2 Thessalonians 3:16-18

2 Thessalonians 3:16-18  Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way.  The Lord be with all of you.   I, Paul, write this greeting in my own hand, which is the distinguishing mark in all my letters.  This is how I write.  The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.

2 Thessalonians 1:1-2  Paul, Silas and Timothy, To the church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ:  Grace and peace to you from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.  

Paul begins and ends his second letter to the Thessalonians emphasizing grace and peace with loving words for his Christians brethren.  His salutations often include the words grace and peace.  He wanted Christians to understand their position IN CHRIST by acknowledging the works of Jesus at the cross when He ushered in a new birth, a new reality for every person who would claim Jesus as Savior, making us sons and daughters of the Most High.  After saying, Grace and peace to you, to the Ephesians, Paul goes on to explain what he means by that: Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.  For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight.  In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will—to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves.  In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding.  (Ephesians 1:3-8)  With the knowledge of such a glorious grace and the price Christ paid to lavish this grace upon his beloved children, God's peace should abide continually in our hearts.  But as is often true, we sometimes find ourselves caught up with the cares of life, lacking peace and living beneath our privileges as  inheritors of God's gifts.  The Bible says, Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.  Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable — if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.  (Philippians 4:6-8)  This peace comes because we have found favor with God; by faith we follow his ways and think on him.  We are no longer his enemies; we no longer want to replace him with our self-directed lives.  Instead, we place him on the throne, serve him and not ourselves.  By acknowledging him as our Lord, we pass from death to life, from uncertainty to clarity, from chaos to peace.  His grace places us in heavenly places, at rest with God our Father.  

The peace that Paul speaks of in his letters to the churches is the peace within the soul of the believer because of God's grace--his freely given unmerited favor.  But in one Bible passage, we also hear Jesus say, Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth.  I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.  In this instance Jesus is telling his followers He must be first.  They cannot put anything or anyone ahead of him.  This will cause turmoil when they face friends and family members who do not accept the Lord and reject the good news.  In this society, the faith of the head of the family was the faith of the household.  There were no exceptions.  Christ's message separated son from father, brother from brother, sister from sister, daughter from mother, and so on.  Jesus went on to say, Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me.  Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.  (Matthew 10:34 & 37-39  The Word of God is a sword of separation to the world.  Those who believe will be at odds with the unbelieving.  The word of God may cause upheaval even in the most intimate relationships.  You are either onboard as a believer on a daily basis or you will find yourself at odds with God and aligning yourself with his enemies.  Where does this lead you?  There is no compromise in the salvation message.  By faith we are saved, and we live by faith.  Understanding grace and peace leads to a sure faith.  Paul told the Galatians: I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.  The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.  (Galatians 2:20)  Saving faith is believing in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, and then serving him in everything we do by the power of the Holy Spirit within us.  Under no other name can we be saved.  Neither our good names or our good works will gain us spiritual authority or right standing with the Father.  Only Jesus is completely acceptable to God.  Outside of the shed blood of Jesus and his victory over sin, we are hopeless.  Therefore, we must hide ourselves in him.  He is acceptable, the Lamb for sinners slain, not us.  Through faith in Christ, we find favor with God.

Paul tells the Thessalonians, Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way.  The Lord be with all of you.  This is grace; this is mercy and love from our Father God.  The Lord himself gives us his peace all the time in every situation if we look to him and seek him.  If we are experiencing anything other than inner peace in our lives because of the vicissitudes of life, we need to seek the face of the Lord by standing on his promises, praying, and placing our trust in him.  We are free from sin and death; we are his beloved sons and daughters; we have eternal life; we have an eternal home waiting for us; we have the Spirit of God resident in us; we are not alone without a Comforter or Advocate; we are the apple of God's eye; we have been chosen by the blood of Jesus Christ; we are made in HIS IMAGE.  Today, God will edify our souls if we speak faith instead of unbelief.  Grace and peace will once again be our inheritance if we turn from the thoughts that bring us into darkness and away from the light of his countenance.  When we speak doubt and unbelief, fear takes hold of our minds and we forget who we are in Christ.  We will receive nothing from the Lord because we are not listening for his voice or seeking his will or reading his Word.  A double minded man is unstable, lacking the precious peace of the Lord.  The peace that passes all understanding comes from believing the Word, knowing Christ will never leave you, and stepping forward with him.  Faith pleases God; faith brings God to our ears and at our mouths.  Then as Paul says, the Lord will be with us.  Trust in Jesus who said: My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.  I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand.  (John 10:27-28) Amen.  Love, Dad and Mom