The peace of God is sufficient regardless of the troubles, the storms, or the disaster.

In this world, the children of God often live, move, and have their being amidst times of strain and stress. Every child of God at one time or another will come face to face with the storms of life. Failing to experience Christianity as it was meant to be, the believer may experience distress, despair, and a sense of being forsaken or destroyed needlessly. They need the peace of God.

There may be several reasons why these troublesome times may adversely affect us, but one stands out far above any of the possible causes of anxiety and pain. We just cannot cope with the pressures of this age. We evidently are unable, as the gospel of Jesus Christ boldly declares, to flee for refuge (Heb. 6:18) from the disasters we face in life. We seemingly do not have an anchor (Heb.6:19) to hold  us sure and steadfast (Heb. 6:19) in the midst of storms. We apparently do not have a hope (Heb. 6:18) to sustain us through our troubles. For some reason, far too many Christians do not understand that the grace of God is sufficient to produce the peace of God that passes understanding in the midst, not sometime after, the storm.

The writer of Hebrews boldly proclaims why the grace of God is sufficient to produce the peace of God in the midst of the storm:

Wherein God, willing more abundantly to show unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath: That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before  us: which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil; Whither the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus, made an high priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec  (Heb. 6:17-20).

Peace of God proclaimed in the Letter of Hebrews.

The powerful principles of these few verses become more apparent when the circumstances of the recipients of this letter are understood. It will help to comprehend what these verses are saying by understanding what the letter meant to the people who first read it. The letter of Hebrews was probably written to second generation believers in Rome. Their parents were probably the first ones in Rome who had accepted Jesus Christ. The children had also believed, but evidently there was a possibility that they were about to slip away from the ways their parents had taught them.

Although many of their parents had died in the midst of great persecutions rather than renounce their Christian faith, the apparent resurgence of persecution was now bringing their children face to face with the same troubling fires of possible death. These second generation Christians were in trouble facing circumstances of which they had no control.

Even more dangerous than the persecutions and the consequential agonizing predicament, they were facing a very serious spiritual problem. These Hebrew Christians had been converted from Judaism, but they evidently had grown cold in their spiritual experience. They were just about to forsake Jesus Christ, the Messiah, and slip back into Judaism. They were beginning to pick up some of their old ways and the fire of persecutions probably was hastening the backsliding process.

The Epistle of Hebrews was written to convince them that the best thing that ever happened to them was the acceptance of Jesus Christ as their personal Savior. It was written to show them that Jesus Christ was far better than anything they had left behind in Judaism. The Epistle of Hebrews reveals that Jesus Christ, regardless of the kinds of troubles the readers would face, is the real hope for the peace of God, the joy, and the abundant life. It was written to proclaim that Jesus Christ is the better hope for soul-satisfaction and the life that is eternal. Jesus Christ is the power to experience real peace, the peace of God, in the time of storm.

Peace of God comes from our hope in God.

The writer of Hebrews says to those early Christians that they would have hope in their troubles if they could only flee for refuge. This is probably a reference to the city of refuge in the Old Testament (Num. 35). It was a truth that they knew and understood from their past. In the old “eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth days” of the Old Testament (Exod. 21:24), when someone was in trouble he could flee that trouble by escaping to one of the several cities of refuge and be safe from the avenger.

The writer of Hebrews wrote to the troubled Christians in the first century that they had hope in their troubles, if they would flee for refuge. As long as they remained within the walls of Jesus Christ, they had a hope that the score could be settled without unmerciful revenge. Christians of every generation need to understand that they can flee for refuge from troubling circumstances. God desires to put this hope of salvation in every believer’s life. The peace of God can be experienced by all believers.

Christians need to lay hold upon this great hope set before them. It makes no difference what the trouble may be. If the believer is troubled in body, Jesus is the answer and the believer can flee to Him for refuge. If the believer is troubled in mind, Jesus is the answer and there is refuge in him. If the believer is troubled in spirit, Jesus Christ is the still the answer. Jesus Christ is the believer’s City of Refuge. Jesus Christ is the believer’s peace of God.

Peace of God is found only in Jesus Christ.

Jesus Christ, as the believer’s City of Refuge, is the great hope, “Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil” (Heb. 6:19). Jesus Christ can stabilize every life in the midst of storms for he, as the forerunner (Heb. 6:20), is a hope that is sure and stedfast.  The anchor, Jesus Christ, will hold, because the holding-ground, that which holds the anchor, is in glory in the very presence of God; but, not only in the presence of God, it is in the very person of Jesus Christ which entereth into that within the veil (Heb. 6:19-20). The peace of God can be experienced because every believer can experience Jesus Christ.

The writer of Hebrews gives the details of this great hope, the peace of God in the time of storms, when he writes,

Now of the things which we have spoken this is the sum: We have such an high priest, who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens; a minister of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man. For every high priest is ordained to offer gifts and sacrifices: wherefore it is of necessity that this man have somewhat, also to offer. For if he were on earth, he should not be a priest, seeing that there are priests that offer gifts according to the law: who serve unto the example and shadow of heavenly things, as Moses was admonished of God when he was about to make the tabernacle: for, See, saith he, that thou make all  things according to the pattern shewed to thee in the mount  (Heb. 8:1-5).

Moses, in building the earthly tabernacle, was instructed to build by the pattern or as verse five says, “See, saith he, that thou make all things according to the pattern shewed to thee in the mount.” If Moses built by that pattern, then the believer may know the pattern by what Moses built. Moses built a copy. His building was a copy of a pattern.

What was the pattern? The writer states,

We have such an high priest, who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens; a minister of the sanctuary [What sanctuary . . . not the earthly sanctuary that Moses built but the heavenly sanctuary], and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man. [Not the tabernacle that Moses built but the tabernacle that God built!] . . . there are priests that offer gifts according to the law: who serve unto the example and shadow of heavenly things  (Heb. 8:1-5).

In fact, all of the Old Testament rituals surrounding the tabernacle were just earthly types, a schoolmaster, of the heavenly reality.

On the Day of Atonement, all the people gathered around the tabernacle once each year for the high priest to make intercession for their sins. They would gather around the tabernacle which had been constructed according to the pattern given Moses by God. Right in the center of this tabernacle was what was called the Holy of Holies. It was the most sacred place in all of Israel. It represented the actual dwelling place of God upon this earth. It was the earthly throne room of God! One time in particular, as the people were praising and thanking the Lord, the place was filled with a cloud, “So that the priests could not stand to minister by reason of the cloud: for the glory of the Lord and filled the house of God” (2 Chron. 5:14).

The Holy of Holies was so sacred, it was forbidden for anyone to enter at the penalty of death. The high priest was the single exception, but even he could enter for only a short period of time and only after a special sacrifice was offered to make him worthy of entering the earthly type of the dwelling place of God. To safeguard this sacredness a veil was placed at the only entrance. This veil, it is said by some, was so thick and strong it would take sixty yoke of oxen to rent it.

When the set time would come, the high priest would first make a special sacrifice for the purpose of purification, so that he might enter the Holy of Holies to make intercession for the people. Next, the high priest would offer a sacrifice for the people, then take the blood into the Holy of Holies and offer it to God for atonement for the sins of the people.

When the high priest entered the Holy of Holies, he went out of the sight of the people. If he stayed a little longer than usual, the people began to get excited, just as they did when Zacharias was receiving the announcement of the birth of John the Baptist in the New Testament (Luke 1:21). The reason why they got excited was simply because they had no way to know for sure if the sacrifice was going to be accepted. For if the high priest or the sacrifice he was offering was unworthy, he would be struck dead in the sacred place just like Aaron’s sons were consumed (Lev. 19) and the sacrifice would not be accepted. The fear of the holy place was  so severe that they tied ropes to an ankle of the high priest so that, in the event that he died, they could pull him out without going into the Holy of Holies.

The only way they knew everything was progressing as planned was that the high priest had bells on his robe and as he moved through the ritual of the offerings they would jingle. As long as they heard that sweet music, they knew everything was fine. If the music stopped, the jingling of the bells quit, they would get worried. It was good to hear the music, but hearing the music was not like seeing his face. Not until Israel saw the high priest coming out of the Holy of Holies, coming back through the veil, did they really know for sure the sacrifice had been accepted and their sins forgiven.

Remember, this is just the earthly tabernacle of the heavenly pattern. The writer says, “We have such an high Priest, who is set on the right  hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens; a minister of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man” (Heb. 8:1-2). How did the heavenly High Priest get there to minister in that sanctuary, that heavenly Holy of Holies?

Our High Priest, Jesus Christ, offered a sacrifice, a perfect sacrifice, when he offered himself by not resisting the heavenly Father taking Him to His death. Jesus Christ was not only the sacrifice; he was also the High Priest. Jesus Christ was not only offered as a sacrifice, the heavenly Father raised Him from the dead to take his sacrifice into the heavenly Holy of Holies to make intercession for everyone who believes.

He first had to get into the Holy of Holies. He had to pass through the veil. The writer again says, “Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God . . .” (Heb. 4:14). He ascended and He passed out of sight. He is now making intercession for everyone.

The new Israel, the body of believers, anxiously waits to see if the sacrifice has been accepted. Until then, the only assurance we have, while the High Priest is out of sight making intercession, that everything is on schedule is the sound of sweet music. Not the sound of bells on the robe, but the sound of the sweet music of the Holy Spirit sweeping throughout our souls.

Peace of God is found not only in hearing the music but ultimately in seeing the face.

As great as witnessing the moving of the Holy Spirit is, hearing the music is nothing like seeing his face. The only way you will know for sure the intercession has been made is when Jesus Christ comes back through the veil. You know now  in part, but when Jesus Christ splits the troubling circumstances, you will not know in part. You will know in reality the coming of Christ to redeem your soul from the trouble you are facing: “For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now [we] know in part; but then shall [we] know even as also [we are] known” (1 Cor. 13:12). When Jesus Christ comes back through the veil, you will know!

Before that great day of deliverance comes to you, until the morning comes, you have a great fortress of hope. In the midst of your troubles, Jesus Christ is still the one “. . . which entereth into that within the veil” (Heb. 6:19). The death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus Christ has rent the veil which guarded the only entrance into the Holy of Holies. Jesus Christ has opened the way which was closed. Something that was punishable by death, in the lesser earthly Holy of Holies, is now made possible in the greater heavenly Holy of Holies by Jesus Christ, the forerunner, the great High Priest, the great Hope!

The believer can now walk boldly, through Jesus Christ, into the actual throne room of almighty God himself with petitions for help in the time of troubles, storms, and disasters. The believer does not have to stand on the outside waiting on another man as he goes into the earthly Holy of Holies. The believer can now go into the heavenly Holy of Holies because of his oneness with Jesus Christ, the heavenly High Priest. Is it any wonder why the writer of Hebrews could cry out,

That . . . we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us: which hope we have as an anchor of the  soul, sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil (Heb 6:18-19).

Jesus Christ is your City of Refuge! Jesus Christ is your Anchor! Jesus Christ is your Intercessor! Jesus Christ is your Fortress of Hope! There is no trouble great enough, no storm large enough, and no disaster big enough that cannot be conquered by your hope in Jesus Christ. The peace of God can be experienced in every circumstance of life.

There is nothing that can harm you unless you first form the opinion in your mind that you have been harmed. Jesus Christ has come back through the veil to baptize you with the power of the Holy Spirit to conquer the anxiety of your mind, to enable you to experience the peace of God The simple confession through the grace of God that Jesus Christ is your City of Refuge, your Anchor, your Intercessor, and your Fortress of Hope will bring the peace of God in the time of your storm.