The Peace of God

Introduction

Good Morning! I want to thank you for joining us this morning on FaceBook. I have been encouraged and uplifted by seeing you all tune in to hear the truth of Gods love and Word over the last four weeks.

Thank you for tuning in last week for our Easter Service which looked completely different then any other Easter Service that I have been a part of but the response was the same.

Jesus met us right where we were.....

He changed lives....

He softened hearts and

drew people who did not know Him before and brought them into His family forever.

Last week people came to Christ for the first time and as brothers and sisters in Christ I wanted to share that with you and celebrate that together.

But we do miss coming together as the body of Christ to fellowship and to praise the

One who came,

Who died and

Who rose again so that we could have everlasting life.

My prayer for you during this time through the Covid-19 pandemic is that you are going to God and drawing closer to Him. And through your seeking Him that you find a peace that surpasses all understanding.

Today, I know that we are still struggling to have peace! Some of you are allowing fear to take hold of you. And that fear is causing you great distress that you are taking it out on the people around you.

I know that your heart is troubled, even though you call Jesus Christ your Lord and Savior and you have been granted salvation, your internal rest is still broken.

My prayer for todays message is that God speaks and grants you internal rest in the midst of this Global Pandemic.

I pray that you experience peace that surpasses all understanding, not just through this pandemic but for the rest of your life!

We will rest in Philippians 4:7 today. All that call Jesus their Savior can have the peace that surpasses all understanding.

Prayer

Lord Jesus, Thank you for all that you have done for us. You are a God who is in control of everything even when it seems that the world is spinning out of control.

Thank you for your Word and thank you for coming to dwell with your people in the flesh. Not to be served but to be a servant.

To die on the cross, to rise again three days later. The cost you bore was more than we could have ever paid but you willingly died the most brutal death to pay that debt for us.

I thank you for every single person tuning in right now. I pray that as you speak to them through such a BROKEN VESSEL that they experience your peace that surpasses all understanding in the way you designed peace to be.

I pray that I leave my message at the alter of your feet and that your message is lifted up in to the hearts of those you have chosen to hear it.

I love you so much Jesus! Thank you for dying on the cross for my sins even though I am not worthy of such a gift.

In Jesus’ name! Amen!

Philippians 4:7 ESV

7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

What is Peace?

I have often thought of the Apostle Paul in the midst of our house arrest! I have wondered what he would have said to us as we are struggling to see our ECONOMY crash, or our health being put into question.

our way of life temporarily changed.

I wonder how he enjoyed peace when I myself struggle sometimes with having the peace that surpasses all understanding.

Even though I know Jesus has conquered sin and death but yet the war rages inside of me as satan tries to divide my peace with a world that didn’t climb on a cross to die for my sins.

Paul had enjoyed the calmest peace in the midst of the loudest storms,

the brightest of peace in the darkest dungeons

he felt living peace in the face of certain and cruel death!

Paul loved Gods peace,

he preached it,

lived it,

died in it and now is tasting it in the presence of our wonderful God!

I think if I was sitting with Paul right now and asked him to describe to me what peace that surpasses all understanding looks like.

He would begin to tell me about inward rest, full security in resting in the arms of the Creator of everything and he would expand on the enjoyment of the peace of God.

I would hear him describe it and I would get a general understanding of what he was saying

try to relate what he was describing with something that I might have experienced to paint that picture for me.

But I know that I would not fully understand the peace of God unless I experience it for myself.

It would be the same to describe to you one of my favorite wines.

It is made in Napa Valley in Yountville

It is a Cabernet

and on the nose I smell

boysenberry, black currant, baking spice and vanilla

As I taste it I taste

blackberry cobbler, cedar spice and a balanced finish marked by velvety tannins.

You at home cannot fully understand the experience of flavors that I taste unless you and I were fellowshipping together and I poured you a glass and you had a taste for yourself. Only then would you share in the experience of what this wine tasted like.

Until, you are forgiven by Jesus Christ by loving Him and accepting Him as your Savior you will only be able to hear of the peace of God that surpasses all understanding.

But once you know that you are forgiven through the blood of Jesus Christ only recieved through faith.

Can you fully understand the peace of God that surpasses all understanding.

You will know that the peace of God is full reconciliation with Him. That you are fully loved and you will have an eternal inheritance that cannot be taken away.

You fully understand that because of sin..... you deserved the wrath of God but because Jesus took that wrath away from you, you get to experience total favor and love forever!

Before we were Christians we were at war with ourselves. Our thoughts, our wants, desires were in conflict with each other.

We were broken:

our peace with the world was broken,

our peace with the universe was broken

and our inner peace was broken.

Once we knew that Jesus was our savor then God breathed peace into us and the Holy Spirit descended like a dove into our soul and finally

there was a quite peace that dwelled inside of us. Order was established and we were no longer at war with ourselves.

We then felt the peace that Paul talks about. A peace that no matter the circumstances we find ourselves in, we know that God is in control and that we are safe!

So no matter if we live or die it is ok because either way we will be with Him forever.

We live in a time where peace which surpasses all understanding would give us rest in the world we live in right now.

Satan is trying to whisper in our ears that Covid 19 is going to destroy us. That it will take away our hope. That we are never going to be secure again and that God is asleep at the wheel.

But as Christians we know Gods character and that Satan is the Prince of Lies

And we have peace because we trust in God and have full confidence that even during this time, this tragedy.....we know that the person who loves and trust in Jesus Christ has nothing to fear.

Is he poor?

We rejoice that Christ makes the poor rich!

Does he prosper?

We rejoice that there is grace to sanctify his prosperity lest it becomes intoxicating.

Does he fear death?

The hope of eternal life gives peace to us on our dying pillow.

You see as Christians we don’t have to fear anything because our guaranteed hope is in Christ. We can experience a supernatural peace that comes from Jesus Himself.

And how beautiful that peace is in times like these when we see the whole world confused and relying on the minds of men to save them.

But we have a God who is in Heaven, the creator of everything, and we know that He does not forsake His throne

That He does not forsake His people. And that He can take even the worst of Covid-19 to make His purposes known and good will come out of evil.

Jesus said,

Matthew 11:28-29 English Standard Version (ESV)

28 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

Rest in Him. Rest and know that even this too shall pass and He will grant you a peace that surpasses all understanding.

How to Obtain Peace of God?

Looking around our country right now it might be extremely difficult to have peace when so many things are in question!

Our government can’t provide us peace…even with all of their efforts....even our stimulus check coming into our bank accounts in a couple of weeks cannot give us everlasting peace.

So how can we right now experience this peace that surpasses all understanding?

Now as Christians we are at peace with God even though we are not always enjoying that peace because we place our hope elsewhere sometimes

To obtain this peace Paul tells us how in verse four

Philippians 4:4 English Standard Version (ESV)

4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.

If you want to obtain this peace Paul tells us to rejoice in the Lord.

Make God your joy, place all of your joy in God

We cannot rejoice in our circumstance because they change so often,

But God never changes

We cannot rejoice in anything but our Lord because He is our Rock of Salvation and that is a foundation that can never be broken.

If we put our faith and joy in anything this world has to offer your peace will quickly depart from you!

But if you keep the world under your feet then the peace of God will always be with you.

Paul tells us three things

Be careful of Nothing

- Leave your care with God

- Do your best to be above reproach among those around you

- Do not allow distress to rule over you

- Bring your anxieties and cast them to the Lord.

2. Be prayerful about Everything

- Bring everything big or small, joyous and devastating to God

Paul says “In Everything by prayer and supplication let your requests be made known to God”

What we pray for will have the sting taken out of it if it is evil and the sweetness of it be sanctified if it is goods.

And the tribulation that you pray about will become bearable because

Jesus will give you the strength to walk through it.

And lastly,

3. Be thankful

Paul says, “In everything with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.”

Thankfulness is the promoter of peace and it will bring you to full restfulness in God.

I know that if I don’t acknowledge God for all the blessings He has done for me in my life I miss out on peace and then begin to doubt His goodness in my life.

Instead I need to scream from the mountain tops His goodness and His deliverance of me out of Sin and Death.

Conclusion

We need to put all of our Joy in Jesus and what He did rather than put all of our hope, joy and security into a world that is destined to pass away.

We see that now............We see sickness, natural disasters, wars and rumors of wars.

Our world economy struggling

This world was never designed to give us everlasting hope!

Only Jesus!

Peace that surpasses understanding will never be found outside of Christ!

Do not rest your peace on anything you have achieved, your generosity, your health or your knowledge. Let all you peace rest in Christ!

We are living in a scary time right now but those who put their full faith in Jesus knows that no matter what happens we have an eternal peace because He has fully reconciled us with God.

And that is a Peace that surpasses all understanding.

I pray that as we are going through this Covid-19 Pandemic that we can meditate on what the Apostle Paul said in verse 8

“Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is an 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”

Pray with me!