Living at Peace

Good afternoon, friends, to this beautiful February day. I was surprised this morning to wake up and see the dusting of snow. That was very nice. So with my Sabbath tradition of being in the hot tub in the mornings, that was really nice to look out and made for a very pleasurable way to start the day. I'd like to start today's message by asking you a personal question. Do you get up in the morning without being bothered by worries? Do you have peace of mind? Or perhaps do you juggle with concerns over your job, over your health, maybe your financial worries? There's a whole lot of books that are written these days about peace of mind and how to obtain it, but I would argue if you look out across the world today that it seems more and more rare. The fact remains that more people than ever seem troubled. Something in their life is troubling them. So in a world that's growing in confusion, that's growing in uncertainty, is it even possible to remain calm and to have peace of mind? Living at peace. That's going to be my topic for today. I'd like to start by sharing a story. An artist was commissioned once by a very wealthy man to paint something that would depict peace. So after a whole lot of thought, the artist painted a beautiful country scene. There were green fields with cows standing in them. There was birds flying in the blue skies. There was a lovely little village in the distance. The artist gave the picture to the man, but that was a look of disappointment on his face. And he said, this isn't the picture of true peace. Go back. Try again. So the artist went back to his studio and he thought for hours.

And then he went to his canvas and he began to paint. And when he was finished there on the canvas, it was a beautiful picture of a mother holding a sleepy baby in her arms with a loving look in her face. And he thought, surely this is true peace. So again, he brought it to the wealthy man, but the man refused the painting and asked the painter to go back and do it again. Well, artist returned, but this time he was discouraged. This time he was tired, he was disappointed, and truth be told, he was angry because he'd been rejected. He thought and he thought and even prayed about it, saying, God, help me to figure this out. What would a painting of true peace look like? And then he had an inspiration. Idea hit him and he ran to the painting to the canvas and he started painting like he'd never painted before in his life. He then brought the painting in a hurry to the wealthy man and he presented to him. And the wealthy man looked at it for a couple minutes. Meanwhile, the guy was getting more and more nervous. And then the wealthy man said, now this is a picture of true peace. And he paid the artist and everybody left happy.

What do you think the painting was of? What was the painting of true peace? The picture which he did showed a stormy sea pounding against a cliff. The artist had captured the fury of the wind as it whipped black rain clouds which were laced with streaks of lightning. The sea was roaring. There was waves churning. There was a dark sky that was filled with thunderstorms. And in the middle of the picture, under a cliff, the artist had painted a small bird, safe and dry in her nest, snuggled safely within the rocks. The bird was at peace amidst the storms that raged around her.

It's life. Peace, tranquility and calmness. They're the emotions that we all long to have, right? But the reality is that we have to seek them while we're experiencing storms in our lives.

That's part of our learning of what peace is. We long and we strive to find contentment, and inner quiet and calm, but we have to be able to find that even as we're experiencing the uncertainties of life. And oftentimes, we're a lot like that wealthy man where we're searching, we're dreaming, and we're wanting to find that peace in the middle of what feels like furious waves and storms all around us, right? So, I'm sure you were like me, like many in the Bible. We can have moments of weakness where we call out to God and we wonder if he's around. God, are you sleeping? God, do you see what I'm going through? And we search for him desperately. The question I would argue that's most commonly asked in some theme or another by people on earth is this, where are you, God? Or, God, do you hear me? Or, God, why aren't you answering what I would like or what I'm asking? And I know that I've gone through various struggles along the way as I try to figure out who Dan Tudeato is after Rene's death. Because you can come into situations where when you've been married for a long period of time, over 23 years, you find a comfortable rhythm with your partner. And then storms of life hit you that you have to realize and find a new place. And I'd say I'm past the major waves of the world. The major waves of storms. But Dan Tudeato is a life that is a lot more hectic, a lot less down times. And you feel the palpable void of not sharing life with somebody you love.

It's reality. That's the new reality. And so, as I reflected on this new norm, Dan Tudeato, in the absence of companionship, I started thinking, what does God teach about peace? A peace of mind. And that's part of what inspired this message. So, what does the Bible tell us about peace? Let's start by turning to Isaiah 59 in verse 2. Isaiah 59 in verse 2. Most of us are very blessed. We live in relative safety in this country, which is a type of peace. But the world is becoming increasingly brutal. And there are people who are terrified just to leave their front door. Some of them are terrified even with just staying inside the confines of their house. So, the word peace literally means to be still or silent. It reflects being free from the inner turmoil that we so often are faced with. Isaiah 59 too says, But your iniquities have separated you from your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear you. Now turn to verse 8. The way of peace they have not known, and there is no justice in their ways, they have made themselves crooked paths. Whoever takes that way shall not know peace.

So, there's a concept the Bible makes very clear that living in evil can't coexist with peace. Or, if you want to put it another way, the end result of not seeking peace is pain and suffering. The Bible makes that clear over and over. So, you and I can look this and you can say, well, we're not living in evil, but we sin. So, the consequences being set up here do play into our lives too. So, let me go back to the question that I started the message with today. Are you and I personally able to live in peace? How are we doing with it? It's a struggle sometimes. You know, you turn there, you know the Beatitudes. Matthew 5, 9 says, blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. So, think about that. Being peacemakers now is what's needed for us to become children of God in the Kingdom. There's a relationship there. Shall be as future tense.

So, we're in training now, and the goal is not just finding personal peace, being the little bird huddled up underneath that cliff, but we're also supposed to be peacemakers. It's an identifying attribute and characteristic of those that are being prepared for God's Kingdom. Turn to Isaiah 9 verses 6 through 7. Isaiah 9 verses 6 through 7.

What are you and I willing to give up to pursue peace in our lives today?

Because we want peace, but sometimes we don't want to give things up along the way, right? Are we willing to give up winning all arguments? Or being right the majority of the time?

Every spouse twitches a little bit with that one.

Can I sacrifice time to support someone else instead of getting my stuff done first?

Will I patiently wait and defer rather than fight to get what I want?

Will I put love for other people above myself?

Am I willing to be a peacemaker in the face of other people's poor judgment?

But there's a consequence there, so I shouldn't be a peacemaker. There's a lot that we can learn from the example of our Savior. And so Isaiah 9 verse 6 says, So you see why the children of God must be peacemakers? Because our leader in our role model is the Prince of Peace.

It's by the Spirit of God that we're made children of God, and the Spirit of God is the Spirit of Peace.

If you want to look at it another way, you could say, a fruit of the Spirit is peace, right? And so being led by the Spirit always includes bearing the fruit of the Spirit. And if we're not living as peacemakers and living in peace, then we don't have the Spirit of Christ working effectively on us. We have room to grow there.

Not easy, but that's something that is a representative sign of who God wants us to become. Now, an important thing to realize when we feel, or I should say, when we're not feeling inner peace, is to realize that there is some constant influence that's challenging us in life that we don't see. Most of life has background noise, things we tune out. An example that always strikes me is being on an airplane. You take for granted the roar of the engines around you, unless you've ever taken a flight with the noise-proof headphones, which I fully recommend. But if you have those beautiful things on and then you take it off, you'll be amazed at how much noise everybody else doesn't even notice is happening anymore.

Well, the most dangerous background noise that we face comes from Satan. And he is broadcasting continually and fills every nook and cranny of this world, and his frequency is dialed into the spirit man.

Only Christ blocked it out fully.

The good news is that God's Spirit can block that broadcasting, but without it, frankly, we're overmatched, and we won't be able to stay at peace. So that's an important part to realize where our weakness is for what we aspire to, what we long for. It turned out to Luke 19, verses 37 through 42. Luke 19, 37 through 42. This next verse, let me give a little context. Jesus was approaching Jerusalem for the last time.

And he started grieving because the inhabitants didn't understand what made peace part. Luke 19, verse 37.

He said, If you had known even you, especially in this your day, the things that make for your peace, but now they are hidden from your eyes.

To me, that's a really scary statement. That is a scary statement. What were the things hidden from their eyes? What things make for true, godly peace that they didn't see?

And do you and I see it?

I think a clue is found in the next verses that follow in the chapter that follows. Because Jesus immediately followed this statement by driving out those who bought and sold in the temple. And then Luke 20 follows with Jesus' authority coming into question. And then continues with Jesus pointing out the hypocritical forms of legalistic logic and worship that those accusing him were doing. So turn that into a mirror. Is it possible in my life that greed or issues of authority hide my eyes from the things that make for my peace?

Is it possible in yours? Can we be so distracted by financial responsibility, by the desire to be in charge, by obsessing over religious rules or people in power, that the things that make for peace are hidden from our eyes?

So for the rest of today's message, I'd like to share some of the lessons that I learned setting into what God says is the path for us to find true peace. And the first lesson I think we need to understand is that God's peace is a gift. God's peace is a gift, and it's an issue of the heart. Go ahead and turn to John 14, verse 27.

John 14, 27.

In the context of what we're about to read, finds Jesus with his disciples after eating their last Passover together. Remember that? That'd be John 13, so now we're in John 14.

It says in verse 27, So does your heart ever feel troubled? Do you ever feel afraid?

Reality? There's many people in the room? Somebody's feeling it right now.

I know that I struggle with that emotion from time to time. Verse 27, though, is clarifying that God's peace is a gift. Jesus said, My peace I give to you, and that's describing an unconditional gift. It's not something that we academically or socially or economically or physically achieve. It's not an achievement. It's a gift.

And there's nothing we can do to earn or demand it or deserve it.

The one caveat is it's given to it being given as a gift is that we have to accept it. Because it's not forced on us. God expects us to unconditionally and faithfully accept this gift from Him. Now, the first goes on to clarify that if we have the gift of God's peace, then healing and perspective will be provided as an issue of the heart. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

Jesus was saying, You don't, you disciples, you don't need to feel fear now. You don't need to have a troubled heart. So, to understand peace, we have to face the hard questions in life, because it's going to hit us constantly. Questions like, where is God in the tumult of life? Right? Because that's going to happen.

Job asked that question when he was suffering terribly. Don't you care, God? Aren't you concerned about my plight? Why am I suffering like this? And Job wasn't alone. I'm not going to pick on my friend here, but good night. For all that Laura was going through, I'm sure she was struggling a month ago, wondering why is this happening to me? With the health problems she'd had, and we've all through our life faced things like that. Absolutely. Every person here.

But again, a key realization in the Bible is to understand that just because the gift of peace is accepted by us doesn't mean tribulations are going to be removed. Bible sadly makes that very clear, right? If you'll turn a page, whatever Bible you have, turn to John 16, verse 33. John 16, 33, because we're about to read a continuation of that same conversation, that Jesus is giving the disciples. And John 16, 33 says, These things I have spoken to you, that in me you may have peace, in the world you will have tribulation. But be of good cheer, I have overcome the world. So a point we have to keep in mind is that God's peace and tribulation are not mutually exclusive.

God's peace and tribulation are not mutually exclusive. There are days that we are going to have both.

And we have to grow to find God's peace even in the middle of our daily struggles that we have.

But it won't be an immediate perspective for us to find.

I'd like you to turn now to Mark 4, verses 37 through 38. Mark 4, 37 through 38, and let me set up the story that you're about to read. Jesus and his disciples are crossing the Sea of Galilee.

And all of a sudden, a storm breaks out. Now, remember, most of Jesus' disciples were seasoned fishermen. These people knew about storms and wind and what it was like to be on a boat in peril. They'd experienced this kind of storm, but not one like this. This one was different. It was worse than they'd experienced, and they'd used all the skills they had, and the boat was sinking. Mark 4, verse 37, And a great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that it was already filled, but he was in the stern asleep on a pillow. And they awoke him and said to him, Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing? So in the middle of this storm, they're doing all they could, and all of a sudden they remembered, Hey, we have Jesus. Jesus is here on the boat. You know, what's he doing? Meanwhile, he's fast asleep on a pillow.

Jesus had that that sure confidence in peace and in the power of God, which allowed him to sleep through this mega storm.

He wasn't troubled.

But the disciples didn't have that peace because they were afraid, and they wondered if... Look at the wording they used. They wondered if Jesus even cared.

Teacher, do you not care if we perish? Translated, you don't care.

Now, it's been said that every person lives in one of two tents, either content or discontent. We all live in one of two tents. And this story found the disciples living fully in discontent. And by contrast, Jesus wasn't afraid because he had faith in the Father to protect and to provide. Verse 39. Then he arose and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased and there was a great calm.

So they got their answer of whether Jesus cared. They quickly saw that because the wind stopped and the seas immediately calmed.

There was peace. There was peace. And then Jesus asked them a question which he could just as easily ask us.

He said, Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith? And they feared exceedingly and said to one another, Who can this be that even the wind and the sea obey him? See, Jesus wanted his disciples to have that same type of inner peace that he felt. That he found comfort in. But the disciples were only afraid because they were looking out at what they could physically see. And so they saw the storm. That's where their eyes were fixed.

It was difficult for them to have any peace because they were focused on something that was trying to kill them.

Makes sense physically.

The problem for the disciples and our problem is not the same. It's storms of life, but where our attention is placed. And that's an important thing to keep in mind, especially in hard times. Our challenge is where our attention is placed. When our attention is so consumed by the storms of life, by the waves pounding outside the boats of our lives, it's hard to see Christ in us.

An analogy fits us here. When we let anxiety happen, our life finds no peace and no contentment.

And it's at those times we don't turn to Christ. We don't trust in Christ. We're consumed by worries. We're consumed by doubts. And we long for things to stop in order for us to then find peace again. Right? That's the path we tend to go down. But in contrast, God wants to develop a peace knowing that no matter what circumstance in life we may find ourselves facing, we can be confident knowing that God is in control.

That's the difference. With that perspective, there should always be peace.

So let me turn this into a concept to think on. Personal peace, therefore, is equal to our faith in the power of God to control and to provide. Personal peace is equal to our faith in the power of God to control and to provide.

The disciples were in awe of the power of God because they saw the storm stop. But the reality is we have access to that same power every day in our lives. Christ is there with us and available to us. Our storms may look different. Our storms could be longing. They could be wanting. They could be hoping. Or they could be struggling and being hungry. They could be a lot of things.

But there's peace available for us when we believe and trust in the power of God to guide us, to save us, to lead us in the path that's best for us. Easy to say, but tough when the path that's best for us is not exactly the path we want to go.

There was a story I read from the day of sailing ships. And similar to the one I started with, March to Say One with the disciples, there was a ship that was caught in a sudden and severe storm. And all the passengers were panicking. They were rushing here and there. They were throwing things over the side. They were terrified they were going to die, except for one little kid. And this little kid was calm and cheerful. And they said, Why? Why aren't you afraid? And he said, Why should I be afraid? My father's at the helm. The analogy fits to us too, because we're all going to face the storms of life, but we don't need to be afraid because God the Father and his Son Jesus Christ are in control. And if so, if we believe he's at the helm in our lives, then we need to believe and trust in his power to guide our lives. That always easy. But that's perspective. But that's perspective. So what tent do you personally live in?

Are you in contempt or discontent? And I'd argue many, if not most, people tend to spend a lot of their time in discontent. They're discontent with their families. They're discontent with their jobs. They're discontent with situations in life. And the reason for discontentment is usually an issue of faulty mental math. Faulty mental math. Many people believe that if they just had more money, then they would be content, right? If they could just get more of the material things in life, they would be happy. And there are so many studies. I could spend the whole time talking about studies. One of them I found interesting that there were three studies with 140 adolescents done by Richard Ryan and his colleague Tim Kaiser. And they showed that those with aspirations for wealth and fame were more depressed and had lower self-esteem than other adolescents whose aspirations centered on self-acceptance, family and friends, and community well-being. And so Ryan said, the wealth seekers also had a higher incident of headaches, stomach aches, and runny noses. Now, this doesn't mean that all rich people are unhappy. Absolutely not. But it does point out that seeking material gains can remove us from vital connections with people, with nature, with community, and that alone will make us unhappy.

That's where the correlations end. So that leads us to the next key lesson about God's peace. God's peace is more than just a feeling, it's an issue of mind. God's peace is more than just a feeling, it's an issue of mind. If you will turn to Romans 8, verses 5 through 8.

So our first lesson, we learned that God's peace is a free gift and it's an issue of heart. Now, humans love to simplify anything dealing with heart. Issues of heart are about feelings. God's peace is far more than that. Romans 8, verse 5.

For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh. For those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. I think we oftentimes miss those last two words in that famous verse. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God, for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. So then those who are in the flesh cannot please God. So to be spiritually minded is life and peace.

So if it's an issue of mind, what are we supposed to think on? What should our mind be focused on if it's about mind?

Paul is a great example. I'd like you to turn to Philippians 4 and verse 7. Philippians 4 and verse 7. Paul could have been discontent with the situation he was in as he sat in prison. He could have been discontent with the fact that he'd been abandoned, right? He'd been rejected and persecuted by the people who were supposed to be his friends.

He could have used the wonderful phrase we all use at times. It isn't fair. Instead, though, look at where he's at. Philippians 4 verse 7. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and mind through Christ Jesus. It's an issue of heart, issue of mind. And this says the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard it. We'll guard both of those. I don't know about you, but I'd love to be able to have that. Wouldn't that be great? To have the peace of God guarding my heart and mind at all the times. And to amplify the value of that, notice the comparison he did. He said, this surpasses all understanding. So let me just give you a silly analogy to play with that. The Library of Congress has 16 million books and more than 120 million other items in collections. So imagine if you understood all of those completely.

Paul says, peace of God is way more important than that.

So how do we get to this state? Now go back a couple verses. Let's read, starting in verse 4. Philippians 4, 4. Rejoice in the Lord always. Again, I will say, Rejoice. Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. A couple small sentences. But in here are five steps that he says will lead you to peace. We take the whole sermon on these. Do it as a personal study. It's fascinating. But the five points he says, Rejoice in the Lord always. Be gentle. Confidently know God is at hand. Be certain of this regarding the, regardless of circumstances. Be anxious for nothing. And then instead of that, let your requests be known to God, and he'll listen if our prayers and supplications are filled with thanksgiving. Not even 45 words, but crazy hard to do. Crazy hard to do. So that leads to another important lesson, and that is this. Peace is not found in the conditional perimeters of our life. Peace is not found in the conditional perimeters of our life.

I think a big mistake we make as Christians is to establish conditions that are needed for us to feel peace. And we'll make out our list. Everybody has their own list, but it'll be something like, When I can come to some great spiritual achievement, then I will have peace. When I'm financially secure, then I will have peace. When my children grow up, when I get a better job, when I retire, when I'm physically well, when I'm socially accepted. You can fill it in. There's so many options you could fill that in with, but there's always this next when to happen in the future for us to get to peace. And so we push peace to the next thing, to the conditional perimeters in our life. But Jesus said what? He said, My peace I give to you. Right? And think about that, because there were no mentions of personal conditions on circumstances that were needed in advance for you to feel that. How do you even know whisper of it? Instead, Jesus said, My peace I give to you. And for context, He gave it just before He was killed and His disciples were outcasts. But when you start using conditional perimeters to your life, it leaves you with no choice in life. So let me give you the two extremes to show you that. On either extreme, we will either push through our struggles, we will work hard and deceive ourselves the whole time thinking that once we get out of this struggle, then we can have peace. And along the way, we will drive ourselves and everybody else crazy. Right? Or on the other side, we can say, I'm going to sit down in the middle of this struggle and give up. I mean, I'm not going to make it anyway. And so I am just going to wish for this tribulation to succeed, to cease, to go away so that then I can feel peace. It really doesn't matter which extreme or where you go in the middle. There's not happiness there. And so Jesus tells us we are to begin in peace through every new stage in our life. That's the challenge. No matter where you're at, that's the stage you begin in peace. And then we should keep peace with us regardless of what happens next in our lives.

But that requires us to accept God's gift of peace now. And we're no longer able to keep peace if we start pursuing conditions. All right, I'm not going to let myself have peace now because of that. You know, whatever that that is in life that's bugging us, that's missing the point. And that's why Christ's example is there because He shows us that we can work through anything and every kind of tribulation that comes our way and still stay in peace like He did.

So the point is that peace is never the result of the struggles we live through. It's only real if it can exist wherever we are at. It's only real if it can exist wherever we are at in life and whatever the storm is that's hitting us.

God's true peace can be felt, it can be known, it can be carried through any struggle. Whatever you're facing, it's not overwhelmed by that. Whatever the it is that you're currently facing, don't let it be a hurdle for you to get past to find peace. Turn next to Colossians 3 and verse 15. It's been said that doubt and fear are our worst enemies for having peace of mind. And I think there's a lot of truth. Doubt and fear are our worst enemies for a lot of things in life. They haunt us, they disturb our thinking, and if we allow them, they make us lose confidence and lose faith even. Of course, if we lost faith, we will not have God's peace. Colossians 3 verse 15. And let the peace of God rule in your heart, to which also you were called in one body, and be thankful. Let the peace of God rule in your heart and be thankful. A woman once walked up to my dad after church, and she cried out to him, she said, What's happening to the church? And so my dad asked her if she knew of any of the things and so my dad asked her if she knew of any churches at that time, including any of the split-off churches of God, that didn't have troubles.

And so what my dad tried to help her see was that there is nothing new that can be faced by a Christian that should surprise us if we know the truth and if we know what's prophesied. Because we know that this is Satan's world, and we know he knows his time is short.

So then my dad told her that she shouldn't let herself get down by her fears and her doubts. And that works for us, too. We shouldn't let ourselves get down by our fears and our doubts. Turn next to 2 Thessalonians 3 and verse 16. 2 Thessalonians 3 and verse 16. My dad then asked her two questions. First question. He said, Do you believe that the church teaches what's biblical truth? And she said, yes.

And then he asked, Do you believe that Jesus is the head of his church? And she said, yes. So then as the saying goes, he said, Let God do it. And I can tell you, that helped my dad through so many things that he experienced over the years that he was in the ministry and multiple groups. But he lived by that. Let God work things out. It's a basic truth that we must understand and we must believe, because otherwise we'll never really feel true peace of mind. 2 Thessalonians 3 and verse 16. Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace always and in every way the Lord be with you. Let God do it.

God can give us peace always and in every way. That's what it says. Whatever you're facing, whatever you're worrying about. Look at the promise here, because God is perfectly capable and he knows how best to work with us individually. And this is our journey. This is not something we can have somebody else do for us. Each of us individually is going through a conversion process and we have to endure to the end. That's what the Bible says. We have to individually overcome. Now the good news is since we're members of a collective body, the body of Christ, we have the opportunity to support each other in their personal quests. That's why I think one of the reasons the Bible has that beautiful analogy of being parts of the same body, right? And so we have a role to lift up and strengthen each other. That we can absolutely do. Go ahead and turn to Acts 14 and verse 22. Acts 14 and verse 22. I would argue part of being a peacemaker is helping make it possible for our brothers and sisters to live at peace, right? Part of being a peacemaker is creating that environment where others can live at peace. Acts 14 and verse 22. Something we can all do more of. It says, strengthening the souls of the disciples, exhorting them to continue in the faith and saying, we must, through many tribulations, enter the kingdom of God. So it's an important point to remember. And it's not just something that we can do for others. It's so easy to look at life that way. And that's a good thing. We should become servants. But a church member may be able to help me. May be able to help you.

A neighbor might. A friend might. A minister might. But ultimately, at the end of the day, you and I must work out our own salvation with the help of God. And our Savior is plenty able to do that. That's part of what we're going to. Turn now to Isaiah 55, and I'd like us to read verses 8 through 9. Isaiah 55 verses 8 through 9. I think what happens is we underestimate God a lot. And that's because we're human and because of the way our minds work. But God says we should never underestimate His love, His wisdom, His power, His peace. Let Him solve those things in life that you can't solve. Trust Him even though you don't understand the way He works.

Isaiah 55 and verse 8. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways, says the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. If you were to just pick up the Bible and to read the writings of Paul, you really would not guess that He suffered more than the other apostles did, right? Because He wrote so much about peace and about joy.

Despite all those challenges, He knew that He was well taken care of by God and by His Spirit.

And even if you think about the fruit of the Spirit, yes, peace is a fruit of the Spirit, but all of the characteristics individually produce peace of mind. They all work together.

Again, please don't get me wrong. These things are understanding the spiritual formula of peace, easy, crazy hard to do. Without God's help, we can't do it. So it's a whole lot easier to sit up here and to teach and to say, here's what the Bible says, but this is something we all have to work through. Turn to Matthew 6, verse 31 through 33. What the Bible wants us to get is after doing our part, and we have to do our part, but after doing our part, whatever we can do, depending on the circumstances, we have to stop worrying about things. We have to trust God and let Him do His part, and He will do it at the best possible moment and in the best possible way. Anxiety will only make us lose faith if we allow it. Matthew 6, verse 31, it says, therefore do not worry, saying, what shall we eat, or what shall we drink, or what shall we wear? For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things, but seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Well-known verse. We've read it hundreds of times, but we correctly seek God's kingdom by practicing His righteousness and living at peace. That's what He prescribes, because that means we're trusting that He will take care of everything else according to His wisdom, according to His compassion. So let's move on to another lesson, and that is that peacemakers must try to build bridges to other people. Peacemakers must try to build bridges to other people. See, if we're actively peacemaking, then it means we don't want animosity to remain. We want reconciliation. We want harmony. We don't need to have everyone as our best friend, because that's not realistic, but we also shouldn't hate anyone, because hatred deprives us of the ability to have peace of mind. And you could say, so does jealousy and greed and lust and even wrongful competition. All of those will do the same. They take away our ability to have peace of mind. Turn to Romans 12 and verse 18. I'd like us to read the goal of peacemakers. Do you know what the goal of peacemakers is? Romans 12, 18 will show us. Peacemakers have to do actions that promote peace, and sometimes that may be as simple as extending courtesy, the only courtesy that you could say an enemy will tolerate, and that's a greeting. That's going up to this person who despises you and saying, good morning, John.

But of course, if you do that, you have to do it with an attitude of peace and not biting your tongue and some phony politeness. Romans 12 and verse 18, if it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men.

It's the goal of peacemaking. Don't let the rupture in any relationship be your fault. That's another way of putting that verse. Now, an important point of clarity about this verse is to recognize that peacemaking is not the same as peace achieving. Peacemaking is not the same as peace achieving. Our responsibility is to pray, is to take whatever practical initiative we can to make peace, beginning with something maybe as simple as a greeting. But the reality is we won't always succeed. So I want to make sure that you don't equate peacemaking and peace achieving. A peacemaker longs for, they work for, they sacrifice for peace, but the attainment of peace may not come.

Turn next to Matthew 6 and verse 14. Here's another lesson, very Passover related. Not wanting to forgive others will also separate us from having peace of mind.

Not wanting to forgive others will also separate us from having peace of mind. And that's a key lesson, not only in the Passover atonement. Both are very much built around that understanding. You can't have peace of mind so long as you bear grudges against somebody or you haven't forgiven them. Matthew 6, 14. For if you forgive men their trespasses, your Heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. And so we're clear. This also talks about us forgiving ourselves.

If we have repented sincerely, we've got to let ourselves off the hook, too.

Because that's a difficult thing sometimes for people. So let's transition to another lesson that's linked about peace. If you'll turn to James 3 and verse 17. James 3 and verse 17. This next lesson, I'm turning here first because James succinctly summarizes it in like 12 words. And then I think it's something we can gloss over and read past with because we can read 12 words very fast. James 3 and verse 17 says, but the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable. I'll read that again, but slow down a little bit and look at the order of what he said.

James wrote that godly wisdom is first pure, then peaceable. It's not the other way around.

And that's the order that we have in the Beatitudes. So I'm sorry to have you flipping all over, but go ahead and now go back to the Beatitudes because I want to point something out to you that's similar here. Matthew 5 and we'll start in verse 8 to get to the Beatitudes. But the key lesson I'm wanting to point out to you is this. Purity is the basis for peace.

Purity is the basis for peace. And so before we read the Beatitude that I started this sermon with about being peacemakers, I want you to read the preceding Beatitude. Matthew 5 and verse 8, So Christ first pointed out that being pure in heart, those are the people that are blessed. He next taught that peacemakers are blessed. But the point is that purity takes precedence over peace. Purity is the basis for biblical peace. And therefore, purity must not be compromised in order to make peace. You can't trade one for the other. You can't say, well, I'm making peace, so I can blow off some of God's teachings. That's not what's being said. And perhaps that's why Jesus warned in the very next Beatitude, blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake. I don't know if you ever made that connection along the way. In other words, righteousness must not be compromised in order to make peace with your persecutor.

When Jesus pronounced the blessing on being persecuted for the sake of righteousness, he clearly subordinated the goal of peace to the goal of righteousness. God expects us to realize the importance that purity is the basis for peace.

Well, I hope as we go through these things is making you look at the concept of peace differently. And peace of mind does depend on a lot of different factors. The one constant, though, is that God's peace always involves us doing the things that we ought to do. It doesn't trump us doing what he's commanded us to do. It's about us living life God's way and not our own. And that's really the secret. You don't need to turn back. Remember we read Romans 8 and verse 6, it said, For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Our natural instinct isn't to do what's right. Our natural instinct is is to lie and to steal or to cheat. Can you have peace of mind when you lie or you steal?

It doesn't work. Think of Judas. Did Judas have peace of mind after betraying Christ? No, he went and hung himself. When we break the laws of God, it's not possible for us to have peace of mind. Turn now to Romans 13 verses 1 through 6. Romans 13 verses 1 through 6. Now, I'm sure this next analogy has never happened to anybody here, but just suppose. Suppose it's late at night and you're driving down this dark city street and you suddenly realize, because your brain is thinking on something, that you just ran a red light. Never happened, I'm sure. But just suppose, probably you, like me, have been there. Your heart starts picking up and what do you start doing? You start looking in your mirrors to see if a policeman spotted you. Right? Well, Paul is describing that feeling in verses 1 through 4, and then he concludes the lesson in the next three verses. So let's start with the same feeling. Picture that driving down the road feeling. The road feeling. Romans 13 verse 1. Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except from God, and the authority that exists are appointed by God. Therefore, whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and to those who resist will bring judgment on themselves. If that policeman was there, he nailed you. Busted. Therefore, you must be subject not only because of wrath, not only because of the consequence of your action, but also for conscience's sake. For because of this, you also pay taxes. For they are God's ministers attending continually to this very thing. Render therefore to all their due. Taxes to whom taxes are due. Customs to whom customs. Fear to whom fear. Honor to whom honor. Now we're going to see the key to peace of mind. Oh, no one anything except to love one another, for he who loves another has fulfilled the law. Okay, so now I'm going to stir the pot. So what do we do when we see social injustice that's going on in the world? What do we do when we see social injustice? Hey, is this supposed to anger us? And what do we do with that anger? We just got through a political season. And even though, what, we're a month past, there are still all sorts of frustration being voiced on Facebook, in the media, at work, at home, in church. And you know what? Some of the times concerns being raised are legitimate. But the end result, if we focus and get absorbed in social injustice, is that we won't live with mental peace because we're going to spend so many hours dealing with the influence of the venom of daily media and thoughts and complaining about other people's injustice. Do you realize, friends, that according to medical findings, that they will say a great many sicknesses result from fear and anxiety?

In other words, you're lacking peace of mind. Why else would you say somebody has a nervous breakdown? I'd like you to notice something, maybe you haven't noticed before. Look at Luke 13 in verses 1 through 5. I wanted to set the scene with that. Now I would like you to see what Christ did when he was approached with social injustice. Luke 13 verses 1 through 5. In these verses, people are walking up and confronting Jesus with what Pilate did, and they were atrocious.

They're saying, look at Pilate's atrocities. Now, what I want you to focus on the most is how he responded. Luke 13 starting in verse 1. There were present at that season some who told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. And Jesus answered and said to them, do you suppose that these Galileans were worse sinners than all other Galileans?

Because they suffered such things. I tell you no, but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. Or those eighteen on whom the tower of Siloam fell and killed them. Do you think they were worse sinners than all other men who dwelt in Jerusalem? I tell you no. But unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. See, the people wanted. They were really anxious to get Jesus riled up and to get him to react about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with a sacrifice. Awful! And so Jesus took this major social injustice and turned it into a demand for personal, individual repentance.

He said, unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. And that's what Jesus always did. But why? Because for Jesus, the eternal destiny of a human is a weightier matter. It's far more important, a bigger issue than the temporary destiny of a nation. And so the lesson is this. Social injustice should demand we focus on our own personal repentance. Social injustice should demand we focus on our own personal repentance. If you come to Jesus with a question about the injustice of paying taxes to today's Tiberius Caesar, or maybe you point out that the struggles you're being ordered to do at the hand of your imperfect boss at work isn't fair, isn't right, Jesus will turn that into a personal command aimed right back at your own heart.

And he will say, you give to Caesar the things that are Caesars and to God the things that are Gods. Matthew 22, 15 through 21. If you come to Jesus with a complaint about the injustice of your brother who will not divide your family inheritance with you, somebody who wronged you financially, Jesus will turn it into a warning to your own consciousness and say, man, who made me a judge or divider over you? Take heed and beware of all covetousness, for man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.

Luke 12, 13 through 15. If you think about it, Jesus did this all the time. People would bring a social situation and he'd throw it back at their heart. So I hope today's message has made you think a little bit more on the path to peace, because it's something we all desperately long for and can definitely grow in.

I'd like you to conclude by turning to John 20 in verse 19 and closing. John 20 in verse 19. God is peace, and his Son set us the perfect example of how we can experience, how we can live and feel peace, because Christ never lost his peace of mind. He was persecuted, but he never lost it. And one of the first promises that he shared after being resurrected when he saw his disciples was a concern for them to have peace of mind.

John 20 in verse 19. 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, Jesus came and stood in the midst and said to them, peace be with you. No matter what you may be suffering with in life, I hope you remember that Jesus showed us how the week can have peace of mind.