Prophet Isaiah had prophesied in minute detail about the birth, life, suffering,
death, resurrection and the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. Among many
names given to the Lord Jesus in Isaiah 9:6, one is the Prince of Peace. It means,
only in Him, by Him and through Him, people can find true peace. Then we find that
the same message was brought to the earth at His birth in Bethlehem. That message
was brought from heaven by a multitude of heavenly host. "Glory to God in the
highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men" (Luke 2:14). These words are
sung by many Christians at Christmas. They go out for carol singing, singing the
same songs the whole night. But they sing for the sake of cake, coffee or tea. They
are not after real peace. They are concerned much more about cakes and other
things.

Now let us see how necessary it is to make sure that we have found true
peace. "Peace be unto you" (John 20:19-21), was the first message our Lord Jesus
gave to His disciples after His resurrection. These disciples were filled with fear, and
they were hiding themselves with doors and windows closed. All of a sudden, the
Lord Jesus Christ came inside, and the first words He spoke were "Peace be unto
you". What He had said in John 14, was now being repeated. Now those disciples
had seen many miracles for three and a half years. Also they had heard His sermons.
For His sake, they forsook all and followed Him. They were good people. They were
familiar with the words of the Lord Jesus. But that day they did not have real peace.
So our Lord said, "Peace be unto you." In other words, He told them, " I had to
suffer for your sake so that peace might come into you". You may be familiar with
the whole Bible and perhaps you have seen some miracles being performed here and
there in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ, either through you or others around you.
But tell me, have you found true peace? Can you say truthfully and sincerely that
real peace has come into you?

We find Paul the apostle repeating the words grace and peace in every epistle
in the beginning itself."... Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and the Lord
Jesus Christ" (Rom.1: 7). Also please see 1 Cor.1: 3, 2 Cor.1: 2, Gal.1: 3, Eph.1: 2,
Phil. 1: 2, Col. 1: 2, 1 Thess. 1: 1,2 Thess. 1: 2, 1 Tim. 1: 2, 2 Tim. 1: 2, Titus 1: 4.

This shows that the grace of God, and the peace of God must go together. The more
grace you have, the more peace you will enjoy. The more peace you have, the more
grace you will enjoy. You cannot have God's grace without having true peace. That is
why you must make sure that you have found true peace. Many are deceived by
worldly peace. Our Lord said, "...my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth,
give I unto you" (John 14:27).

Further, we read in Rom. 16:20, and the God of peace shall bruise Satan
under your feet shortly. We do not defeat Satan by Bible knowledge or long prayers
or by seeing dreams or miracles. Scripture says that the God of peace shall bruise
Satan under our feet. That is why the devil tries to disturb our peace. He has many
devices to disturb our peace, because it is only then he can come inside. Kindly make
sure that you have found true peace, otherwise remember you are going to be
defeated by the devil by some trick or device.

Again in Rom. 14:17 we read, "For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink;
but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost". Your share in God's
Kingdom also depends upon your peace.

In the same way, we read in Isa. 32:17,"And the work of righteousness shall
be peace; and the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance for ever". If you
want to become more righteous or holy, then you must have more peace. Just by
good works you are not going to become righteous or good. Even though outwardly
you may look good, inwardly the throne of Satan is in your heart.

Further in Rom.15: 13 we read, "Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and
peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy
Ghost". God's power can work fully in you when you find true peace. If you have not
found true peace, you cannot pray properly. If you have not found true peace, you
cannot defeat Satan easily. It is only by inward peace that you can hear the voice of
God.

Again in Heb.13: 20,21 it says, "Now the God of peace, that brought again
from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood
of the everlasting covenant, Make you perfect in every good work to do his will,
working in you that which is well -pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to
whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen." It is only by inward peace that we can be
sure and clear about God's perfect will. Without that peace, we cannot find God's
will. There is one question, which is put to us again and again everywhere, not only
by young believers, but also by mature believers, and even God's servants, "How to
make sure of God's will?” When people do not know how to find God's will, they
make many mistakes in their business, marriages and plans in their lives, and they
pay a heavy price afterwards for many years. Thus we have seen how necessary it
is. To make sure that our peace is genuine and real, and not false.

Now let us see what kind of peace our Lord Jesus Christ gives us. First of all,
it is the peace of the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. "Peace I leave with you, my peace I
give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be
troubled, neither let it be afraid" (John 14:27). It is not by any good deeds that we
can receive this peace. It is as He says, His own peace, He Himself, the living Person
becomes our peace: That is why He died and rose again. He died that we may die to
our old nature. Then only, our Lord Himself can come and live in us by the power of
His resurrection. Till then, you cannot find that peace. That peace does not depend
upon Bible knowledge, or any human qualifications. He cannot live in us unless we
are inwardly purified, cleansed and washed. No one can purify himself by his own
efforts. The Lord Jesus Christ undertakes to cleanse us from every inward defilement
with His own blood. Then He says, "Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be
afraid". He began the message with the same words as we read in John 14: 1. That
true peace will deliver you from all your fears; fear of the past, fear of the future,
fear of the enemy, fear of sickness, fear of death, fear of war and other calamities,
fear of men and fear of loneliness. All these fears are driven away when the Lord
Jesus Christ comes into us. No human activity can make you free from these fears.
The Scripture says, "There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear:
because fear hath torment" (1 John 4:18).

Fear will make you restless and take away your sleep and hunger. Fear is
much more painful than any painful sickness. It affects all your nerves and the entire
system of your body, and the whole body starts trembling. When fear comes in, the
heart starts beating fast. You begin to think, "What is going to happen? What is
going to happen?" That fear in you makes you to say that. No man can take away
your fear, but the Lord Jesus Christ. He says, "Let not your heart be troubled: ye
believe in God, believe also in me" (John 14:1). All these fears will be removed one
by one when you have the peace of the loving Savior in you. This is the first kind of
peace that the Lord gives, His own peace.

Secondly, "And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye
are called in one body; and be ye thankful" (Col. 3:15). This peace will make you
feel one with every one else. No more Tamilians or Punjabis, no more rich or poor,
no more white or black, no more Telangana or Andhra, no more Komati or any other
caste. All differences are removed. That is what the Scripture says. We are called in
one body. No man can bring that oneness. People have tried, but they have failed.
But in the Lord Jesus Christ, we can be perfectly one with everyone, anywhere
everywhere.

I had the privilege to visit many countries have never felt a stranger in any
country. I did not know the language, but I could feel one with the believers there.
No question of difference amongst us. Only the Lord Jesus Christ can make us one
like this. Also the verse says, be ye thankful (Col. 3:15). Real peace will make you
thankful. There will be a note of praise and thanks- giving all the time. Otherwise,
you are never satisfied. You begin the day murmuring and end the day murmuring.
Always you find something wrong somewhere, either in the coffee, or rice, or rasam,
or someone speaking about your head, nose, etc. But if you have real peace the Lord
will teach you to be thankful in everything, in all situations, circumstances and
conditions in life. We can thank God for His love, grace and mercy. Eventually
everything turns out for our good.

Thirdly, this peace is for all the time. Now the Lord of peace himself gives you
peace always by all means. The Lord be with you all (2 Thess. 3:16). God Himself
will give you peace, and He Himself will be with you always. This peace will make
you and keep you conscious of His very presence with you at all times. There are
some people who cannot sleep at night alone. They are terrified by loneliness. If
there is someone at home, they are happy. They are so afraid that they must have a
little bulb burning all night. They are afraid of darkness. Do not think that these
things will give you sleep. The Lord says, I am with you, don't be afraid. That
consciousness of His presence is a wonderful thing.

Fourthly, in Phil. 4:7 we read, "And the peace of God, which passeth all
understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus". This peace
will keep you strong within. It is like a strong army around you. You are safe inside.
God's peace will garrison you like a big army with weapons. Let there be famine,
calamity, earthquake or war, you are safe and secure. Scripture says, "But the very
hairs of your Head are all numbered" (Matt.10: 30) and your tears are bottled up
(Psa.56:8). You are safe in Him. Let there be any change in the world around us, we
are safe in our Lord, entirely and perfectly safe.

The fifth kind of peace is healing peace. "Behold, I will bring it health and
cure, and I will cure them, and will reveal unto them the abundance of peace and
truth" (Jer.33: 6). True peace will heal all your wounds. There are some wounds,
which cannot be healed by ointment or medicine. They are inside. These wounds are
caused by friends, relations, and strangers. When friends betray us, it causes very
deep and painful wounds. In the same way, when children are unfaithful, it leaves a
deep wound. When our enemies hurt us by words, they cause wounds and these
wounds cannot be healed easily. They cannot be healed by any medicine. But God's
peace heals every kind of wound caused by friends and enemies.

Sixthly, "Great peace have they which love thy law; and nothing shall offend
them" (Psa. 119: 165). It is great peace. It gives you love for God's Word and says,
"Nothing shall offend them". Many believers are offended very easily even over a cup
of tea or coffee. If someone does not smile at them, they get offended. They keep
away from meetings for many, many months. They say, "I will not go to Hebron,
because that brother never spoke to me. I am not going there at all". Their peace
has gone away. That is worldly peace. But here it says, "Nothing shall offend them"
(Psa. 119: 165). Whether anyone gives us a cup of tea or not, it will not offend us. It
is great peace.

Seventhly, "Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on
thee: because he trusteth in thee" (lsa.26: 3). This is perfect peace. It, gives you
strong faith in all situations. You can trust God's Word and His promises.
Now please tell me, "Have you got that peace?" You may ask, "How to find
that peace?" Eph. 2:14 says, "...he is our peace". The Lord Jesus Christ Himself is
our peace. Also "For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is
life and peace" (Rom.8: 6). When you are spiritually minded you find true peace. By
dying to your old nature, you find true peace. By receiving divine nature, you find
true peace. That is why the Lord Jesus Christ died, so that you may die to your old
nature. He died to take away your punishment, and rose again to give you divine
nature. And that nature gives you true peace. Then by hearkening unto His voice and
obeying God, your peace will be multiplied. "O that thou hadst hearkened to my
commandments! Then had thy peace been as a river and thy righteousness as the
waves of the sea" (lsa.48: 18).

May our Lord speak to you and give you that ", peace. If you have not
received that peace ask for it' do not remain without it, you can have it right now.