Live in Peace With One Another - 1 Thess Lesson 34

Live in Peace with One Another

1 Thessalonians 5:13b

 If you will open your Bibles with me this morning to 1 Thessalonians 5, we will read verses 12-22 together as we begin. Let’s stand together as we read God’s holy word.

 Last week we started our study of this last section of 1 Thessalonians by looking at the instructions given regarding the pastor and the people from verses 12-13. We ended our study of verse 13 before we got to the end of that verse. I left the last part of verse 13 for us to look at today. The very last sentence in verse 13 gives us a straightforward command. “Live in peace with one another.” It should be evident already that this is among those things we find in the Bible that “says easy, does hard.”

 As we always do, we must begin by looking at this in the context in which it is found. As Paul brings the letter to the Thessalonians to a close, he is addressing a number of important issues. In verses 12-22 he is addressing these issues in rapid fire succession. Starting with this imperative command, Paul gives one command right after another. All these commands address important aspects of the Christian life. It should be noted that beginning with this imperative and going through verse 15 these imperatives are directed at our relationship with one another. The imperatives of verses 16-20 are directed at our relationship to God. The imperatives of verses 21-22 are directed at how we deal with the world.

 Remember, this is a young fellowship. This is a relatively new church. These people don’t have years and years of experience in their walk in the Christian faith. These are the kinds of things new Christians need to understand. They need to know how to deal with one another, how to maintain a right relationship with God, and how to deal with the temptations of the world. This would be even more critical for a new church in a hostile environment, like that of the Thessalonians. Christians need one another. We were created for fellowship. The more trials we face in life, like persecution, the more we need one another. As a fellowship of new believers, living in a world hostile to the gospel and the Christian faith, it was important for them to know how to live together as brothers and sisters in Christ. They were in conflict with the world. They needed to live in peace with one another.

 There is one more observation to make regarding the context of this command. This is the first imperative following the instructions regarding the appropriate attitude toward those who labor diligently, exercising oversight, and giving instructions. Those instructions were clearly regarding the appropriate relationship between the people and the pastors. Right after dealing with this relationship, Paul says, “Live in peace with one another.” I doubt that this is without strategic significance. Nothing is more difficult for a spiritual leader than to try to lead, feed and protect a bunch of people who are in conflict with one another.

 There are enough dangers from wolves that would devour the sheep from the outside. There always exists the possibility of a wolf in sheep’s clothing that is a threat to the sheep from the inside. The faithful shepherd must always be on the lookout for those threats. If the sheep are in conflict and trying to hurt one another, and the shepherd is spending all his time dealing with fighting sheep, he may not notice other threats. And besides, if he is dealing with fighting sheep, he is not focused on his primary responsibility, which is to study to teach the word of God.

 That being said, I’m very thankful for the peaceful nature of this church. We are not without minor issues, but overall this is a fellowship of believers who live in peace with one another as a church. I believe this is an answer to prayer. There is rarely a Wednesday night that goes by that we are not praying for the unity of the church and for the love to continue to abound among the people who are part of this church. Psalm 133:1 is an undeniable truth when it comes to a fellowship of Christians. “Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brothers to dwell together in unity.”

 Listen, a church in which true believers live in peace with one another is nothing short of an oasis in the middle of a desert. Think about how much conflict we deal with in life. Some of you deal with conflict daily with the spouse to whom you are married. I want you to listen carefully to this message and take good notes. Far too many Christian homes are places where conflict and chaos are the norm rather than the exception. Conflict and chaos are all around us. Most people leave a home where there is conflict and get into a car where conflict awaits on the roads. They get to work where there is conflict with coworkers, or between coworkers. They come home from work and turn on the news and hear of conflict at the local, state, national, and international levels. They are in conflict with extended family. Their phone rings and they answer it to find out their kid was in a fight at school.

 If the church can be a place where people can be surrounded by peaceful people whose lives produce the spiritual fruit of peace, that is a welcome relief from a world full of conflict. If they can be among a people who know how to live in peace with one another, they will want an alternative to all they experience in a sinful, selfish, fallen world.

 So what is this peace we live in with one another? True peace is universally sought but incredibly illusive. If you ask the average person on the street, “What would be your one wish for the world?” Their response is likely to be “world peace.” They would have in mind, with this answer, the idea of peace as the absence of conflict. It is assumed that if there is no conflict there is peace. And the world is satisfied with this version of peace. Many in the world are content with a counterfeit version of peace, which is really no peace at all. Remember back in verse 3 of this chapter. The people who were not ready for the day of the Lord were saying, “Peace and safety!” Did they have peace? No, they were headed for eternal destruction.

 The unregenerate world cannot experience the peace spoken of by Paul in our text. Isaiah makes this clear in Isaiah 57:21. “‘There is no peace’, says my God, ‘for the wicked.’” God condemned the false prophets of Jeremiah’s day. Jeremiah says of the corrupt priests and prophets, “For from the least of them even to the greatest of them, everyone is greedy for gain, and from the prophet even to the priest everyone deals falsely. They have healed the brokenness of My people superficially, saying, ‘peace, peace,’ but there is no peace.” (Jeremiah 6:13-14)

 This straightforward command in 1 Thess. 5:13 is only three words in the Greek. The Greek text does not say, “Live in peace with one another.” The words “live in peace” are translated from a single word in the Greek. It is “eireneuo.” (eye-ra-new-ow) It is the verb form of the Greek noun “eirene.” (eye-ray-nay) We cannot separate the meaning of the verb form from the meaning of the noun. The noun has many variations of meanings, including the absence of war or conflict, peace of mind and freedom from worry and anxiety. The most common Jewish salutation is “shalom” which means peace. It is a wish for all that is good, blessed, bringing prosperity physically and spiritually.

 The most important aspect of this peace is peace with God. This is the peace that is the result of being reconciled to God through Jesus. This peace is the present possession of every believer who has been delivered from the wrath of God. This peace of God is the tranquil state of the soul assured of salvation through Christ, fearing nothing from God and consequently content with one’s earthly lot.

 This peace is the understanding, the confidence and conviction that we abide in the realm of the perfect plan of an unfailing God who has secured us to Himself in salvation, and is working everything that happens for our good and His glory. Nothing in this divine relationship is changeable, breakable, or can be undone or overridden. It is only as we possess this peace and live in light of all its implications and benefits that we can actually live in peace with one another.

 Paul’s imperative is concerning the practice of this peace toward one another. However, before this peace can be practiced it must be possessed. No one can live in peace with one another unless this peace is that which we have experienced. You cannot extend to someone something you don’t have. So how is it that we come to possess this peace? There is only one place to get it. There is only one source. There is only one person who can give us this peace. Jesus said in John 14:27, “My peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give it to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.”

 If we consider the timing of these words of Jesus, they were given as a promise in the most troubling time of His life and ministry, and the most troubling for the disciples to whom this peace is promised. The arrest, abuse, and crucifixion of Jesus is imminent. Jesus knows the suffering He will soon endure and the separation from His Father. Yet He has peace. He has told the disciples that He is about to leave, but that He is going to prepare a place for them. Faced with the departure of their leader and friend the disciples are greatly disturbed. Jesus promised peace. Jesus promised His peace. Jesus provides peace. This is why Paul tells us in Colossians 3:15, “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts…” Christ gives us His peace so that it may rule our hearts.

 Listen carefully to the words of Jesus. “My peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you.” Because it is His peace it is a supernatural peace. It isn’t in any way like the superficial, counterfeit peace of the world. It is the peace of Christ. How do we experience this peace? He says “My peace I give to you.” The only way to experience this peace is if it is given to you by Jesus Himself. The peace of Christ is a gift given to us by the Lord Himself. He gives to us the gift of His peace.

 When we emphasize the nature of a gift from God, we who understand the Bible know that we are talking about the grace of God. The peace of Christ given to believers is a grace gift. It is one aspect of the undeserved favor, the unmerited goodness of God to us. We cannot live in peace with one another unless the peace of Christ rules in our hearts and the peace of Christ would not rule in our hearts if it was not given to us as a grace gift from God. 

 If we have spent any time reading our New Testament we find a frequent connection between grace and peace mentioned. Every letter written by Paul in the New Testament has somewhere in the salutation a greeting of “grace and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” Every letter of Paul makes the connection between grace and peace at the beginning of the letter. Your homework assignment today is to go home and read the first 2-3 verses of every letter of Paul. In Romans you have to read seven verses to find it, but it is in every letter. Peter’s two letters do the same. 1 Peter 1:2 says, “May grace and peace be yours in the fullest measure.” 2 Peter 1:2 says, “Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Peter wanted these two blessings from God to be experienced in the fullest measure and multiplied.

 Grace and peace go together in the Scriptures. So what does this have to do with us living in peace with one another? Well, think about it. Grace and peace are so prevalent together in the New Testament. This is a reminder that we have this peace with God because of God’s grace. God extends unimaginable grace – unmerited favor, undeserved goodness, to those who are wrong and would never admit it unless, by God’s grace, their eyes were opened to see it. The basis of our peace with God is the grace God extended to let us see our need for reconciliation. He opened our eyes to the need and then He extended the grace that would establish peace. This He did for those who would never have figured it out on their own.

 Now, living in peace with one another is going to require us to do what? It is going to require us to do for others the same thing God has done for us. If we are going to live in peace with one another, someone has got to be extending grace. Isn’t that true? To live in peace with others means that offenses are going to have to be overlooked. We call that forgiveness empowered by grace. Living in peace with others means that offenses are going to be overlooked. We call that grace. Living in peace with one another means that when we are dealing with people who have no idea how hurtful they can be, or how offensive their words can be, we extend grace. Living in peace with one another requires that we be willing to extend grace to people who are wrong, people who offend, people who don’t deserve grace, people who don’t even see how difficult they can be to deal with. This is exactly what God has done for us, and continues to do for us so that we can be at peace with Him. This we must do to live in peace with one another.

 We sing a hymn about the wonderful, matchless grace of Jesus. It is deeper than a mighty rolling sea. It is higher than a mountain. It sparkles like a fountain. It is all sufficient grace for even me. Living in peace with one another requires us to be the channels through which the grace of God flows. If we are always keeping count of the wrongs done to us by others, we are not giving grace. If we are always looking for opportunities to repay evil for evil, we are not living in peace and we are not giving grace. If we are prone to pout and give the cold shoulder when we don’t like the way we are treated, we are not giving grace and we won’t be living in peace with one another.

 So what is it that we need in copious amounts to be able to live in peace with one another? We need a constant, abundant, free-flowing stream of God’s glorious grace. If we are going to give the grace needed to live in peace with others, especially those who are hard to live in peace with, we are going to need an abundant supply of grace.

 What is the prerequisite to receiving this grace? We know the answer to this. The answer is humility. God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble. God stiff-arms the proud, but to the humble He opens the floodgates of heaven to give His grace in perfectly sufficient amounts for the challenges we face.

 So, if we are not living in peace with one another there is an issue with pride. If a married couple finds themselves in frequent conflict, there is a problem with pride. I deal with it all the time. When I am offended I am not necessarily interested in living in peace with one another. The other “one another” did something I didn’t like. It isn’t time for peace, its time for us to get ready to rumble. That is nothing but foolish pride that is causing the flow of God’s amazing grace to get turned off at the source. God’s Holy Spirit begins to convict, and eventually my heart softens, and I repent, and humble myself, and God gives the grace needed to initiate the reconciliation that re-establishes peace. It is nothing but grace that empowers me to do that.

 The whole time I was studying this imperative there was a verse that kept coming to mind and I believe it was coming to mind because it is such an essential part of what is required to live in peace with one another. It is Philippians 2. Let’s turn there for a moment. If you have been listening to me preach much over the last 15 years you probably recognize that this is one of the passages that has impacted me the most.

 This chapter doesn’t mention the word “peace” but it is about unity and how to obtain and sustain unity in your relationships, especially in the church. If there is genuine peace between us there will be unity. If there is no peace there will not be unity. I think it is a safe assumption that those things that make for unity will also make for peace. This assumption stands securely on the truth taught in the first 8 verses of Philippians 2.

 In Philippians 2 Paul writes, “Therefore…” this takes us back to what was written previously and in 1:27 he writes, “Only conduct yourself in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or remain absent, I will hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel.” Paul is calling them to unity. Conduct in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ is a walk in unity. A walk in unity is a walk among people who know how to live in peace with one another.

 Then Paul writes in Philippians 2, “if there is any encouragement in Christ…” If Christ is counseling us, encouraging us, urging us to do anything, it is to walk together in unity. “If there is any consolation of love…” If we are being consoled or gently urged to do anything it is to practice love. “If there is any fellowship of the Spirit…” If the Holy Spirit who dwells in each of us has any goal in common it is that we live in unity. “If any affection and compassion…” These are two characteristics of people who are living in unity.

 Paul says in verse 2, “make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose.” This is the goal. The goal is unity. Unity is the desired characteristic Paul wanted for the church. Jesus saves us to make us of the same mind, to maintain the same love, to unite us in spirit, and to set our intent on one purpose. We cannot achieve this unity if we do not live in peace with one another.

 As we come to verse 3 we get to the “how.” How does a group of redeemed sinners, with their own ideas, their own wills, their own distinct backgrounds and experiences, all come together in this kind of unity? If we answer this we will also answer the question about how to live in peace with one another. Here is the answer. We find out “how” beginning in verse 3. “Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.” If we would listen to these instructions, and take them to heart, and faithfully and sincerely and effectively put these instructions to practice in every situation, we would live in peace with one another.

 If there is no selfishness being manifested between two people, there is peace. If there is no empty conceit, no self elevation, no attitude of “I don’t deserve this,” there is peace. If every person is exhibiting humility of mind, and regarding the other person as more important than themselves, there is peace. If no one is looking out for their own personal interests, but the interests of others, there is peace.

 But because we are so conditioned by the thinking of the world rather than the Bible, we react to this by saying, “But what about me? What about my rights? What about when I am wronged, when I am offended? Don’t I have to fight for myself? Don’t I need to stand up for my rights? No. Look at verse 5-8. We have the same attitude which was in Christ.

 How do we have the attitude in us which was also in Christ? We can’t in our own strength. We need grace. So I close with the words of Peter. “May grace and peace be yours in fullest measure.” (1 Peter 1:2) “Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.” God gives the grace so we can live in peace. Grace is the power source to be able to do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourself. Grace will give you the ability to be humble of mind and regard others as more important than yourself, so that you don’t look out for your own personal interests only, but also the interests of others.

May grace and peace be yours in fullest measure. May grace and peace be multiplied to you. Live in peace with one another.

 Let’s pray.