Greet ye one another with a kiss of charity. Peace be with you all that are in Christ Jesus. Amen. We ask Heavenly Father that this last benediction might be a blessing to us as we understand what it means and as the blessing itself falls upon us. We pray for your will to be done in each of us who are here this morning. We ask this in Jesus' name. We ask this for Jesus' glory. Amen. You may be seated. When I was a kid, we didn't have a television. There were a few radios around, been around a little while, and we had one of those at our house. My mother let it play throughout the day to give her company while my dad was at work downtown. There were days when she would be happy, and she would sing along to the songs that she knew reasonably well. As a result, I heard and subconsciously learned dozens and dozens of the popular songs of the 1950s. I know some of you can't reach back quite that far, but I could. One of those melodies was called Goodnight Irene. It was written in the 1880s and it was first recorded by Lead Belly Leadbetter in 1933. But the version that I knew was performed by a group called The Weavers. They were quite popular for a while. With a little research, I learned that it was later recorded by a fellow named Eric Clapton. And maybe you know that version of it, but I can't say that I do. And maybe that's a good thing on my part. The lyrics have evolved over the years, but the version that I first learned went like this. Last Saturday night, I got married. Me and my wife settled down. Now me and my wife are parted, gonna take a walk downtown. Irene, goodnight, Irene. Irene, goodnight. Good night, Irene. Good night, Irene. I'll see you in my dreams. Some of you know that one. You may be thinking, what an awful way to introduce a gospel message. And you may be right. You might also wonder, what has that got to do with what Peter has told us here in the last words of this book? The connection is in those two words, goodnight, and Irene. Goodnight may be the last thing that people say to one another as they shake hands to go home after Sunday evening church service, something like that. Peter was bringing this first epistle to a close. In a sense, he was saying, goodnight, everyone. We're finished here. And the word which he used was peace. In English, he said, peace be with you all that are in Christ Jesus, amen. And in the Greek language, the word he used was Irenae. Irenae has developed over the years into the girl's name, Irene. Irene means peace. Peter was saying something equivalent to, goodnight Irene, or goodnight, comma, Irene, something like that. The entire phrase which Peter gives us is sometimes called a benediction. Benedictions are expressions of blessings to someone, usually at the end of a religious service of some kind. They've been around for millennia. They are common in many religions. Roman Catholics have them, Protestants have them, and probably we should use certain benedictions more often than we do. In Numbers 6, Moses was directed by the Lord to tell his brother, the high priest, Speak unto Aaron, and unto his son, saying, On this wise ye shall bless the children of Israel, saying unto them, The Lord bless thee, and keep thee. The Lord make his face to shine upon thee, and give thee peace. The Lord lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace. May the Lord be gracious unto thee. Essentially, the benediction was, may God bless you. It is my prayer that Jehovah bless you. In my research, I went to several websites and got quite a bit of Jewish material on this benediction from Numbers 6. And in every case, because it comes from a Jewish background, those men did not write out the name of God. just either G and D or J and H because they felt, they feel that the name of God is too holy for them to utter. But still it was obvious that these words provoked the blessing of God. And Moses used the name Jehovah. The word Lord is all capitalized there in Numbers chapter six. Whose blessing would you prefer? Mine, in my limited capacity, or the blessing of the omnipotent God, Jehovah? You probably love the smile of your best friend, but the smile of the Lord is actually far more important. God's smile means eternal life. It means eternal blessing. I cannot keep you well. I can't keep you safe. I can't keep the wolf from the door. I can't protect you from death. But God can do all of these things. We need his blessing. With the smiling face of the Lord toward us, we can live in peace in this difficult world. With the smile of Jehovah, we can enjoy eternal peace. These words at the end of number six contain a group of wonderful blessings. Similarly, many of the New Testament epistles, including all of Paul's, end in some sort of benediction. They're worth more than a casual reading. They deserve to be studied in depth, and that is what we're doing to some degree with Peter's benediction here, but we don't have time to go through all that Paul has given. So I'll just read some of Paul's benedictions. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. My love be with you all in Christ Jesus. Amen. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the communion of the Holy Ghost be with you all. Amen. Brethren, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen. Peace be to the brethren and love with faith from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace be with all them that love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity. Amen. The Lord Jesus Christ be with thy spirit. Grace be with you. Amen. These are the benedictions that Paul shared at the end of his letters. Nearly all of these, including some that I didn't read because they use the exact same words, refer to God's continued grace. We need God's grace. We who are born sinners need God's unmerited favor constantly. Grace is perhaps a word which best summarizes the greatest gifts that God gives. We need grace not only for salvation, but we need it for every passing day, every passing hour. Only in the Lord and His will do we live and move and have our being. By Christ, all things consist and continue. If we are going to thrive, it is by His grace and no other means. If the Lord should withdraw his grace, we would be dead in an instant. We need the grace of God. Paul recognized that, and even Aaron's blessing made mention of God's graciousness. And underlying that grace of God is the Lord's love, something else which he mentioned in most of his benedictions. Of course, each of these are directed toward God's people, not to the unsaved, the unbeliever, directed to the saint of God. Something else in nearly every one of Paul's benedictions is how Christ is named and described. The blessing for which the apostle prayed were linked to the Lord Jesus Christ. It isn't simply Jesus who blesses the Christian. It is Jesus who is the Christ, who is the Son of God, who is the Lord. It's probably futile to seek a blessing from the one who is not personally our Lord and God. Was Paul's Jewish mind going back to Aaron's benediction? The Lord Jehovah bless thee and keep thee. The Lord Jehovah be gracious unto thee. The Lord Jehovah give thee peace. Is that what's motivating Paul in these benedictions of his? Maybe. Jesus Christ is Lord because he is the Jehovah mentioned throughout the Old Testament. In Peter's benediction, he refers to one specific blessing, peace, Irenae, peace. Why does he mention this? Doesn't the text, or should I say the context, tell us? I remind you that this letter is filled with references to the difficulties of living a Christian life, especially in their day. Peter writes, you are in heaviness through manifold temptations, referring to the problems of life. Your lives are filled with trials directly linked to your faith in the Lord Jesus, this new faith that you have. Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you. If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye. Be sober, be vigilant, because your adversary the devil is a roaring lion, walketh about seeking whom he may devour. In America, we may not be suffering to the same degree and the same extent that those people were in Peter's day. But there are Christians today in other places who are suffering greatly for their faith in the Lord. And there is nothing to stop a satanic attack or persecution against us here in this country tomorrow or next week. We have need of this peace for which Peter prays. Remember that in chapter 2, Peter told his readers, for even here unto where ye call It is part of our ministry before a lost world to absorb their abuse in the way that Christ absorbed it. For Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example that we should follow his steps. But we're not the Lord Jesus. We don't have that innate strength that he had. We are not gods. We need the Lord's blessing. We need, we must have the peace of God to cope with and to endure and remain faithful to our Savior as the world spirals down around us. We need this peace of which Peter speaks. One of the private conversations the Lord Jesus had with his disciples is recorded in chapter 14 of John. John 14, 15, 16, 17. perhaps some of the greatest words that we can read from the word of God. In John 14, verse 22, Judas, not Judas Iscariot, the other Jude, saith unto him, Lord, how is it that thou wilt manifest thyself unto us and not unto the world? Why do we get to know who you are, but the rest of the world doesn't know? What Judas needed to learn was that it is going to be his job to manifest Christ to the rest of the world. He and the other disciples were to become evangelists and witnesses of the Lord and of his grace. They were the forerunners of these people here in Asia Minor. They are the forerunners of us in the 21st century. Well, Jesus answered. and said unto him, if a man love me, he will keep my words, and my father will love him, and we will come unto him and make our abode with him. He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings, and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the father's which sent me. These things have I spoken unto you, yet being present with you, but I'm leaving. But the comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things and bring all things to your remembrance whatsoever I have said unto you. 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. This is a polarized world. I've used that a couple of times already today. The grace of God's peace is one of the things that God's servants need to help them in their ministries in this polarized world. Paul encouraged the persecuted saints in Philippi, saying, the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. During the night of Jesus' birth, a number of angels appeared, as we saw last Sunday, praising God and saying, glory to God in the highest and on earth peace, goodwill toward men. Was there any peace in Bethlehem when Herod killed those babies? Trying to get at Christ. The Lord Jesus has told us there's a sense in which he carried with him exactly the opposite to what the angels announced that night. Matthew 1034, think not that I am come to send peace on the earth. I came not to send peace, but a sword. How is that, Lord? It's because in Christ, there is a line of demarcation. It divides humanity into two segments, dividing the people of the world. Those who deny him and those who accept him. Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess before my Father which is in heaven. But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven. We have these two kinds of people in this world. And that division of humanity creates an animosity which flares up from time to time in actual persecution against God's people. In the midst of a world where there is no peace, the servants of God need peace. And it comes from the Lord himself. Who is the benefactor of this blessing? There's no simple statement in this or the other scriptures and benedictions, but there's plenty of evidence to say Paul is calling on the blessing of the Lord. Peter is drawing from the Lord this benediction. Paul was bringing his epistle to the Romans to a close, and he said, now the God of hope fill you all with joy and peace in believing that you may abound in hope through the power of the Holy Ghost. A few verses later, he wrote, now the God of peace be with you all. Amen. We need a constant flow of grace and peace from the God of all peace, the source of peace. Modern evangelicals often try to give the gospel to people in a watered-down form, leaving the impression that if you'll just ask Jesus to come into your heart, life will be smooth. The Lord will grant all of your wishes. Everything will be fine. That's not the way it is. That's just not reality. When we accept Christ as our Redeemer, we become different from those around us who reject Him. And there may be actual animosity from them toward us. We need this peace. Jesus said to us through his disciples, 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. These things have I spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation, but be of good cheer. I have overcome the world. then said Jesus to them again, peace be unto you as my father has sent me even so send I you. It is a waste of time to search for peace in this world through psychology and psychotherapy. True and lasting peace is not found in the mind It is not found in changing perspectives or changing religions or in drugs. I know that it is cliche, but in order to enjoy peace in a world where there is no peace, we need more of the Lord. We need a closer walk with Him. He is peace. He is the source of inner peace when there is no outer peace. The more time we spend in God's Word, the more time we invest in prayer, the more of God's peace we will enjoy. David said in Psalm 119, Great peace have they which love thy law, and nothing shall offend them. The Lord will give strength unto his people. The Lord will bless his people with peace. Psalm 29, 11. Isaiah said, Thou, Lord, will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on Thee, because he trusteth in Thee. The God of peace, the Christ who came to earth at Bethlehem 2,000 years ago, in him is the source of genuine peace. Peace in this world is available. Available. I have to point out the rest of Peter's words here. Who are the beneficiaries of this benediction? Peter is not sharing these words or this prayer with anyone who is outside the Lord Jesus Christ. Notice the words. Peace be with you all that are in Christ Jesus. Amen. If you're not a child of God by faith in Christ Jesus, Peter is not praying that you have peace. This is only for those who are children of God. It is only for those who are in Christ Jesus. And we aren't talking about being in some religion or in some church membership. I'm talking about the new life that exists in Christ's salvation. I'm not going to put any words in Peter's mouth, but I will say it myself. If you are yet unforgiven and living in a state of unrepented sin, you don't need peace. You need the prerequisites for that peace. You need to be disturbed. You need to be torn up. You need to feel the turmoil and the confusion that comes with an understanding that you are eternally separated from the God of peace. You need the misery that comes with the conviction of the Holy Spirit. Christians should be praying that the Lord will make your life miserable so that you might at least get a glimpse of what your eternity will be without Christ. You need to be disturbed, no matter how horrible your life in this world might currently be, no matter how depressed, excuse me. how conflicted and in pain your spirit might be, it is nothing compared to what it will be for eternity after you leave this world. Yes, you do need God's peace, but before that, you need God's misery. to understand what salvation is and what genuine peace can be. Romans 5.1 describes the source of peace with God, which is the basis of Peter's benediction. Therefore, being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Ephesians 2.14 says that Christ is not just the source or the cause of peace, but is actually the peace itself. But now in Christ Jesus, ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ, for he is our peace. Peace with God can only come through the sacrifice which Christ made on the cross. When that peace becomes ours, then we can talk about peace in the midst of a world of problems. What is it to be in Christ? It is to be enveloped in God's saving grace. wherein our sins are washed away in his blood. It is to be wrapped in the righteousness of Christ, forever forsaking our own useless self-righteousness. It is to be surrounded by the promises of God in regard to eternity. It is to, by faith, dwell in the mansions that he has prepared for each of us. Let me take you back to that word, Irenae, Irene. It's translated peace 89 times. It's translated three other ways one time each. Once it is rendered quietness. Peace, quietness, makes sense. Once it is rendered rest. I can understand that one too. But on one occasion it paints a different but very interesting picture. When Deacon Stephen was preaching the gospel to those people that eventually murdered him, he was describing the occasion when Moses took it upon himself to break up a fight between two members of the nation of Israel. This story was well known to the people that Stephen was preaching to. And he said, and Moses would have set them at one again, saying, sirs, your brethren, why do ye wrong one another? Stephen used the word Irenae to express reconciliation between these warring parties, to set them at one again. This word peace speaks of a restoration of broken relationships. This is what you and I need as sinners when we come before the Holy God. The fellowship which our first father had in the Garden of Eden was broken by sin, and that relationship that they had, Adam and God, has been broken ever since. We need the peace which can only be created through the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus. Christ's blood is available to cover our transgressions. to restore the relationship which has been broken. The second verse in Peter's epistle, back in chapter 1, spoke of grace and peace after referring to the sprinkling of the blood of Christ. There's only one way for Peter's benediction to apply to us. There's only one way that it can apply to you. It is through the sacrifice of Christ on the cross. As I've said, I need that peace. You need that peace of which Peter was writing. It will only be granted to those who humbly acknowledge their need of that peace. And it will only be given to those who come to the Lord properly for that peace, admitting that we're sinners in the sight of God, that we have no righteousness in ourselves, we're absolutely holy, and we reach out to Christ, who is peace, to supply what we need. Will you repent and trust Christ this morning? We're beginning a new year, beginning a new life, as a child of God. Please stand.