Know God, Know Peace

INTRO: God in His ultimate wisdom has given us a foolproof way to be filled with a life full of peace. It’s so easy a caveman can do it!

Are you tired of year after year being the same ole you?

God has made this so simple. It’s not about intelligence, or IQ. He promises if we will just spend time in His word by reading or listening, then He will flood our souls with peace and spiritual growth.

I like the way the Living Bible says it

Do you want more of God’s kindness and peace? Then learn to know Him better and better. For as you know Him better, He will give you, through His great power, everything you need for living a truly good life. He even shares His own glory and His own goodness with us.(2 Peter 1:2–3)

PRAY!

It all comes down to just making an effort. It seems to me that God is willing to meet you more than half way, it all depends on how much peace do you want? The more you seek the more you get!

John 14:6 “Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

Matthew 7:7 ““Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.”

All we have to do is try and God promises He will find us!

2 Peter 3:18 “But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

In 2024 Lets grow!

2 Peter 1:4–10 “by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire. For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins. Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall.”

Faith is the foundation, it all starts with faith. Then we are “to supplement” our faith with:

Faith + virtue (arete)=Excellence

God demands our best, not whats left over.

Virtue + Knowledge

The only way to gain knowledge is to open the book and study

Knowledge + self control

Having control over you mouth,actions

Self control + steadfastness

Hopomone= Hopeful enduring

Not panicking when trials of all sorts besiege us, but faith, that in God’s timing it all work out

Steadfastness + Godliness

eusebeia=Holiness

We are to mimic Jesus

Leviticus 11:44 “For I am the Lord your God. Consecrate yourselves therefore, and be holy, for I am holy.

Also 1 Peter 1:16 for it is written

Godliness + brotherly affection

Philadelphia=brotherly love

Brotherly love + Agape love

If we do these things, we shall be fruitful and very effective

2 Peter 1:8 “For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

We need to often, self check ourselves for growth. Are we bearing fruit?

“The path of spiritual growth is a path of lifelong learning.”- M. Scott Peck

Resist complacency with everything you got! If your not growing spiritually, then your falling backwards.

Complacency is a deadly foe of all spiritual growth.

A. W. Tozer

In 2024 Lets make it our resolution to know Him more, and by knowing Him more, we will have great peace, and that's according to His word in 2 Peter 1:2

So going back to today's verse, that if we want peace , we need to know Him better and better, how do we do it?

By immersing yourself in His word

either reading or listening. And hear me on this, this is non negotiable

2 Timothy 3:16 “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,”

Did you catch that word at the end “training” friends you have to practice this, just do it!

Psalm 119:105 “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.”

What does that even mean? It means you will always be able to see the road in front of you, you'll never be lost.

2. Your prayer life

again, non negotiable.

1 Peter 5:7 “casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.”

Philippians 4:6 “do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.”

It say’s pray about everything and don’t forget secret sauce “Thanksgiving”

1 John 5:15 “And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him.”

God wants to answer us. It’s yes and amen as long as it’s in His will for us.

You remember that old Garth Brooks song: “Sometimes I thank God, for unanswered prayers Remember when you're talkin'. To the man upstairs. That just because he doesn't answer doesn't mean he don't care. 'Cause some of God's

My dear Lord, thank you for not giving me everything I thought I needed.

3. Doing the right thing, every time. “Righteousness”

Romans 6:18 “and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness.”

In fact its the 2nd piece of the full armor of God “The breastplate of righteousness” We should always be wearing it.—Ephesians 6:14-17

When we accepted Jesus Christ as our savior, we were freed from chains of sin, but then became a slave of doing the right thing. God help us to do the right thing. You wouldn't think that would be so hard, but...

Sometimes we think we know better than God Almighty-El shaddai what would best for us. We put our self in God’s seat and become the little g god of our life

Doesn't it excite you to know that there is a fool proof way to abundant peace? one that doesn't mean taking Zoloft or Xanax? peace that you'll never find in a therapist sofa. Peace that can’t be found in relationship that's outside of marriage or at the bottom of a bottle.

So what I would like challenge us to isn't to lose weight, start exercising or quit smoking or dipping, what I would like our New years resolution for this church to be is this :

Read His word every day (15-30) minutes

Pray every morning and every evening

Practice doing the right thing (WWJD)

Watch the change in Paul’s view of himself as he grew in Christ:

Early in Paul's ministry he introduces himself as “Paul an apostle of Christ Jesus.”

Then in Corinthians Paul say’s he is the least of the apostles

In Ephesians he calls himself the least of all the saints

And when we get to the end of his life when he wrote to timothy Paul says he is the worst of all the sinners

You see true humility pass right before your eyes.

CALL UP WORSHIP TEAM

IN CLOSING:

Because as we grow stronger individually, the more competent and amazing we’ll be as “The body of Christ” at New Life Church of God. We will look back at 2024 and amazed at what God did for us and through us!

PRAY Corporately!