What God’s Peace Isn’t

This sermon is from the Rev. Charles G. Dennison sermon archive, part of the “Philippians” series, and was preached at Grace Orthodox Presbyterian Church in Sewickley, PA, during a worship service on Sunday, February 14, 1993.

Sermon transcript

We begin our scripture reading this morning at verse 11 in Ephesians chapter 2. This is Ephesians chapter 2, verse 11. Listen to the word of God. Wherefore, remember that he being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called uncircumcision by that which is called the circumcision in the flesh made by hands, that at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.

But now in Christ Jesus, ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ, for he is our peace, who hath made both one and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us, having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances, for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace, and that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby, and came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them that were nigh. For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father.” Now, therefore, ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and of the household of God, and are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief cornerstone. In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto a holy temple in the Lord, in whom ye also are builted together for the habitation of God. through the Spirit.

Then turning over to Philippians chapter four, beginning with verse six. Be anxious for nothing but in everything by prayer and supplication. With thanksgiving, let your requests be made known unto God. and the peace of God which passeth all understanding shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. 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 of good 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.” O Father, help us in our prayers. Please instruct us, even through the ministry of your Spirit, for surely your Spirit is at work in us, making intercession for things that are in keeping with that end that you have in view for us. O God, may we trust you and know, Lord, that even though our prayers are weak and may fail, the prayers the intercession of your Spirit does not fail. O God, bless us, then, with that sense of your presence as your Spirit is with us, giving us encouragement at all times. For Jesus’ sake, amen. They are experiencing the collapse of their world. They are experiencing the virtual collapse of their world.

The fair sunshine that they remembered doesn’t seem to shine upon them anymore. It is all but blotted out, and there is a great sense of dissatisfaction settling in upon them, and that’s not without a foreboding grief. that the old certainties, the former assurances, have all but disappeared. They are not just sad, they are frightened.

They see former things dissolving. how they had enjoyed, at least this is their recollection of things, their reflection upon things, how they had enjoyed the life they had known. How they had delighted in their freedoms, their free access to things, the advantage of their liberties. small comforts that made up their existence. That feeling that all was well, everything was fine in their world, and if there were to be swords drawn, they would be drawn only in the defense of the comforts that they knew and the prejudices that they held. And now everything, everything seems to lay under the greatest threat. I mean the greatest, since all apparently is being swept away.

It wasn’t that these considered themselves extraordinarily extraordinary. It isn’t that they were the rich of their society, and now, because of what is happening, they were being made poor. No, their life had always been modest, and they had been content with that.

Or was it that they knew nothing of sacrifice? They had been willing to sacrifice. They had responded even generously in the face of need, where deep sense of commitment urged them on to do nothing less than that. And they were happy to help. But now they were face to face with the unraveling of things. and their world seemed to be slipping away. There was even a stench of death and decay in the air. The scent of betrayal hung heavy all around them. These were folk who had at one time in the past turned to the church.

They were initially drawn by its message of forgiveness and resurrection through God’s great act of redemption in Jesus Christ. Their embrace of the gospel in their judgment could only enhance their lives, could only complement the life that they knew, from the comforts of their life to greater comforts still. to the enjoyment that they had, to greater enjoyment still. Because in the embrace of the gospel, they found what still remained inexplicable, even in their former life. For in the gospel, here were answers to life’s deepest problems. guilt and death.

But as things have turned out, distress has only been multiplied for them. They no longer belong to the society in which they were once very much at home. In fact, real suffering now has come to them Oh, it wasn’t that when they embraced the gospel, they didn’t see the potential for suffering. They witnessed even suffering on the part of others on their behalf, and they heard about suffering that people elsewhere were experiencing. But now, real suffering was coming home to them. There had been arrests. There had been beatings, there was indignity, there was the confiscation of property, there was the revocation of work permits. And there were even some martyrs. So, business with respect to the church was becoming costly. What about church life? It was turning out much different than they had expected. The church was hardly an ideal society. It knew its share of infighting and what fighting. Nearly as fierce as anything they had known in their struggle with those outside. Inside, now, they were witnessing jealousy, cringing, gossip, immorality.

Each of these things less than a credit to their faith, each of them less than a credit to the Savior, they said they served. And on top of all of this, there was now the threat of doctrinal heresy, strain with regard to the gospel and its veracity. Departure, questions as to whether or not they had received the fullness of the message, whether they had gotten it straight. All of this seemed too much, and as for the one who introduced them to the faith, what could be said about him? He presently was in jail, facing the possibility of execution. a victim of trumped-up charges invented by religious opponents, who had enlisted the support of the political establishment against him. And if that wasn’t bad enough, this one who had introduced them to the faith seemed to be less than popular. with many factions within the church, and he always seemed to generate controversy wherever he went.

They had been devoted to him. They still loved him, but they had to admit that he appeared less and less attractive and even less credible. But despite that, there comes from him now a letter. And for all his troubles, he is remarkably resilient, brimming over in hope, and that standing in stark contrast to the attitudes that they are expressing. They are exhausted. They’re depressed. He’s raving. They’re restless and worried that this man is at peace.

What accounts for the difference between him and them? The answer to that question is found in this epistle. For those who are patient with it, and certainly this congregation has been patient with it. Come March, it will only be two years we’ve been in the Philippines. I understand that there are those taking bets on how long this is going to last. I think Sharon Cummins is the odds maker, if you want to speak to her about this. The answer to the question, though, what accounts for the difference between this one who introduced them to the faith and them?

The answer is found in fact in the epistle that he writes to them, this specific epistle, the one to the Philippians, and can be extracted from the words the apostle writes concerning peace. We find them in the fourth chapter, seventh verse first. and the peace of God that passes all understanding shall keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” And then later, verse nine, “…those things which ye have both learned and received, and heard and seen in me, do, and the God of peace will be with you.”

Even making these statements, the apostle is liable to be misunderstood. It is quite possible for the Church to go down a number of rabbit trails when it comes to this whole question of peace. It is invariably thought that peace constitutes a goal in and of itself. Now, you should not imagine that conclude that from what the apostle says. You will note that he always couples the piece of which he speaks with the person of God. It is the piece of God and the God of peace that he sets before But nevertheless, though the apostle will not separate peace from God, there is a habit of mind in the church that does nothing less than that. It separates peace with God, thus making peace a goal in itself, something to be pursued in its own right.

Therefore, there are many well-intentioned saints, many well-intentioned Christians who make an idol out of peace, as if God were playing a supporting role to peace itself. And in this deification of peace, there are actually two lines that are suggested for us. One, sociological. That the peace that is to be pursued, worthy in its own right, truly, even above God, we are pursuing that which is absolutely indispensable for society generally. for the well-being of our world and also the church. So it is that some unprincipled people in the church, and yes, there are unprincipled people in the church. Some unprincipled people in the church take advantage of well-meaning, naive Christians who prize peace. and have a tendency even to make the mistake of prizing peace above all else, and thus they enlist these folk, who are naive and simple in their faith, in the support of their program of peace at any price, and that means the price of doctrinal integrity. Thus it is, you have the multiplication of programs generated for the most radical and heretical enterprises, and these sponsored by the Church in the name of peace. And now we are learning that peace is a synonym Yes, it is that God, that God’s holiness, that God’s purity, that the church, the church’s purity are made to pay homage at the feet of the idol of peace.

We might well listen once more to the words of our Savior when he said, I did not come to bring peace but a sword. But the sociological line of thought is not the only one used by those who would literally turn peace into a god. It is also the psychological. It is often thought that when the word peace appears in the writings of the apostle and specifically here in the fourth chapter Philippians in the mind of the apostle is something that pertains to personal psychological tranquility. The peace in Jew here is something essentially inferior to the individual. Having to do with mental and emotional well-being, tranquility, calm.

It has to be admitted up front that such an interior piece of even a psychological nature is not irrelevant to what the apostle is saying. After all, this piece of which he speaks stands at variance with the anxiety that he forbids in verse six. Be anxious or nothing, writes the apostle. But you must realize that this freedom from anxiety is actually the byproduct of the peace which Paul has in view.

His foremost interest, then, is not personal psychological. It is not, first of all, something interior to the self. Rather, it is what we might call redemptive historical image. Now, that might not compute. Let me explain. Paul, when he speaks about the peace of God and the God of peace, isn’t, first of all, interested in an event inside of me that creates in me a persistent inner state of mental calm. As much as we may make that mistake, that is not the Apostle’s focus.

Rather, he is, first of all, interested in an event that takes place outside of me that sets before me a whole new environment, an entirely new world, a new creation characterized by peace. Peace belonging to that, then, which God has established. This realm, then, that is brought before us, this entirely new world, characterized by peace, by God’s peace, is ruled over by the God of peace, whose sovereignty guarantees the character of the realm. Do you see, then, what God’s saving grace does? It draws us into that realm of peace. it repositions us, and we now dwell, as it were, in the regions of tranquility. We are made partakers of a different world order. a world order that transcends this world order and all of the chaos that has overtaken it.

We are privileged to know a piece that is impossible to know if approached through sociology and psychology. Do you understand why therapists are getting rich? Do you understand why you have to keep going back? That’s not to say that there isn’t value found in therapeutic treatments and psychological help.

That’s not to say that even the saints can’t struggle with their psychological well-being. Yes, you may battle depression and struggle internally, but the true resolution for you is a better realization and grasp of that realm of peace which in fact God himself has established into which he draws you. Such peace as Paul has in mind cannot be given by the world.

Yet it proves to be a priceless jewel to all God’s children, as they, like these Philippians, are witnesses of the passing away of this world. as they are faced with the multiple challenges to their faith, the faith which they have in Jesus Christ, the one who by death and resurrection introduces them and us into the glory land of God’s peace. This world is passing away. your own personal world may seem to be fast dissolving. And if you feel that extremely, if you sense it, then turn with all of your heart to the world that promised us, which can never dissolve, the world of God’s eternal peace.

Lord, there are the disappointing things and even the frightening things that seem to assault us, and surely they assaulted the Philippians in the first century. But, Lord, we would hear the apostolic word, the true and faithful word. And by that word, Lord, be drawn from ourselves to consider what you have done in Jesus Christ and what you have set before us because of his death and resurrection, an entirely different world into which we are drawn by your grace and repositioned in keeping with your mercy. And Father, may there be beautiful fruit for us, as even then, Lord, we experience that inner tranquility and calm in our lives as we live them out day by day. But, Father, we ask that we might be kept from idols even an idol like that of peace, when in fact it is made something more important than you and the work that you have done in your Son, the world that you have established by virtue of your great almighty power. We ask, Lord, then, that you will forbear with us, and truly, Lord, that we would know your peace. Amen.

The sermon text provided above is derived from the sermon audio recording making use of generative tools. It has not been manually edited. While transcription tools have a high degree of accuracy, the output may include generative textual, punctuation, and/or formatting errors.