Testimony of Peace

Introduction:

We have talked about how you can trust your author when he tells you to have peace.

We have also seen the example of Jesus, the God of the universe in telling us to have peace.

I wanted to share with you about your speaker tonight.

A big part of having peace is when you are vulnerable.

I wanted to share a little bit about me and my personal journey with peace.

I want you to be able to know and be able to trust me when it comes to peace.

Before we start with that, let me tell you a little bit about myself now.

Age

I am almost 29 years old.

Career

I currently work as a banker in Boise Idaho.

Marriage

I am about to hit five years married to my awesome Alisa.

Her name is Alisa, not Alyssa/Alissa.

I say this because everyone always gets it wrong.

More about Alisa.

We met in Murietta, Ca when I was working at a Bible College/ Conference Center Housekeeping Manager

She was attending a seminary that was renting out where I worked at the time.

I somehow hit the jackpot.

She is obviously out of my league.

I do not know how God could be so awesome.

She is incredibly smart.

When we met, she was on the course to get her P.H.D by the time she was 23.

Then she met me and married me, and I messed that up.

That is okay, she claims there are no regrets.

I hope she is telling the truth.

Kids.

We have a son named James.

`He is 2 1/2.

As you know, we are having twins.

I am so thankful for my family that God has blessed me with.

It could have been completely different.

I am not from a Christian family.

They will tell you they are, but Jesus says many will say Lord, Lord.

Matthew 7:21 NKJV

21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.

They are Christian in name.

It is called a nominal Christian.

Jesus says:

John 3:3 NKJV

3 Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

We have to be born again.

There needs to be a death to self.

My family:

My mom and dad met and were childhood friends.

They married and had my older sister.

My sister alive for three years before I came into this world.

My dad was the most talented, skillful person I have ever met.

He was super awesome and talented at building, construction, art, fixing things, etc.

He was a super good guy, when he wasn’t drinking.

See my father comes from a line of alcoholics.

His dad was one, and he was one.

My mom, like the influence some women typically have on men, helped my dad to get his drinking under control.

This was until I was born.

My sister was daddy’s girl.

When I was born, according to family members, my dad started getting jealous for some reason.

This for some reason spun him into drinking.

More on that in a little bit.

My family was super close, both sides of the family.

My beliefs as a weird kid:

I was a weird kid.

I know you are like: “Matt you are a weird adult.”

I know, but whatever.

I always wanted to think about the mysteries of the universe.

I wanted to know where we came from, and why we, more importantly why I was here.

My mom taught me how to read at a young age, and forced me to read book after book.

I grew to read philosophy books and science books, etc.

This led me, being the weird kid I was, to carry a bunch of books and tell people in second grade I was a philosopher.

What was the truth?

I boiled it down to two main opposites.

We are either here by accident, or not.

There is either creation, or Darwinian Evolution.

Either the Bible was true.

Or it was not, and everything we see and are is a big happy accident.

At the age of 9 I became an atheist.

I decided that science, man’s wisdom, looked into this.

They knew better than the Bible.

I came to find the Bible as something that would have been like other mythology.

Against all that I knew in my heart, I chose to reject the idea of God.

I somehow convinced myself of this.

I forsook that path, at the age of 9.

Also at the age of 9, my dad...

My dad became more severely addicted to alcohol.

It was pretty bad.

He became abusive.

He was always passing out and peeing himself.

He was constantly getting drunk and doing things like breaking into other people’s houses and thinking it was his home.

He couldn’t keep down a job.

He lived off my mom.

My mom tried to make it work, but life was just too much for her.

He caused so much drama that we were almost evicted.

Random bums were given the keys to our house and would just show up and make themselves welcome.

My mom finally divorced him when she started telling him that she would would leave him.

This made him go nuts, and I will not go into all of it, but will share this one detail.

He once threatened us with knifes.

This led me, someone who was just wanting a dad, a father lost, and scared in the world.

This helped solidify my belief against God, into a hate for God.

A lot of atheists are so because they have daddy issues.

This was not the full reason, for me it was more about what would be logical.

But, this led me to feel more justified in my heart.

I was the victim of bullying at school...

I was a good kid and student, despite a vary rough home life.

This does not mean school was easy.

I am from Los Angeles, and in a gang infested area.

This led a lot of my peers thinking that being gangstah was just the most awesome thing.

I was and am the farthest thing from that lifestyle, and when I rejected that, I was often beat up, jumped, bullied, teased.

I barely had friends.

I went to school in fear, and went home to anxiety...

I was a;ways someone who was always optimistic.

Who knows what that means?

I always thought life could get worse, and tried to think about the positives.

Enter Lou...

My mother met a guy who lived in our apartment complex.

His name is Lou.

He was an awesome guy.

He was an electrician, drove an awesome car, and was everything I thought should be a good father.

All I wanted was a father.

And soon enough, he became my step father.

I was happy and finally felt that security I always knew what should be.

Things were going to be different… or were they?....

Lou started being the dad that we all want as a kid, but should never have.

He was sketchy.

He let me do things and was a bad influence.

He let me ditch school, and would write me sick notes, things like that.

He started showing who he truly was...

He was into drugs and had connections with the mafia.

That was his old life, but still a shady past.

His influence on hating God...

Lou was someone who influenced my atheism to a hatred and anger.

He got my to listen to certain speakers who led me to hate so much.

I became someone like Paul.

I had a zeal for what I thought was the truth.

I knew enough about evolution to wipe the floor with most Christians.

You see the problem is that most Christians only care about how they feel, but have not looked into why there is a reason for their faith.

I was so good I probably convinced many to question their faith.

I am extremely regretful of this.

This is why I encourage you to study the bible.

To know the truth.

To know why you can trust in the Bible.

I started fighting back...

I was tired of being bullied, so I started fighting back in middle school.

I started acting dumb, and letting my grades slip because of laziness.

I started fitting in.

I was an idiot.

Let’s skip to when I was 15...

I came back from a trip to Lake Tahoe with my aunt and uncle.

They were like my second parents.

They lived far away in the Bay Area.

I had a five month summer vacation, because the new high school that I had to go to was opening later than expected.

They were building more because of the over population in Los Angeles.

This is what came back to...

I found out my mom and Lou got married in Vegas.

My mom was pregnant with a little brother.

My mom had actually been laid off from her job that got us by, and now was working three jobs.

Oh, and Lou was cheating on my mom...

I found out because my first night back, I overheard him talking to his mistress and that is how I found all of this out.

He was planning to leave my mom, because money was running low.

It took everything in me not to get up and do bad things.

Did I tell my mom?....No...

Not for a while.

I wanted to, but I was more afraid of life without Lou, even though he was being this way.

I cared more about financial security, than what was right.

In my mind, if Lou left, then i would be stuck with my mom who now could barely make ends meet.

I was an idiot.

I eventually told my mom.

This led to chaos, and drama, that I do not want to get into, but let’s just say it is bad.

Eventually Lou left.

I cam home from school and found my house in the dark ages.

He disconnected the internet and electricity.

Also our phone service.

He abandoned his family and unborn son.

This obviously was a hard time, and made me have more violent hatred in my heart.

I now had two “fathers” royally mess things up.

In my time in Lake Tahoe, I ran into people who could combat me in my tactics to turn them atheist.

I started becoming agnostic.

But I had a hard time believing in God when all of this was happening.

I tried to be the man of the house, the strong one.

This was hard.

I tried having my mom have an abortion.

I got my wish when i got called down to the school office.

I found found out my mom was in a car accident.

She lost the baby and the car.

Now she had to go to three jobs injured, and without a car.

I tried jogging beside her while she rode my bike at night to make sure she got there safe and then ride the bike back.

I got selfish and finally told her I was too tired.

This was the only time my mom asked me to, and she was scared.

I felt like I should have gone, but was a punk.

I woke up to crazy crying at 2 in the morning.

My mom was mugged and assaulted.

This drove me into a rage that I actually went out trying to get revenge.

God saved me by not letting me find them.

I came back home( where the cops were), stormed past them and went into my room, and tore it up.

I then started blaming, then cursing God.

I cried out “Why God, Why!!!!!!

I thought that if I was believing in Him, things would get better.

I would not have the life I did.

In that moment, I felt a peace and presence come upon me and almost verbally tell me that things were going to be all right.

To just wait...

Well I was invited to a youth group.

I met the youth pastor and heard his testimony.

He went to many more harsh things in his childhood than I did.

He became like a father and here I am .

Conclusion:

I was born again, and gained a father.

My heavenly father.

Galatians 2:20 NKJV

20 I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.

Romans 8:28 NKJV

28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.

Now I have an amazing family, and have had an awesome life.

God knocked me off my horse and I needed follow Him.

God called me to be a Pastor and to serve Him.

He has given me a life of peace.

That does not mean that I have not had hard times.

But He has given me peace in the crazy.

I would not have what I have or be who I am without Jesus.

John 6:66–68 NKJV

66 From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more. 67 Then Jesus said to the twelve, “Do you also want to go away?” 68 But Simon Peter answered Him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.