Sermon Transcript Tone Analysis

heavenly father as we come to you Lord we thank you for the many many blessings.

You shower honest.

And Lord, sometimes we aren't aware how wonderful those blessings are until We encounter tough days and Lord, we pray that on those days, we will know that.

You hold us even closer and Lord, I pray that you'll just continue to be with Gary.

Lord, strengthen him be with the doctors and nurses.

Give them wisdom beyond their own to treat him and Lord.

I also for Scott is they try to figure out what's going on with him.

Lord, I pray that you will just give them wisdom.

Nor that you will just give him protection and Lord also for Brian.

As he recovers from his surgery, Lord, we just lift them all up to you and Lord, I know there are many others in our congregation, in our community, struggling with other health issues and Lord we pray that you will just restore them to good health.

and Lord, I pray that as a church family that we would, Check in on each other support each other, and Lord, just love on each other as you would have us to do.

And I pray this all in your most holy name.

Amen.

You know, I thought it was quite fitting as I was there.

Went out to Gary and Arlene's house before his surgery and then being there after his surgery to talk to him.

That our topic for this week, you know, is Prince of Peace is often when we Face something like that.

It's really easy to not have a lot of Peace, but, you know, it's a Believer we can confidently, face the big and little challenges of life knowing that our heavenly father, is there to help us through it?

All that God is in control of all of it.

And you know, even though we might go to the doctor and think man this is I didn't expect this.

This is a surprise.

It never is to God.

He always knew all along that this was how it was going to go.

And, you know, so often, when I visit somebody in the hospital, that's facing a major surgery, or things like that.

I always think how do people do this?

Without God.

And I just don't understand it and I don't really want to but you know, I just can't imagine facing.

Not just challenges like that.

But so many of the challenges that we face in day-to-day life.

I can't imagine facing them without knowing God's peace without having that peace that surpasses all understanding that can only come from him.

So the day is we focus in on that Prince of Peace idea, we're going to look at several scriptures that look at this very important gift, that God gives us.

Philippians chapter 4. Verses 4 through 7 says rejoice in the lord.

Always I will say it again, Rejoice, let your gentleness be evident to all the Lord is near.

do not be anxious about anything but in everything by prayer and petition with Thanksgiving present your requests to God, And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

It's hard to think but really in these scriptures were given the equation for living a stress-free life.

And I know it sounds cliche and a lot like a bumper sticker but you know, we really are supposed to pray about it and forget it.

You know, it says preparing, it reminded me of a lady from our church in Eastern Kentucky.

Her name was Roberta Osborne in.

She had faced cancer for different times.

She had beat it each time, but she was actually in the hospital here thinking that, for the fifth time, her cancer might be back.

So she was waiting to hear that.

And I went there and I visited her and, you know, we talked for a while and then we decided, you know, to spend some time praying and after we pray, Roberta looked at me and said well that's it.

So that's it.

What do you mean supposed while we prayed about it.

So it's God's now.

So I don't have to worry about it.

And I thought, what a great attitude and here is this lady who's went through how many bouts with cancer?

And she has the attitude of pray about it and forget it.

And you knows I often thought about that.

I always think about it when I read this passage of scripture because I think that's what the author of this passage of scripture was trying to get across to us.

That we truly can pray about it and trust that the Lord is going to take care of it.

You know, prayer connects us to the father, like nothing else.

Can it's this intimate communion between our heart, our soul, in our spirit, on a level, that we can't really explain.

You know, it's this mysterious dialogue between you and the most holy God.

You know, I remember in seminary one of my professors explaining to us that, you know, when you enter into prayer, you are quite literally stepping foot into the throne room of God.

That sounds a little bit intimidating.

Done it to think that you are stepping into the throne room of God.

But, you know, as that Professor shared with us, I want to share with you that.

We don't have to feel intimidated.

Because as we take that step into that throne room, Jesus is there to intercede for us.

He is there to be with us as we come before God.

Yeah.

Jesus kind of access.

Our Heavenly Ambassador is he presents our prayers to God?

Is he helps to intercede for us and it's through those prayers that God's power can be released in our lives.

To truly do all of the things that God wants to in our life.

And that's the only way that we can experience the sort of peace.

that God really wants for us that peace, that surpasses all understanding set, peace that only Jesus can bring know that piece that you only know

If you know, Jesus.

And you know, I think an important thing for us to remember is that, you know, God always hears your prayers, God always answers your prayers, but the thing we often forget is that, you know, God will answer your prayers in his timing.

Not ours.

You know, we also need to remember that when he answers that prayer he's also going to answer it according to his will, to his plan.

yeah, I think all too often when we pray we have really good intentions but really what we're doing when we pray is we're telling God what we think we should he should do and when we think he should do

You know, when we present our request to God we need to be sure to do so in a humble way.

You know, submitting our will to his and being thankful for what he has provided.

Cuz, you know, that's when the Lord can guard our heart and our mind is, when we're in a place that were focused on wanting what God wants for our life, or for the lives of others that we might be praying for.

Because when our focus is on what God wants, and what his plan is for our life, you.

That's how we can encounter any situation in life and be able to do.

So, in a way that we can still have peace, Cuz we know it's not all up to us.

We know that God is acting on our behalf and that his will will be accomplished.

Colossians chapter 3, verses 15 through 17 says Let the Peace of Christ rule in your hearts.

Since as members of one body, you were called to peace and be thankful.

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish.

One another with all wisdom.

And as you sing Psalms, hymns.

And spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God, and whatever you do weather in word or deed.

Do it all in the name of the Lord, Jesus giving, thanks to God the Father through him.

you know, I think we all would agree with the statement that on any given day.

We experienced a wide range of emotions, right?

Main can any of us say that when we start a day that we have the same emotions all day long?

Or, you know, do we have time to run a little bit better mood times when were not such a good mood and everywhere in between there, you know, often it's our emotions that rule our heart, it's our emotions that drive, what we say and we do and all too often our judgment is clouded by those emotions.

But you don't usually, that's what happens when we spend.

Way too much time being anxious about things that we don't need to be anxious about when we spend way too much time being angry about things that we just need to let go of when we spend too much time being depressed or fearful or any of the other emotions, you can think of not focusing.

On God.

But the good news is that we have the power within us to overcome that.

You know, we can overcome that human tendency to let our emotions rule has by letting the Prince of Peace flood, our hearts and our minds with his peace, with his Tranquility, with his thankfulness, but that can only come when we have Jesus in our hearts.

And how much different would it be?

When, you know, people see you in the midst of a situation?

And man, it just doesn't go your way.

Would you say that's okay?

This must be a part of God's plan.