PEACE OF GOD WHICH PASSES ALL UNDERSTANDING
The Realm of Peace in Heaven:
On Sunday evenings, we are reading the book, My Time in Heaven by: Richard Sigmund. He describes"the third most beautiful and glorious place inHeaven is a glory cloud of the peace of God. It was the peace of His presence which surpassed all understanding. The first most glorious place he saw was God's Throne; the second, and equal to it was the Lord Jesus. The third was the fountain of all peace."
Sunday morning I preached on the Peace of God which passes all Understanding as a realm of the Spirit. I almost shouted at the beautiful confirmation given to us Sunday evening. I stated below that next to our Salvation and Redemption through the Blood of Jesus, Peace is our greatest blessing. So it is in Heaven. Church be one of those who enter into that realm of the Kingdom of Heaven while you are still on the earth.
PEACE OF GOD WHICH PASSES ALL UNDERSTANDING
Sunday, December 15, 2017, the Year of Our Lord
Pastor Carolyn Sissom
I believe the greatest gift the Lord Jesus Christ gave to the world beyond our salvation and redemption is the gift of peace. If I could give the gift of peace to all my friends and family, it would be your greatest blessing with the exception of your salvation and righteousness through the power of the Blood.
In the realm of the Kingdom of God are righteousness, peace and joy. In this realm is happiness. It is the realm of thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Phil 4:7: The peace of God which passes all understanding shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
Col. 3:15: Let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which you are called in one body, and be thankful.
When John the Baptist was born, his father, the prophet Zechariah prophesied to his son and sealed the prophetic destiny of John which had been declared by an angel. He grew in grace through the example of Elizabeth and Zechariah who were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord – blameless (Luke 1:6).
The mantle of the prophet in the spirit and power of Elijah rested upon John, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord. (Luke 1:17)
John was anointed and sealed to turn the disobedient to the wisdom of the just. A spiritual subset formed around him, they were called, a people prepared for the Lord.
In John’s ministry of preparing a people to receive the Lord Jesus and their salvation, Zechariah prophesied we would be delivered from enemies, receive mercy from God; have justification by faith, peace with God, holiness and righteousness, reconciliation to God, light and guidance. (Luke 1: 67-79)
One of today’s greatest needs is for the church to gain ascendancy and to make ready a people prepared for the LORD.
Just as John was both the product of prophetic utterance and human obedience, so was Jesus. Manifest destiny required Jesus to be the “man of righteousness.”
Jer. 23:5-6: Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD that I will raise to David a Branch of righteousness; a King shall reign and prosper, and execute judgment and righteousness in the earth. In His days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell safely; now this is His name by which he shall be called: THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.
In the past thirty years, the LORD has restored to the Church personal prophetic words declaring to many of us Kingdom destiny, purpose and commissions to prepare the church to become overcomers living in the rest/peace of God and to be the righteous church triumphant finally broken through.
Today if prophecies do not agree with personal ambitions and/or prayer requests for success and prosperity, many people discard and disobey prophetic words. The LORD will soon cease to speak through prophets to those who insist on their own way and will not humble themselves to the will of God in His way. He will send to these people false prophets who will prophesy to their itching ears. These who will not obey will miss their destiny and Kingdom assignment until they repent. When our kingdom assignment is prophesied by a true prophet, and confirmed by angels then there must be human obedience… like Mary, be it unto me according to your word. (Luke 1:38)
Gabriel was the announcing angel who heralded the divinely appointed day of Jesus’ birth which was sealed by God from the beginning:
Luke 1:32-33: He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.
Later Elizabeth confirmed that yes Mary had heard and received; but she also believed.
Luke 1:45: Blessed is she who believed for there will be a fulfillment of those things which were told her from the Lord.
Gabriel appeared to Mary, spoke to her that she was chosen to bring forth the Son of God; and prophesied to by Elizabeth (Luke 1:41-55); but in order for those words to be performed, it was necessary for her to believe.
The promises of God and the performance of his promises are contingent on believing His words. Peace with God; and peace in every area of our life is part of our inheritance as heirs of salvation. This means “no worry,” “no fear,” “no anxiety, “no doubt.” As Christians, when we face the trials and tribulation in the world system; through faith, we have this peace that we will have provision, are healed, fulfill our Kingdom assignment, our children will be delivered, etc.
When the multitude of the heavenly host appeared to the Shepherds praising God, their song was Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men. Through Jesus Christ, God made a way that we can enter into His “rest”. We receive this peace/rest through faith and our confidence in God. Today if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as the Israelites did in the wilderness. The LORD was grieved with that generation, saying they do always err in their heart; and they have not known my ways. So in the Lord’s wrath, they did not enter the rest/peace of God. Anyone today having an evil heart of unbelief and departs from the living God will not enter in. Those who will not enter into the rest/peace of God it will be because of unbelief.
When we receive the Word of the Lord, it must be mixed with Faith. If we have Faith, then we will please God, and our lives will not stop short of the glory of God. There will be a generation, on the earth, which will again do mighty exploits. The Almighty is known for His exploits, so must His people be known. This God-kind of faith/obedience, holiness and righteous faith becomes the faith which overcomes the world.
Jesus proclaimed the prophetic seal on his life was complete when He spoke to the Nazareth synagogue:
Luke 4: 18-19: The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor. He has sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, and to preach the acceptable year of the Lord.
Perfection and obedience as a description of the Christian life has long since been abandoned and reduced to a theology. Humanism has excused itself from the race to perfection and has been joined by its folly driven congregations. Jesus gave his church the power to loose lepers, crippled men and the blind. We have been given the power to bind away our own sin and weaknesses. Paul stated that he had effectively sealed away the things of his past. He could see them, but they did not move him (they no longer had power over him).
Some of the greatest powers brought forth by the righteous Blood of Jesus lie undervalued and unused in this generation. The Kingdom of God does not come with observation… the kingdom of God is within us.
The righteousness of Jesus Christ has delivered us from the law of sin and death. It has been prophesied by prophets and angels; yet we must believe we are the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus.
Romans Chapter 4:10-31: We know under the law, there is none righteous no not one. There is none that understands, there is none that seek after God. They have all gone out of the way, they have together become unprofitable, there is none that does good, no not one… (vs. 17) and the way of peace they have not known…\(Vs. 21) But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested being witnessed by the law and the prophets; Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ to all and upon all them that believe; for there is no difference. For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God…(Vs. 24) We being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus; Whom God has set forth to be a propitiation through faith in His blood, to declare His righteousness for the remission of sins that are past. (Romans 4).
Jesus practiced an extreme form of righteousness. It is that extreme righteousness that He taught His followers and pressed upon the. Repeatedly, He warned his disciples and followers:
Mt. 5:20: For I say unto you, that except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you shall in no case enter into the kingdom of Heaven.
The Pharisees produced the largest number of theologically sound Torah believers in their day. They tithed down to the last resource. They gave themselves to fasting, prayer and ceremonial purity. Their definition of righteousness extended beyond the Law. They believed in angels, demons, healing and sacrifice. Family was important to them and they kept the ten commandments. They memorized scripture and could quote all of the first five books of the Bible. The prided themselves that they were sons and daughters of Abraham. David was their king of kings. They danced before the Lord and gave praise and prayer.
They reasoned their authority on their lineage to Abraham, while Jesus based His authority on His lineage to one greater than Abraham. Jesus embodied righteousness through faith; they did not! The righteousness that came by faith was the true Abrahamic form; the righteousness they expressed was not. Abrahamic faith looked for a city whose builder and maker was God, a place to dwell. It identified with the people of God and looked for a city with foundations not made by man. Righteousness expressed by the Scribes and Pharisees could never find its way to such a kingdom.
Just as our righteousness is in the realm of the Kingdom of God, so is our peace and joy. If Satan can steal your peace, he can steal your joy.
Romans 5:1: Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
Paul started his letters with the salutation, Grace be to you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.
I pray the peace of God will flood your mind and hearts with Christ Jesus.
For God is not the author of confusion; but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.
May the God of peace bless you, your families and loved ones this Christmas season with a visitation of His Great Grace for faith to believe.
Carolyn Sissom, pastor
Eastgate Ministries Church
Scripture from K.J.V. – I entered into the labors of Dr. C. R. Oliver – Sealed Unto His Coming,` Zadok Publications, P. O. Box, 132874, The Woodlands, TX.