A Peace Beyond All Understanding

Message 06/24/2018 “A Peace beyond all understanding” Good Morning Church! Great to be in the house of the Lord! AMEN! Wow what a week it has been! Getting ready for the Rummage sale was a lot of work…but I have to tell you… it was worth it! First I want to “Thank you!” (From all of us on the mission team) for the great stuff you provided for the rummage sale. It was so good in fact… that some of you came and bought back… the stuff you gave! That’s how Good it was! No honestly… there were so many blessings behind the scenes that took place…I took at least three new people thru the church…and was so blessed to meet some new people. And to see the way we were able to help some of them with some of your blessings…was really awesome! Again, Thank you for your help! It is good to be here with you this morning and I am glad to have the opportunity to share what the Lord has laid upon my heart with you this morning! Today we are going to be talking about “Peace” I don’t know about you… but as I thinking about the word “Peace”… and the effects that this word has had on “my life”...what it has meant to me...and two things come to mind? First was The Peace symbol… PICTURE OF PEACE SYMBOL Which for many people was a sign used by the generation back in the sixty’s and early 70’s… And back then…Honestly I was too young to really know why I wore peace shirt…or said Peace to everyone…it just seemed cool cause all the young people were doing it…So it didn’t even matter WHY! Right! We just did it anyhow! But the real intent for the peace symbol came from the protest for Nuclear Disarmament. The symbol designed by Gerald Holtom was a British artist and designer. He designed the ND logo, which was adopted, non-exclusively, by the British Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND), and became an international peace symbol. And of course, we all know that there might have been some other things… that influenced these so called “Rallies” Like Marijuana? That many young people back then were always looking for a reason to party! So I am pretty sure that much of the reason for the use of the peace symbol… was so they had something to hide behind. It was a crazy time (in our crazy mixed up world) and although the focus was for “Peace” it seemed to be causing anything But Peace! And if I am being honest…I was on that “Crazy World Wagon” once myself… But Thank God...By the grace of God… I was saved and rescued from my ignorance… And I found out… that I love living a Healthy life…Mind, Body and Soul…more than I did… a sick and perverse life… The book of Proverbs have much to say about this; Proverbs 2:12 Wisdom will save you from the ways of wicked men, from men whose words are perverse, Proverbs 3:32 For the Lord detests the perverse but takes the upright into his confidence. Proverbs 10:31 From the mouth of the righteous comes the fruit of wisdom, but a perverse tongue will be silenced. Proverbs 10:32 The lips of the righteous know what finds favor, but the mouth of the wicked only what is perverse. Proverbs 11:20 The Lord detests those whose hearts are perverse, but he delights in those whose ways are blameless. Proverbs 28:18 The one whose walk is blameless is kept safe, but the one whose ways are perverse will fall into the pit. I think we get the picture. Let’s move on! The other thing that I think of… when I think of the word Peace… is when I went to the Catholic Church! PIC……SIGN OF PEACE IN THE CATHOLIC CHURCH And as part of their morning worship (yes even back in the Stone age when I went to the Catholic Church) they had a time during the service…when they show each other a sign of peace… by shaking each other’s hands and saying “Peace be with you! Now Again… I am not sure I understood why I did it back then, but it was one of my favorite times in the service. And as I journeyed thru my life raising my family… I hardly remember ever even considering what peace in my life felt like… or looked like. Honestly I was so caught up trying to make a living… raising and providing for my family…getting all the gusto out of life I could….Peace seemed to be the farthest thing from my mind! So I guess (at least for me) the first time I really discovered the word Peace in its truest form…what “Real Peace” was…is when I met Jesus. When the power of the Holy Spirit touched my heart and burdened soul to search for Peace from God! See up until that point…I didn’t really know or understand what I was missing…I didn’t even know that my soul was burden… I just thought… that is what Life was all about! Because I never had peace…or even knew what it was …or that it was available! I was ignorant of knowing…Because I didn’t know! And I think maybe I thought that peace only came on Vacations or Hunting trips with my buddies! It only came from setting on the beach or hunting and fishing camps where I could escape my normal hectic life style! And I just realized as I wrote this… that Peace for me back then… Was just going from one crazy busy thing… to another. But it wasn’t until I found God…or rather He found me …and got my attention…when I accepted Jesus into my life… It wasn’t until then… when I found a whole new understanding of Peace beyond my comprehension! Which is the title of my message today… “A Peace beyond all understanding” Paul says in Philippians 4:4-7 (NIV) Final Exhortations 4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. AMEN! ILLUSTRATION; Could you imagine having God’s Job and not having a Peaceful and contented Spirit! I mean can you imagine God Saying… MY WHAT DO I DO NOW!!!...running around solving the problems in every one’s life without peace? Now for a Christian…a Christ follower… those words have so much truth…they are foundational for our Faith! Because it reminds us of a God who loves us… and lives in our heart…Watches over us…trusting in His abilities not my own! They are not just words of encouragement… but words of truth and wisdom… Reminding us of God’s Sovereignty/greatness that transcends all understanding. But for Non-Believers… those who chose not to listen to the word of God…Who ignore their spiritual walk… or believe in the power of the Holy Spirit at work in their lives. These words in Philippians 4 are shallow and meaningless. Because they live in the world of self-indulgence, strife, bitterness and anger! Paul’s instruction for Christian living in Ephesians 4: 31-32 We have read this now for three weeks in a row! 31 Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. 32 Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. Church you cannot live in these first standards (bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice) and serve God…I don’t care how long you have gone to church! Because His Standards call us to act in Kindness and Compassion! See living in the world and by the world’s standards causes us to embrace the things that are not good for us! Many have harden their hearts to God’s Laws and Practices… and instead…Have chosen to indulge in the things of the world…as they have become acceptable practices… even though they are not good for us! And what is Sad to me… is…many of them…just don’t know any better… they are ignorant to God’s ways and His love for them! Church, I know all too well…I used to be one of them… Angie used to be one of them! (If I am going under the Bus, I am going to take you with me Honey!) And many of you as well… We chose to go our own way in the world…Impart… because no one ever presented a better lifestyle a more peaceful way to live in the world that seem to be relevant. But how would you know it was revenant unless you tried it? But I am here to tell you church…as Paul did to the earlier churches in the New Testament… That there is a better way of life that breeds Peace and contentment…Not only in your life…but in the lives of those around you as well… And that thru the Faith in knowing God and accepting God’s Salvation Plan thru His Son Jesus Christ is where you can find it… His words are full of wisdom and security of life…so much… That by our faith in Him it brings Peace that lives and Breaths Peace beyond our understanding. Let’s look at the example of David and Goliath. We are all familiar of the Story of David the Sheppard boy who slay the Giant Goliath with a sling and a stone. But was it the Sling and the Stone that David counted on? Was His confidence I his abilities…well lets read? Let’s look In 1 Samuel 17…there we read that the Saul and the Israelites were up against the Mighty forces of the Philistines… and one of the Philistines in Particular was a 9’ tall Giant Named Goliath…and He is calling out the Israelites a challenge to face Him one on one! But no one is stupid enough to face Goliath on his own…accept one young man named David… which was the little Sheppard boy brother of.. Elib, Abinadab and Shima who were fighters for Sauls Army. So David goes to Saul and Say’s I’ll fight the Giant! Now David either was very stupid… or he knew and trusted something beyond his understanding. PIC of David and Goliath! Starting in verse 32 1 Samuel 17:32-51 (NIV) David said to Saul, “Let no one lose heart on account of this Philistine; your servant will go and fight him.” 33 Saul replied, “You are not able to go out against this Philistine and fight him; you are only a young man, and he has been a warrior from his youth.” 34 But David said to Saul, “Your servant has been keeping his father’s sheep. When a lion or a bear came and carried off a sheep from the flock, 35 I went after it, struck it and rescued the sheep from its mouth. When it turned on me, I seized it by its hair, struck it and killed it. 36 Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, because he has defied the armies of the living God. 37 The LORD who rescued me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will rescue me from the hand of this Philistine.” Saul said to David, “Go, and the LORD be with you.” 32 See Saul was no stranger to God! He knew God… but He was too busy watching the waves and the wind of his circumstance and he forgot about God… He took his eyes off of God!! AMEN! You know what I am Saying church! How many times has our faith fallen short in times of Troubles! How many times have we taken our eyes off of God in the Mist Of the Giant circumstances in our Lives! So let’s go on! 38 Then Saul dressed David in his own tunic. He put a coat of armor on him and a bronze helmet on his head. 39 David fastened on his sword over the tunic and tried walking around, because he was not used to them. “I cannot go in these,” he said to Saul, “because I am not used to them.” So he took them off. This reminds me of the ways of bad advice we get from others! How many of you have gotten bad advice from friends and Family? See we hear others tell us in the mist of adversity…How they would handle situations… but how many of us say! Trust and have faith in God! 40 Then he took his staff in his hand, chose five smooth stones from the stream, put them in the pouch of his shepherd’s bag and, with his sling in his hand, approached the Philistine. 41 Meanwhile, the Philistine, with his shield bearer in front of him, kept coming closer to David. ( It says earlier in 17 that Goliath was over nine feet tall! 5 He wore a bronze helmet, and his bronze coat of mail weighed 125 pounds. 6 He also wore bronze leg armor, and he carried a bronze javelin on his shoulder. 7 The shaft of his spear was as heavy and thick as a weaver’s beam, tipped with an iron spearhead that weighed 15 pounds. His armor bearer walked ahead of him carrying a shield. This is no little Giants! How many of you have some pretty big giants in your life! ) It says; 42 He looked David over and saw that he was little more than a boy, glowing with health and handsome, and he despised him. 43 He said to David, “Am I a dog, that you come at me with sticks?” And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. 44 “Come here,” he said, “and I’ll give your flesh to the birds and the wild animals!” 45 David said to the Philistine, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the LORD Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. 46 This day the LORD will deliver you into my hands, and I’ll strike you down and cut off your head. This very day I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds and the wild animals, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel. 47 All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the LORD saves; for the battle is the LORD’s, and he will give all of you into our hands.” 48 As the Philistine moved closer to attack him, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet him. 49 Reaching into his bag and taking out a stone, he slung it and struck the Philistine on the forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell facedown on the ground. 50 So David triumphed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone; without a sword in his hand he struck down the Philistine and killed him. 51 David ran and stood over him. He took hold of the Philistine’s sword and drew it from the sheath. And then it Just got gross and disgusting! Church… David had a Faith in His God…He had courage thru Faith and Trusted His Lord!!! And this wasn’t David’s first Rodeo! He said that He had faced many Dangers like Goliath before! His faith seemed Incomprehensible! His Faith and Trust that God would provide a way to kill that Philistine…and is the perfect example of an abounding faith that David had in his God! David never fear Goliath… because he had a Peace beyond all understanding… in knowing that God was in control! How many of us/you have a faith like David? How many of us walk into unforeseen circumstances of hardship and Say…I know my God is bigger than this! I stand before you as a living witness to the Goliath in my life…Public Speaking! Because for most of us! Speaking in public is our worst nightmare! It was for me one day too! But God will use gifts in you… that you don’t even know exist within yourself… If you will have faith, trust and obey! He has given me Peace to stand before you to proclaim His peace… in one of my slain giants…public speaking. His words are wisdom that will give peace to the hearts and souls of men and women who are willing to surrender their lives to Him…Just like David had! Jesus said in Matthew 5 the Beatitudes! 3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4 Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. 5 Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. 6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. 7 Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. 8 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. 9 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. Peacemakers are not just people looking for Peace… But they are people who are showing others ( A Faith beyond all understanding) to what and where True Peace and contentment come from! And the Only place to find True peace and contentment is in Jesus…and the only way to know Jesus is to study His will and ways for your life! And it takes a constant vigilance… to adjust our way of thinking… by continuing to Pray and seek God’s will in all that we say and do! Church we need a path in your prayer life church that has worn down the grass of the world… so to speak!! Imagine that your life is a lush green pasture and there is a tree in the middle of the field…and the tree is where you go and pray (The tree represent your prayer life). (The grass represents your life) And you must travel to the tree thru the field of grass to pray! Picture of Path thru field of Grass! For some… there is a distinct path that leads to the tree…as they go to prayer quite often. But for others there is no path at all …no marker that they have even attempted to pray! And I don’t know what the your path looks like… or if there is a path at all…maybe there isn’t even a tree of life in your field. But to understand “Peace beyond all understanding” it means that we need to throw everything that we thought of as peace before…That we thought?… brought us peace before… and turn and seek to focus on the peace of Jesus. Because everything else in comparison is nothing compared the Peace that God can give you! I Pray that as you leave this place today that you will continue to search for Jesus! Because His guidance brings a value worth more than all the silver and gold in the world! Matthew 11:28-30 (NIV) 28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. Come to Jesus and Fined rest and peace for your souls! For His yoke is easy and my burden is light.” And there is where you will find rest for your soul! 30 And all God’s People said AMEN! Angie shared this face book Post the other day… that goes right along with this that I liked. FACE BOOK POST Philippians 4:8-9 (NIV) 8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. 9 Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.