Tag: Believe

20.y. “Let him seek peace and pursue it.”

Romans 12:9  Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.

Psalms 55:21   His speech was smooth as butter, yet war was in his heart; his words were softer than oil, yet they were drawn swords.

 Psalms 36:4   He plots trouble while on his bed; he sets himself in a way that is not good; he does not reject evil.

 Proverbs 8:13   The fear of the LORD is hatred of evil. Pride and arrogance and the way of evil and perverted speech I hate.

 Proverbs 26:25   when he speaks graciously, believe him not, for there are seven abominations in his heart;

 Ezekiel 33:31   And they come to you as people come, and they sit before you as my people, and they hear what you say but they will not do it; for with lustful talk in their mouths they act; their heart is set on their gain.

 Psalms 34:14    Turn away from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.

 Amos 5:15   Hate evil, and love good, and establish justice in the gate; it may be that the LORD, the God of hosts, will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph.

 Psalms 101:3   I will not set before my eyes anything that is worthless. I hate the work of those who fall away; it shall not cling to me.

 1 Peter 3:10-11  For “Whoever desires to love life and see good days, let him keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit;  let him turn away from evil and do good; let him seek peace and pursue it.

I like where David says “ I will not set before my eyes anything that is worthless. I hate the work of those who fall away; it shall not cling to me.”  He has purposed in his heart to know what is good, true, and right and by knowing this he is able to discern what is evil and worthless.  Though he sees it and though others are doing or following after it, it will not cling to him.  He has purposed in his heart to keep his life from evil and to do that which honors and glorifies Jesus Christ.  

How is a person to know what is worthless and how to keep it from clinging to us?  “Finally, brothers and sisters, 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. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.”  We need to be able to recognize and discern the difference between that which is worthless and that which is right, true, pure, honorable, and lovely.  God’s Word will always bring to mind the difference.  Sometimes this wisdom comes immediately and other times it is a work in progress.  The problem is that God’s Word does not reside in the hearts and minds of many.  Meditation on His Word is what is able to soak in on a Sunday morning a couple of times per month.  There is so much distraction in the world today.  It is at our fingertips all our waking moments and unless there is a purposed restraint it will consume our hearts and minds.  It is in this consumption that we become neglectful and complacent to the Word of God and things of God.  Take an inventory of what is worthless in the world.  Make a list of what you see as worthless.  Spend some time looking at God’s view of what is worthless in this world.  Seek and desire to know the difference.

20.r. “Let us fear lest any of you should seem to have failed to reach it.”

 

Romans 11:20   They were broken off because of their unbelief, but you stand fast through faith. So do not become proud, but fear. For if God did not spare the natural branches, neither will he spare you. Note then the kindness and the severity of God: severity toward those who have fallen, but God’s kindness to you, provided you continue in his kindness.

 James 2:19     You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder!

 Hebrews 3:12     Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God.

 Revelation 3:17     For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked.

 Hebrews 3:19   So we see that they were unable to enter because of unbelief.

 Hebrews 4:6     Since therefore it remains for some to enter it, and those who formerly received the good news failed to enter because of disobedience,

 Hebrews 4:11   Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience.

 Isaiah 66:2    All these things my hand has made, and so all these things came to be, declares the LORD. But this is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word.

 Hebrews 4:1     Therefore, while the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us fear lest any of you should seem to have failed to reach it.

Paul said, “note the severity and kindness of God”.  We have a natural thought that clings to God’s kindness but sidelines and thoughts to His severity of judgment, wrath, and anger.  We cling to “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son” but we give little thought of His wrath and anger against unbelief, trust, faith, and obedience in/on Jesus Christ.  Paul saw how easy it was for believers to fall into disobedience.  He saw how they became complacent and neglectful of things of God.  They became lukewarm towards seeking and desiring to honor and glorify Him.  Over and over again Paul urged people to remain steadfast and to not forget the grace, mercy, kindness, and love of God.  Paul had to be dismayed when he would return to towns he had once been and had seen great numbers of people believe in Jesus Christ, only to find they had become neglectful and complacent in their devotion to God.  Paul so how easy it was for the heart of man to fall away from being fully committed and living for God every moment of every day.  God’s kindness and severity remain true and steadfast.  We do well to our hearts, minds, soul, and our daily lives in line with the Word of God at all times lest we become disobedient through neglect and complacency.

20.l. “All day long I have held out my hands to a disobedient and contrary people.”

Romans 10:17  So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ. But I ask, have they not heard? Indeed they have, for “Their voice has gone out to all the earth, and their words to the ends of the world.” But I ask, did Israel not understand? First Moses says, “I will make you jealous of those who are not a nation; with a foolish nation I will make you angry.” Then Isaiah is so bold as to say, “I have been found by those who did not seek me; I have shown myself to those who did not ask for me.” But of Israel he says, “All day long I have held out my hands to a disobedient and contrary people.”

 Luke 16:29-31   But Abraham said, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.’  And he said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’  He said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.’”

 1 Corinthians 1:18-24   For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.  For it is written, “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart.”  Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?  For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe.  For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom,  but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles,  but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.

If salvation is so simple, available to all who trust in the person and work of Jesus, then why do so many reject, deny, or neglect it? Saving faith comes through hearing by the word of God. Though people hear or read about the Gospel of Jesus Christ they do not exercise saving faith in Christ – making them (and us) all the more responsible. How much more responsible is a person for their rejection of the Gospel once they have heard it?  This is a bit of a dilemma for me.  On one hand they hear it, but unless their heart is open to receiving understanding and wisdom from God about it it will be just words on paper or sounds in the air.  On the other hand when their heart is open to the gospel God exposes their hearts, minds, and souls to the Gospel (hearing or reading) something utterly changes – they understand sin, their sin and separation from God, and God’s plan and purpose of salvation, redemption, and forgiveness through Jesus Christ.  This point in a persons life is where they will either humbly surrender all self-reliance and self-worth and believe in/on Jesus Christ.  In their hearts, minds, and souls they are changed.  They have gone from being condemned to redeemed, unforgiven to forgiven, guilty to innocent, hell bound to heaven.  This is what the Gospel will do to a person when they act on the wisdom and understanding given by God to them.  It is true to many good people never see the need for Jesus Christ.  They have determined in their heart that they are good enough and worthy of heaven.  The destiny of all people, both good and bad, is eternal hell.  

20.g. “What must we do, to be doing the works of God?” 

Romans 9:30  What shall we say, then? That Gentiles who did not pursue righteousness have attained it, that is, a righteousness that is by faith; but that Israel who pursued a law that would lead to righteousness did not succeed in reaching that law. Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as if it were based on works.  They have stumbled over the stumbling stone, as it is written, “Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense; and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.”

 1 Corinthians 1:23   but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles,

 John 6:27-29     Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For on him God the Father has set his seal.” Then they said to him, “What must we do, to be doing the works of God?”  Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.”

 Acts 16:30-34     Then he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”  And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.”

 1 John 5:12   Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.

By all appearances, the Gentiles found righteousness even though it did not seem that they really looked for it. By all appearances, Israel seemed to work for the righteousness of God with everything it had, but did not find it. What was the difference? Why did the unlikely Gentiles find righteousness, when the likely Jews did not? Because the Gentiles pursued the righteousness of faith, and the Jews pursued the law of righteousness. The Gentiles who were saved came to God through faith, receiving His righteousness. The Jews who seem to be cast off from God tried to justify themselves before God by performing works according to the law of righteousness. (Guzik)

There appears to be this huge stone that trips many multitudes of people up. Rather than trust in, rely on, and cling to Jesus Christ alone they choose to either flat out deny one true God exists and this is His plan and purpose for mankind, neglect, and complacency toward things of God and thereby can not recognize the difference between the worldly and things of God, or they, like many try to be right before God by performance (doing things that seem right in their own eyes as a means to be acceptable before God).  All of these will lead people straight to hell for eternity.  Don’t get me wrong about good works.  We are to do good works, but not so that we are right before God, but rather to bring honor and glory to Jesus Christ.  

Surrender of self-reliance, self-worth, and self-independence to belief, faith, trust, reliance, and obedience in, too, and on Jesus Christ alone is God’s plan and purpose for all of mankind.  His Word says we should know Him by the mere fact of creation, but what has man done? They say creation was from a big bang that happened before time and from the existence of nothing.  His Word says we should believe and trust in His Son, Jesus Christ, but many have deemed this to be nothing more than a fairy tale.  His Word says the only way to be right in God’s eyes is to believe in, cling to, trust in, and rely on Jesus Christ alone, but many have turned this into works of themselves so that by doing them God is, by some means, required or obligated to give us eternal life.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  Salvation through Jesus Christ is a gift from God.  Other than believing faith, trust,  and reliance in Jesus Christ will anyone receive this gift from God.

19.g. “O LORD my God, your wondrous deeds and your thoughts toward us;”

John 21:25   Now there are also many other things that Jesus did. Were every one of them to be written, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written.

 John 20:30-31    Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book;  but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

 Psalms 71:15   My mouth will tell of your righteous acts, of your deeds of salvation all the day, for their number is past my knowledge.

 Job 26:14   Behold, these are but the outskirts of his ways, and how small a whisper do we hear of him! But the thunder of his power who can understand?”

 Psalms 40:5    You have multiplied, O LORD my God, your wondrous deeds and your thoughts toward us; none can compare with you! I will proclaim and tell of them, yet they are more than can be told.

 Ephesians 3:20  Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us

If it were possible to write volumes of books that contained the works of Jesus, the world could not contain them.  The righteous acts of God and His deeds of salvation exceed our knowledge. Though we have been given God’s Word, it appears to be a vast writing with unlimited knowledge of God.  We could spend a lifetime reading it and our understanding of God would still be but a whisper of who and what God is, let alone His power, might, strength, grace, mercy, wisdom, knowledge, ………..  Understanding of God can not be something that is read and understood, it must be revealed to us by the Holy Spirit.  “To whom will he teach knowledge,

and to whom will he explain the message? For it is precept upon precept, precept upon precept, line upon line, line upon line, here a little, there a little.”

God has given deep in our hearts a beginning knowledge of Himself.  He has revealed Himself to us through creation.  He has revealed Himself through His Word.  He has revealed Himself through Jesus Christ.  He has revealed Himself through mighty and wondrous works of His power.  He has revealed His grace, mercy, and love through Jesus.  When we think of the limitlessness of God, then His Word and what we can see of His Creation speak but a whisper to our minds.  What He has revealed should not be considered a whisper though.  It should be considered a SHOUT, a thunderous SHOUT to each and every soul.  It is a SHOUT of love and of warning.  It is a SHOUT of eternal life and eternal torment and hell.  It is a Shout of the Heavenly and worldly.  It is a SHOUT of righteousness and wickedness, good and bad, faithful and unfaithful, truth and lies.  It is a SHOUT of hope, refuge, power, strength, and courage, and of fear, anger, hate, and confusion. It is a SHOUT of redemption, salvation, and forgiveness, and of judgment, condemnation, and rejection. 

It is a loud thunderous SHOUT to every soul.  On judgment day no one will be able to say I didn’t know or I never heard for it will be clear to them than just how many times in their lives they rejected and denied the thunderous SHOUTS of God’s warnings and love. 

19.e. “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

John 20:14   Now Thomas, one of the twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe.” Eight days later, his disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.” Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

Psalms 78:11-22     They forgot his works and the wonders that he had shown them.  In the sight of their fathers he performed wonders in the land of Egypt, in the fields of Zoan.  He divided the sea and let them pass through it, and made the waters stand like a heap.  In the daytime he led them with a cloud, and all the night with a fiery light.  He split rocks in the wilderness and gave them drink abundantly as from the deep.  He made streams come out of the rock and caused waters to flow down like rivers.  Yet they sinned still more against him, rebelling against the Most High in the desert.  They tested God in their heart by demanding the food they craved.  They spoke against God, saying, “Can God spread a table in the wilderness?  He struck the rock so that water gushed out and streams overflowed. Can he also give bread or provide meat for his people?”  Therefore, when the LORD heard, he was full of wrath; a fire was kindled against Jacob; his anger rose against Israel,  because they did not believe in God and did not trust his saving power.

Hebrews 3:12     Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God.

Hebrews 10:38-39   but my righteous one shall live by faith, and if he shrinks back, my soul has no pleasure in him.”  But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith and preserve their souls.

Thomas had doubts about what the other disciples to him about seeing Jesus.  Thomas would have seen Jesus hung on the cross and watched His death and being stabbed with a sword to make sure.  He was absolute in the fact that Jesus died.  Now to have his fellow disciples tell him Jesus was alive made no sense what so ever.  Thomas says I don’t care what you say, I saw Jesus die and there is no way you can get me to believe He is alive now unless I put my fingers in His side. Surely he would have heard from Peter and John that the grave was empty.  He also would have heard Mary saying she saw Jesus.  Thomas can not discount what he saw and override what he knows as truth, that once you are physically dead you do not come to life unless Jesus calls you to life.  How can Jesus, who is dead, raise Himself from the dead?  He did not care about the disciple’s witness or testimony.  He can not believe it true without physical confirmation.  

“Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”  Faith is the substance of things hoped for and proof/conviction of things not seen. Faith comprehends as fact what cannot be experienced by the physical senses.  By faith, we are transformed, born again, made new, realize forgiveness, and inherit eternal life.  Therein is where our hope rests by faith.  We can not add anything to faith and make ourselves better.  In fact, adding anything more to faith in the complete work (death and resurrection) of Jesus is to take away from what is rightly and solely glorified in Jesus.  Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.  No one comes to the Father but through Me.”  It is by faith alone.  Faith alone. Faith.  Our sins were paid in full by Jesus Christ if we believe (have faith) in Him alone.  We can not allow thoughts of needing to be good enough to receive the gift of salvation, redemption, and forgiveness of our sins to block us from Faith (relying on, clinging to, and trusting in) in Jesus Christ alone.  Faith casts out all doubt.  Faith allows us to cast out the doubts of being good enough.  By faith, we understand that we are not and will never be good enough and we surrender all of our hope in self-goodness relying fully on the grace, mercy, and love of Jesus Christ

19.c. “Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of him”

John 19:31  Since it was the day of Preparation, and so that the bodies would not remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a high day), the Jews asked Pilate that their legs might be broken and that they might be taken away. So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first, and of the other who had been crucified with him. But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. But one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and at once there came out blood and water. He who saw it has borne witness—his testimony is true, and he knows that he is telling the truth—that you also may believe. For these things took place that the Scripture might be fulfilled: “Not one of his bones will be broken.” And again another Scripture says, “They will look on him whom they have pierced.”

 Psalms 22:14   I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint; my heart is like wax; it is melted within my breast;

 Psalms 34:20    He keeps all his bones; not one of them is broken.

 Zechariah 12:10    “And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and pleas for mercy, so that, when they look on me, on him whom they have pierced, they shall mourn for him, as one mourns for an only child, and weep bitterly over him, as one weeps over a firstborn.

 Psalms 22:16-17   For dogs encompass me; a company of evildoers encircles me; they have pierced my hands and feet—  I can count all my bones— they stare and gloat over me;

 Revelation 1:7  Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of him. Even so. Amen.

 This was brutal work for rough men. They likely used an iron bar or a heavy club. “To secure speedy death the crucifragium, breaking of the legs with a heavy mallet or bar, was sometimes resorted to: as without such means the crucified might in some cases linger for thirty-six hours.” (Dods) This breaking of the legs must have been terrifying for a man still alive on a cross. 

Imagine the fear of being told you are going to be flogged and the fear while being tied up.  Imagine also the fear of being told you are going to be crucified and then laid on a cross with a burly guy standing at the ready to pound nail spikes through your wrists and feet. Then imagine hanging on the cross and seeing a guy coming up to you carrying a big club to break your legs.  All of this Jesus endured save for the breaking of His legs.  He did this for all who would believe, trust, follow Him.  His death on a cross is a historical fact.

Most modern scholars agree that while this Josephus passage (called the Testimonium Flavianum) includes some later interpolations, it originally consisted of an authentic nucleus with a reference to the execution of Jesus by Pilate. James Dunn states that there is “broad consensus” among scholars regarding the nature of an authentic reference to the crucifixion of Jesus in the Testimonium.

Early in the second century, another reference to the crucifixion of Jesus was made by Tacitus, generally considered one of the greatest Roman historians. Writing in The Annals (c. 116 AD), Tacitus described the persecution of Christians by Nero and stated (Annals 15.44) that Pilate ordered the execution of Jesus. Scholars generally consider the Tacitus reference to the execution of Jesus by Pilate to be genuine, and of historical value as an independent Roman source. And of course, this is recorded in all 4 Gospels by Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.  

Jesus endured all of this, save for the breaking of His legs.  He did this for all who would believe, trust, follow Him.  He did this for redemption, salvation, forgiveness.  He did this in obedience to the plan and purpose of His Heavenly Father.  He did this out of grace, mercy, and love.  He did this so that those who believe (cling to, rely on, and trust in Him) would have eternal life with Him forever.  “For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son.”  By faith we trust. It is not by being good enough or doing good enough things in our life that makes the death of Jesus Christ a payment or substitution for our sin.  It is faith in trust that what He did paid, in full, for our sin(s).  It can’t be earned. It can’t be bought.  Any hope in self must be surrendered. Any and all hope of being good enough must be cast far away from your mind.  Only whey you fully trust, by faith, in Jesus Christ’s redemption will you be set free from guilt, shame, and self-reliance.  

Too often we only think of this during Easter.  This should be on our hearts and minds every waking moment so that we ever remember the price that was paid for our sins out of grace, mercy, and love.

18.x. “I have given them your word”

John 17:14  I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. And for their sake I consecrate myself, that they also may be sanctified in truth. “I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word,

“See how the Lord Jesus himself takes all his teaching from the Father. You never hear from him any boast about being the originator of profound thoughts. No, he just repeated to his disciples the words he had received from the Father: ‘I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me.’ If Jesus acted thus, how much more must the messengers of God receive the word from the Lord’s mouth, and speak it as they receive it!” (Spurgeon)

The whole revelation of God was and is manifested in the words, works, and actions of Jesus Christ.  We would be in spiritual darkness without the revealed Word in Jesus Christ and the written Word of God.  We are called to bring and reflect the Light of Jesus Christ into the darkness of this world.  We do this for His honor and glory.  Our goal is to be in the world but not of it or of the evil one.  We are not to be fearful of this darkness.  We are not to be surprised by the evil one directing the dark and evil deeds of those who are his captive.  We are to live with a desire to continue to grow in our understanding and knowledge of Jesus Christ.  We are to live with a  continued desire for His Word.  We are to live with a desire to be obedient, faithful, and reliant on Him.  How can this be if we choose to become complacent and neglectful of the very Word that will continue to grow us in this understanding?  Christianity is not a course we take for a semester and think we have acquired knowledge for a lifetime.  A believer is forever in study, forever gaining knowledge, and forever becoming so that no matter how dark the darkness is, people will see the light of the Gospel and give glory and honor to Jesus Christ.

18.v. “For he will speak peace to his people”

John 16:31   Jesus answered them, “Do you now believe? Behold, the hour is coming, indeed it has come, when you will be scattered, each to his own home, and will leave me alone. Yet I am not alone, for the Father is with me. I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”

 Psalms 85:8-11    Let me hear what God the LORD will speak, for he will speak peace to his people, to his saints; but let them not turn back to folly.

 Micah 5:5   And he shall be their peace.

 Ephesians 2:14-17    For he himself is our peace

 Philippians 4:7    And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

 2 Thessalonians 3:16     Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in every way. The Lord be with you all.

Jesus relied upon His close relationship with God all the way to the cross, and even upon it. In the loneliest moments imaginable, He understood that the Father was with Him. (Guzik)

 “I remember that passage about Abraham going with Isaac to mount Moriah, where Isaac was to be offered up. It is written, ‘So they went both of them together.’ So did the Eternal Father and his Well- beloved Son when God was about to give up his own Son to death. There was no divided purpose; they went both of them together.” (Spurgeon)

Jesus offered His disciples peace. He made the offer in the most unlikely circumstances. At that very minute, Judas met with Jesus’ enemies to plot His arrest. Jesus knew that He would be arrested, forsaken, rejected, mocked, humiliated, tortured and executed before the next day was over. We think that the disciples should have comforted Him – yet Jesus had peace, and enough to give to others.  Jesus did not promise peace; He offered it. He said, “you may have peace.” People may follow Jesus yet deny themselves this peace. We gain the peace Jesus offered by finding it in Him. Jesus said, “that in Me you may have peace.” We won’t find real peace anywhere else other than in Jesus. This word of peace is especially meaningful set in the context of conflict – tribulation and overcome both speak of battles to fight. “He promises a peace which co-exists with tribulation and disturbances, a peace which is realized in and through conflict and struggle.” (Maclaren) 

Jesus also made the promise of tribulation. Peace is offered to us, but tribulation is promised.  Understanding this removes a false hope. Struggling Christians often hope for the day when they will laugh at temptation and there will be one effortless victory after another. We are promised struggle as long as we are in this world; yet there is peace in Jesus.