Peace In The Valley
Notes
Transcript
Thomas Andrew Dorsey, was born July 1, 1899, in Villa Rica, Georgia, a small town about forty miles from Atlanta. In his teens, he began playing piano in the jazz clubs, under the name of Georgia Tom. At age seventeen, he moved to Gary, Indiana, to pursue his music career. Two years later, he moved on to Chicago, where he enrolled in the Chicago College of Composition and Arranging and began playing with local jazz groups. He soon formed his own band, which became the backup group for Ma Rainey, a well-known blues singer. Dorsey is credited with writing more than 450 rhythm and blues and jazz songs, and with establishing the Dorsey House of Music in 1932, the first independent company to publish black gospel music.
Thomas Andrew Dorsey, was born July 1, 1899, in Villa Rica, Georgia, a small town about forty miles from Atlanta. In his teens, he began playing piano in the jazz clubs, under the name of Georgia Tom. At age seventeen, he moved to Gary, Indiana, to pursue his music career. Two years later, he moved on to Chicago, where he enrolled in the Chicago College of Composition and Arranging and began playing with local jazz groups. He soon formed his own band, which became the backup group for Ma Rainey, a well-known blues singer. Dorsey is credited with writing more than 450 rhythm and blues and jazz songs, and with establishing the Dorsey House of Music in 1932, the first independent company to publish black gospel music.
His life isproof that the world does not and cannot satisfy the inner soul of a man. In 1930, he lost his wife and newborn son, in the midst of his having a nervous breakdown from the carnage of the rat-race lifestyle that he was living.
His life isproof that the world does not and cannot satisfy the inner soul of a man. In 1930, he lost his wife and newborn son, in the midst of his having a nervous breakdown from the carnage of the rat-race lifestyle that he was living.
Shortly after this, he heard the voice of the Lord telling him that he needed change within his life and so he walked away from the R&B and jazz music career that he had and pursued gospel music.
Shortly after this, he heard the voice of the Lord telling him that he needed change within his life and so he walked away from the R&B and jazz music career that he had and pursued gospel music.
In September 1981, Dorsey’s native state honored him with election to the Georgia Music Hall of Fame. In 1982, he was the first African-American elected to the Gospel Music Association’s Living Hall of Fame.
In September 1981, Dorsey’s native state honored him with election to the Georgia Music Hall of Fame. In 1982, he was the first African-American elected to the Gospel Music Association’s Living Hall of Fame.
Even though Dorsey wrote and was accredited with writing over 450 R&B and jazz songs, it was his work in the gospel/Christian arena that touched the world the most.
Even though Dorsey wrote and was accredited with writing over 450 R&B and jazz songs, it was his work in the gospel/Christian arena that touched the world the most.
In fact there are two such songs that stand out the most. One of the two was requested by former President Lyndon B. Johnson, to be sung at his funeral, the song being, “Take My Hand, Precious Lord”.
In fact there are two such songs that stand out the most. One of the two was requested by former President Lyndon B. Johnson, to be sung at his funeral, the song being, “Take My Hand, Precious Lord”.
It’s the other song that I am mentioning tonight, mainly because of its title and the word that it is centered around. In 1937, he wrote a song for Mahalia Jackson, (the queen of gospel music), and this same song was re-recorded in January of 1957 and made vastly popular by an artist that most of you have probably never even heard of, Elvis Aaron Presley! The opening verse and chorus of that song go as follows.
It’s the other song that I am mentioning tonight, mainly because of its title and the word that it is centered around. In 1937, he wrote a song for Mahalia Jackson, (the queen of gospel music), and this same song was re-recorded in January of 1957 and made vastly popular by an artist that most of you have probably never even heard of, Elvis Aaron Presley! The opening verse and chorus of that song go as follows.
Oh well, I'm tired and so weary
But I must go alone
Till the lord comes and calls, calls me away, oh yes
Well the morning's so bright
And the lamp is alight
And the night, the night is as fair as the day
There will be peace in the valley for me, some day
There will be peace in the valley for me, oh Lord I pray
There'll be no sadness, no sorrow
No trouble, trouble I see
There will be peace in the valley for me, for me.
“Peace in the Valley” is one of those gospel songs that are timeless and always reminding us of the Lord’s presence. AMEN?!
“Peace in the Valley” is one of those gospel songs that are timeless and always reminding us of the Lord’s presence. AMEN?!
I spoke this past December, one Sunday morning, about mid month, on the subject of Peace, because we were approaching the day in which we celebrate the birth of the Prince of Peace.
In that message, I mentioned a passage dealing with the peace of the Lord, .
Tonight, I want to very briefly revisit this passage and share a few thoughts with you that deal with the subject of PEACE in our lives.
Pre-Christ in history, the world was being moved and dominated by the gentile nations. Rome at that time, was the force to reckoned with and there was strong animosity between the Jewish nation and the gentile nations. You could say that there was a unseen wall that stood between these two realms. The chosen nation of God and those outside of it.
Pre-Christ in history, the world was being moved and dominated by the gentile nations. Rome at that time, was the force to reckoned with and there was strong animosity between the Jewish nation and the gentile nations. You could say that there was a unseen wall that stood between these two realms. The chosen nation of God and those outside of it.
With the coming of Jesus and His great and costly sacrifice on the cross of Calvary, for the sins of the world, that wall, that spiritual barrier, was torn and God the Father had thus established one people, one nation, from the two.
God had reconciled both the Jew as well as the Gentile to Himself, as one body, one nation, and all from the same source, His Son, Jesus the Christ.
And so, for the Jew, as well as the Gentile, a word that was used in different ways within different cultures, would now have the same meaning and defined by the same author and finisher of our faith!
That word, PEACE, would become synonymous amongst God’s children, because that is in fact the state that we find ourselves with God, when the blood of His Son is applied to our lives and we are sanctified.
The Bible says it this way:
, “Therefore, 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.”
, “And through him God reconciled everything to himself. He made PEACE with everything in heaven and on earth by means of Christ’s blood on the cross.”
The precious blood of Jesus didn’t just clear the ledger of our unpardonable debt due to sin, but it also gave us very great and precious promises from the Father in heaven and made us joint heirs to His Kingdom.
And part of the eternal blessing that He bestows upon His children, as a gift, is that of His PEACE to us and for our lives. Both here on earth, in this life and for all eternity thereafter!
When you read in almost every one of the epistles of the New Testament, you will find the same opening statement of the author. In fact, the Apostle Paul, says this very thing in every single letter that he wrote to the churches and the individuals. That phrase is, “Grace to you and PEACE!”
You see, Paul recognized that the wall of hostility between the two nations, the Jews and
the Gentiles, had been completely eradicated by the works of Jesus Christ on the cross and that there was now only the one body!
So, whenever Paul wrote one of his epistles, he would use these two words, for a particular reason.
The typical Greek epistolary greeting was “greetings” (χαίρειν, chairein), and the typical Hebrew greeting was “peace” (שָׁלוֹם, shalom; εἰρήνη, eirēnē). Paul combined and modified these greetings in the phrase, (charis kai eirēnē) “grace and peace to you”
This combination reflects the ethnic makeup of the church, which was composed of both Jews and Gentiles joined to Christ by faith.
According to one commentary on this matter, given the early church’s recognition that the gospel was meant for both Jews and Gentiles, the greeting “grace and peace” carried a theological reminder of the peace with God that the Church possessed through Christ, as well as an ethical reminder of their need to live in light of this peace (Kremer, “Peace,” 139–40).
It is the grace of God that has brought us together as a body through the blood of Jesus and it is the PEACE of God that helps us to walk together in unity through the Spirit!
God, by His grace and great love for us, brought us together, in the unity of the Spirit by His Son, so that the PEACE of His presence might be made manifest to everyone through you and I!
, “But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he himself is our PEACE, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making PEACE, and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility. And he came and preached PEACE to you who were far off and PEACE to those who were near. For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father. So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.”
The news that I look at everyday and the things that I hear people talking of, scream that we long for and need real PEACE in this world!
The news that I look at everyday and the things that I hear people talking of, scream that we long for and need real PEACE in this world!
In an article this past year from Global Finance Magazine, a study was released that showed the top countries from around the world, as listed and ranked on who was the MOST PEACEFUL countries to live in.
Can anyone take a guess at who was number one on the list?
Or, as far as that goes, can anyone take a stab at a country that was in the top 10?
1 Iceland
2 New Zealand
Austria4Portugal5Denmark6Canada7Czech Republic8Singapore9Japan10Ireland
3 Austria
4 Portugal
5 Denmark
6 Canada
7 Czech Republic
8 Singapore
9 Japan
10 Ireland
Now, would anyone like to take a stab at where the United States was on that list?
We were number 121 out of 163. Israel was number 146 and Syria was dead last!
The interesting about this study to me, was how they ranked the countries deemed most PEACEFUL, that is, the criteria used.
Listen to opening statement from this article, on June 12, 2018, “Peace, some people say, starts with a smile. But ask anyone who lives in one of the most peaceful countries in the world, and they will probably tell you that it is the other way around. These most peaceful nations also enjoy lower interest rates, a stronger currency and higher foreign investment -- not to mention better political stability and stronger correlation with the individual level of perceived happiness.”
In other words, these top ranked PEACEFUL nations, base their understanding of PEACE upon external, physical criteria and man made concepts!
Is it any wonder why the world is so volatile and easily disrupted?!
I have said for so long now and believe, that God has equipped His creation, mankind and our bodies, with the ability to heal and maintain homeostasis wherever God places us.
And as far as PEACE goes, psychology and neuroscience now knows and understand this, by saying that daily meditation shrinks the amygdala, the part of the brain that controls anxiety and fear. Less anxiety and fear translates to less stress. Less stress means more joy.
A study done by research scientists at U.C. Davis showed that meditation can lower the amount of cortisol in the body, otherwise known as the stress hormone. Less cortisol, less stress, more capacity for joy. Seeing the pattern here?
A study done at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and published in JAMA Internal Medicine showed that meditation can provide a level of relief from symptoms of anxiety and depression similar to that of antidepressant drugs. Peace and happiness, no prescription needed!
So, medical science is proving that the human brain is equipped to renew and heal itself and provide healing for its entire body, through, what they call MEDITATION.
Meditation can mean different things, to different cultures and religions. For the secular world and eastern religions, this meditation is focused on clearing the mind of everything so that the mind can renew itself. Sort of self-awareness, if you will.
This however, can begin to open you up to actually hearing demonic spirits, because when you learn to clear your mind and close out all thought and conscious reasoning, you are also working on closing out allowing Holy Spirit to speak to you.
And the enemy gets your mind devoid of listening to the Spirit of God and then locked in on this SELF-AWARENESS mindset and that you are in control and that you are able to completely take charge of everything and that you are channeling this good “karma”, this good “energy” that is renewing and healing and giving you inner PEACE!
As much as I do believe and know that God created our bodies to run and operate efficiently and effectively, under most circumstances, there is still one MAJOR premise that must never be overlooked or removed.
Everything that you and I do that is of benefit and healthy and that blesses our bodies is a gift from God, whether you are talking about physical, emotional or spiritual, everything that we have and do is allowed and given through Him.
The Bible says, “In him we live and move and have our being” and there is nothing that comes as a blessing of our own accord.
James tells us, “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, with whom there is no change or shifting shadow.”
And yes and most definitely, true and lasting PEACE, is from Him and not of our own doing!
The only meditation that will sustain and bless your mind and body with lasting PEACE, is meditating upon the TRUTH; God’s abiding Word!
And as far as medical science saying that less stress means greater PEACE and JOY, well there again, this is based upon less outside situations affecting you!
In other words, they are proving that if you could live in a perfect, utopia where there was NEVER anything bad happening, then your brain would never feel stress and release the stress hormone called “cortisol” and you would have PEACE and JOY in your life!
Do you see a problem with this, though? They are admitting that outside circumstances dictate who has PEACE and JOY. Or at least abiding and continual PEACE and JOY!
I believe that PEACE and JOY, true and real and lasting PEACE and JOY are available for everyone and that they do come from MEDITATION.
BUT, only from meditating upon God’s Word and letting His word renew and strengthen your mind and heart!
When we are feeding our spirit the TRUTH of God’s word, then we are building ourselves up on our most Holy faith and thus moving in accordance with the Holy Spirit of God.
And where He is in control, then guess what the prime attributes for that person’s life are?
“Love, JOY, PEACE, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control!”
True lasting and abiding PEACE, as the world longs for and desires and in immense need for, comes only by a the Holy Spirit of God dwelling within you.
And so, back to the passage from , started off mentioning at the beginning. , Paul tells us of how to have true and continual PEACE in our lives and also how to guarantee that this PEACE is being guarded and disrupted.
And so, back to the passage from , started off mentioning at the beginning. , Paul tells us of how to have true and continual PEACE in our lives and also how to guarantee that this PEACE is being guarded and disrupted.
4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. 5 Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; 6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. 8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. 9 What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.
In every situation of your life, rejoice! Praise God and allow Holy Spirit to fill you with abiding JOY and then everyone will see your gentleness and know that the God you serve is real and present!
And then whatever comes your way in life, don’t fret over it, but instantly bring it to God and place it in His perfect hands and leave it there, so that His will can be done in your life!
And in doing, according to the Bible, in this passage, God’s perfect and continual and amazing PEACE will flood you and guard your heart your mind through the power of Christ Jesus and keep the world and the god of this world, from affecting you like it does non-believers, who walk without true JOY and PEACE!
Paul then tells us what our thoughts and minds and attention should be focused on and meditating upon, so that not only will the PEACE OF GOD be imparted into us, but even more so, the GOD OF PEACE will continually be walk with us at all times and cover us in His mighty wings, as the Psalmist says!
TRUE - What is TRUTH according to the Bible?
HONORABLE - What are you pouring into your mind each day and who are you allowing to pour into you heart and mind. Are these sources worthy of respect’ are they noble and good and of moral worth?
JUST - Is your mind focused upon things that God would say is righteous/just? The just shall live by faith and so, is everything that you dwell upon edifying and building your faith in God?
PURE - Without moral defect. If your desire is to fill your mind with only pure and undefiled things, that is, things that lend to righteous actions and thoughts, then your deeds and the way that you treat others will reflect this. says, “And all who have this eager expectation will keep themselves pure, just as he is pure.” And you and I need Godly wisdom to make Godly decisions for our lives and the wisdom that God imparts to us, according to the book of James, is first of all PURE!
Interestingly enough, says,
17 But the wisdom from above is first of all pure. It is also peace loving, gentle at all times, and willing to yield to others. It is full of mercy and the fruit of good deeds. It shows no favoritism and is always sincere. 18 And those who are peacemakers will plant seeds of peace and reap a harvest of righteousness.
LOVELY -