We are continuing in our study of prayer as part of the PPOG or the Predestination provided by God for the believer in eternity past for the purpose of determining just how and what we should pray for as we function in his plan for our lives.
At the moment we are examining Paul's prayers, and we have seen in our study of his prayers in Eph 1:18; Eph 3:14; Phil 1:3; and Col 1:9; that the focus of his prayer was for believers to appropriate by Grace the spiritual resources that God has provided and from that Grace provision, be enlightened, enabled and empowered to advance by Grace and through Faith in God's predetermined plan.
We are continuing in our examination of Paul's prayer for Timothy who was a pastor-teacher in 1Tim 1:2; Last time we discussed the mercy Paul was praying for Timothy to be cognizant of and started a brief discussion of the Peace Paul was praying for Timothy to experience.
We saw in John 14:27 that the peace that Timothy would receive from TLJC gives is not the same as that provided by the systems of philosophy and false religions.
Our Lord's peace meets all the desires of the soul, silences the fears of guilty and the condemned conscience, and will abide forever no matter what adversity.
Christ, is a Friend who will never leave the believer and he provides a peace that will always be with believers if they desire it. John 14:1;
No external circumstances can take this peace from a believer who understands it, not even the greatest disasters that can occur in life.
When The Lord Jesus Christ was about to leave the world, he committed his soul and spirit to God the Father. His body he left to Joseph of Arimathea. His clothes went o the soldiers at the cross. His mother He left to the care of John.
But what did he leave to His disciples?
He did not leave them the wealth of this world Acts 3:6; What He left them and us was infinitely better, Authority based on the Name of TLJC and His peace. It is a peace with God and with one another. A tranquility of mind that arises from understanding the implications of the believer's justification and perfect righteousness before God.
It is this inner peace of which he spoke, that He purchased for us on the Cross.
Our Lord was saying to His disciples and followers, you will be exposed to trouble and adversity, and you will have need of peace and so, to you I give my peace.
A peace that the world cannot understand because it's source is not of the world, it is from TLJC who is not of the world just as believers are not of the world even though they are in it.
The peace He gives is such that the prosperity that the world provides cannot add to it, nor can the evil of the world take it away, in fact it surpasses all natural comprehension. 1Cor 2:9-16;
This is the peace that Paul is interceding for Timothy to experience.
The gifts TLJC gives to believers cannot be provided by the world, because the world's solutions at their best can only address the issues of the the body in time.
Our Lord's gifts satisfy the soul for time and eternity while the world gives things that are transient and will ultimately fail, and can be taken away,
Our Lord gives blessings, which will never fail, and which will never be taken away. John 16:33; Rom 11:29; John 10:28-29;
Life's greatest wealth is inner peace and tranquility of soul.
In John 14:27; Our Lord did not say He would leave money or a peaceful environment but He said, "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you; not as the world gives, do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled."
Without the justification that is provided by the mercy of God it is impossible to have real peace, the conscience prevents it. Sin is a barrier between a man and God, and must be removed.
There is sense of guilt that lies heavy on every man's heart that must be removed for there to be peace.
Unpardoned sin destroys peace and the believer inside the PPOG knows their peace arises from a consciousness of sins being forgiven and guilt being put away forever. Psa 103:1-14;
Believers have peace with God, because they are justified by him, Rom 5:1;
The Lord Jesus Christ is called the Prince of Peace, Isa 9:6; because he is the source of all Peace. 2Cor 5:18-21;
The believer's peace starts with God and his provision in TLJC. Phil 4:7; The word translated "surpasses" is the Greek verb "huperchousa" and means to surpass or to rise above, to be superior in rank, authority, power.
The phrase translated "all is "panta" and "comprehension" is translated from "nous", which is a technical word for the left lobe of the soul or the mind, the intellectual faculty for human thought.
This spiritual peace and prosperity comes from God when the believer has advanced inside the PPOG to into the adult spiritual life and it goes above and beyond human thinking. The human mind is incapable of comprehending the impact of the advanced spiritual life.
This "peace" is because of justification, which means that God recognizes that He has given us His perfect righteousness. When the believer sins, they haven't changed their status with God, they are still justified and still have God's perfect righteousness, and therefore their eternal salvation remains secure because it is protected by the power of God.
The believer's justification and righteousness before God is irrevocable. Rom 11:29;
When believers understand this divine viewpoint and the fact that they are accepted with God forever because of his integrity, they stop struggling to obtain or maintain their justification and begin to enjoy peace with God.
Isa 32:17;a "And the work of righteousness will be peace,” This passage specifically address the temporal peace that will exist in the Millennial reign of TLJC, but it also refers to the peace that is available now in the believer's soul through their PMA of Bible Doctrine under the mentorship of God the Holy Spirit.
The work or fruit or production of righteousness is peace or completeness, soundness, prosperity, peace, tranquility, and contentment, believers have real peace because of their acceptance with God and they experience it when they understand it from their PMA of Bible Doctrine.
Isa 32:17;b "And the service (or the work and labor) of divine righteousness, quietness
and confidence forever."
"Eirene" or peace becomes the state of the soul of the person who has a relationship with the love and the integrity of God. A constant and unchangeable peace that is independent of circumstances is available to everyone who believes in TLJC.
When believers understand and believe in their imputed righteousness they receive quietness and confidence forever.
The peaceful habitation speaks of a dwelling place, a place of abiding with the Lord.
The imputation of divine righteousness and peace dwell together, Psa 85:10; This peace refers to the tranquil state of the soul of being assured of salvation and fearing nothing from God and being content in their relationship with God.
The manifestation of this peace in the believer's life begins with their cognition of the fact that they have peace with God, which is a relationship with the love of God because of his grace and mercy made possible by TLJC and secured by his righteousness and justice.
When this peace is established it becomes the basis for the believer to have peace with others. Rom 12:18.
This peace or "eirene" that Paul is praying for Timothy to have also involves materialistic security and prosperity as it is used in passages such as Luke 19:42; Heb 7:2.
This means that the believer has the capacity to treasure every moment of life, whether in adversity or prosperity. The believe has a zest for life and an enjoyment of every moment of life, regardless of what it brings because of their confident expectation from God.
The emphasis of "eirene” however, is placed on spiritual prosperity, which provides capacity for temporal prosperity, and God also provides the mature believer who has this spiritual peace with temporal prosperity in his way and his timing, Prov 8:18; Psa 23:5-6.