The Peace Christ Offers At His Coming - Part 2

Love them to the intense podcast with Charles Stanley for Thursday, December 23 today will continue focusing on Christmas. I'm learning to accept rest in the peace Christ offers is coming. Jesus was very, very concerned that his followers understood and experienced peace that is he wanted them to know the meaning of true peace because he knew that there are circumstances in which they presently live and were going to live all the rest of their life in the Roman Empire. As believers, establishing that New Testament church they would never live in a peaceful situation so he kept saying to them, peace be unto you.

Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. Wonderful words of assurance of the Lord Jesus Christ.

So he went through his life expressing to them the peace that God intends for us to have no is one thing for him to express it. It's something else for us to understand and so beyond the expressions of this piece I want us to understand. I want to explain the peace that Jesus Christ offered when he came to earth, so I want us to notice here. First of all, that all of us have a need for peace now. First of all, all of us need peace with God.

Secondly, we need to be able to have an experienced peace within ourselves and listen to what the Bible says, for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. You've heard that verse all of your life. But listening for just a moment. What is the sin sin.

In essence, my friend, is this sin is my choice to act independently of the will of God to sin against God is the set up conflict between yourself and God. You cannot live in conflict with God and experience peace. It's impossible. Somebody says but I do.

God says you don't so therefore you must be deceived if you think you have peace now let's look at he says outcome to give you peace.

Peace be unto you, what is this piece will sin is that saying that attitude in our life. Those actions and attitudes that deprive us of our pieces of what we have to ask is this how do I get this feeling this attitude, this experience hello I get this overwhelming sense of quietness and assurance and confidence in stillness in my spirit when everything around me is falling apart. That's exactly what I want to explain beginning in chapter 5 of Romans verse one. The Bible says, therefore, having been justified.

Let me explain that having been declared not guilty by God does mean I wasn't guilty, but something happened whereby God. Now has declared us not guilty, therefore being justified by what faith we have what peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Now that means because the Lord Jesus Christ on the cross, God the father plays all of his sin upon him.

He paid the penalty. He bore all the debt. Therefore, God when I received the Lord Jesus Christ as my Savior sees me as no longer guilty.

I've been set free and liberated.

Therefore being justified by faith. Now you and I can have peace with God because the war is over now. I want your turn, if you will to Colossians chapter 1 for a moment. Listen to what he says. He says in this first chapter, Colossians, look at if you will look in verse 19 it was the father's good pleasure for all the fullness of the Godhead to dwell in him, and listen, and through him that is through Christ to reconcile that is the conflicts over the walls are torn down, and now the two have become one to reconcile all things to himself having made what peace through what the blood of his cross. Through him I say were the things on earth of things in heaven. Therefore, he says that you and I have been reconciled to him and we have made peace through the blood of his cross. All genuine, true peace will find its origin in the shed blood of the Lord Jesus Christ that is in his crucifixion is in the cross where God paid the penalty for your sins and my sins and what he did, he says, look, the war can be over there can be peace there may no longer be any conflict cease to act independently of the will of God and surrender yourself to the Lord Jesus Christ and you will have peace that passes all human understanding.

Now notice what he said in John 14. He says there is a form of peace. The world has all but it's all based on circumstances, situations that are always changing my peace I give under you and when you turn to Ephesians chapter 2 for a moment I want you to notice something in this passage and I will explain what Paul is describing here and then we can apply to ourselves what he saying here he say specifically in this passage concerning the relationship between Jews and Gentiles, and he says this is the kind of peace of the Lord Jesus Christ brought into these two warring factions of Gentiles and Jews. What happened between them. He says is what God wants to happen between us and our spouses are our children are our friends are our enemies.

That is not what he says and explained as we go along. He says in verse 11.

Ephesians 2. Therefore, remember that formula that is before time before you resave the Gentiles in the flesh formally you the Gentiles in the flesh who are called on circumcision by the so-called circumcision that is by the Jews, which is performed of the flesh by human hands. That is, he says, separated basin with the circumcised ones. We are the sons and daughters of Abraham. When the children of God, you Gentiles, ostracize your out forever verse 12. Remember that you were at that time separate from Christ exclude from the Commonwealth of visual strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. God. God chose the nation of Israel.

It was his intention that they would spread the truth of the gospel throughout the world conflict here without God in the world. Verse 13 but now in Christ Jesus. That is because he came something's happened between Jews and Gentiles. But now in Christ Jesus you who formerly were followed. Gentiles have been brought near that is brought into this relationship by the what by the blood of Christ, for he himself, that is, Christ is listen to this verse. He him self not something he gives apart from himself. He him self is our what he's there please pieces to be found in the person of Jesus Christ. He who is our peace, who made both groups, Gentiles and Jews into one that is the church, the body of Christ and broke down the barriers of the dividing wall by abolishing in his flesh. That is the flesh of Christ.

The image of the hostility which is the law of commandments cave containing all of this is that is the 10 Commandments which we could not live up to which separate all of us from God because we could live up to them that in himself, that is in Christ, he may make the two into one new man, thus establishing peace is what he saying that God sent the Lord Jesus Christ into the world of Jews and Gentiles, and in the person of Jesus Christ dying on the cross. He is what he did he met all the requirements he met all the requirements of the Jewish law. He paid the sum total of all the sins of those who been sacrificing down to the years. At the same time he paid the full price of all the Gentiles past present future so that now in the person of Jesus Christ. Jews and Gentiles canal. The one in the person of Christ in the body of Christ which is the church is that same Christ who comes into a person's life and what is he do he breaks down the barriers in the walls of indifference and ignorance and blindness and suddenly what happens a man who's been estranged from God. Now finds himself in oneness with the father families in great conflict. The walls of separation.

The barriers are broken down and Christ Jesus is the one who seals them and binds them together. Jesus Christ has come, the Prince of peace, doing what binding together that which is broken, putting back together the sense of oneness that which was separated healing the hurts and breaking down the conflict and healing conflicts and separation the hearts and lives of people Almighty God, to the person of the Lord Jesus Christ knows how to heal hurts. He knows how to bring about forgiveness. He knows how to empower you to forgive your enemies and forgive your loved ones and forgive those who hurt you and harmed you and taken advantage of you and abused you, and until you're able to forgive. There will be no peace my friend. As long as I have an unforgiving spirit toward someone no matter what they've done to me. No matter how much of it. They've done until I'm willing to say I forgive you, there can be no peace. And until you my friend are able to receive the forgiveness of the Lord Jesus Christ. There will never be any peace in your heart, here's another question.

What are the expectations that you and I have a right to have if, for example, I receive the Lord Jesus Christ as my Savior say Jesus and he is our peace, what does that mean first of all, the quality of peace that Jesus gives us a piece that's listen is superior to every type of peace you thought you had to get a full what's that verse my peace I leave with you.

Not as the world given the give on the let not your heart be troubled, you don't have to be afraid listed there is a superiority about the peace of the Lord Jesus Christ offers and what is it is superior because our peace is in listen. A person who is drilling in every single believer so that the source of our peace has nothing to do with our circumstances. It has to do with a personal, intimate relationship with a person who is the person of Jesus Christ Jesus and the upper room. He says, for in me, you will find listen in me, you will find peace. Jesus is I'm abiding in you and your abiding in the.

The reason we have a peace that passes all understanding is because it is not wrapped up in circumstances and situations.

It is found.

Listen in on breakable if divine, eternal relationship between Almighty God through his son and the believer. Nothing can ever alter that to think that the atoning death of Jesus Christ has to have anything added to that any performance on my part of living up to matching up to the get the acceptance of God would absolutely destroy the eternal security and the eternal peace that we have because of our relationship to him is the. Everything the world has often secondly listen. It surpasses everything you and I can imagine you sleep summarizes what you mean surpasses what I can imagine will listen to this passage.

In fact, let's turn to it because somebody you may never have read this and I want to encourage you to get your Bible and underline these two verses because you gonna need them. But if in chapter 4. This is the way Paul described it, we know it by heart. Listen to what he says.

He says don't be anxious about anything, could you help the apostle Paul saying that from a prison cell. Listen he's not saying this on the beach. He's saying this in jail. He says don't be anxious about anything but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God and the peace of God, which surpasses all human comprehension, will guard keep overshadowing Garrison about protect your mind and your heart your emotions in Christ Jesus.

It is a surpassing kind of peace.

How many times all of us have been through valleys heart aches difficulties trials tears and everything around us falling apart and on the inside, there is this overwhelming sense of undeniable in comparable any explainable client peace that has you my friend established, you sent in the grace of God, he says, because if you and I will just focus on the Lord Jesus Christ set her mind upon him who is our peace, listen not only is the piece that he has given us provided for us a piece that is superior to anything we've ever had and a peace that surpasses all of our human understanding but is a piece that will sustain us through every circumstance of life. Listen, the simple verse in Isaiah 26 thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is fixed, all God, you know why you and I can go through circumstances that are full of conflict because Armand is not fixed on the conflict of fixed on the warriors. It is fixed upon God. When the most precious times in my life a little late in this church said to me, I went to see her. She still comes.

She's an elderly lady can't come for all for now a time of great turmoil in my life. She took me to her apartment. She showed me this picture in the wall and I was full of conflict. At that time and full of hurt and discouraged. She said to me. You see this picture she's been a nurse for about 50 some years and she said I want you to tell me what you see is a picture of Daniel in the lion's den until everything that I saw Daniel standing there with his hands behind him and all these lands look like they're about to eat him alive except all their mouths are closes until everything that I so in this perceptive godly woman said to this pastor full of conflict full of frustration, wondering what God was going to do because I was not the pass of the search of the she said to me she put her arm around my waist and she sits on what I want you to see is that Daniel does not have his eyes on the lines he has among God. That's one of the greatest sermons of ever heard in all of my life that I will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is fixed on God, not on the conflict not on the conflict doors but only God himself. You can beat that kind of peace and so the last thing I want to talk about for just a moment, is how you experience it. There is only one way and I want you listen carefully. Peace is a choice that I make isn't something I find it is a choice that I make.

It is a choice to accept Jesus Christ death on the cross as payment for my sin and receive the person of Jesus Christ as my personal savior. It's a choice I made. But his with the choice demand. The choice demands that I threw up the white flag of surrender. God, I surrender. I give up I give up.

Lord I quit limiting what that means. It means I must be willing for God to break my stubborn will.

It means I must be willing to drop my pride.

It means I must be willing to humble myself before God and tell them Lord, you win.

I give up. God you when I give up. I quit that you know until you do that, you'll never know peace. As long as you insist on having your way you'll never know peace you how to get his piece you make a choice to accept his death on the cross as payment for your sin. Surrender your life you will in all that you are to the person of Jesus Christ and received by faith in Christ and with him comes the piece listen he's on medicine the Holy Spirit he will be in you with you and upon you and listen to what he says the fruit of the spirit is what the furthest. That is what he produces, not what we produce like a fountain on the inside of you. He says the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, what peace isn't something you can't. It is something you experience one who lives on the inside of you listen carefully on the inside of you, my friend in the person of Jesus Christ is what happens when you receive Christ not only have peace with God, but you have the peace of God, and you know what begins to happen. You begin to have peace with yourself and you're able to walk in the piece that surpasses all human understanding, but remember what we said peace is a choice that you make. It is a choice to receive Christ as an carefully it is a daily choice to walk with him and obey him. That is the source of all true, genuine peace what the prophet say of him.

Wonderful Counselor, mighty God, everlasting father, Vincent means I want to ask you my friend this Christmas season will you not accept into your life, the Prince of peace and experience forever.

What God to give. Thank you for listening to part two of peace. Christ offers at his coming. If you like to know more about Charles Stanley or intense ministries.in tax.org. This podcast is a presentation of InTouch ministries Atlanta, Georgia