What does First B Jackson teach about peace?
Drawn from the messages where it was actually addressed: the words said from the front, the passages taught, and where to hear the whole thing.
At First Baptist Jackson, the teaching on peace starts with its source: God's grace. Pastor Ray and Pastor Carl have both pointed out that every one of Paul's letters opens with grace first, then peace, and that order is not accidental. Peace is what follows when you know your standing before God does not depend on you. It is not something the world can manufacture or circumstances can produce. Pastor Carl named it plainly from his own life: peace with God, through justification by faith in Christ, a peace he had chased and could not find anywhere else before the Lord drew him back.
In the closing verses of Hebrews, Pastor Ray walked through six dictionary definitions of the Greek word for peace before landing on the one he found most fitting for what the New Testament is actually describing: the tranquil state of a soul assured of its salvation through Christ, fearing nothing from God, and content with its earthly lot of whatever sort that is. That is not a feeling that rises and falls with the news. It is a settled condition that belongs to the person who knows Christ has dealt with what stood between them and God.
Philippians 4:6-7 is where this teaching lands practically. The peace Paul writes about there is the peace that passes understanding, and the message at First Baptist has consistently tied it to the same foundation: fix your mind on what is true and good, bring your anxieties to God in prayer, and trust that the God who began a good work will carry it through. Paul wrote those words from prison, which is part of what makes them worth taking seriously.
Taught from Philippians 4:6-7 · Romans 5:1 · Hebrews 13:18-25 · Philippians 1:1-2 · John 16:33
The passage taught · Acts 16
1 He came to Derbe and Lystra: and behold, a certain disciple was there, named Timothy, the son of a Jewess who believed; but his father was a Greek.
2 The brothers who were at Lystra and Iconium gave a good testimony about him.
3 Paul wanted to have him go out with him, and he took and circumcised him because of the Jews who were in those parts; for they all knew that his father was a Greek.
4 As they went on their way through the cities, they delivered the decrees to them to keep which had been ordained by the apostles and elders who were at Jerusalem.
World English Bible
The messages that teach on it
- February 11, 2024 Joy in the Lord, Whatever Comes Pastor Carl and Ray walk through Philippians, showing how Paul's joy, humility, and peace in prison point believers toward trusting God over anxiety.
- February 11, 2024 God Saved Me and He Gave Me Peace Pastor Carl walks through Philippians, tracing Paul's call to unity, humility, and the peace that comes through faith in Christ rather than through anything the world offers.
- March 15, 2020 Grace Be With You All Pastor Ray finishes Hebrews with a call to prayer, a Christ-centered benediction, and the simple closing word that holds the whole letter together: grace.
- March 15, 2020 Grace Be With You All Pastor Ray closes Hebrews with a look at prayer, peace, and grace from the letter's final verses, preached during an unusual Sunday as the church gathered online amid COVID-19.
Mentioned along the way
- December 10, 2023 Near to the Heart of God A Wyoming pastor shares Psalm 145 and stories of unexpected divine appointments to show that God is near to all who call on Him.
- April 11, 2022 He Meets Us Right Where We Are John 20 shows Jesus meeting Mary, the disciples, and Thomas right where they were, in grief, fear, and doubt, and offering each one peace and purpose.
- March 1, 2022 He Lives: The Good News of the Resurrection John 20 shows Jesus rising from the dead and appearing personally to Mary, the disciples, and doubting Thomas. His first words: peace be with you.
- January 25, 2022 Your Grief Will Turn to Wonderful Joy Jesus promises His disciples peace and joy that no one can take away, even as trials come. A study in John 16:16-33.