This message came to me as I was preaching on the power of God, and realizing that we do have the power of God and the peace of God, but are unable to hook into the power source. The main reason is because of unbelief, or not putting into practice those things we know to do. Often times, we look to other people to do something, but don't humble ourselves before God. We blame other people for our situation, and don't blame ourselves. We often blame the circumstances of our life, instead of realizing that bad circumstances come regardless. We must learn to have peace regardless of the circumstances of our life.

Peace is not:

1. A feeling of accomplishment. Lost people can have this feeling.

2. Happiness. Lost people can have a form of happiness and not have peace with God.

3. Security caused by having material things taken care of. A lost man can take care of his earthly estate before he dies and can have a certain degree of peace because of that.

4. Having no fear of death. Ps. 73:4 - there is no bands in the death of the lost person. Bands mean pains. The lost man can have no fear or pain in death, but this does not mean he has the peace of God.

Doing the Lord's will for the wrong reason, or by accident. A lost person can do the Lord's will, but have no peace about it at all. Pharaoh did God's will, but didn't have any peace at all. Exodus 33:12-17 - Moses wanted the Lord's presence, not just following the directions of God. Moses wanted to see the ways of God, which is more than just seeing his acts.

Nerve problems are mostly caused by unbelief. Our performance is too low, or our expectations are too high.

Compare Luke 2:14 (Angels saying "peace on earth, good will toward man") and Matt. 10:34 (Jesus declaring he came not to bring peace upon the earth). The reconciliation of these two verses is the kind of peace Jesus came to bring. He came to bring individual peace through the gospel, not international peace through the signing of peace treaties.

Compare Christ in Matthew 26:36-46 with Hebrews 12:2. In Matthew, Christ is in great agony because he is facing the cross and bearing the sins of the world and the forsaking by his father. Christ knows all this, therefore he is in great agony. But Hebrews declares that Christ had great joy when he faced the cross because he knew the joy that would come after the cross. This is how we ought to be. We do not enjoy the struggles of this life, but we endure these struggles because we are looking forward to the joys that follow this life.

Compare the three Hebrew children of Daniel 3:16. These three had already made up their minds that they would not bow to the false gods of Nebuchadnezzar. They did not need the time given to them by Nebuchadnezzar and they answered quickly because they were ready to die if it was necessary. It is this "steel-determinedness" that comes from having the true peace of God – even if we must give our lives, we will not submit to Satan’s urgings toward us.

The peace of Galatians 5:22 is the third fruit of the Spirit. True peace comes after love (for God and mankind) and after joy.

There is such a thing as a false peace:

Psalms 123:4 - Our soul is exceedingly filled with the scorning of those that are at ease, and with the contempt of the proud. Read the entire Psalm. Saved people who have a real longing for the blessings of God look with scorn at those that do not want to please God.

Jeremiah 6:14 - False prophets gave a false hope to Israel that God would not send the Babylonian army to destroy Jerusalem and Israel.

II Thessalonians 5:3 - For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.

Satan may promise liberty, but he completely destroys all that follow him.

The first accomplishment of spiritual peace is through Jesus Christ, who is our redeemer.

The person who will not admit they do not have the peace of God will never have the peace of God.

The only people who will have the peace of God are those that have repented they have been lost, or unforgiven.

Lost people may think they have peace with God, but they are sadly mistaken.

The first level of peace comes with salvation, we have peace with God through Jesus Christ our Saviour.

Isaiah 53:5 - But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.

Acts 10:36 - The word which God sent unto the children of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ: (he is Lord of all:) Peter preached the gospel to Cornelius and his household. A part of the gospel is that Jesus is the only one who is able to bring peace to people.

Rom. 5:1 - Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:

Eph. 2:14 - For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us;

Col. 1:20 - And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven.

The next level of peace comes with obedience after salvation. After a person is saved, they ought to follow the Lord is scriptural baptism, thus following the example of Jesus.

Matt. 3:15 - When Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist, he said, "Suffer it to be so now, for thus it becometh us to fulfill all righteousness."

A person isn’t baptized in order to get the peace of God that comes with salvation, but because he already has the peace of God that cometh with salvation.

After being obedient to the commands of God in baptism, a higher level of peace can come.

After a person is saved and scripturally baptized, he must continue to be obedient to the commands of God in order to achieve a higher level of peace.

Col. 3:15 - And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.

How can we let the peace of God rule in our hearts?

Verse 16 states, Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.

It is impossible to have the peace of God without having the Word of God.

The more Word of God we have, the more peace of God we can have.

John 14:26,27 - Jesus gave the Holy Spirit to the church as a comforter, and along with the Holy Ghost, he gave peace. Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

The person who isn’t a part of the Lord’s local church will not be able to have the full peace that Jesus gives because the Holy Spirit (comforter) was given to the church - See Acts 2.

All saved people can have a measure of the peace of God, but saved people who are a part (as well as being a member) of one of the Lord’s local churches will have more peace.

Knowing and obeying the commandments of God is absolutely necessary to having the peace of God.

The person who says they don’t want to be obedient to the commandments of God will never have the real peace of God.

They are still doing things their own way, rejecting the ways of God.

Is. 48:18 - O that thou hadst hearkened to my commandments! then had thy peace been as a river, and thy righteousness as the waves of the sea Israel hasn’t listened to the commandments of God. See verse 22.

Ps. 119:165 - Great peace have they which love thy law: and nothing shall offend them. There is great peace to those that love God's law. It is amazing that nothing shall offend them. People are full of being offensive and offended.

Rom. 8:6 - Since we haven't listened to the commandments of God, we are carnal minded. For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.

Is. 26:3 - Our mind is not on Christ (verse 1-4). Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.

4. Phil. 4:7 - We can have the peace that passes understanding, If:

a. We rejoice at everything.

b. Let our rejoicing be known to others.

c. Remember that the Lord is at hand (close by).

d. Don't worry.

e. Don't worry.

f. Pray about everything with thanksgiving. (Thank God for everything that happens to you, even the bad things.) Remember Romans 8:28.

g. The receipt of the peace of God.

h. Do those things.

The God of peace will be with you.

j. There is a difference between having the peace of God and the God of peace.

When we don't have peace with God, we are showing that we lack a real personal commitment to God. We may have a shallow external commitment, but nothing of any real substance. We need to give ourselves completely to God. This what most of us do not do. As in Gal. 5:22, if we don't have love and joy, we certainly won't have peace with God.