Let us turn now to God's Word
once again. In Colossians chapter 3 and turning
for our text to the words of verse 15. Colossians chapter
3 and verse 15. And let the peace of God rule
in your hearts to which also you are called in one body. and be ye thankful. Colossians chapter 3 and verse
15 and let the peace of God rule in your hearts to which also
you are called in one body and be ye thankful. Colossians is a short epistle,
just four chapters and it divides quite nicely into two parts.
The first two chapters, of course, contain remarkable doctrine,
great Christology. The doctrine of the Lord Jesus
Christ is very conspicuous in the first two chapters of this
epistle. And then, as is Paul's will,
in the last two chapters we come to the more practical part, practical
outworking as it were of that doctrine that he has been asserting
in the opening part and here in chapters 3 and 4 he has much
to say with regards to Christian living as those who truly know
the Lord Jesus Christ, those who are in Christ those who have
experienced that grace of God in salvation which is only in
the person and work of Jesus Christ, how these people are
to live their lives, how they are to conduct themselves. And
so in the opening verses of the chapter we read,
If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above,
where Christ sitteth, on the right hand of God, set your affection
on things above, not on things on the earth for you are dead
and your life is hid with Christ in God and then he goes on to
give a whole series of exhortations and instructions and commandments
and amongst them the words that we have read as our text tonight
the words of verse 15 and let the peace of God rule in your
hearts to which also you are called in one body and be ye
thankful. Well the subject matter that
we have of course here set before us is that of the peace of God. The peace of God which is the
portion of those who are in the Lord Jesus Christ. How they have
been delivered from that natural condition that they were born
in. They were in a state of alienation. They were born dead in trespasses
and in sins. We are told, are we not to have
a carnal mind? The natural mind is enmity against
God. It is not subject to the law
of God, neither indeed can be. That is our natural condition,
then enemies of God. Separate it, alienate it, And
yet here we read of that peace of God that has come into the
souls of those who are in the Lord Jesus Christ, the peace
of God. And I want, as we consider that
particular subject, to divide what I say into three parts,
to observe some three things. First of all, to say something
with regard to the source of this peace, from whence to obtain
this peace? Where is it found? We read here that it is the peace
of God. It's God's peace. It's a genitive,
is it not, indicating possession, the peace of God, that it belongs
to God. But when we think of God's peace,
in a sense, we're not to think so much of that as one of God's
attributes. There are those various attributes,
characteristics, that tell us something about God. Just do
it. And it might be said that peace
is one of His attributes, as His holiness and righteousness
and justice and love and mercy and grace So we can say that
peace is also an attribute of God. But is it not really more
than that? Isn't peace part of God's very
character? It's who God is. We're told,
for example, by John in his first epistle that God is love. In that sense, love is not so
much an attribute. It's who God is. He is a God
of love in His persons, in the persons of the Triniton. There
is a mutual love between those three divine persons. How that God the Father loves
the Son and delights in the Son, as we see in Proverbs chapter
8, where the Son, as the wisdom of God says, then I was daily
With him as one brought up, with him I was daily a delight, daily
a delight, rejoicing always before him. There is that love that
the father has towards his son, delighting in him. This is my
beloved son, he says, in whom I am well pleased. But then also
there is that love that the son bears towards the father, How
the son delights in the father, loves him when he comes into
this world, his one desire is to do the will of him who had
sent him, ever always subject to him, constantly about his
father's business. This is an expression of the
love that he bears towards his father, is it not? And then there
is that love of the Holy Spirit, how the Father and Son love the
Spirit, how the Spirit also loves the Father and the Son, how in
that great covenant of Christ the Spirit is so willing to come
and to engage in a ministry that is very self-effacing. He doesn't
speak of himself, he doesn't draw attention to himself, or
he'd be gone. but he delights to exalt the
son who is the one who has come to be the saviour of sinners.
God's very character is love and as there is that loving relationship
between the three divine persons so God is at peace with himself. He is unhurried. He is unperturbed. He always executes His will just
as He ever intended. He does it according to His will
among the armies of heaven and the inhabitants of the earth,
we are told. None can stay His hand, none can say to Him, what
do us that? We read of Him again in Isaiah
46 declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times,
the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand,
and I will do all my pleasure. This is God, you see. He is at
peace with himself, at peace with his great purpose, able
to execute it just as and when he will, and how different it
is when we compare ourselves with this God. So often we're
those who are much flustered, there is much that brings perplexion
into our lives and we find ourselves often times confused because
things seem to be unsure and so uncertain the future is unknown
to us and so often all seems to be nothing but darkness and
we find ourselves not really at peace There are many devices
in a man's heart, says the wise man. Nevertheless, the counsel
of the Lord, that shall stand. God is never perplexed or confused. God is at peace with himself,
at peace with his great purpose. I know the thoughts that I think
towards you, he says to Israel, thoughts of peace and not of
the evil. to give you unexpected ends. His thoughts are thoughts of
peace. The peace of God, which passes all understanding, says
Paul, shall keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Where is the source of peace? We find it not in this world,
the world of course lies in the wicked one. Alas, the consequence
of our first parents transgression, the fall of our first parents
and the curse that has come as a result of their disobedience
is to be witnessed on every hand. There is no peace in this earth.
If we follow anything of international events we are only too aware
of wars and conflicts. And so it will be, says the Lord
Jesus Christ, even to the end of time. For the only source
of peace then can be found in the God of peace. And this is
the one that the Apostle is speaking of, of course, here in the text,
the peace of God. Let the peace of God rule in
your hearts, to which also you are called in one body, and be
ye thankful. In the second place, consider
where this peace is to be seated. It is to rule, he says, in the
heart. Let the peace of God rule in
your hearts. However, what is the state of
our hearts by nature? We are told, are we not, that
the heart is deceitful, above all things, and desperately wicked.
Who can know it? And this is what came about so
soon after man's creation. We don't have to read far into
the book of Genesis before we discover how things were in that
antediluvian world, the world before the great flood. In Genesis chapter 6, God saw
that the wickedness of man was great in the earth and every
imagination of the thought of his heart was evil continually. Remarkable Hebraism that we have
in that statement. It's so full, so pregnant with
meaning. Every imagination of the thought
of his heart evil continually. That was the state of man. This
is the man that God created. And when God created the man,
he created him in his own image, after his own likeness. God's image bearer. And so, different
to the rest of the brute beast, man, even in his very posture,
created to stand upright. All the foolish evolutionists
might say that It's only by degrees that we came to this particular
posture. As we evolve from some longer
life form, that's not what scripture tells us it is. The scripture
indicates that man was made to have fellowship with God. He's
very standing there, erect, upright. Indicates that he is meant to
commune with his God, God who is in the heavens. But the last
man is a fallen creature. and how great is that fall of
man. Where is the seat of the evil? It's within the heart of man.
It's within the heart of man. The words of the Lord Jesus,
familiar words I'm sure that you've read many times in the
Gospel when Christ speaks to the Jews and Scribes and Pharisees
We're all concerned about the externals, the outward shell.
This is the religious man, is it not? He's content with the
form of godliness, so long as the outside is clean. But what
says Christ? That which cometh out of the
man, not defiled of the man. For from within, out of the heart
of men, Proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders,
thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil
eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness, all these evil things come from
within and defile the man. It's not what we take to ourselves
or take into ourselves. It's what is always within us.
This evil heart, and ultimately it is by nature that evil heart
of unbelief. The wickedness of men then. The
heart of man. And Paul of course learned that
dreadful lesson, did he not, when he was Saul, when he was
the Pharisee. He could say touching the righteousness
of the Lord, he was a bravest man. or how he lived the life
of a pharisee, how he was diligent in observing his religious practices
and seeking to govern his whole conduct by the law of God. But then when God met him and
God dealt with him, he was made to see that God's law has to
do with that that is inward, not simply that that is outward. And he was full of all concupiscence,
full of all evil desire. I know that is in my flesh, he
confessed it. There is no good thing. The wicked are like the troubled
sea when it cannot rest, whose waters cast up mire and dirt. There is no rest. saith my God
to the wicked. Or well might the hymn writer
say concerning the heart of man, Can ever God dwell here? Can ever God dwell within the
hearts of these who in their very nature are so wicked? A really hymn for public worship
but a hymn worth reading and pondering in our own private
devotions is it not? 310 creating me a clean heart
is the cry of the Psalmist Lord when thy spirit descends to show
the badness of our hearts astonished at the amazing view the soul
with horror starts the dungeon opening foul as hell its loathsome
stench emits and brooding in each secret cell some hideous
monster sits. And then he goes on, our staggering
faith gives way to doubt, our courage yields to fear. Shocked
at the sight we straight cry out, can ever God dwell here? And as I said this morning, this
is the sight of course that is given to us when God commands
the light to shine in the darkness. The God who commanded the light
to shine out of darkness has shined in our hearts, it says.
Shined in our hearts, and what do we see? Oh, we see only that
which is evil, yet this is the seat where God will have his
peace to come and be established. The peace of God, he says, rule
in your hearts. It's to rule in our hearts. How
is this possible then? Well, we come again, of course,
to that blessed truth of the divine sovereignty. What does he go on to say? Through
the which also ye are called. Here is the sovereignty of God.
Through the which also ye are called. This is the effectual
call, this is the call of God. We cannot make our hearts right
with God. We cannot cleanse our own hearts.
We cannot establish peace in our own hearts. Our hearts are
like that troubled sea casting up mire and dirt and every unclean
thing. We cannot cleanse ourselves.
We cannot ruin our own spirits. We need that God himself should
come. This is the call of God. We are called to peace, you see,
called to peace by the God of peace. Isn't the Lord Jesus Christ
that one who is declared to be the Prince of Peace? And when we think of the Spirit,
isn't the Spirit the fruit of peace? Well, peace is one of
the fruits of the Spirit. But surely here it is principally
the Lord Jesus Christ that we are to think of. because as I
said at the outset this epistle is so full of Christ of course
all the scriptures are full of Christ he is the one who said
search the scriptures these are they which testify of me he is
everywhere in the scripture but read through Colossians 1 and
2 and see how Paul here sets before us so much of the doctrine
of the Lord Jesus Christ in such a conspicuous fashion If ye then
be risen with Christ, he says, seek those things which are above,
where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God, ye are dead, your
life is hid with Christ in God. Christ then is the one that we
are to think of here with regards to this Sovereignty. He is that King. The King of
Kings. The Lord of Lords. And where
the word of a King is, there is authority. Now, in John chapter 14, of course,
we have that great legacy that the Lord Jesus Christ gives to
his disciples. He says to them there at the
end of John 14, peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto
you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither be you afraid. This is
the legacy of the Lord Jesus Christ and he goes on, as we
saw in that short portion that we read at the end of John 22,
to repeat that. When he meets with his disciples
after the resurrection, on that eve of that resurrection day,
when they are assembled together and then a week later, on that
second occasion when Thomas is with them, each time he greets
them, of course, with that expression, please, please be with me. It is the Lord Jesus Christ who
sovereignly bestows that blessed legacy of peace upon his disciples. Let the peace of God rule in
your heart to the which also you are called in one body and
be ye sanctified. Well let us consider a number
of things with regards to this legacy of peace. First of all,
we see it when we have a right understanding of the person of
the Lord Jesus Christ. Isn't one of the names that he's
given to him, he's given many names of course in scripture
and all the names that are given are significant because names
are of vast importance here in the Word of God, the meaning
of names. And this is one of the names that he's given to
Christ. Back in Isaiah chapter 9, that great promise of the
incarnation unto us, a child is born unto us, a son is given,
and the government shall be upon his shoulders, and his name shall
be called Wonderful, Counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting
Father, the Prince of Peace. All that child that was born,
and that son that was given, that's the incarnation, is it
not? The son is not born, the son
is the eternal son of the eternal father. The father sends his
only begotten son, the child is born. That is the human nature
that in that great mystery of godliness in the incarnation
is joined to the eternal son of God, that holy thing that
shall be born of thee, shall be called the son of God, said
the angel to Mary, and what is his name? He is the Prince of
Peace. And so, when the angels come
to proclaim the birth, what is there some glory to God in the
highest on earth place? Goodwill toward men. He comes as the Prince of Peace. There was peace. There was the
great Pax Romana, the Peace of Rome. there was some political
stability throughout the empire the might of Rome ruled and put
down every rebellion, there was order there was a political peace
at the time when Christ was born but what is that peace that he
comes as the prince of his kingdom, he is not of this world if my
kingdom were of this world then would my servants fight, he says
it is a spiritual kingdom and he comes as that one who is the
blessed prince of peace, he himself is the peace Micah chapter 5
and verse 5 says this man shall be the peace or the man Christ
Jesus it is in this man that we see the reconciliation of
the sinner to God those who are chosen are chosen in this man,
they are chosen in Christ or the person of the Lord Jesus
Christ, and so important. And then of course, united to
that is that great work that Christ came to do. And as I said, here in this epistle,
Paul has much to say with regards to Christ. Here he speaks of
the work of the Lord Jesus Christ. In chapter verse 19 he says,
He pleased the Father that in Him should all fullness dwell,
and having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him
to reconcile all things unto himself, by him I say, whether
they be things in earth or things in heaven, and you that were
sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked work,
yet now has he reconciled in the body of his flesh through
death to present you holy and unblameable and unreprovable
in his sight. Here is the great work of Christ
to reconcile, to reconcile the sinner to God. Those who were,
as we said just now, in a state of alienation, enemies and yet
reconciled how in the body of his flesh. That's the work that
he has done. He has paid the great price for
them. He has ransomed the sinner. He
has satisfied the demands of God's holy law. He has reconciled
the sinner unto God. How he has satisfied all God's
holiness, all God's justice. He is the propitiation for our
sins, says God in his epistle. He is the propitiation. Here
in his love, not that we love God, but that he loved us and
sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. What does it mean,
propitiation? It has to do with that Godward
aspect, that God, you see, being a just and a holy God, a righteous
God, he cannot wink at sin. God is angry with the sinner
every day. But now the Lord Jesus Christ has come and satisfied
all God's holy wrath. There is peace here. There is
peace. And it's all through the work
of the Lord Jesus Christ. Did we not read it there? In that 20th chapter, where Christ
comes to the disciples, verse 19, the same day, at evening,
this is the first day of the week, the day of his resurrection
then the same day at evening being the first day of the week
when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled
for fear of the Jews came Jesus and stood in the midst and said
unto them peace be unto you and when he had so said he showed
unto them his hands and his side Then were the disciples glad
when they saw the Lord. Now observe the juxtaposition,
the importance of it. He says, Peace be unto you. And as He says it, He shows them
His hands. He shows them His side. He shows
them those wounds that He had sustained on Calvary's cross,
where He had shed His precious blood. It was by that very bloodshedding
by that cruel death of the cross that he procured that peace that
he now proclaims to them. It was his death that procured
their peace with God. This is the great work of the
Lord Jesus Christ. Being justified by faith or the
necessity of our trust being only in Him. being justified
by faith we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ
for this man is the peace and this great work that the man
has accomplished this is the peace that is to rule in the
heart and this is the peace that Christ calls us to you see let
the peace of God rule in your heart to the which also your
core in one body and be you thankful. But then we see this peace when we think
also of the covenant that was made, the eternal covenant that
was made between the father and the son, that great covenant
of redemption. Is it not spoken of as a council
of peace? Zechariah chapter 6 and verse 13 the council
of peace we read shall be between them both. This is the covenant
between the father and the son. It is a council of peace, it
is a covenant of peace. and so what does Christ say to
his disciples when he makes mention first of all of that great legacy
in John 14 27 peace I leave with you he says my peace I give unto
you or notice what he calls it, it's my peace it's my peace,
it's most profound really it is that peace that the Lord Jesus
Christ himself enjoys as a result of his own obedience to all those
covenant engagements, all that he undertook to perform in terms
of the eternal covenant he has fulfilled. And he is the great covenant
head of his people, is he not? And so that peace that he has,
why that is their peace also. What does he say here in chapter
2? And verse 12, ye are complete
in him he says. He are complete in him. In him dwelleth all the fullness
of the Godhead bodily and ye are complete in him which is
the head of all principality and power. It's in that covenant you see,
that council of peace. all is complete, all salvation
is accomplished, and this is what the believer enjoys, the
peace of God, which passeth understanding. But thinking of the Lord Jesus
Christ as that one who calls his people to such peace as this,
we must also of course take account of the word of the Lord Jesus
Christ. And so the exhortations continue
here. Verse 15 and then verse 16 he
says, let the peace of God rule in your hearts, let the word
of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing
one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing
with grace in your hearts to the Lord. We don't have time
of course to consider what he is saying with regards to the
importance of our praises when it comes to the worship of God
and the significance of our praises. There is a didactic element to
them, we're teaching one another, we're exhorting one another,
we're admonishing one another even as we sing our hymns. and
we need to carefully consider the very content then of our
songs of praise today of course in so many so-called Christian
circles the singing is nothing more than a show really there's not that proper element
of worship and reverence there's not that real substance to what's
being sung Thank God that there is real substance in those hymns
that we do sing. Great doctrinal truths are contained
in our hymns. The hymn book you know is full
of sound theology and not only sound doctrine but also wedded
to a real experience and a desire to experience more and more of
that grace of God. This is how we sing our praises.
We should ponder the words that we sing in. Let the word of Christ
dwell in you richly, he says, in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing
one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing
with grace in your hearts to the Lord. But that word of Christ
that we read of in the beginning of verse 16, dwelling in the
heart richly, the word that he uses, richly, means abundantly,
plentifully, It has to do with the Scriptures at large. Let
the Word at large dwell in you. The Word at large. That's every part of the Word
of God. That's all the promises of the
Word of God. But not only all the promises, that's every precept
in the Word of God. we should be men and women of
this blessed book and embrace it and live by it and in the
context here of course we have the more practical part of the
epistle we have these exhortations look at what the calling of the
Christian is verse 12 he says put on therefore
as the elect of God holy and beloved vows of mercy, kindness
humbleness of mind, meekness, long-suffering, forbearing one
another and forgiving one another. If any have a quarrel against
any, even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. And above all these things, as
an overcoat to all these things, put on charity, put on love,
which is the bond of perfectness. And let the peace of God rule
in your heart. This is that word, you see, that is to dwell richly
and plentifully in our hearts and ultimately we find it all
in the Lord Jesus Christ, do we not? If we search the scriptures,
what do we find? Search the Scriptures, in them
ye see that ye have everlasting life, said Christ. These are
they that testify of me." Are we not always brought to this
that we have to look to Christ? Or we have to look to Christ,
complete in Him as we read there in chapter 2 and verse 10. You
are complete in Him, which is the head of all principality
and power. It's in Christ you see. It's
that word of Christ that we need to dwell so plentifully in our
hearts. But not only the word as we have it here on
the page of Holy Scripture and we can read it and study it and
meditate upon it, is there not also the preaching of Christ? Isn't this the way in which Christ
comes and calls. He comes by His Spirit, does
He not? And He comes in His works when He thus comes by His Spirit. When Paul writes to the Ephesians,
he reminds them that they have not so known Christ. If so, they
have heard Him and been taught by Him as the truth is in Jesus. We know that the Lord Jesus was
never at Ephesus, never in Asia Minor, His ministry was very
much in Palestine. He was sent to the lost sheep
of the house of Israel and yet Paul says to those at Ephesus,
ye have not so learned Christ, if so thee that ye have heard
him. Heard him and been taught by
him. How did they hear? How were they
taught by the Lord Jesus Christ? It was through preaching. Doesn't
the Lord come in the preached world? and I think he called
his people effectually in the preaching let the peace of God
rule in your hearts by the which also to the which also you are
called he says. All Christ calls us effectually
then under the preaching of the game we have it there in the
portion that we were reading in chapter 20 of John we refer just now to verses 19
and 20 where he says peace be unto you and when he had so said
he showed unto them his hands and he signed verse 21 then said
Jesus to them again peace be unto you as my father hath sent
thee even so send I you and when he had said this He breathed
on them and sat on them, receiving the Holy Ghost, whosoever sins
he remit, they are remitted unto them, and whosoever sins he retain,
they are retained. What is he saying here? He is
referring to the day of Pentecost. Again he speaks of peace, peace
be unto you, and then he sends them. And as he speaks, he breathes
on them. and says, receive ye the Holy
Ghost, this is the Spirit who proceedeth from the Father and
the Son, and he goes on to speak of the preaching and the consequence,
the remission of sins, the retaining of sins. How the Gospel comes,
you see, in that discriminatory fashion, to some the savour of
life, to others the savour of death. That's how the Gospel
comes. Some are called effectually unto
the Gospel for the preaching of Christ. the sovereignty of
God as he calls his people and then ultimately here of course
we have this piece of the Lord Jesus Christ as he rules as he
rules in the hearts of his people to which also you are called
he says in one body in one body and be thankful What are believers
to do? They are one body endeavouring
to keep the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace. We read
in Ephesians chapter 4. God doesn't save his people in
isolation. Does he not gather his people
into local churches? Does he not bring them together
into the fellowship? one with another. This is what
God's purpose is. This is the way of God's salvation,
is it not? Yes, there is a calling, but
there is here also the doctrine of the local church. We are called
together, we are called out of the world, that's the very meaning
of course of the word church or congregation as it would better
be rendered. The ecclesia, the called out
ones, called out of the world. according to the fellowship of
the Lord Jesus Christ gathered together in local churches to
which also you are called in one body there is one body and God's people are to be a
thankful people be thankful are we those who are thankful that
God should ever have mercy upon us that God should put it into
our hearts to come together like this despite by the world how the
worldling has no desire for these things how the worldling would
dismiss these things consider us to be strange creatures religious
maniacs maybe and yet are we not so thankful that in his mercy
God has so doubted us as to shed abroad his love in our hearts,
to reconcile us to himself, to gather us together as a local
church that we might worship him and express to him all our
gratitude for that great love wherewith he has loved us, shedding
abroad his peace in our hearts. Let the peace of God rule in
your hearts. to the which also ye are called
in one body, and be ye thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell
in you richly, in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one
another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with
grace in your hearts to the Lord, and whatsoever ye do in word
or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks
to God and the Father. by Him. Amen. 925. Peace by his cross has Jesus
made, the church's everlasting head, for hell and sin has victory
won, and with a shout to glory gone. Number 925. Oh, heaven sent a sickly one,
and with a shell Thy head the billows roll And
shades of sin obscure thy soul When thou canst no deliverance
see Yet still this man thy peace shall be. In tribulation's thorny
maze, or in the mount of sovereign grace, O'er in the fire or through the
sea, This glorious man thy peace shall be. Yea, when thy eye of
faith Rest Thou on Jesus, sink or swim,
And at His footstool hover Thee. For Israel's God Thou art King, May the grace of the Lord Jesus
Christ and the love of God and the communion of the Holy Ghost
be with you all. Amen.