Bringer of Peace

Alright, we are continuing through Matthew 5:3-12 looking at / / the Beatitudes to figure out if there is any way that we Could Be Happier? This is week 6, so if you have missed any of the past five weeks, go back and grab them on our website or facebook or youtube.

Last week we looked at Matthew 5:7, / / Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy. And a couple weeks prior to that we had already looked at vs 8, / / Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. So that brings us all the way up to today where we are going to move on to the next verse Matthew 5:9, / / Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.

This is a good one. But before we get into that verse I want us to see something in the way that Jesus talks about these things.

Of course one of the things we’ve been making note of every week is that this passage of scripture is part of a greater section of Scripture we call / / the Sermon on the Mount. Matthew 5, 6, & 7 where Jesus is laying out what following him really looks like. What our lives will be shaped by and marked by if we choose to follow him.

So I want to jump all the way to the very end of this “sermon”, and read a few verses. Matthew 7:24-27. Listen really closely at how Jesus wraps this whole thing up because it is super important in regards to these 9 statements that we’ve been going through in this series.

We’ll read it from the NLT first, which is the translation we generally read from, and then I’ll add a bit. And remember, this is the last thing recorded in scripture that Jesus says in this Sermon on the Mount, if he was preaching he would say, “So in closing...” and this is it:

/ / “Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won’t collapse because it is built on bedrock. But anyone who hears my teaching and doesn’t obey it is foolish, like a person who builds a house on sand. When the rains and floods come and the winds beat against that house, it will collapse with a mighty crash.”

Just ask anyone on the west coast at the moment if wind rain, wind and floods will successfully collapse a house that isn’t built to sustain it?

So, Jesus is saying, if you want the benefit of what I’ve just told you, you actually have to do it. And this is important because we live in a world that likes to focus on information rather than action, because as long as we’re focused on information we don’t have to act. And how many know, we all want change, but the process of changING isn’t always something we are looking forward too?

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve said, “I just need to find the _________.” For me it’s “the right diet...”

Untrue.

Fill in whatever it is you struggle with, but for me, it wasn’t until I realized, “Wait, I know exactly what I need to do, I’m just not doing it.” And then I was able to call myself to account on it. But as long as you’re giving yourself the license to build more information, then you’ll stop yourself from actually accomplishing the thing you want.

We like to say we read the bible, but when it comes to actually doing what it says on a consistent basis, that can be a very different thing. And it can be easy to say, “But it’s such a big book, and I don’t know where to start, and what do we do, how do we do it...” And I Get that, that’s not an unreasonable thing to say, to be honest. So let me give you a HUGE lesson, and this is free stuff right here. Take notes, write this down, ok. First of all, take notes every week. Write down ONE thing, just one thing you can remind yourself of during the week.

But here’s a bit of Gold for you. If you’re new to the bible, or new to church, we have free bibles on the table in the lobby. Regular print, Large print. Take one. They are free, take a bible. Start by reading / / Matthew 5-7, which is the Sermon on the Mount. This is what we’ve been reading out of in this series. And another passage of scripture we’ve mentioned in the last few weeks, John 14-17, which is sometimes called, The Farewell Discourse. I mean, read the whole book of John, but you can start with John 14-17. Read Matthew 5-7 and John 14-17 and that will give you a very solid beginning on what life with Jesus Christ can and should look like. Then just start working on those things.

Because another one we’ve read many times around here...James 1:22-25 / / …don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves. For if you listen to the word and don’t obey, it is like glancing at your face in a mirror. You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like. But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don’t forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it.

James is just confirming what Jesus is saying in this short little parable. / / IF you want the outcome God promised, you have to walk the road God points to!

/ / Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy. I want mercy! Then be merciful.

/ / Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. I want to inherit the earth. Then be meek, be humble.

/ / Blessed are those who mourn for they shall be comforted. I want comfort…I could really use some comfort. Then be willing to connect with your emotions and grieve, mourn, talk it out, to go to God and those around you with these things…

The blessing is in the doing.

/ / The outcome we want is obtained through the journey we’re invited to.

Like I said last week, this is all about our choices.

And Jesus isn’t hiding anything here. If you do NOT follow what he’s said, life will be a whole lot rougher than it has to be. Look at what he does NOT say. He doesn’t say, “If you listen and do what I say, it’s like building a house in the absolute perfect climate, where there are no storms, no floods, no rain, and the grass always grows green and lush, the food is always abundant, and you will never have any problems arise.” I wish!

But that’s not what he says, he all but guarantees storms… But, he also guarantees that the process you’ve dedicated yourself to will provide the insulation you need from the torrents around you.

Don’t be afraid of a storm. Be afraid that you didn’t prepare for the storm appropriately.

And like I said last week, and I just think this is the most revolutionary insight we can find. / / It is the personal, intentional, natural decisions we make that produce in us the supernatural and spiritual things of God.

Choosing to do the little things consistently.

Choosing to show mercy over and over again, results in a supernatural return in our lives.

I talked through my believe in us being able to buy our home last week. Sure enough, I absolutely attribute that to Kelley and I making the very real, very natural, often difficult decision to honor God with our finances and tithe, give 10% of our increase, our income, to the church. It continually forces us to trust in Him. Not because we have less, but because it’s almost always a challenge to give money away, especially when you are faced with not having as much as you think you need.

But, when we don’t follow what Jesus said, it’s not a matter of curse or punishment, it’s simply a matter of having not prepared for the situations that arise in our lives.

Let me ask you this question.

If God were to say to you. “Life is going to be absolutely normal, don’t worry about it, you won’t experience any bad things in this life, nothing too hard, nothing too difficult, it’s all going to just go good. Regardless of what you do. BUT, I would really appreciate it if you did all these things. But there’s no benefit for it, it’s just, I want you to do it.”

How many would be like, “But there’s no reason too? Like, if I don’t do these things, I don’t have to worry?”

Now, what did God actually say through the life and teaching of Jesus?

There WILL be trouble, trial, sorrow, hardship and dark days. Not because I’m sending them to you, this is not me putting you through it. BUT, IF YOU DO WHAT I TELL YOU, when those things come, you will withstand them. You’ll not only survive, but your house will be standing firm. But if you don’t, your life will collapse because you’re not prepared.

How many would take that warning and begin to prepare? I would hope all of us. And that’s exactly what Jesus has said. Not that we should, ok, but we’re all a bit human. How many have a bit of a more difficult time, or at least have the thought go through their heads, when they hear of someone’s tragedy after a category 4 or 5 hurricane, and they decided to not evacuate. And something in us wants to say, “Ya, you were told. You knew the storm was coming...”

These things that Jesus has outlined through Matthew 5-7, and all the other things he teaches, AND the fact that scripture has also invited us into the teachings of God through the whole bible…these are all instructions to help prepare us for what we will go through and to live the life God has for us.

Now, I want to read the first part of that parable again, but this time I’m going to read it from the NIV and I want you to hear something.

/ / “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.”

The ESV says / / whoever hears and does... TPT says and applies… the MSG says, If you work these words into your life...

But the NIV, and I like the word, says, / / puts them into practice.

The reason I like that is because practice implies three very important things.

/ / You’re going to try!

the definition of practice as a noun is, / / the actual application or use of an idea, belief or method, as opposed to theories relating to it.

The first thing about practice is that you’re actually going to put this thing into action. A little less conversation a little more action! You’ve heard it, you’ve learned it, maybe you’ve studied it, exhaustively, and now, it’s time to put it into practice. Buckle up, here we go!

The second thing practice implies is:

/ / You won’t get it right all the time! (and that’s ok)

the verb definition of practice is, / / perform (an activity) or exercise (a skill) repeatedly or regularly to improve or maintain one’s proficiency

The point of practice is to improve. The point of exercise is to get stronger at something.

/ / You won’t give up

Again, from the verb definition, repeatedly or regularly.

as a noun the dictionary also says, / / the customary, habitual, or expected procedure or way of doing something.

And as a verb, / / carry out or perform (a particular activity, method, or custom) habitually or regularly.

/ / Practice creates habits!

I mentioned that last week. There is power in habit. The more you do something the more you are likely to continue doing it. It’s not just a theory, it’s science!

Scientists say that habits emerge because the brain is constantly looking for ways to save effort, to run more effectively and efficiently. Routine and habit make life easier.

You want to know one of the reasons / / implementing a lot of these things Jesus says is hard?

Because you already have habits in your life that lean toward NOT doing those things. Ways of thinking based on how we grew up, what we learned as kids, how we were treated or not treated, made fun of or celebrated. We are the product of the lives we’ve lived and the lives that have been lived around us and shaped us. So, when it comes to always being meek, or always being merciful, or always being connected to our emotions, it may seem like we’re fighting against something that just doesn’t want to.

That is very possible. You may be internally fighting against building your house on the rock because all you know is a house that was built on the sand.

So, Jesus says, those who put them into practice…

It’s called / / self-directed neuroplasticity - it’s when you intentionally rewire your brain to create new or positive habits.

Neuroplasticity refers to the brain’s ability to modify, change, and adapt both structure and function throughout life and in response to experience.

The self-directed part is the habit building by intentional practice.

/ / To change how we do things we have to be willing to practice. Which means doing something new, doing it often, and being willing to fail along the way!

It means we’re going to try. We know we won’t get it right all the time, but that doesn’t deter us, we won’t give up! And in time you will begin to more easily and even be more unaware of the good choices you make.

Who has any bad habits?

I think we’ve all had a run in with our spouses bad habits. But seriously. Kaylee was nibbling on her finger nail the other day and I said, “Don’t do that.” And she says, “Why?” Probably because she’s seen me do it a million times. And I said, “Because if you keep doing it then you will create a habit of it and it will be really hard to stop in the future.”

Let me geek out on the science for a bit, because the supernatural sometimes is simply found in the way God made us to be in the first place! How God created your body and mind is incredibly supernatural!

First, / / habits are stored and accessed rather than coming from intentional thought.

Now, let me just qualify myself here. I have zero qualifications in this. I am simply relaying super cool information I have read to you about this. When your brain recognizes a pattern it files that information away into an area of the brain called the basal ganglia. This is also where we develop emotions and memories, but it’s NOT where conscious decisions are made - that’s the prefrontal cortex. This is the reason habits are hard to break, because they come from a place that’s out of your conscious control, and so you’re barely aware that you’re doing them, if at all, or too late.

Here’s the good part. Habits can be reworked, and new habits can be formed. And if you can get that good habit into that basal ganglia...

So, maybe in last week’s message one of the things you dealt with at the end with Jesus was that you don’t feel very forgiving. Ok, now the real work comes in. If you find you’re a sort of naturally judgmental person, it’s probably because life has helped shape you into a bit of a judgy person. Maybe you have some reason to be that way. But if you don’t want to stay that way, then intentionally choosing not to can remove that habit by replacing it with something else. So don’t just try to be ‘non-judgy’, intentionally be merciful, forgiving, kind. They say you can’t just remove bad habits, you have to replace them. Which I find interesting and want to read more on. But that lines up with what I know of how God speaks in scripture. We don’t overcome sin by trying to not sin, we overcome sin by following Jesus and His way!

The beauty of believing in miracles is that we ask God to help us in the process, and I find when I begin to move forward, asking God to help me and aid in my recovery, He does, and he works with me, and he heals my brain. But without deciding to change. Without deciding to do things differently, I will not.

I’m not going to simply start forgiving unless I decide I want to be a more forgiving person. And then, the Spirit of God, who is the great reminder of all that Jesus taught, can grab our attention, “Hey, remember, you’re trying to be more forgiving...” riiiiight.... But that takes two things. Deciding I want to be more forgiving, and deciding I want Holy Spirit to lead and guide my life as I follow the way of Jesus and continually give place to the transforming Love of God in my life.

Seems St Augustine had a point. Without God we can’t. Without us, God won’t.

So, practice to build habit, as we endure in the things of God!

Alright, so what’s our verse for this week. / / Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the sons of God.

Now, I wonder if this might just be Jesus’ favorite beatitude. First of all, when we ask our three questions:

Who is blessed?

Why are they blessed?

How are they blessed?

You have to look at that “How” answer and go, “wow!” for they shall be called the sons of God.

I don’t know if there could possibly be a greater blessing. To be called the son, or daughter of Almighty God, which is what Jesus came to reveal to us!

And another reason I think this might be Jesus’ favorite is because peace itself is near and dear to his heart.

So, let’s get into it.

Blessed are the peacemakers. Or, as we’ve been re-reading these, / / Blessed are those who choose to make peace.

If you weren’t here last week, go back, we get into choice and how important it is. The reality that these invitations that Jesus is making in these nine statements are all about choice. Choice to do something in the here and now, often in the natural, that have incredible supernatural results in our lives. Natural choices, decisions, a way of life, that produces in us supernatural, spiritual, divine results that bring us blessing. And what do we mean by blessing - not a financial windfall, but a true sense of contentment in knowing God and knowing our place in Him.

Sure, money and things are great, but a true sense of contentment regardless of money is worth more than gold could ever produce in our lives. Money isn’t bad. But pursue God for your happiness and then whether you have or have not - you will be content.

So, what does it mean to be a peacemaker?

/ / eirenopoios - peaceable, peacemaker, to be a peacemaker, or pacific, loving peace.

to define / / pacific is, peaceful in character or intent.

And to define peace, or peaceful is

/ / peace / peaceful - freedom from disturbance; tranquility

They both have the same definition. Peace is what you have, peaceful is exhibiting that peace.

This is an active role here. We are meant to help bring peace to situations where obviously there is no peace, or where peace is broken. So to do that we have to look at why people don’t have peace. And there are / / three areas we can lack peace in. Peace with God, Peace with ourselves, & Peace with the world around us.

First and foremost is in our relationship with God. A reconciled person to God, regardless of what is going on around them will have a peace inside that can not be shaken. I’ve read John 16:33 a few times lately which says, / / Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows...

But listen to what Jesus says right before that. He’s just finished telling them a lot of amazing stuff, remember, this is John 14-17 between the last supper and betrayal in the garden of gethsemane - the Farewell Discourse. So John 16:33 says this… / / I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Why? Because, Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.”

The peace we find in Christ is based on the fact that Christ is the overcomer of all. Jesus Christ is the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords and He is on our side, and that brings peace. Romans 5:1 says / / …since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us. See the peace of Jesus Christ is two-fold. First, we have / / peace with God, meaning there is no longer anything separating us. Sin, death and the grave have been overcome by Jesus Christ to set us free. That gives us peace with God through faith. But then we also, as we walk in that assurance, access a peace that can only come from that place of knowing our life and our / / eternity is secured in Jesus Christ. So that peace of eternal relationship creates a peace in the now. This is why Paul says in Philippians 4:6 / / Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.

/ / Peace that comes from Christ Jesus is both eternal and temporal.

Why? We’re going to spend a whole week on it in December as we celebrate Advent in the 4 weeks leading up to Christmas, but Jesus Christ is, as Isaiah 9:6 says of him, / / For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace!

He is both the great reconciler and the bringer of peace and comfort.

If Jesus is the Prince of Peace, and we follow him, we’re walking in the way of peace, which first means we will find peace for ourselves as we follow him - This is what Paul said, His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus, but also, that we become agents of that peace, Paul says in Romans 14:19, in the GNT says, / / …we must always aim at those things that bring peace and that help strengthen one another.

Now, to be a peacemaker, like Matthew 5:9 says, means we have to be working for peace. That’s how the NLT says it, / / God blesses those who work for peace… The AMP says, / / Blessed are the makers and maintainers of peace.

I’ve said this before, I think one of the, if not the greatest witness for Christ is a life that lives in the effects of Christ’s work. If you say you are a follower of Jesus but you’re stressed out all the time, and you’re anxious and worried, angry and spiteful, walkin’ around cursing like a sailor, people might look at that and say, “ya, I don’t want your Jesus.” - or at least I don’t NEED that… I’m good.

But if you are calm and peaceful, assured of life and full of joy, REGARDLESS of what is going on in your life. Doesn’t mean you don’t go through stuff, or have days you struggle. We know following Jesus doesn’t mean life is going to be easy. It’s not going to be pain free, no troubles or problems. But that’s what this whole series has been about, you can have contentment and peace and assurance in the midst of what you go through AS YOU FOLLOW Jesus. And when that happens, and people see a peace in your life even when life shouldn’t be peaceful, that makes people say, “I NEED whatever it is you have that keeps you calm...”

This hits on the / / How are we blessed?, in this verse. Jesus says we’ll be called sons of God. Listen to what Paul writes in Romans 8:18-19, / / Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will reveal to us later. For all creation is waiting eagerly for that future day when God will reveal who his children really are.

All creation is waiting to see the sons and daughters of God. Why? Because we have a hope and a peace that the world needs. That’s why I said I think this might be Jesus’ favorite Beatitude, because it’s the revealing or fulfillment of why he came, that we would know who His Father is and understand that we are children of God and learn to walk in what that means!

So, let’s get practical here and talk through some things this morning that we and others experience that we can then be agents or workers of peace, and through that reveal who our Father is to be able to bring people into that relationship with Him as well.

/ / 1. Worry & Anxiety

You could probably separate these two, but let’s just talk about them together. Worry and often accompanied by anxiety, are on such an uncontrollable rise in this country. Whether it is because of inflation, security, financial problems, storms, politics, school, jobs, relationships, people are stressed out and worried. This is why I personally really dislike Halloween. We spend all year protecting our kids, trying to build in them security and comfort and a sense of NOT being afraid. Protecting them from evil. Encouraging them in the Lord. Why does the world then want to spend what seems like an entire month now, trying to scare our kids with all the grotesque and evil things our humanity can dream up? It makes not sense to me. What are we producing in our kids through it? Let alone all the spiritual things. If you want my personal stance on it. That’s it. I don’t like it.

But regardless of what it is that has made people unsure, they are.

People are unsure.

The root of most people’s unsureness is because of what their lives are built on. Remember the little story Jesus tells in Matthew 7, if you build your house on the sand, that is, if you put your faith and trust in the things of this world rather than building your life on the direction and teaching of Jesus, you will feel very shaky when troubles come your way.

Things get shaken. That’s going to happen. And when people put more faith in politics than in God, political season can become a big stress point. I’m not saying we ignore it, quite the opposite, I think we have what we have in this country because of the system it’s built on. We get to vote. It’s how our system works. God allows us to make choices and we live with those choices. So I don’t talk politics from this stage, I don’t think it’s my place to tell you how you should vote. But I very much want to encourage you TO vote. And that’s all I will say on that.

But, times like this add pressure to people. And / / worry and anxiety steal peace. It’s hard to maintain peace and be worried at the same time.

So, what’s the solution? Let’s not just look at what the problem is, but what is the solution?

Well, we read it earlier from Philippians 4, Paul says, / / Don’t worry about anything. Easier said than done my friend.

But then thankfully he adds a, / / “instead”, or if you’re reading other translations it says, “BUT” and I’ve said this before, when you see a but in scripture take note, it may be giving you the way out of the problem it’s just described.

So, it’s not easy to somehow just not worry, right? So Paul continues to give the solution, but, or instead, / / pray about everything.

There’s your first task. / / To overcome worry and anxiety, PRAY!

There is a reason that prayer is one of what we call the spiritual disciplines. It is powerful. First of all, Jesus tells us over and over again that God WANTS to answer our prayers that God WILL answer our prayers, but in order to do that, we have to be willing to humble ourselves and ask!

Paul says Pray about everything. / / Tell God what you need.

When Jesus taught his disciples how to pray, he said, pray in this way, / / “Give us today our daily bread..” or another way to say that, “Tell God what you need for today...”

Ever hear the saying, / / You’re making a mountain out of a mole hill?

See, the problem with things coming up in our lives is that if we focus on them they will begin to consume us. Doesn’t matter how small or how big it is, you will never find or maintain peace by staring at the problem. And neither will your friends, your co-workers, your family, your children.

And the solution isn’t to just say, “It’s going to be ok...” The solution is to direct your attention to the solution itself, and that is God. Not for the solution to the problem, but for the solution of peace. / / It’s very difficult to see the solution when all you do is stare at the problem. But when we take our eyes of off the problem, focus on Jesus, begin to pray and ask God for wisdom and direction, peace and assurance in Him, then He can give us the right path to walk, and then we get to decide to walk that path.

Listen, God might not fix the problem for you, but he can give you peace regardless of whether the problem gets fixed or not. Listen, sometimes the problems we face have nothing to do with us, they are just because of the world around us, and so we can’t fix it in our own lives. That doesn’t mean we can’t have peace in the midst of it. And when it does pertain to something that can be changed - focusing on Him allows Him to bring you solutions in the process. I know sometimes it doesn’t make sense. Why some people get sick and struggle with health in their bodies. God can heal. God DOES heal. I’ve seen it, I believe for it. We pray for it constantly around here. But when it doesn’t happen, does that mean we lose our peace? No. We continue to pray, we continue to believe, we continue to look to Jesus and in Him we find our peace.

Look at how Paul says this in Philippians 4:6-7. / / Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.

Again, that is directing our attention to what God has done. Doesn’t even have to be a personal miracle. You may not have had God do this thing in your life before, but you can begin to thank him for where He has done it. Maybe you have heard from someone they got healed, or they got set free, or they got provision when it was needed. Maybe God brought someone the perfect job and you’re like, “I need a job!” OK, don’t get jealous that someone else got the perfect job, begin to thank God for giving them the perfect job while you are asking Him to provide for you! “God, father, I really need work. Things are rough right now and it’s taking peace from me. And I don’t like it. I saw how you came through for so-and-so, I remember how you came through for Tammy, she told us about that mortgage situation. I remember Rob saying what a miracle buying their house was. Thank you for providing for them! Thank you for being good. Would you provide for me in my situation?”

Ok, it’s just been offloaded. No longer your burden to carry. Will you have something to do? Of course. You’ve asked for a job, so you’re gonna have to look for a job, maybe apply for some jobs, be open to a job maybe you weren’t thinking of, and then when you get that job you gotta work. God will provide. But it’s not a burden you have to carry or a worry you need to shoulder.

Here’s where it gets really good. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all He has done. / / Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.

Expect peace.

And follow Jesus.

Live in the way of Christ.

ok, now to being a peacemaker. When you find freedom and peace, you’ll begin to notice more how others lack freedom and peace. For two reasons, yes, the enemy will try to get you down, and remind you of the bad times in hopes you’ll slip back into your worrying ways. Don’t let that happen. And also, so that you can reach down, offer your hand of comfort, and help people up.

So the next time someone comes to you and is complaining about their situations in life.

“Listen, I don’t understand it all, but I’ve actually been trying to pray a bit more, asking God to help me. And honestly, when I do, i just feel better… Just try it, what have you got to lose? And, do you mind if I add you to my list and I could pray for you?”

Boom, you just invited someone to follow your lead, and pray themselves, AND your prayers are powerful.

We did this at our men’s group this past week, to finish I said, “Ok, what’s one thing we can be praying for for you over the next two weeks until we meet again?”

We get to be part of the journey of peace for each others lives!

/ / 2. Shame & Guilt

Quick definitions for this one.

I don’t have a problem with guilt. I think guilt is our God given ability to recognize we’ve done something wrong. Whether that is something bad, or something we’ve missed the mark on, or something we would have been better off not doing. Guilt is the recognition that we’ve missed the mark. Being guilty of something is simply the fact you did something you should not have done. Yup, guilty as charged. I did that.

Shame on the other hand is the inability to disconnect who we are from what we’ve done. The enemy will always try to shame you from what you’ve done. You didn’t just DO a bad thing, you ARE bad because you do bad things. And when we feel bad ourselves, we can quickly feel broken, beyond repair, like God won’t take us back, like we need to hide from others because we’re dirty and shameful.

/ / The enemy of your soul will always try to get you to feel the shame based on what you’ve done.

I like how 1 John 1:8-9 talks about sin. It says, / / If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth. But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.

I love the word cleanse. Why? Because / / shame tries to make us feel dirty, and in the forgiveness of Christ we are made perfectly clean.

Shame tries to say, “They’ll treat you different if they knew what you did.”

Shame tries to convince you, “She’ll leave you if you tell her that.” or “He’ll walk away if he knows that about you.”

Shame says, “You’re broken and can’t be fixed. You’ll always be like this.”

But Romans 10:11 says, / / Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.

What I really think shame tries to do is make our footing insecure. When we question who we are and who God is, we question how he will treat us. We question the truth we believe. Will they see me differently, treat me differently, no longer like me, love me, care for me. And yes, that robs you of your peace. It’s very hard for insecurity to rest in peace.

Romans 10:11 is actually quoting Isaiah the prophet from the Old Testament scripture, it says in Isaiah 28:16, / / Therefore, this is what the sovereign Lord says: “Look! I am placing a foundation stone in Jerusalem, a firm and tested stone. It is a precious cornerstone that is safe to build on. Whoever believes need never be shaken.”

Jesus says of himself in Matthew 21 that he is the cornerstone. And Paul says in Ephesians 2:19, / / Together, we are his house, built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets. And the cornerstone is Christ Jesus himself.

We sing that, don’t we? I will build my life upon your love it is a firm foundation!

We have a solid foundation, the truth of who Jesus Christ is. And you can trust that in Him there is no shame. Your footing can be secure. You will always be accepted. Always be loved. Always be invited to sit at the table of Jesus Christ. And that gives us a great assurance that even when we do miss the mark, even when we do mess up, even if that mess up is huge, we can run to Jesus and rely on his forgiveness and cleansing so we don’t have to feel dirty.

If you remember Psalm 51, we read it in our series on King David. In it he is expressing his deepest emotions about all that happened with Bathsheba, he says in vs 17, / / The sacrifice you desire is a broken spirit. You will not reject a broken and repentant heart, O God.

God will never reject you when you come to him saying, “I’ve messed up...”

Now, bringing peace to others. We live in a world that likes to hold wrong doing over the heads of other people. Most people figure you should feel shame for what you’ve done. And they’re more than happy for karma to sort you out. You on the other hand have the ability to express love and acceptance to people in the midst of their hardest times. And instead of shaming them, instead of heaping that on top of them, you can actually invite them to be free of that shame and guilt by experiencing the forgiveness of Jesus.

It works best if you’ve experienced that yourself. And repentance is a very beautiful thing. We don’t talk about it as much as we should. Repentance is nothing to be feared at all. It’s not a dirty word. It’s a beautiful invitation to be changed. Coming to Jesus and saying, “I’ve missed it. Forgive me. Wash me clean.” It is so freeing. And it restores peace to the soul because it quiets the accusations of the enemy who would love nothing more than to keep you insecure and afraid in your shame. A lot of the church world makes repentance a part of their regular practice of following Jesus.

And the last thing we’ll look at this morning that tries to rob us of our peace is:

/ / 3. Fear & Unbelief

Now, fear and unbelief may feel like two separate things, and they are, for sure, but they are also very connected.

Fear can be one of the main enemies of peace, and really, when we look at worry, anxiety, shame, guilt, they all get touched by fear. Fear of it not working out. Fear of problems. Fear of things not being fixed. Fear of being rejected. Fear of being found out. Fear of the wrath of a God we might not understand is actually loving and wanting us to come to him.

Fear plays a very big role in our lives when it comes to robbing us of our peace.

/ / It’s hard to maintain peace when we’re afraid. In fact, I would say it’s impossible.

Franklin Roosevelt in his inaugural Address famously said, / / The only thing we have to fear is fear itself...

Most people quote that part, but do you know the rest? Listen. / / The only thing we have to fear is fear itself - nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance.

Now, I’m no psychologist, but I’m going to break fear down into 3 different types.

/ / Rational Fear - this is anything worth fearing. This is fear that saves lives. It’s a triggered response to a threatening situation. If someone comes at you with a knife, the fear of being stabbed is quite rational. Fear of death in a life threatening situation is rational, and will dictate how you respond to the situation. I would also include in this what are called Primal fears - things that seem to be automatically programmed into our brains based on the evolution of mankind. There are spiders, and snakes, even frogs that kill, so fearing that isn’t all that wrong.

But, what can happen with Rational fear, is it can be taken out of reason and cause what we call / / Irrational Fear - This is fear that is defined as not logical, and most of the time we know it’s not logical, but that doesn’t mean we’re not afraid of it. Being afraid of spiders that kill, not irrational, however, I have a very irrational fear of spiders. I’d rather burn the whole place down than deal with a daddy long legs. There are snakes that can kill, but garden snakes do not. There are frogs that can paralyze and even kill, but most do not, and yet, there are people who are just absolutely terrified of frogs. It’s not logical. And we know that.

Here’s where this matters for what we’re talking about today, because this sermon is not about frogs or snakes or spiders, although if the Lord wants to deliver me this morning from my irrational fear of spiders and snakes I’ll take it!

But, lumped into this category are fears of rejection, failure, uncertainty, insecurity, fear of judgement, fear of getting hurt, of loneliness, of change, fear of bad things happening to you, fear of inadequacy. Oh, and let’s add one in there that’s all too common these days. It’s called F.O.M.O. Fear of Missing Out. And I would suggest this is the longest standing fear in the world that is used to dig at relationships.

This is the very tactic that the enemy used in the garden of Eden with Adam & Eve. If you remember the story, God creates the world, and puts the first man and woman in a garden called Eden. And God said to them that he created it all for them, and he gave them dominion, or authority to rule all of what God had created. He also tells them there’s a tree in the center of the garden that will cause them to die if they eat from it. So in Genesis 3 it says that the enemy of our souls comes to them and says this, / / “Did God really say you must not eat the fruit from any of the trees in the garden?”

“Of course we may eat fruit from the trees in the garden,” the woman replied. “It’s only the fruit from the tree in the middle of the garden that we are not allowed to eat. God said, ‘You must not eat it or even touch it; if you do, you will die.’”

“You won’t die!” the serpent replied to the woman. “God knows that your eyes will be opened as soon as you eat it, and you will be like God, knowing both good and evil.”

Flat out lie. 100% lie. Jesus says of the devil that when he lies he’s being true to his character because that’s all he knows how to do. He’s the father of lies.

And look at what he’s doing with this lie. Sowing fear in the way of doubt. Are we missing out? Did God not tell us the whole story? Is God lying to us?

The enemy LOVES these fears. Fear of missing out, fear of uncertainty and insecurity. It erodes the ground we’re standing on if we’re not standing on the truth! It becomes the things that get under our skin, make us question and doubt. And what does it do? It robs our peace. Adam & Eve were doing good, hanging out in paradise, what’s to worry about? NOTHING.

Then in walks sergeant slither and his bad intentions to mess things up.

And it’s the same thing he tries to do to you and I and everyone else to this day. Can I get under your skin and make you doubt. Can I get you insecure about your place with God? Can I make you question whether you are a son or daughter of God? Can I make you question if Jesus really loves you? Because if I can, then you’ll start to try and figure out how you can fix this yourself. And then I can suggest whatever I want because you’re open to it.

Shrinking back into loneliness.

Hiding inside of our insecurity.

Running from relationship because it’s easier to walk away rather than deal with things and fix them.

See how Fear and Unbelief are connected here?

The solution is the introduction to the third type of fear that pushes back these fears the enemy would try to use against us. In the Old Testament scriptures it was called the / / fear of the Lord. And what that meant was having a deep and honest reverence for God. Proverbs 1:7 says, / / Fear of the Lord is the foundation of true knowledge. and Psalm 111:10 says, / / Fear of the Lord is the foundation of true wisdom. All who obey his commandments will grow in wisdom.

See, / / fear is often based in unbelief. How do I know this? Because it’s the truth that sets us free! Jesus said in John 8:31-32, / / “You are truly my disciples if you remain faithful to my teachings. And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” Recognizing Jesus Christ as God, and choosing to be his disciple is the path that leads to truth and subsequently life, and that is the fear of the Lord. Recognizing and honoring Him for who He is!

So, here’s the solution here, because it’s no good to just say we have a fear and unbelief problem in the world. And this is the solution for you and for those you encounter. Remember, what we are going after this morning is how to be a peace maker, or a bringer of peace to those who need it.

For you, it’s a 3 step process.

/ / 1. Truly become a disciple of Jesus, which means being faithful to his teaching.

/ / 2. In your faithfulness to the teaching of Jesus you will learn the truth.

/ / 3. As you apply that truth to your life, you will walk out of whatever it is that was holding you back into the freedom and life of Jesus Christ.

And likewise, for the people around you. Those that you see are stuck in fear and unbelief, you now have the solution. I find the best solutions are the ones that we’ve applied to our own lives that we can confidently say to someone else, “This worked for me.”

Do you let someone talk you into investing your money that hasn’t done it with success in their lives? no.

Do you let someone who hasn’t applied health and wellness practices to their lives with success be the one to train you in those areas of your life? Of course not.

When you see someone stressed, anxious, hurting or afraid, and the reason they are that way is something you used to deal with but you’ve found freedom in the love and truth of Jesus Christ, you are then able to say to them, “I’ve been there, I totally get it. Mind me telling you what worked?”

So, I want to pray this morning, again, like we did last week, I believe there is something both to step into this morning, and then something God wants us to walk in for our lives and for the lives of those around us.

You can’t be an agent of peace if you are a wreck inside.

You can’t be a peacemaker when you don’t feel peace yourself.

So, let’s stand this morning, and let’s ask God for HIS peace, so that we can be the revealed sons and daughters of God in this earth, followers of the Prince of Peace, to be those who help others find peace in God, peace in themselves, and peace with the world around them!