Maintaining Peace

Intro

Maintanance is a neccesary part of life IF we want it to function with as little breakdown as possible.

If a car is not maintained it breaks down. If a building is not maintained it starts to fall apart. If a tool is not maintained it starts to rust and not function. If a marriage is not maintaied it also starts to struggle and breakdown.

For everything to continue working in a praper way it MUST be properely and regulary maintained.

Today I want to help you maintain or prehaps even fix something that is vital for the Christian.

It is something given to us by God, but i believe up to us to maintain.

Something that now, perhaps more than in a long time we need to work properly - this is not the time for this to breakdown.

And that thing is PEACE.

Peace is a consequence of Salvation

If you not saved, and still in the wickedness of your sins, then you simeply have no peace.

Isaiah 48:22 AV

22 There is no peace, saith the LORD, unto the wicked.

But if you are in Jesus Christ:

2 Thessalonians 3:16 AV

16 Now the Lord of peace himself give you peace always by all means. The Lord be with you all.

We have been given peace by Jesus Christ.

John 14:27 AV

27 Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

So if we have been promised peace, and serve the Lord of Peace and Jesus has given us His peace - then why do so many christians still struggle with peace?

Simple: Because peace was not properly maintained, it has broken down.

The sad part is that the bible tells us how to maintain peace simply and clearly.

The Mainatnance of Peace

Philippians 4:4–9 AV

4 Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice. 5 Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand. 6 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. 7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. 8 Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. 9 Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you.

Let us look at Scripture and do some maintance or repair work:

1: Rejoice in the Lord

Philippians 4:4 AV

4 Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice.

we loose peace when we stop rejoiceing and giving thanks. Ungratfulness is an executiner of peace.

When we only focus on what we dont have or wih we had, and neglect to thank God for all his benifts we become bitter and misrible.

we hve so much to rejoice about:

Our Names are written in Heaven. Jesus is our high Priest. Our sins have been forgiven. The Holy Spirit dwells within us. God’s word has been preserved. His Church is being built.

Then there are more temporty things: Our fmilies we love. our food in the ncubbord. Warm beds at night. Our health to serve God.

If you do not rejoice, and rejoice always, peace will slip from your life like water from a bucket with a hole.

2: Self Control

Philippians 4:5 AV

5 Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand.

An absolute surefire way to loose peace is through sin. We have always seen that the wicked will not know peace. And whilst you may not be wicked anymore because you have been washed by the blood - if you fall into sin, peace will fall away from you.

When David sinned against God, his peace vanished, so he had to pray:

Psalm 51:12 AV

12 Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit.

If you dont have self control and give into the desires of your flesh or the preassure of your friends, or the patterns of the world.

First, you need to look hard at your salvation, but second, if it is just a stumbeling, you need to repent before God and learn to hate sin.

You cannot sin and have peace. Sinful habits, langage, attitues, behaviors all drive peace away.

If you say, yes to your lust to look at porn, yes to your friends to have a drink, yes to this or yes to that and have no self control, you will not know the way of peace.

3: Be a person of Prayer

Philippians 4:6–7 AV

6 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. 7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Let me make this as imple as posible: If you neglect daily, meaningful prayer with God you will not know the daily presence of peace.

In the same way as the cares of this world chocked the word in the parable of the sower, daily cares will chick peace right out - UNLESS we take those cares and speak to Jesus about them.

many people think that people who have peace dont have worries. But that is not true at all. We all experiemce the same worries. we are all worries about our famalies, our jobs, our healthy, our ministries.

But people with peace, turn these worries over the Lord. They lay them at the foot of the cross.

We are told in this verse that as we make our requests known to god, with an attitude of thanksgiven, peace will come, peace will be restored, peace will be maintained.

4: Take Control of your mind

The bible tells us that we must monitor and throughts and capture any thpugh that goes against God’ Word.

2 Corinthians 10:5 AV

5 Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;

The bottom line is simple: We control what we think about.

And if we sit and stew on everything that is wrong, everthing that is fake, everthing that is misrible then we will loose our peace.

Can i be honest with you: This lockdown as meant that many of us have connected on social media, facebook instragram...

Can i be honst? Some of your news feeds are more depressing than a visit to local animal shelter. Its no wonder you are so misrible:

And i am only seeing the stuff you share! Chained up animals looking for a like, children with cancer looking for a share, aninals mutalated by fireworks betting you wont like them, absolute horrific spam garbage!

In the name of Jesus STOP IT!

Missing childrem, which would be fine but you click the link and its a post from 1998 in south dakota and she was found 20 years akgo already, but you dont bother to do any home work....

Just Stop it! Or Stop asking why you are so misrible.

The bible tell us:

Proverbs 23:7 AV

7 For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he: Eat and drink, saith he to thee; but his heart is not with thee.

If all you think about all day is sadness and hurtf and pity - you will be sad and hurt and pitiful.

Rather we are told:

Philippians 4:8 AV

8 Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

Think on the word of God. think on his promises. think of his faithfulness, think on his goodness, think on his mercy.

think of his great love of his power and of his glory.

think of heaven and the marriage supper.

think on the trumphet call calling us home and the ressurection of the dead.

If you have an asdiction to share stuff, share scriptues, share encougagment, share truth.

and Finally:

5: Be obedient

Philippians 4:9 AV

9 Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you.

Here you have it: If we are obedient with the thinbgs God has commaned us, the God of Peace shall be with you.

What got has taught us, told us, asked us, commaned us if we live in obedeince to God’s Word we will have peace.

So what are the things we are be obedient to? Well, so many: Love one another, preach the gospel, husbands love your wives, wives submit to your husbvabds, children honor your parents. Tithing, serving, faithful attendance..

Disobenience cuts you off from peace.

Jeremiah 18:10 AV

10 If it do evil in my sight, that it obey not my voice, then I will repent of the good, wherewith I said I would benefit them.

Tepent means change my mind: If you are disobedient i will change my mind about the good and peace i wanted to give you.

conclusion:

Like a car engibe, reguklar maintance is simply, inexpensive and convient. When a broken engine due to neglect is hard, expensive and a huge inconvience.

Maintaning peace is not difficult. What is difficult is trying to fix it when it breaks.

It is also not a monthly, or weekly endevor, it is part of our daily walk the Lord.

1: We must take time each day to rejoice in the Lord for what He has done and be thanksful for his grace and providence.

2: We must practice the fruit of the Spirit which is self control and no be lead by the flesh, but follow after holiness.

3: We must be people of prayer, daily spending time in the Word and making our requestes known to God with al thanksgiving.

4: We must examine our thoughts and cast down those that go against God’s word.

and

5: Live in obedience to God’s Word. Obedience always brings peace.