I Choose Peace - In a Broken World, Part 1

How do you have peace in a broken world. In times like this when there's such uncertainty and such fear is it possible to have the answer is yes. Today, you have stay with me. Thanks for joining us for this Edition of Living on the Edge with your favorite chip services are vital to daily international discipleship program.

This program should continue to study the book of Philippians? One of us are asking the state in such of the provided chaotic world. How is it possible to choose peace you want to know the answer. Open your Bible to Philippians chapter 4 text message in a broken world from a series I choose peace. Pick up your teaching notes working to jump right in and as we jump right and I want you to really think about. I mean pause. What's the greatest fear you're facing today, not some generic you personally your life sitting here what's the greatest fear you're facing want you to really name it. Fear the future. Fear of health. Never get married during the marriage never get any better fearful when your kids hear about the economy there about politics or about racism. What is it what is it that when you get knots in your stomach what is it when you're just driving in your car and everything is quiet your mind drifts to something and all the sudden you can feel the heart rate go up the blood pressure starts to go up and you begin to fixate on things and you realize you're afraid here's what I want to ask you.

Second question and I want you to think about this. Would you like to overcome that fear and not not Catholic because the way to overcome it is not can be an easy thing, but I want you to really think anything say little prayer to God. Some of us are afraid of one of our kids. One of our grandkids can be in an auto accident or were not can have enough money to live on as time goes on order and we've all got fears but Jesus said my peace I give to you not as the world gives. But, my peace I give to you. That's a promise. Isaiah would foretell God would keep those in perfect peace, whose minds are focused or stayed on him. The most common command in old and New Testament is fear not, be not afraid, and is usually followed because I am with you. So how do you experience God's power and presence that eliminates fear in such a way that in the midst of storms you're not a slave to fear because so many of us are in order to discover that I'm gonna suggest that you need to understand how God has made and wired your mind and your emotions, how they work together and when you do, and when you understand that then you understand exactly what you need to do. Because yes, there are challenging things happening in the world but I want to tell you how we think some of us are feeding our fears instead of Sartre starving them time to talk this morning about starving your fear and feeding your faith. There's a study at the University of Tennessee a number of years ago. It was not very complicated. It was a 12 year study.

There was a control group that heard five minutes of a radio program with just benign information.

There was an experimental group that heard five minutes of information that was all negative. You know this, there was a earthquake in such and such a city child was abducted in Memphis just five minutes, no video, just 12:05 years. They did an evaluation of both groups to find out. Was there any impact of five minutes of negative audio content over a 12 year period. The results the people in the experimental group were more depressed they believe the world was a more negative place, they were less likely to help others and they believed it. Those things that they heard of the last 12 years. What happened to them not know is think about this.

This is it like an hour the nightly news. This is it like a three hour movie. This is it like in front of the screen things blowing up. This is just five minutes of audio we all know right that you are what you eat physically right. We all know that you know it suites today and its hips tomorrow. Write what I want you to get is that you are what you eat psychologically. Here's where science and Scripture are in such an alignment. Three truths about our thinking number one were the product of our thought life who you are today is the product of your past thinkings what you thought was true. What you think isn't true.

Your focus your decisions at your thought life. Proverbs 23 seven. I love the King James on this one as a man think if so, is he or so you become as a man thinks in your heart so you become. Second, our emotions flow from our thoughts towards you think and it triggers your emotions follow your thoughts. Most of us make a lot of the decisions based on emotions, bar emotions, follower, thought Scripture says, Romans 86 for the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the spirit is notice life in peace. Third truth is that what we allow into our minds is the most important decision we make each and every day what you think about what you allow in your mind what you watch what you listen to what's on the radio in your car what you listen to the conversations with people that you have what you allow into your high gate in your ear gate that seeps down into your soul that gives you a perspective of what life is really about is the most important decision you ever make each and every day and pause parents, grandparents, you have no greater obligation than what you allowed your kids to watch and hear, and every parent or if you're a grandparent with a lot of kids in your house in the appropriate kind non-kamikaze non-Nazi attitude in a loving way. You need to know what's on their phones.

You need to know exactly what they're watching and you need to build a trust relationship and you have certain filters. There is a world out there seeking to capture your sons and daughters hearts, and it happens when their unsuspecting happen. One of my sons in high school and asked one of my grandchildren. Just last year, something popped up in some predator came after a little girl. Thank God for parents are very diligent. So what goes into your mind is paramount and what I want to encourage use it. What you allowed to go in your mind.

In many ways is what is creating or feeding your fears as you turn the page. The apostle Paul, remember he's speaking from a prison cell. His life is very challenging. It's very got difficult and that he has a summation amazing piece he's writing to this church that he loves very much that that has grown and he is a wonderful relationship and is trying to help them live in peace live with joy live with love and in the anxiety of the Roman world. In a world that is filled with violence and injustice, especially for a follower of Christ.

He writes to them, he's gonna teach them. This is how you can you might underline units choose you choose peace. It's a gift, but you had to choose it in a very broken world in a violent world in an uncertain world. He says finally brother whatever is true, whatever is honorable for whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise. Here's the first command. Let your mind dwell on these things I like to underline these keywords underline the word true in your notes.

Honorable right, pure, lovely, and then anything worthy of praise, and what he saying is there's a way to think about life, but this is how God wants you to think about life and this kind of thinking is important to learn what it means in a minute. This is what I want you to dwell on to ponder, to meditate, to review to fill your mind with and then he's going to move from their thinking to their behavior.

The things that you have learned and received, heard and seen in me, here's the second command practice these things notice they they were just sitting in a room listening to the apostle Paul. The things you learned. In other words, they had an appetite. They took it in that you received. You actually applied the things you heard, they heard him talk and use all they want to model it.

He says I want you to practice the very kind of teaching and lifestyle that I had in the very last line.

He says here's a promise it's not the peace of God. This time, what is it the God of peace will be with you another words, the God of shalom, the God of blessing the God who gives favor the God who protects the God who wants to give me the very best in life, not just we give you species will be with you and so here's what I want to do this is one of the most important messages that I'll ever get to give anywhere at any time.

Because think of this. I don't know if I'll be here two years or five years or 10 years from now. But here's what I know about me, and here's what I know about you and every person watching this. You are the product of your thoughts and we're casual with what we allow into our mind and it is shaping your character.

It's shaping your decisions and shaping your emotions and if you and I would get very very serious. He's going to give us six words and I'm going to define each one and then I've created a set a little question out of each one that you and I could say if you took this seriously before I let this in my eyes in my mind or in my heart or in one of my kids or grandkids or in my house. I'm going to ask one of the six questions and if the answer is. This is good. It comes in.

And if the answer is it's bad it doesn't. And here's the deal you do that for 90 days you will be shocked that your emotional health. You will be shocked at the changes in your life because we've grown accustomed to allowing lots of stuff that disturbs your soul. Lots of lives that tell you that you don't measure up that life is terrible. Life is violent. Life is uncertain. Bad things are going to happen and then you live in fear and living in fear is the opposite of living in faith so you ready to go first command is to dwell on these things, the word means to think deeply, to review to reply to meditate to talk about to analyze to ponder to deduce Colin Brown, a sort of the expert in New Testament dictionary and I love the one the board is are you ready listen to it low get some I can anybody hear English word logic come logic it's it's it's a it's a word he says that's not unemotional or philosophical thought, but it's the very process of reasoning and the deduction which separates good from evil. It's dwelling on what you see what comes on the screen. The email the blog and asking yourself, dwell, ponder, here's though the things you want to dwell on number one things that are true, this word means objectively true that which conforms to reality versus things are deceptive illusions that promise peace and happiness. What you think. Well, okay, so what you know is true so it would be pondering and dwelling on Scripture. That's true, it be pondering on some truth about your life. This morning I don't know if you'll ever have this. Do you ever just wake up and feel a bit negative and not know exactly why this kind a like so I'm bummed out and I just taught this.

It is taught this last night. You would think I would wake up Chippy and you know I mean I laid in bed and whose early and just the sort of negative filter and so I decided I would practice it. So I prayed through Psalm 23.

A couple times slowly when I got done I felt slightly less negative and then I had this thought, you know, I've got a do these exercises for my back, to do those. And so I decided okay I'm I'm going to do that and then so as I thought okay is what I'm to do whatever first comes to my mind during all my exercises for 40 minutes.

I quoted out loud passage, passage, toxic passage passage and then I decided you want time to declare what's true. I am the son of the living God. I have been have an inheritance from him.

He's already reserved a place for me in heaven.

He's deposited spiritual gifts in my life I have is peace living in my heart. He has blessed me with a wife that is loyal and loves me and I just started to declare out loud with versus all the things were true and my emotions went this just filled with gratitude, you have to focus on what is true. By contrast, there's lots of premises and lies that over time in her family of origin that we tend to believe in a book by a Tommy Newberry.

It's the 48 principal to about this verse, PT, list some things we tend to unconsciously tell ourselves the producing motions that are negative and often fear things like I'll never be happy again. This is just the way it is. This probably won't work if I had more money would matter object probably worry about it. I don't have what it takes.

This always happens to me how the honeymoon is officially over. He doesn't love me anymore. I'm not worthy. I'm just not very creative. My back is always going out like that one. I have to just accept my limitations. You know I never say the right thing that makes me so sick again.

I'm to be so so mad we can agree on anything. He doesn't find me attractive anymore. I just don't think I have what it takes. I always seem to blow it when it comes.

I say the wrong things.

Well I guess that's it. You hear those things. Those are things that you and I tell ourselves. I don't measure up. This marriage never get better. My kids you know my dad was like this. His grandfather was like this. I've got this addiction. I tried hard. I just have to live with it. Here's the deal. If you think you can or if you think you can't your hundred percent right. Ponder that you the product of your thought life and by the way, this is not positive thinking all the positive thinking there's big elements of truth. But this is thinking way beyond what's positive this is what's true, this is what God has said some of the lies that you all believe they're very very sad on their mix with truth, like I will be complete failure is apparent if my children do not get into a very exclusive school and going to a profession like a doctor or lawyer, etc. I'll be a failure and it produces anxiety and it produces pressure on your kids and it produces amazing things that are super unhealthy and very dysfunctional.

I can never be happy unless I get married I will never be happy until we own our own home. My life will be miserable unless I it's this premise, thinking premise premise premise premise that some activity some success. Some upward mobility. Some job, some patent, some wind, then thinking, and so now you're trapped into a false belief system now are those things necessarily wrong but listen to the difference. Here's the truth, it would be nice if one of my children get into an exclusive university by the grace of God walk with him closely and are used by God in a profession that would bring glory to him and happiness to them. It would be nice, but it has nothing to do with my values apparent. It would be nice if I get into one of those kind of schools and keep my grades up, but I'm going to do the best I can, but my value isn't dependent in any way on my grades, my athletic ability or my musicianship because I am sealed and delivered and approved by the living God. I'm on my way to heaven and he is a purpose for my life that may or may not include that to see the difference you believe the lies in your kids believe the law lies and you have to focus on what is true and you will see a world of difference in your life.

Second, the preview question then is when you're watching or listening to something you ask is this true or false. Is this true or false, to spend the most time on this because all the others flow out of this.

Here's an illustration you think your emotions are responding to reality know no, your emotions responding to your thinking and your thinking is the perception of reality.

Those people who listen to just five minutes of negative things there perception was, you know the guy that car. He probably wants to hurt me you never pick up a hitchhiker because you night I heard that story. It's the perception so pretend you're out maybe a quicksilver trail for you. Taking a big hike and as you're walking you freeze it's coiled up it's a snake and you got with it, and all of a sudden your stomach tightens up perspiration, heart rate, my gosh, it's a snake you hold someone back and you look at it and you look at it and you look at it and then it's not moving at all to get closer we get closer you get closer and you realize it's a piece of rope it's coiled around it was your perception that created all the exact same emotions as though it were a snake and there's a lot of snake thinking there's a takes an incredible amount of discipline and diligence to be someone who starts to think about what's true. Second, is it honorable.

The word means sober serious worthy of respect inspires all it refers to those things reflect the weighty purpose of a believer's life. Now there's a time for fantasy football. There's a time to get jacked up over the Super Bowl another things. There's a time I supposed to figure out who won the Glover the Oscar but there's trivia ad nausea in the world and this is saying in the midst of all that, here's what you need to think about. You need to think at times about some things that are grave sober serious things like the living God through his son Jesus Christ has rescued you from eternal damnation by his gift on the cross and he loves you and favors you with unconditional love and draws you close to himself and is an amazing plan for your life.

He has in Ephesians 210 purpose for you that you are his actual workmanship. You're his piece of pottery his poem. You are made and designed by the living God for a purpose that only you can fulfill that he did before the foundations of the earth question am I fulfilling it. You are living in a world that's called window time but you're made for eternity. There is a heaven, that is a real there is a hell that Israel, those are serious things.

The writer of Ecclesiastes says there's far more wisdom and funeral than there is a party not only focus on this all the time but were living in a world that's quick fast immediate those deep kind of thought shape your thinking. My wife asked me after last nights message. She sits a chip what what are you afraid of I said I am most afraid that I will squander the life that God has given me and I will not fulfill his purpose. She said why I said because, at least in the world standard. I'm way more squiggles successful than I thought I'd ever be.

God has given us more than I ever dreamed in every arena and all that creates comfort and a lifestyle works against the kind of focus and sacrifice of taking up my cross and following him and taking big risks for the kingdom of God and so I just I am afraid that I could slip into a status quo type life and everyone would think it's just wonderful, except the Lord would know and I would know ask this question. Does this honor or dishonor God when you're watching it this honor God.

Is this really honor God. It might be gray might be just be evil that's easy, but it does this show honor God.

This conversation honor God. Does this movie honor God. Does the book I'm reading. Does this relationship honor God, third is it right. The word means righteous accused in the New Testament refer to the father to Jesus to God's actions to God's character for pictures doing what is right when tempted you might write the word integrity at the heart of this is there is a standard that's not a outside of God. But God's very character creates a standard and integrity just means there is in alignment with that in the question want to ask is this right or is it wrong did I just say the whole truth or partial truth is this what's really clearly I know is true or is it a white lie is it everyone does this on their taxes and that time is coming up or is it absolutely pure is this I'm patting my expenses just a little because I can kinda justify it, and I know get away with it were, in fact is it is this integrity. We really love each other but are we married or are we living together is this recreational just sort of a spicy 49 5051 shades of gray. Or is it just absolutely wrong and immoral and should never be in my house is a game that honors life and love and warmth towards it again more people get blown up and I put it in in front of my kids were there phones are killing and mutilating thousands of people hours on hours in addictive behavior.

Just ask yourself the most part one of Chip's message in a broken world right back with his application for this teaching from a series I choose peace. Do you feel burdened by life's demands. Are you anxious about the financial pressures on you. Is there a difficult relationship wearing you down if you answered yes to any of these questions, you need a little more peace in your life in the series chip talks about the peace of God, that in the midst of the chaos restores columns and encourages us don't list a single part of the series. It will change your relationship with God. For additional info on I choose peace, order, order any of the series resources visit LivingontheEdge.org app listeners tap special offers. Well here's chip with some final thoughts about today's message as we wrap up today's program.

This is some of the most profound teaching in the New Testament.

I happen to major in psychology and undergrad and did graduate work in psychology and long before all those theories all long before Freudian and all the others.

The apostle Paul has insights by the spirit of God into how our minds work. In fact you heard earlier in the message.

When I talked about the research done by the University of Tennessee.

We are the product of her thoughts. I mean, it's not our thoughts define and create our emotional responses in a member of the little story about that. The snake in the rope.

When you see that your perception, your thoughts what you think creates an emotional response and and although I would love to say were all very logical and linear and strategic. The fact is, the great majority of our decisions and our behavior is a reaction to our emotions and the apostle Paul then says okay dwell on these things and then he's going to list the six or seven very specific things that provide a filter to say don't think on these bad things because viewing things, thinking on things reading things, taking things in that are negative, ungodly wicked that attract your flesh that make you want to do what's wrong when you think, and dwell on those things. It will literally play out in your behavior and then you receive the consequences. Now want to say a couple things that sound very strong, but someone better, say these now were losing 68% of our kids and evangelical churches and and I've done the research. The number one reason that were losing them is when they look at the life of their mom and dad when they look at the lives of a lot of people that they go to in their quote evangelical church that teaches the Bible that has you know, great worship and all the rest. There is not a reality. There's not authenticity. The second half of that is is that we can take our kids to church.

You can even put them in Christian schools, and you can even be a good moral person, but if your kids are feeding on social media on violent games if there watching things on Netflix. If there I mean I see what's on the television and the kind of content that is going into the minds of our young people and are you ready are not so young people, and this is what I'll tell you what we currently see in the behavior of Christians in the value of Christians and Christian families is a direct correlation to what were putting in our mind. I just have to tell you if you want your children or your grandchildren to have different kind of lives. It begins with us and what we put in our mind, little by little by little we began to tell one another that all that's not so bad.

And that's not so bad. I'm not talking about rigidity or legalism.

I'm talking about a filter where you ask questions like is this true or false.

Does it honor God or not honor God.

I literally have taken this passage and I have a 3 x 5 card and it's right next to my television and before there's a movie before I watch a television program before I download something to watch. I ask five or six questions about what is this going to do to my mind because my thoughts will produce my emotions that produced my behavior that will produce the consequences and the outcome of my life. Can I encourage you to think very carefully about what you put in your mind, and our next broadcast, I'm going to give you a filter with specific questions that if you really want to change.

Believe me, God has a plan that will help you. See you next broadcast just before we close only thank each of you who's making this program possible through your generous giving 100% of your gifts are going directly to the ministry to help Christians really live like Christians.

If you found ships teaching helpful, but you're not yet on the team. Would you consider doing that today to donate. Just go to LivingontheEdge.org Donate all me up or give us a call at 8883336003, let me thank you in advance for whatever the Lord leads you to do one selects time for everyone here. This is Dave Drewry saying thanks for listening for this Edition of Living on the Edge