“Give Peace a chance” Isaiah 48:17,18; John 16:33; Romans 12:18
It is said that in the recorded history of the last
3,500 years, only 285 have been peaceful-that’s 8%. Over 8,000 treaties have
been broken. There have been over 14,000 wars and over 6.4 billion have died in
war. Today I will be talking about a fruit of the Spirit- peace. The peace
talked about here- is a peace inside- not just a ceasing of hostilities- but
peace and quiet- shalom.
There are different concepts of peace, so let me say what this
peace of the spirit is not.
1) It is not the peace of non-war; I remember Ronald Reagan speaking
about the peace in Berlin before the wall came down. It was like the “peace’
of the cold war- it
was a peace brought about by fear of what the other country could do.
They called it MAD (Mutually Assured Destruction)- it was no peace. That is not
the peace
of the Spirit. Peace is not the absence of danger, but presence of
God.
2) It is not the peace of being left alone. Some say there is peace by
not being bothered. The Peace of Christ is more than this. Often they
didn’t leave Jesus alone, but
he still had peace. In fact the peace of the Spirit may come in the
midst of being bothered with others.
3) It is not a temporary tranquility- like the “peace before the storm.”
The peace of the spirit is not a one time emotional experience, but an
abiding peace that comes by abiding in him. Jesus said in this world we
will have tribulation. The peace of Jesus allowed him to go to sleep in a
storm, and then to calm its waves. The peace of Christ enabled him to have
peace amidst the pushing crowds. The peace of Jesus enabled him to have peace
on the cross- even in the midst of torture. There are three kinds of peace
that God offers- the peace of direction, the peace of order, and the peace of
righteousness.
I. THE PEACE OF DIRECTION “He will direct you in the way you
should go.”
I remember as a boy scout there was a bit of peace in knowing that I knew how to
work a compass and that I knew where the north star was so I could
find my way. Today there is peace when I am traveling of knowing I have a
map or a gps to get me where I want to go. There is peace in knowing that
we are on a journey- and the Lord knows how to give you directions along the way
to keep you from getting lost.
DECISION MAKING- Many of you have tried to make important decisions
before. There is little rest until the decision is made. Sleepless
nights often happen before a big decision is made- like what college to
go to, what career you will choose- or that job interview, or a
wedding, or your decision about giving your heart to Christ.
GOD GIVES DIRECTION- God promises to guide us when we call to Him.
Sometimes we don’t know God is guiding us until we look back. We don’t
always hear that voice booming from heaven, or even whispering to our
consciences. But there is a peace that comes from knowing God guides us.
II. THE PEACE OF ORDER- Augustine said that “peace is the
tranquility of order.” “God is in his heaven-all is right with the world.”
Peace of being 1 w/ creator.
A, THE PEACE OF KNOWING WHO IS BOSS- Who is your boss?
When I worked for Dunlop Sports Company, there were three people who were
in charge of the same thing- me! Things worked great until they had a
difference of opinion. Then my boss who was in charge of all production would
tell me one thing, the plant manager would tell me something else, and the vice
president in charge of manufacturing would tell me something else. Jesus said
you cannot serve two masters. If you really believe God is in charge,
serve Him. There is peace found in serving God. Everyone wants peace, but it
is not found in rebelling against the Creator of all things. Rebels against God
don’t win.
B. KNOWING GOD IS IN CONTROL BRINGS PEACE- We don’t have to worry.
He is King of kings. The government may think they are in control, we may
think there is no one in control, but there are forces the government cannot
control. Our response to God is not to rebel against Him or seize control, but
to humble ourselves before Him. So many want to be in control, and they will
drive themselves crazy worrying about every detail. But keep this in mind- God
made all there is, and God will win in the end, and He is able to turn evil into
good. Jesus said to not worry. Worry doesn’t add anything to our lives. Not a
sparrow falls without his knowledge and care. Every hair of your head- every
dna molecule is numbered by the king of kings.
Even large ships can be tossed up and down in the ocean. But a large
iceburg is steady because two thirds of it is under water. It runs deep.
Do you want to be a ship and float up and down on your circumstances, or do
you want the steady peace and joy that comes from deeply abiding in the Holy
Spirit? Turn back to God and give peace a chance!
III. THE PEACE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS. The Bible says there is no
peace for the wicked.
Maybe you’ve had your bad moments, when you have done something and you feel
like there is no escaping it. It is hard to sleep at night. It
seems like you go from one tragedy to another, one bad decision to the next.
Come back to God- not half-heartedly, but wholeheartedly. Don’t let Jesus be
lord of a little of your life- but all of your life- INCLUDING YORU FAILURES.
Don’t hold back in your faith and trust in God. I have known several people who
tell me they want to believe and follow the Lord, but they feel so guilty about
some past mistake, problem or sin. People have looked at their sin as
unforgivable. They may have messed up their marriage, or had an abortion, gone
into bankruptcy, let their family down, embarrassed themselves. You know these
aren’t the unforgivable sin. Jesus said the unforgivable sin is blaspheming the
Holy Spirit. That is blocking the Holy Spirit from coming into your life. The
only unforgivable sin is not letting God the Holy Spirit dwell in you. Why are
you steering your course toward the stormy sea when Jesus waits on the peaceful
shore? It is not too late to turn back.
A. KNOW YOU ARE RIGHT- We must hold the truth in love, grace, and
humility, but when you have the truth, do not waiver in it. Martin Luther was
under tremendous pressure to recant his faith. He was brought before a church
council that was opposed to what he taught, and were yelling at him, threatening
him, and making fun of him- he said, “I stand on the Word of God. Here I
stand, I can do no other.”
B. KNOW GOD- There was a bumper sticker a saw years ago that at first
irritated me- it said, “;No God- No Peace; Know God- Know Peace”
It sounds so dogmatic and harsh. But the longer I’ve lived, the more I see that
there is a peace of God that you can’t get any other way. Augustine
said, “Our hearts are restless until they find their rest in Thee.”
I knew a convict in Asheville who came to Christ by saying a simple
prayer he was taught as a child. He was unable to sleep- feeling guilty about
what he did and the lies he told to cover it up. He prayed a prayer he was
taught, “Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep.”
He recognized he wanted Jesus to keep his soul, and give him peace, and he
turned back to Him.
Horatio Spafford wrote a haunting Christian song about having peace with God even when things aren’t great. Spafford was affiliated with Dwight L. Moody in the 1880s. He was a lawyer in Chicago and when Chicago burned he lost most of his investments, and his son died about the same time. He was going to take his family to England two years later for a needed vacation and to take part in Moody’s crusades there. He sent his wife and children ahead while he finished some business. The ship the wife and four daughters was on, collided with another ship and sank in 20 minutes. He wrote these words supposedly inspired at the spot where they stopped to remember the ship- Ville de Havre and Spafford’s family.
When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say,
It is well, it is
well, with my soul.
It is possible to have peace even in the worst of situations. Abide in God and let his Spirit of peace flow through you and give you peace.