How Can We Know God Will Keep Us in Perfect Peace? | Short Sermon Series
Trusting God involves being at peace with God through Jesus Christ since Jesus made it possible for all humanity to have a relationship with God. Ephesians 2:14 says about Jesus: “For he himself is our peace” and Ephesians 2:17-18 points out that, “He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.”
When we have that close connection to God, we can experience peace even during the most challenging circumstances, because “We know that all things work together for good to those who love God and are called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28).
We can be sure that God will keep us in perfect peace. The Holy Spirit will renew our minds whenever we ask for help doing what’s necessary to be at peace: focusing on God and trusting him. Romans 12:2 urges us all: “Do not conform to the pattern of this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – his pleasing and perfect will.” The Spirit will help us access the perfect peace that God offers us. Jesus promises in John 14:26-27: “But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.”
We can be confident that the perfect peace God gives us will last. The temporary peace of mind we may find from good circumstances in our lives can relieve some stress and anxiety for a while. However, the peace that God gives isn’t limited to certain times or tied to specific circumstances. The perfect peace of God is much more than simply the absence of stress and anxiety; it’s a deep and abiding knowledge of being loved and cared for by God no matter what. Although that peace is beyond our understanding, it will guard our hearts and minds, promises Philippians 4:7: “And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
Psalm 139 describes how near God’s Spirit is to us at all times and in all places. Verses 7-10 point out: “Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.” We can be sure that we’re never out of the Holy Spirit’s reach. So, we’re always able to access the perfect peace that God offers us through his Spirit. After celebrating God’s sovereignty over all circumstances in life, the psalmist ends with a plea for God to renews his mind: “Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”
That can be our prayer in any situation. When we pray to experience God’s peace through a steadfast mind that is focused on him, we can count on that happening. The Holy Spirit will strengthen our faith by renewing our minds, and peace will come to us as a result. “Since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” Romans 5:1 explains.
Short Sermon adapted from "How Can We Know God Will Keep Us in Perfect Peace?" by crosswalk.com @crosswalk_com