The word peace, rather, is the Greek word, um, Irene. Hallelujah. It's the Greek word, Irene. It's E-I-R-E-N-E.
Irene. And what this word, Irene, from the Greek describes, it's a harmonious relationship between God and man. Irene. That's what Irene means. It's a harmonious relationship.
What? Between God and man. It's a harmonious relationship. It's in harmony. There's nothing more beautiful than harmony.
Now unison, that's nice, but everybody's singing the same note. But when harmony, it's a blending together. You have the bass, and then you have a baritone. And then you have second tenor and first lieutenant.
And then you have the alto and the soprano. Oh, it has such an angelic flavor to it. It's It's harmonious. And when there is a blending of harmony between God and man, that's Irene. That's peace.
Now also, let me say this word peace, Irene. It carries this. misunderstanding, and we'll see it here in the book of Philippians.
It's a deep, remember we said that peace and joy, or let me say it this way, joy and peace are real close together in terms of this part of its definition. Joy and peace is a deep sense of inner well-being. The difference is one word.
Everything else and the definition here is the same with joy and peace. It's a deep sense of what? Inner well-being. Everything's, in other words, you know, you heard that song, I got a feeling everything's going to be all right. It's a deep sense of inner well-being.
Now joy, it's independent of outward circumstances. In spite of what's happening outwardly, independent of that, joy doesn't depend on the circumstances. so it's a deep sense of inner well that's independent of outward circumstances. Knowing, listen, knowing that the Lord has adequate resources to handle it. Now, what's the difference between that and peace?
Peace is a deep sense of inner well-being, not so much in terms of independent, but undisturbed by outward circumstances. Meaning that's not going to... to interrupt my peace.
Meaning all hell, for lack of a better term, can be broke out around you. Things are not going right with your children. Things are not going right with your marriage. Things are not going right on your job.
Nothing is going right in your life. And yet and still, there's a peace that passed all the understanding of all of that. See, in other words, it's undisturbed, and I'm going to show you why.
This is so good to me, glory to God. That's why you can have people that's out here in the world and filled with trouble and have someone in a small little box in jail and full of peace. All they got is a bed, a toilet.
Little water in there, and they'll fill with peace. Got a person out in the world in a large house. World, north, south, east, and west, and filled with hell.
Why? Because they don't have the peace. Which is simply to say, it's undisturbed by what's going on outside.
because joy and peace is an inside job. Oh, somebody ought to give Jesus a high five. Hallelujah.
And this is why he says, it passes all understanding. A person, look at that kind of person. kind of person say, I don't understand it. Seemed like to me you would be just broke up.
Seemed like to me you'd be falling to pieces. Seemed like to me, but yet and still there is a peace that pass of all the person's understanding because a peace is a deep sense of inner well-being that is undisturbed by outward circumstances. Why?
Knowing this, that the Lord has adequate resources to handle it. No matter where I am, what I'm going through, he'll make a way where there is no way. somebody give Jesus a praise if you believe.
Now it says it right here in the book of Philippians. Are you there? Chapter four, notice what it says.
Philippians chapter four, verse four. Let's start with that. Rejoice where?
In the Lord, how often? Always. And the reason why we rejoice in the Lord because we rejoice in terms of who the Lord is. We're never sad when you look at who the Lord is. So you rejoice in the Lord.
Always, and again I say, rejoice not only in who he is, but in what he says. Say it. What he says. What he says.
Hallelujah. What he says, Irene. Glory to God. And then he says, let your moderation, that is the mode of operation. That is your respond and not react.
Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand. Where is the Lord? He's here.
And the Lord is at hand. he has adequate resources to handle whatever the dilemma is. The Lord can handle it. See, what causes us to be uptight, we try to figure out what only God can work out.
I keep saying it. Oh, I hope that you're embracing this. Go ahead and give him praise.
We're trying to work out what only God can, or figure out what only God can work out. You can't figure out this. God has to make a way many times where there is no way. And it says, let your moderation be known that the Lord is what?
At hand. And then he said, He says, be careful for nothing but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving. Notice that.
Be careful for how many things? No things. In the word careful, he's talking about don't be worried. Don't worry about anything. Not about nothing.
No, not if the Lord is at hand. He says, be careful, don't worry about anything, but in everything, by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known unto God. Now notice now, here it is, and the peace of God, that's Irene. That's the peace of God which passeth all understanding.
What will the peace of God do? It shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. That brings us to Colossians.
Through Christ Jesus. Go to the book of Colossians. That's right behind the book of where you are.
Philippians, Colossians chapter. If you would go to chapter 3. Hallelujah. See, the peace of God, first of all, I want you to see it's someone, and the someone give you something.
And we'll see the someone in just a moment. But he says, let's see, he says, And the peace of God, the path of all understanding, shall keep your heart and mind through Christ Jesus. Meaning, if you don't have Christ Jesus, then your heart and mind cannot be kept with peace.
And this is why the scripture says that there is... is no peace unto the wicked. No matter what, the wicked does not have peace. One of the ways, now listen to me, one of the ways that you can tell if a person is truly saved, a person can play the game if they want and make like they are.
They can make like they are, but the way that you can tell if a person is saved is the love of God. Because when they get saved, God's love come on the inside of them. And if they have the love of God, God says, see, God says, examine yourself.
And then he says, now prove yourself. Know you're not your own self, that Christ is in you, or else you'd be a reprobate. Meaning the person can say, well, you know, Christ is in me.
But that doesn't mean Christ is in them. See, it can be, listen, it can be hypocrisy. It can be, in other words, it can be fool's gold.
Just because you say you got gold, it doesn't mean that you got gold. And some people buy gold and say, I got a deal. And all the time, someone got a steal.
In other words, somebody got you. No, you come to find out that you got what's called what? Fool's gold.
It looks like gold. But it's fool's gold. Now why do they call it fool's gold? Because somebody fooled you.
Somebody told you that... that you have something that's not authentic, it's not the real thing. And the way that a person know that they say, they can play the game, they can make like they say, they can join a church, they can listen, shake the preacher's hand, but if they don't have peace in the midst of...
their trouble. That's one of the telltale signs that either you are out of the distance of God's love to reach you or you didn't have it in the beginning. I'm helping somebody. Somebody that's going to hear this, I'm helping somebody.
I say, Sister Trim, I'm helping somebody. Now, hallelujah. Now, I'm not judging you. I'm telling you what the Bible says. examine yourself.
Because see, listen, you can can be inoculated with something that'll keep something from you. In other words, oftentimes they will inoculate us with the thing that they're trying to keep us from catching. And they give us a little bit of that so that when the thing...
come knocking on your door it's already there and it keeps on moving so some of us we if you will we can say we have jesus but just in other words but you don't now the bible says that and one of the ways that you know that you do at some point you got to have peace now the reason why The reason why, no matter what, no matter what, this world will never have peace. That's why over in the Middle East, over here, wherever you go, I don't care where it is. And this is the reason why people say, I never thought it would happen here at Fort Hood. Or I never thought.
It would happen here. I never, in other words, you're not in heaven. What you mean you never thought it would happen? It wouldn't happen here.
I never thought in a million years it would have. Have you forgot where you are? Have you forgot where you are? Jesus is the Prince of Peace.
And until the world accepts the Prince of Peace, the world will never be in peace. Because he's the Prince of Peace. Hallelujah.
Don't patty cake. Give him a praise. Hallelujah. And my friend, my friend, my friend, the harmonious relationship between man and God, if man doesn't have a relationship of peace with God, that man will not be in peace with himself.
And if he's not in peace with himself, then he cannot be in peace with another man or woman. No matter what the fight is on all the time. Why?
Because you're not in peace with God. It's a harmonious relationship with man and God. And if man doesn't have peace with God, he can't have peace with himself. Man, I'm glad I'm a member of the House of Prayer. Glory to God.
Hallelujah. You ought to be giving God praise right now. And thanking God.
Because no matter if you have it or don't have it, we can praise God that I hear the truth. And the truth is what makes me free. Hallelujah.
All glory to God. Now in the book of Galatians, Galatians in the book of, I'm sorry, Colossians chapter 3. Are you there? Colossians the third chapter. Say hallelujah. The third chapter, look if you would at the 14th verse.
And above all these things. verse 12 what does it say put on therefore huh as the elect of God so he's telling you to put this on then verse 14 and above all these things put on what charity what is charity love which is the bond of what perfection look my way it's the bond and sure it's what binds us together Gary is is the bond of perfection it's the bond of maturity is the bond of development charity which is the bond of perfection are you there? and then verse 15 and let the peace of God rule in your hearts to the which also you are called in one body and be ye thankful Verse 15, and let the peace of God do what?
Rule. Now give me the amplified version if you could on the overhead. Oh Gil, this is good, man.
I'm telling you, glory to God, hallelujah. kissing us tonight. I am so thankful for the grace of God and for the Holy Spirit who's the teacher, the cause of the eyes of our understanding to be in life, that we can see these things because it helps us. It is in this, it helps us to keep what?
Yourself. Where? In. In the love of God.