveting and wickedness, as well as deceit,
sensuality, envy, slander, pride and foolishness. 23All these evil
things proceed from within and defile the man.”
Therefore, knowing
that our Adamic nature, (the Flesh, Old Self, Old Sin Nature) can produce such
vileness within our souls, it is imperative that we counter it with the
holiness and righteousness of God. Experientially, this is only accomplished
through the intake and application of God’s Word through the filling of God the
Holy Spirit. When we have God’s Word and Spirit working within our souls, we
now have the ability to recognize and avert the sickly deceitfulness of our
human heart.
Rom 8:6, “For the mind
set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace, 7because
the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself
to the law of God, for it is not even able to
do so, 8and those who
are in the flesh cannot please God.”
God tells us that
there are three evil masters that can sap the peace and joy out of our lives.
The three hindrances are: worry, anxiety, and striving.
Our Lord said in Luke 12:22, 29, “For this reason I say to
you, do not be anxious about your life, as to what you will eat; nor for
your body, as to what you will put on.” …29And do not seek
(strive for) what you will eat and what you will drink, and do not keep worrying.”
Here, we see the
three main enemies of peace within your soul in the following order, “worry,
seeking / striving, and anxiety.”
Sometimes it is hard
to distinguish between “worry” and “anxiety,” and we typically view them as one
and the same. Yet, there is a difference we can know and understand, so that we
can defeat them.
“Anxious” is the verb MERIMNAO, μεριμνάω
that means, “be anxious, care for, or be concerned about.” It means, “to be
apprehensive, have anxiety, be anxious, be (unduly) concerned.” It is used for
the unduly concern, or the unnecessary anxiety experienced, over daily needs
such as food and clothing in Luke
12:25-26. It is also used in Luke
12:11.
“Anxiety” is an
uneasy feeling called apprehension or distress, a feeling of danger, doom, or
misfortune you might have about present or future events. It can also be an
intense fear of dread lacking a definite cause or a specific threat. It can be
induced by perceived danger or threat when you consider your present situation
or a future event. It is nervousness or agitation, often about something that
is going to happen. It can also be a strong desire to do something, especially
if the desire is unnecessarily or unhealthily strong.
“Worry” is the verb METEORIZOMAI,
μετεωρίζομαι, a cognate of MERIMNAO that means, “worried, troubled, unsettled,
be in suspense, or even anxious.” It is only used here in scripture. In
classical Greek and in the papyri METEORIZOMAI meant, “to raise on high, to
exalt, or to suspend.” It implies the suspending of an object or even a person
in midair. It emphasized the mental attitude placed on a thing. Figuratively,
it is used in two ways:
1) “To raise up someone by hope, to lift up
oneself, to be proud or arrogant.”
2) “To doubt, worry, be unsettled, tense,
anxious or to be suspended between fear and hope.”
The context in our
passage indicates the second meaning of “being doubtful or worried.”
“Worry” is the
mental part of anxiety. Worry has to do with anxious thoughts. It is the constant
machination of something that goes unresolved in your thinking, leading to fear
and causing anxiety. It is a distressing
and painful state of mind involving undue concern over something in life. It
always envisions the worst, and so becomes apprehension or anticipation of
danger, misfortune or trouble, or uncertainty. It is also a state of
restlessness and agitation, producing mental disturbance, uneasiness, anxiety,
and painful uncertainty.
Worry is a destroyer
of the soul. If unchecked, it results in mental illness, because it is a
satanic device to lead the believer into reversionism and even the sin unto
death, Ezek 4:15-17; cf. 1 Peter 5:5-9. It is a mental attitude
sin which is self-induced misery and therefore, soulish torture regarding anything
in life.
I once read an
interesting allegory about worry that goes as follows: Death was walking toward
a city one morning and a man asked, “What are you going to do?” “I'm going to
take 100 people,” Death replied. “That's horrible!” the man said. “That's the
way it is.” Death said. “That's what I do.” Then the man hurried to warn
everyone he could about Death's plan. As evening fell, he met Death again. “You
told me you were going to take 100 people,” the man said. “Why did 1,000 die?”
“I kept my word,” Death responded. “I only took 100 people. WORRY took the
others.”
Therefore, “anxiety”
can be viewed as the emotional response to a situation, while “worry” is
related to the thoughts about life or an area of concern. Worry causes anxiety.
Most people would say, “regardless of how you explain it, it feels the same and
has the same impact on my life.” That may be true, but we must see the slight
differences between them so that we can overcome them. That is why Jesus said
regarding both, “do not do it…” using the Present, Active, Imperative, as He
also did with the third enemy to our peace.
“Striving.”
Here we see the third enemy of our peace, which is “seeking or striving.” Here we have the Greek verb ZETEO, ζητέω that
means, “seek, look for, wish for, desire, inquire into or about.” It was a
technical term for philosophical investigation; something “examined,
considered, or deliberated.” In our passage, it is used in the negative sense
of trying to solve your own problems.
It is to diligently,
earnestly, and tenaciously searching after something, sparing no effort or
expense. This is what some Bible translators, such as Holman Bible Publishers,
call “striving for.”
Luke 12:29 (HCSB), “Don’t keep striving
for what you should eat and what you should drink…”
If anxiety is the
emotional response and worry is the mental activity, striving is the action
taken. Striving is what you do to solve the problem on your own. It is taking
matters into your own hands. It is not trusting or relying on God and moving
into inappropriate action to get the results you desire. It is “seeking” for
something in the negative sense.
These three evil
masters noted in Luke 12:22, 29 are
paralleled in Mat 6:25-34. In these
verses, Jesus is talking about food and clothing, not cars and yachts and
recreational apparel. He is talking about the basic needs of life, and if you
do not have them or fear losing them, it would seem to be a reason to be
anxious, worry, and strive for. Yet, in these and other passages, our Lord tells
us not to worry, have anxiety, nor strive for even the most basic necessities
of life, as He is a loving and caring God who can provide all these things and
more.
Mat 6:34, “So do not worry about tomorrow;
for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”
1 Peter 5:7, “Casting all your anxiety on
Him, because He cares for you.”
Luke 12:32, “Do not be afraid (PHOBEO),
little flock, for your Father has chosen gladly to give you the kingdom.”
1 Cor 14:33, “For God
is not a God of confusion but of
peace, as in all the churches of the saints.”
And as we know, it
is sin that causes us to have distress, worry, and anxiety, Psa 38:18, “For I confess my iniquity; I
am full of anxiety because of my sin.”
Moreover, your
anxiety will not change a thing, e.g., Luke
12:25, “And which of you by worrying
can add a single hour to his life’s span?”
Our priorities and
focus are not to be dictated by the world around us or what others do. Even in
the midst of the most basic, fundamental needs of our life, Jesus says, do not
strive, do not get worked up on how you are going to bring them into your life.
Instead, “trust Me.” The God who cares for the grass that grows in the fields
and the birds of the air says that He cares for each of us more than they, Luke 12:24-28.
And Jesus said, John 14:27, “Peace I leave with you; My
peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your
heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.”
If Jesus left His
peace for us, why aren’t we taking it? People react emotionally and allow their
pride to steal their peace with God and with others. When we believe Satan’s
lies; when we worry and fail to trust God’s love, we block the peace and joy
that is available to us.
Prov 12:20, “Deceit is
in the heart of those who devise evil, but counselors of peace have joy
(inner happiness).”
Emotions can be a
believer’s worst enemy. We must recognize Satan’s lies and identify feelings
that are not in line with God’s Word. Worry is, and always will be, a fatal disease
of the heart, for its beginning signals the end of faith. Worry intrudes on
God’s compassionate ability to provide. When we allow our problems to
overshadow God’s promises, we unknowingly, doom ourselves to a defeat that was
never part of God’s eternal plans.
We must release the
regrets of yesterday, refuse the fears of tomorrow, and receive instead, the
peace of today. Simply let go and let God be God. To do so we trust, we
maintain a focus on the eternal, and we do what the scripture tells us to do,
just as Paul did and tells us to do as well, Phil 4:9, “The things you have learned and received and heard and seen
in me, practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.”
Phil 4:6-7, “Be anxious for nothing, but in
everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be
made known to God. 7And the peace of God, which surpasses all
comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
The Lord has a plan
to provide peace in the pressure of life. Do not worry, do not strive, do not
be anxious, but trust the Lord who knows your need, seek His kingdom, focus on
the eternal and follow God’s plan for your finances and your future. If we do
not learn to trust Him, we will not go any farther on our journey with Him.
Psa 4:8, “In peace (shalom) I will both lie down and sleep, for You alone, O LORD,
make me to dwell in safety.”
Psa 29:11, “The LORD will give strength to His people; the
LORD will bless His people with peace.”
Psa 55:18, “He will redeem my soul in peace from the battle which is against me, for they are many who strive with me.”
Psa 119:165, “Those who love Your law have great peace, and nothing causes them to stumble.”
Heb 13:20, “Now the God
of peace, who brought up from the dead the great Shepherd of the sheep through
the blood of the eternal covenant, even
Jesus our Lord, 21equip you in every good thing to do His will,
working in us that which is pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to
whom be the glory forever and ever.
Amen.”
Rom 16:20, “The God of
peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus be
with you.
In real life, God
intercepts and interjects wonderful vertical truths to guide us through our
lives, especially regarding worry. Disciples operate their lives in the energy
of the Spirit and not in the energy of the flesh.
Life can only be
understood backwards but it must be lived forwards. The scriptures provide us
with the backwards view of life while we are living it in a forwards mode. Live
life with a vertical mind. Keep thinking the things above. Forget what lies
behind and reach forward / vertical to what lies ahead.
When, as a believer
in Jesus Christ, you have been faithful in the reception, retention, and recall
of Bible doctrine and have advanced to spiritual maturity; you are not only a
strong person, but you have great inner happiness. You then take the peace of God
with you wherever you go. It is not dependent on environment, associations, or
circumstances of prosperity or adversity. It is a part of God’s grace plan for
believers in the Lord Jesus Christ.
True peace and happiness is a system of
thought in the soul, not association with stimulation or pleasure, Prov 3:13-18; Rom 5:1-5.
