The Gift of Peace - Part B

I love what Jay Oswald Sanders said peace is not the absence of trouble. It's the presence of God sure you have troubles to be all around you. It's good to be around you nationally and internationally, even in your neighborhood among your family promises you is present from his peace with God is what you have when you give your life to Jesus, peace of God is something you must actively grab hold today on connect with Skip HiTec Skip shares or you can truly embrace the peace that Christ gives you before we begin, we want to invite you to see the very places Jesus walked hot and performed miracles. Lenny and I are taking a group to Israel in 2022 and we want to invite you to join us will visit places like Nazareth, the Jordan River.

The Dead Sea and Jerusalem, including the Temple Mount and the garden tomb – just a flyby look at the itinerary. Find out more about the trip@inspirationcruises.com/C a B think Skip now were John chapter 14 today as we get into the teacher with Skip HiTec now when Jesus says, my peace I leave with you.

Keep in mind he knew what he was about to encounter as he predicted that they can arrest me to beat me up to kill me.

So he know in a few hours, he would be betrayed, arrested, he would be beaten. He knew that he would have a crown of thorns pushed in his scalp and he knew that he was going to across and his peaceful so he says that the piece the piece that I have the peace that I enjoy the peace that governs my internal processing is what I am giving to you so I want you to just think about this that the fact that Jesus Christ should have on a person's life is this right is this piece.

It is the stamp we bear skull, the fruit of the Spirit for the spirit Galatians 5 is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, I love what Jay Oswald Sanders said he said peace is not the absence of trouble. It's the presence of God. Sure you have troubles to be all around you is going to be around you nationally and internationally, even in her neighborhood among your family, but he promises you. His presence he promises you peace and how you picture God, but I've been around enough Christians to insert a picture God with a frown. Not a smile that I think of God like this at them, but he's just like he's just miffed at me a little bit is never really please with me. He sort of like folding his arms over his celestial row, looking at me like this. If you picture God. That way you need a new picture you got the wrong picture because God said even to his seeming people, the children of Israel about to going to captivity he said, for I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord of peace, not of evil, to give you a future and hope you know that first Jeremiah 2911. At this point it's good to divide peace up into two different categories we enjoy two kinds of peace we enjoy the peace that comes with God all explained that and then we enjoy. Subsequent to that the peace of God. The first kind of peace. Peace with God is object of the second piece the peace of God is subject.

In other words, the first objective means it's outside of us. You may feel it. You might not feel it irregardless it's there, it's a transactional peace whereas the peace of God is something that is subjective you feeling it's experiential so peace with God comes when you come to Christ, you come to Jesus Christ you ask him into your heart into your life is Lord and Savior, your sins are forgiven. In effect you raise the white flag of surrender. You say I give up I give up. And when you do that, the hostility is turned into piece you have peace with God.

That's Romans chapter 5 begins like this. Therefore being justified by faith we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, you come to God. In his terms. His terms of the cross you, and receive what Jesus did for you on your behalf. God is good we are at peace. You and I you're right before me.

You are righteous before me. You are justified before so now you have peace with God. That's what Isaiah meant when he said he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities. The chastisement of our peace was upon him by his stripes we are healed as the first peace with God. After you have peace with God comes the experience far, that's the peace of God. That's the feeling of well-being. That's the feeling of tranquility that's experiencing what Jesus promises here in this chapter.

It's it's what Paul meant when he said here's a verse you know, I know you know it because watch this. Paul said in Philippians 4 be anxious for nothing. See I knew you knew it.

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God and the peace of God which passes all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds. So now you are feeling it. Now you're experiencing it. You're feeling tranquil and peaceful.

That's why love the song that we just think it is well with my soul. That's being in in in the midst of turmoil still having the feeling of tranquility.

If it helps him in a boiler down even further in and say this Jesus Christ as Savior gives you peace with God Jesus Christ as Lord gives you the peace of God, you make Jesus as your Savior here at peace with God, whether you feel like it or not when you walk with him and trust him and apply what you know to be true. You experience the peace of God. Either way both of the kinds of peace that I just described, through the person and the personality of Jesus Christ.

If you've never read this book you should call peace child by Don Richardson. It came out in the 70s Don Richardson was a missionary to the saw. We try I down in Indonesia in Aryan Jaya and he felt called by God.

He and his wife went there. He wanted to preach the gospel.

He lived there for months and then years. He even developed a language. A written language for them so we could translate some of the gospel in their language and he does love them well. The problem with loving them is that the Solway tribes were cannibals. How do you love your next-door neighborhood cannibal headhunters and so he was there trying to share the gospel with them without any success at all was about ready to give up because he discovered that this all the villages the tribes were always warring with each other that no peace and they extolled things like revenge and murder.

Those were noble traits in those cultures. You murder somebody view exact revenge. That's good, whereas acts of kindness were seen with suspicion. So good luck trying to love on them and be kind to them because they don't respect kindness, but give me a head on a plate. You're a good guy writes about that stuff so he didn't quite know how he's going to share the gospel with them until he discovered the key, though, they viewed acts of kindness with suspicion. There was only one act of kindness that they really respect and that is when one village, one tribe gave a baby boy of theirs to the other village when they gave that baby boy to the other village as long as that child was alive there was peace between the tribes is called the peace child because that's it. That's my key so he told them about God's peace child how God gave his son to our tribe and that he is still alive because he rose from the dead.

Next transform their understanding and to this day there are vibrant vibrant Christians and churches in that area. Point is, God makes peace through his peace child.

The Lord Jesus Christ. So this piece is needful and this piece is relational and give you 1/3 aspect of this promise. This piece is in comparable four notice verse 27 when Jesus said, peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you the next phrase is not as the world gives do I give to you. In other words, this is an other worldly piece you'll never find this kind of peace in the world. Or you might say the peace that I promise is out of this world and in the truest sense. There is no real peace to be found in this world. The Bible says that we in our natural state are at enmity with God that there is hostility from the moment we are born with God. You may not feel that that's irrelevant.

It is a fact. There is a hostility where enmity with God that people might try to play that down like the false prophets in the Old Testament who came along. During Jeremiah's time in said piece.

Please Jeremiah shot back at them and said you are healing the hurt of my people slightly by saying peace peace when there is no peace. Jeremiah's and there's no peace.

God's going to judge this nation to bring them into captivity, but these false prophets are saying I'll know it's it's peace now. The world may offer a momentary experience of a peaceful feeling you apart from Christ might have a fleeting feelings of tranquility you might find it in a romantic relationship you might find it on a good vacation.

You might find it in the new purchase of a car or something you've saved up for you might find in a good cup of coffee.

I find a lot of peace and a really well roasted cup of brew, but it is momentary and all of those things are substitutes. It's a pseudo-peace. It's what one author calls the bliss of ignorance is worldly piece, the bliss of ignorance because if an unbeliever understood what awaits them, they would not enjoy a single moment of peace.

All that they had offered something momentary and transitory Jesus offer something that is long-lasting that is everlasting. Many years ago. Over a century ago. You've heard me talk talk about DL Moody Dwight Lyman Moody that evangelist and pastor from Chicago. He was on a.m. evangelistic kind of a tour he was preaching with another evangelist in the town people from the town were coming to hear them speak and hear the gospel. One man was coming every night, but he was under the conviction of the Holy Spirit. He was so angry and wrestling with what he heard. He finally wrote one of the evangelists who was with Moody. This letter look at. He said I wish you and Moody had never come to the city before you came. I wasn't troubled about my sins.

You talk of peace and joy. You have turned my soul into a living hell. I can't stay away from the meetings and to come to them only makes me worse.

You promised salvation, but all I find his torment. I wish you would leave. Then I get back my old piece is that I want my all these I want… Little substitute feeling that I had before you guys came to down and told me about your Savior.

Give me my old piece or you don't need girl peace you need his peace and his peace comes from receiving the Savior who promises you his own personal sense of calm and peace. So this piece is incomparable won't get anywhere else. Fourth and finally the fourth aspect, this piece is responsible.

This is interesting because look at verse 27 again it says let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. Now want to really get this because you have you have one verse but there's two sentences in one verse. The first sentence is a promise. The second sentence is a command right so he says peace I leave my peace I give you. Then he gives us a command. He says let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. Is that what women worry will what is this about is called responsibility will what we mean responsibility. I thought you said it was a deposit I thought you said he gives it to you. It's free. He's leaving it with us was sure, but any promise you after appropriate I mean with you that's way it is in all of life.

You could have $1 million in the bank. But if you don't take money out of the bank.

It does you no good right you have to use what you have a few of us if you have a cabinet full of tools and you need to get some done.

We had to go get those tools you might have all the equipment you need but you have to appropriate. Same with this same with peace, so he gives a promise that he gives a command to listen to the command. It is an imperative and it is a present, passive, imperative, which means he is saying stop an action that you're already doing. Stop an ongoing action so it's like saying you guys are stressed out you are feeling anything but peaceful. Your filled with turmoil and so much worry stop it. I know it's going on.

Stop literally. It's let not your heart continue to be agitated is in alignment. Jesus given his beautiful promise to a bunch of worry, disciples, and he tells them more worried. Stop it.

It's like it's like saying your kids got in an accident don't work. Now here's the difference whenever Jesus gives you a command. He gives you the ability to obey the command he gives you the power to do so with a command always comes capacity. When Jesus gives a command. He also gives capacity capability to fulfill the command. So what this shows us is that you and I have the power to stop freaking out.

Stop freaking out. Stop freaking out stop the ongoing action of being overwhelmed by let not your heart be troubled, as Christians, we have a responsibility to enact the promise that he gives. So Jesus gives him a promise of peace after appropriate the promise is a responsibility. How do you do that second Corinthians 10, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ. So your thoughts are taking you in a direction lasso them, chain them, bring them to Christ. Drop them off their and if you have to do it 10 times a day 20 times a day. Do it. Romans chapter 12 do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind renew your mind with God's promises root refresh your mind with what you know to be true. First Peter chapter 1 gird up the loins of your mind, it's an old-fashioned way of saying think clearly and exercise self-control. So it has a lot to do with what you allow your mind to do so. The piece promise has to be guarded. You might say we have to keep the peace and I discovered it's better to keep the peace and to make peace. Every time you lose just keep it discarded just just maintain it.

Now you do that well I'm in a be showing you how to do that in the next few weeks, but I wanted I want to leave with you as we close to basics to basics. Here's here's our responsible. These two things if you do them will help you stay peaceful as a believer number one.

Stay connected vertical number to stay connected horizontally.

Pretty basic right life is like like two planes vertical, horizontal, so stay connected vertically. That's your relationship with God. Jesus said in John 15 abide in me abide mean stick close to me just like a branch sticks close to the vine to get all the nutrition flowing in stick close to me abide in me, maintain a constant living communion with me. Go to John 16 for just a moment one verse John 1633 just a couple pages to the right. The same evening, the same talk. It's the same place he's closing out his upper room discourse chapter 16 verse 33 these things I have spoken to you, that in me you might have peace in the world you will have tribulation, but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world use stick close to me. I've overcome the world. You maintain a constant living communion with me and Juergen of experience in the midst of tribulation and turmoil.

A very peaceful, tranquil feeling or what would we all love that you know our sailors talk about this place in the ocean called the cushion of the sea and the cushion of the sea is a place below the surface of the ocean so deep that it's undisturbed the matter what's going on atop the ocean.

You could have a typhoon you could have a storm event going on, but underneath you go down to a place where it's so calm cushion. So God wants to place you in his little cushion of the sea in the world you have tribulation, the storms are out there, but be of good cheer. I've overcome the world.

That's the cushion, so stay connected vertical second stay connected horizontally strike. You need people and people need you one thing we have looked at in the last year when everybody said lock yourself away and stay put, we found the truth of what it says in Genesis. What a God say one of the first things it is not good that man should be what allowed and there were told be alone and the anxiety and the suicide and the depression is off the chart you need people and you can do that safely, but you still need connections horizontally. So do me a favor if you know anybody in the church anybody in the community who is locked away has pre-existing conditions is feeling isolated and lonely.

If you can get to them and encourage them give them food. Give them love pray with them. Please do that help them stay connected horizontally. If you ever go to San Francisco California. There's one major icon of architecture that everybody sees and it's called the Ya heard a bridge golden gate bridge so if you've never seen it yet. It's worth the trip just to check it out. So when they built the Golden gate Bridge. The architects basically designed it based on three criteria. One is called dead load to his live load increases wind load, so the dead load is just the weight of the bridge itself to suspension bridge to the take the weight of the unit itself that's dead load live load is the traffic that travels across it so think peak traffic trucks going back and forth that adds weight and stress. There is wind load it's on the closer you get prevailing winds and you get storms they take all of those into consideration and to keep it strong. They built special bracing Florida.

All of that to say you and I need special bracing.

We have God's promises and we should stay connected. This way, but we need special bracing this way.

Stand the storms of life. Any friends need mentors any family members of the church. Staying connected horizontally that wraps up skipping to the series give peace a chance right now. Here's a great resource for introduces you to the key players in the Middle East shares why their decisions are significant for you.

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Thank you, coming up tomorrow from Skip soon as he shares the way society can truly change Skip presentation of connection communications changing to