We are spending a bit more time on this aspect of the fruit of the Spirit because it is so crucial to abiding in the Spirit, and is becoming increasingly crucial for our times.
As we have addressed in detail before that the highest purpose of man is to be the dwelling place of God. If we abide in Him, He will abide in us. Therefore, this should be the highest goal for each of us. It should be the greatest focus that we have every day. The true success of our life in every way will be dependent on this one thing.
It is for this reason that we should seek to understand the dwelling places of God in Scripture, because they are each a revelation of the characteristics of the ones He will dwell in. Of special note is the fact that after entering the Promised Land, God's dwelling place was Shiloh, which means "peace." The only place to which He ever moved was Jerusalem, which means "city of peace." Obviously this is a revelation of a basic characteristic He seeks in those who He will dwell with—peace.
All of the metaphors that the Lord uses in Scripture are chosen because they are a revelation to us of His ways and purposes. It is no accident that the Lord chose a dove to be the symbol of the Holy Spirit that was to abide with Jesus and with us. Doves are some of the most sensitive of all birds. They are also very selective about where they will land, choosing only quiet, peaceful places. You will never find doves nesting around places that have a lot of commotion.
Pigeons, which are related to doves, are not like this, but will settle just about anywhere, or on anyone who will feed them. The Holy Spirit is not a pigeon! As R.T. Kendall stated so well, few can discern between a true move of the Holy Spirit and “pigeon religion.” Therefore, many Christians will flock to just about anything, and land on just about anything, but those who know the Holy Spirit will not be like that.
It is noteworthy that the Lord told over 500 people who had seen the Lord after His resurrection to go and wait for the promise of the Father in Jerusalem, but on the day that the Holy Spirit came there were only 120 left. Of the 120 on the Day of Pentecost it was said that “they were with one accord” (Acts 2:1 KJV). in unity, or at peace with one another. Peace and unity are more important than numbers when seeking to attract the Holy Spirit. As our friend Francis Frangipane likes to say, “In prayer four of a kind beats a full house.”
We often seek to gather as many people as we are able because many receive their encouragement from numbers. However, it is a repeated witness of history that most great moves of the Holy Spirit begin in small groups who were in unity, focused on one purpose. Of course, when the Holy Spirit begins to move many will be drawn to it, and many such moves are short-lived because it is easy to be distracted by the desires of the people rather than keeping our attention on what attracted the Holy Spirit.
Peace is a basic requirement for the place where the Lord will dwell because it will be through His dwelling place that He will bring peace to the earth. We see this in the great promise that the Lord gave concerning His restored house in Haggai 2:9:
We see this also in Psalm 122:6-9:
May peace be within your walls, and prosperity within your palaces.
For the sake of my brothers and my friends, I will now say, "May peace be within you."
For the sake of the house of the Lord our God I will seek your good.
God is repeatedly called “the God of Peace" in the New Testament, and as we studied last week, it is “the God of Peace” who crushes Satan under our feet. If we abide in the peace of God, it will utterly crush the devil’s work wherever we go (see Romans 16:20). This is why we are told in Ephesians 6:15 that our feet are to be shod with "the gospel of peace." The peace of God is a basic counter to the spirit of this world that is always seeking to spread strife and conflict. For this reason Paul wrote the important exhortation in Romans 14:17-19:
For he who in this way serves Christ is acceptable to God and approved by men.
So then let us pursue the things which make for peace and the building up of one another.
Many are on the continual pursuit of joy, but seldom find it because they do not take the path that leads to true joy—which is first the pursuit of righteousness, or doing what is right, and then peace, which together brings true joy. As we are told in this text, this is the kingdom of God or how we enter the kingdom. We are also told that the way we build up one another is by pursuing the things that make for peace. Peace itself is an edifying factor. In this world which is increasingly hurried and in discord, the peace of God will be an increasingly dramatic contrast to the world, and an increasing treasure to those who find it.
Another remarkable verse in Scripture about peace is found in Hebrews 12:14, “Pursue peace with all men, and the sanctification without which no one will see the Lord.” Think about this. We are told to pursue peace with “all men,” not just those who are a part of our fellowship or even our faith. This does not mean that we will have peace with all men, but it should be a basic devotion of ours, and it is so important to do this if we expect to “see the Lord.”
The following verse, 15, says, “See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God; that no root of bitterness springing up causes trouble, and by it many be defiled.” In my studies of church history it seems that the majority of false teachings, or those who brought divisions to the church, are mostly caused by a wound or rejection that causes the one wounded or rejected to form their teachings in a reaction to this. Of course, such can usually find Scriptures that will concur with their teachings when taken out of context, or distorted, but it is easy for those who know the true peace of God to discern such bitterness and roots of bitterness. Usually those who are attracted to such movements or teachings are only those who are likewise wounded.
True Christianity is founded on forgiveness. Only when we forgive will we have peace and not do or teach the things that cause division in the church. We must pursue peace in order to see the Lord because He is the Prince of Peace. If we see Him, we will see His peace. If we are abiding in Him, we will have His peace.
Hebrews 12:14 also addresses the required sanctification that we must have in order to see the Lord. This is linked to pursuing peace because, as we are told in I Thessalonians 5:23 and II Peter 3:14 that it is the "God of Peace" which sanctifies us. It is not possible to live a truly holy life without abiding in the Lord’s peace.
Legalism, which many confuse with true holiness, is a life of striving and worrying that one has fallen short somehow, while true holiness is based in a profound trust in the work of the cross of Jesus, and a love for Him that compels us to want to please Him in all things. True holiness is motivated out of a love for God, not a fear of punishment. It is true that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, but it is not the mature conclusion of wisdom, which is love.
As we are told in Ephesians 2:14, Jesus is our peace. There is no true peace on this earth aside from Him, and this will become increasingly apparent in the times ahead. As He sits in the heavens, above all rule and authority and dominion, He is never worried or shaken, even by the worst things that take place on the earth. If we abide in Him we, too, will have perfect peace in all things. This should be a primary goal of all Christians in all circumstances. In all things, do not focus on the problem, but the Solution, the Lord Himself, and we will have peace.
In Philippians 4:7 we are told that it is the "peace of God" that guards our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Do not let anything steal your peace.
