Peace on Earth: When I've had enough
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When Jesus came to earth and was born in human form to the virgin Mary
nearby there were shepherds who were keeping watch over their flock by night
an angel appeared to them & it scared them
angel says fear not for I bring to you good new! Joy for all people!
tells him of baby Jesus
wrapped in swaddling cloths & lying in a manger
then a heavenly chior begins to praise God saying...
“Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”
The message that God sent to mankind when Jesus came to earth was that peace can be found in Jesus!
we know that right?
Know Jesus Know Peace
No Jesus No Pease
but yet who knows Jesus and still has anxieties?
Anxious:
health issue
aging parents
kids growing up & decisions
relational
work
financial
Christmas gifts
Apostle Paul talked about anxiety & peace
wanted to go to Rome to preach the Gospel
found himself in Rome as a prisioner
locked up to prison guards
had good reason to be anxious
Key passage over the next few weeks
Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.
Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Phil 4:4-
has anyone ever been anxious over something completely irrational?
you know that they say that our highschool & college age are the most stressed generation of any other recent generation...
Let’s look at in OT at a man Elijah
so
confronted king Ahab
profesied a major drout
it came and had major implications on the land
for 3 years
king came after Elijah
Elijah on the run
God fed him
with ravens meat & bread
used him to raise dead
eventually he confronts the king & they have a showdown of the gods
Elijah stood down 850 false prophets & called fire down from heaven to burn up sacrifice
after all of the power of God
King Ahab’s wife Jezabel
was angry & threatens to kill Elijah
Elijah freaks out and goes back into running
watch for the mistakes
Elijah was afraid and ran for his life. When he came to Beersheba in Judah, he left his servant there, while he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness. He came to a broom bush, sat down under it and prayed that he might die. “I have had enough, Lord,” he said. “Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors.”
1 Kings 19:3-
I have had enough!
WHo has been there?
make dinner every night
never say thank you but it’s been fine but I can’t take it any more
1. When we have had enough we tend to run ourselves into the ground!
Elijah ran to Beersheba
100 miles
4 marathons
learn to watch patterns
I tend to be anxious after I have ran myself into the ground
took on too many things
running too hard for too long
2. He shut people out...
when we shut people out we will feel like we have had enough
God created us to be relational
3. Focus on the negative...
I’ve had enough
I’m no better than my ancestors
It’ll always be this way for me
It’s so hard for me
I’ll never catch a break
4. we forget God
every step of the way God was present, faithful, provided, displayed his power in Elijah’s life
Elijah was facing his fears while forgetting his God
What did God do?
He met Elijah in this place
The Lord said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.”
Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper.
1 Kings 19:11-12
Why was God not in the remarkable?
Why was He in the ordinary?
Why was the Lord in the whisper?
because He is close
because He wants to draw you closer
The enemy is loud
with his accusations
with his lies
The Lord will whisper his love and truth to you
because the Lord is near
My best effort plus God’s presence is enough
The Lord is near
Elijah’s greatest fear was that he was gonig to die
later Elijah is walking with his protoje Elisha
God sweeps Elijah from the earth and takes him to heaven without experiencing death
The thing he feared the most never even happened
we could say that he was anxious for nothing
most of what we worry about never happens
sometimes it does happen but it is not as bad as we thought
sometimes it does happen and it is worse than we thought
BUT God will be right there with us to help us through
we are not going alone
He is our strength
He is our source
That’s why Paul while was chained to a prison guard said
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 every situation, 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.
stop listening to the loud and start leaning in for the whisper