The Peace of God
My brothas and sistahs it’s a known fact this morning that we are living in some perilous times. I think that all of you would agree today that we are living in some dangerous times. Everyone here today desires to have a certain amount of peace. Some husband and wife today, you have said over and over again; when am I gonna get just a little peace. Some parent here today who’s wrestling with a disobedient child utters these same words; when are you going to give me just a little peace. Some parent here who’s wrestling with a child who seems to stay out all night long, you’re wondering when in the world will you get a little peace. Some child here today who is wrestling with a drug-addict parent, a parent who is on alcohol and who appears don’t love them anymore; in your own little way you are wondering when in the world will you get a little peace. I think that this is the cry of all of humanity we just want some peace. There is somebody here right now who will wave their hand and say “reverend I would just do a little better if I could just get some peace.” I don’t bother anybody, I go to work and I am honest, I try to be fair, I try my best to give everything that I have but I just can’t get any peace. I go to bed at night and try to go to sleep and I toss and turn all night long and all I want is a little peace. Somebody here right now, on your job you worked all week long with people trying to get you fired, you don’t bother anybody you just go to work and you try to do your job and you go home and while you are there at work – somebody trying to get you a pink slip. And so you might say this morning “reverend, all I need is just a little peace.” Is there anybody here right now that just wish they had just a little bit of peace? You might need to turn to somebody and tell them “if I could just get a little bit, I’d be alright.” And I think that is the cry of mankind today. I think that is your cry and my cry. We just need a little peace, a little tranquility a little peace to help us get through the days, months, and years of life. We’d feel a little better if we could pick it up at a department stores, or maybe down at the Publix or Winn Dixie; if they had it bottled up or canned up! If we could just find it in a store somewhere… Many of us try to take vacations to get a little peace but when we come back same old thing!!! Our world is crying out for the same thing with ambulances driving by and police constantly running here and there the whole world is crying out, “just a little peace!” Wars in the desert, cars piling up on the highways, men throwing their children off bridges and we are all crying out with schemes and plots and plans and mankind seems to be in an upheaval, and all we want is just a little peace! And we begin to wonder if that angelic host had it right when he said peace on earth, good will toward man. Maybe somebody wrote the message down wrong, maybe the transcriber of what was heard over the PA system of heaven, maybe they didn’t record it right when they stood out there early that morning at the birth of Jesus and said “peace on earth, good will toward man.” My cry and your cry this morning, just give me a little peace. Some pastor this morning is crying out with hellish and hateful members, all I want is just a little peace. I want to be able to go home and lay down without somebody calling and complaining. That’s your cry and my cry; I could feel a little better if I could just get a little peace, a little peace and tranquility it would help me in all of my situations. You, who are employed, just want a little peace. You want it on your job, you want it in your home, you want it in your neighborhood, and you certainly want it in your church. And the terrible part about it is the place that it look like we ought to be able to get it, we can’t get any. You ought to be able to find peace in the church. And so maybe the angelic host maybe they might have got it wrong when they said peace on earth… But I want to suggest this morning that if you want to have peace, you have to follow a prescription. It won’t just show up, you have to follow a prescription. And I think that you will agree that these days are days of conflict, these days are days of confusion and challenge. And many of us spend a great deal of time trying to get a little peace. And we wonder if Jesus was really sincere when He uttered the words found in John 14:27 when he spoke to His disciples that day and said “peace I leave with you, My peace.” And so automatically I come to the conclusion that there must be another peace. If the Master would say “My peace, I leave with you…” Then He turned around and said “not as the world giveth,” for that’s another kind of peace. You see my brothers and sisters this peace cannot be bought with credit cards; you cannot charge it to your accounts. This peace cannot be derived from going to the shopping mall and buying a lot of stuff. Because then all you’ll have is a bill later on in the month. And there are a lot of people who are trying to conjure up artificial peace and we are trying to make peace when we already have we just got pull down off the shelf. The writer says here, Jesus’ words, “my peace I give unto you.” It’s already been given I just have to receive it. “…and it is not as the world giveth give I unto you.” And then He says something that is astounding, “…let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” And so with the peace that the Master has, you don’t have to have heart trouble and you don’t have to be afraid.
One of the tragedies of this day and age is that we are so fearful and so afraid. We spend most of our time afraid. We spend most of our time fearful. We are fearful about living and we are fearful about dying. If it ain’t one thing then it’s another. And everyone of us here this morning we are fearful of the future, we are fearful of people who might try to do us wrong, we are fearful of life’s turmoil, we are just fearful people. You know we hear about peace on the TV, we read about it in the newspapers, we hear about it on the radio… The peace accord, gangs are being challenged to have peace agreements, peace in the Middle East, brothers don’t say good bye any more now it’s peace, men are dying for peace, and all of us want that Shalom; that wholesomeness; that wellness. And I think that the world would relinquish a whole lot if it could just get some peace. You know all of us here right now would relinquish our pain in a minute for some peace. We’d put our confusion on the shelf for some contentment. We would just set our conflict aside if we could just get some comfort. Turmoil would be a thing of the past if we could just get some tranquility. We would just tell worry to sit down over there if we could just get some wholeness. I think every one of us here would tell anxiety “we don’t want you in our lives” if we could just get some abundance. We are searching for it. We are looking for it in our homes, in our lives, in our relationships, in our neighborhoods, in our cities, in our states, in our world… And with the absence of peace, worry, the greatest thief of joy, takes over. And somebody here right now, I don’t know you but God told me you’d be in church this morning, you’re worried. You are worried about your life, you’re worried about your children, you are worried about the people that you have come in contact with on the journey, you’re worrying about relationships, you’re worrying about your health, you’re worrying about not having enough money to make ends meet, you’re worrying about this one thing or another. Because at some point in time in all of our lives we have been left out there seemingly in the cold and found ourselves worrying over and over again. (Yes) We sing God will make a way but we still worry. Worry finds its way into our hearts and our minds. That’s why that song, that worldly song you know. And some people know that better than they know Amazing Grace. Man wrote the other day, don’t worry be happy. And every time you turned on the radio back in the day, y’all did here that one didn’t you? I didn’t wanna be the only one that heard it. And every time you turned on the radio – don’t worry be happy. And that was a good anecdote to the anxieties for a world that had been tossed to and fro with its problems and difficulties. Somebody right now needs to turn to somebody and tell them “don’t worry, be happy!” That’s a good message this morning. Because of your needs of prayer and because of your petitions, maybe every now and then we need to tell people – don’t worry, just be happy. Don’t worry about what you are going through, it’ll be alright. Don’t worry about those little storms that are blowing in your life, it’ll be alright. Don’t worry about that sickness, it’ll be alright. Don’t worry about that relationship problem, it’ll be alright. Don’t worry about those children that you have been badgering and trying to keep under control, it’ll be alright. Don’t worry about the conflicts and confusions in your life, it’ll be alright. And maybe that’s what we need to here, every now and then someone needs to pat us on the back and tell us, it’ll be alright. And so I want you to turn to somebody and tell them it’s gonna be alright. No matter what you are going through, no matter how difficult it might seem, no matter how hard it seems, no matter what the problem is, no matter what the trouble is, no matter hard it might appear, no matter what the weight seems like on your shoulders, turn to somebody on the other side and tell them “it’s gonna be alright!” And you know I believe that, I just kind of believe that I have a God that’s able to make it all right! Have not you seen him do it for other people? Don’t you know that he can do it for you? I have watched God take others off of sick beds, He can do the same for you! I have watched God make a way for other folks, He can do the same for you! I have watched God help other people pay their bills, He can do the same for you! I have watched God bring other peoples’ children back home, He can do the same for you! I’ve watched God heal broken hearts, He can do the same thing for you. I have watched God! I believe that He is able, if He can do it for other people, He can do it for you! Oh, I tell you this morning, He can do it for you! He can do it for you. You have watched Him do it for other people – but He can do it for you. He can make your enemies leave you alone; He can do that for you. He can help you carry your heavy burdens; He can do that for you. He can ease your troubled mind; He can do that for you. I have watched Him do for other people; I am inclined to believe that He can do it for you!
And so the church at Phillipi, evidently they are anxious, evidently they are worried, there is some turmoil in their lives that they are disturbed about. In the Greek, the word anxious means to be pulled apart (in two different directions.) And there are a lot of anxious people here this morning; you’re being pulled in two different directions. Your mind says it gonna be alright but your heart says you ain’t really looked at the situation. Or your heart says it’s gonna be alright but your mind says you just ain’t checked out the situation. Your mind says you gonna make it but your heart jumps in and says no it don’t look like it. Your mind says look you can handle this little old trouble but your heart jumps in there and says yeah you know old so-and-so didn’t make it. And see you have got to get your mind and your heart operating on the same agenda. The church here at Phillipi they were anxious, they were being pulled in two different directions. Their heart was telling them one thing and there mind was telling them something else. There was a tug of war going on between what they believed and what they thought. That’s where the word “worry” comes from, it means to strangle. Worry will strangle you. It has definite physical consequences, it’ll strangle you. Headaches and heartaches, it’ll strangle you. It’ll give you ulcers, it’ll strangle you. It’ll give you back spasms and back pains and mental fatigue, if you don’t watch it worry will strangle you. And that old adage that we don’t believe too much anymore, you can worry yourself to death. It affects your thinking, it affects your digestions, it affects your coordination. Our mind says don’t worry but our heart says you’d better be anxious. Worry gets in our minds and in our hearts and it creates a vicious cycle that has to be broken but how with all of the confusion that’s going on around us, how in the world can we break that confusion? With all of our restlessness and all of our resentment, how in the world do we get our heart and our minds to be at peace? Well, verse 4 gives us some powerful words… First of all it says “rejoice” or “be happy”, I like the way the NIV says it, “be happy in the Lord.” The 1st thing you’ve got to do if you want real peace is you’ve got to get in the Lord. And let me suggest to you, you will never have true peace outside of the Lord. Go on and buy your houses, your cars, and your jewelry. Go on and get expensive furniture, go on out to Florida Mall and just buy yourself crazy! But you will never have peace until you get in the Lord. That’s why the writer said be happy in the Lord because any other kind of happiness that is outside of the Lord is artificial. That is makeshift, that something that you done made-up! And then notice he said “be happy in the Lord always.” Oh, that’s good news; that I can be happy in the Lord. Listen if it’s going bad, I can just sing myself happy. If you wanna have true peace and you want it always you have got to get yourself in the Lord! And then the writer said be glad, just be glad. You know I look at some people they are always frowning, they always have a complaint; if it ain’t one thing it’s another. They are always talking about the misery they had last Monday and from Monday to now the Lord has done so many marvelous things. You ought to just be glad, well what can you be glad about? …early this morning! You know I don’t have to go back to far, I can just go back to this morning… …woke me up and started me on another day’s journey, that’s something to be glad about. …gave me the activity of my limbs, you know that’s something to be glad about. My mind didn’t slip off into insanity, I knew who I was and where I was and whose I was, that’s something to be glad about. And then in the NIV, he says you need to keep up the glad Spirit. When everything is going against you just keep up the glad spirit. When folk are lying on you and talking about you just keep up the glad spirit. When your money is low and your bills are due just keep up the glad spirit. When you reach the end of your rope just tie a knot and just keep up the glad spirit! And can guarantee you, if you can keep it up, God and heaven will get busy.
But then in verse 5 he says let your humility be known unto all men. Some things people ought to be able to see, you ought not have to talk about it. They ought to be able to see. And then he says the reason is because our help is right there. And then in verse six he says don’t worry about anything. Now that seems very hard this morning. There are some of you sitting here right now, you are worried. But here he says don’t worry about anything and then he goes on to say “but tell God everything.” And may I suggests to you that you don’t have to worry about anything if you tell God everything! You know one of the reasons that are prayers are not answered is that when we get through praying, we go back to our seats or get into our beds or wherever we are going on we take our problems right back with us. But brother preachers I have learned that if God is going to stay up all night, there ain’t any need in me staying up; no need in me worrying all night long if God is still on the throne. If God has not abdicated the throne there is no need me and God staying up. I just tell Him everything! Listen you ought to be happy this morning that you can tell Him everything cause there are some people that you cannot tell everything. You ought to be glad that you can tell him about your limitations and your short-comings. Whatever you are going through you can tell the Lord. You can tell Him every detail of your needs in earnest and thankful prayer. You see Paul offers the anecdote for anxiety. Paul says that if you really want peace you have got to pray right. Here he is under arrest and he’s talking about praying right. He writes don’t worry, just pray! He says be careful for nothing, be prayerful about everything, and be thankful for all things. And what is the result? Well the result is if you will be careful about nothing, and be prayerful about everything, and be thankful for all things then the peace of God which passeth all understanding will keep your hearts and your minds through Christ Jesus! Rev. Browder you know that’s all right but I got some pressure that you don’t have – everything. Rev. Browder you don’t know children like my children – everything. Rev. Browder my you ain’t seen a mama like my mama – everything. Rev. Browder you ain’t sick and the doctor has not told you that you have cancer – he said everything. Rev. Browder you ain’t got my bills – he said everything! He wants you to bring Him everything and leave it with Him believing that He is willing and He is able to make a way for you when others might leave you alone. Might need to turn to somebody and say “He can do it!” And I declare he can do it! He can do it this morning! The Peace of God. You might say the pressures of life seem heavy – the peace of God! My circumstances are constraining me – the peace of God! Clouds have gathered over my life, he’s still saying – the peace of God! Situation looks pretty bad – the peace of God! He’s the only one that can give real peace. But really does it work? Well he says here that we have to do something, you’ll notice in verse six he says that it has to be done by prayer; you have got to make some requests known to the Lord. Now I try to be straight with my prayers, I don’t try to get around God. I tell it just like it is. And a lot of people wanna pray as if God don’t know. If it’s sin, I call it sin. If it’s limitations, I call it limitations. I call it like I see because he’s looking at it all. And so you have got to learn to pray making your requests known unto God and call it just like it is. But then he says “supplication”, you see that is earnest sharing of our needs and our problems. But then he says you ought to mix a little thanksgiving in there. You see there is no need of having prayer and supplication if ain’t gonna mix a little thanksgiving in there. You know a lot of people are big on prayer but they never add a little thanksgiving in there. You know like the proverbial person that will get in your car and ride all over town and then get out and slam the door and never say thank you. That’s how we treat God! He wakes us up every morning and starts us out on the journey, He gives us the activity of our limbs, jobs to go to, gives us our health and strength, and at night we get in our beds and slam the door without ever telling him thank you. Every now and then we ought to say, “thank you, Lord!” We gotta learn how to thank him. Thank you Lord for things as well as they are. …might not be what you want it to be, but thank you Lord! Might not be able to walk as fast as you used to walk but thank you Lord. That job might not pay what you want it to pay but somebody don’t have a job, thank you Lord! The house might not be what you want it to be but somebody slept on the street last night, you need to learn how to tell the Lord, thank you Lord! And when you learn how to say “thank you”; God will make more room. He says you ought to add a little thanksgiving in there. But does it work? Yeah it works! Let me get a witness to the witness stand. It does work. You know Daniel, he’s a witness and I have got to call him to the witness stand because when you look at Daniel 6 (and you ought to read it when you get home) verses 1-28. They made a decree that no one could pray in 30 days. You can wait 30 days, Daniel said, but I have got to pray right now. He said, I can’t go 30 days without praying. Because Daniel didn’t wait til he got in trouble to pray, he had a prayer life and the writer said he prayed three times a day. Check out verse ten and you’ll find prayer and supplication. In verse eleven you’ll find thanksgiving. And the three ingredients that Paul mentions you find Daniel performing: prayer, supplication, and thanksgiving. Now if you pray right, put a little supplication in there and certainly thanksgiving you can lay down with lions and they won’t bother you. Somebody here today, you ought to be a witness that if you pray and you pray right lions will have to leave you alone. Lions will have to let you go. Anybody here ever been in a lions’ den? Anybody here ever been in a jam, behind the 8-ball, in a fix, in a squeeze, up the creek without a paddle? If you pray and you pray right, Daniel will testify that you can come out of lions’ dens. The results were perfect peace for Daniel. You see while the king was awake, Daniel was asleep. You know brother preachers the test of a real man is if he can sleep when trouble’s on the horizon, when the storms are raging all around him the measure of a true man is if he can go to sleep. The test of a real man is when he can lay down with lions and go to sleep knowing that the God he serves never sleeps or slumber. The peace of God does not mean the absence of pressure, problems or pain. It doesn’t mean you’re not going to have some troubles nor some trials. But he gives us that quiet confidence that comes from within us that no matter what the circumstance things are going to work out! Well three things right praying did for Daniel and three things it’ll do for you. 1st is passeth all understanding. Many of us lack the peace of God all because we worry and we fret over worldly matters, circumstances and pursuits and possessions. Daniel, you are not hysterical, you passed the time in the lions’ den. You’re not mad, you’re not upset, you’re not fearful, you’re not afraid, and you’re not an emotional train wreck. You have got the peace of God and I don’t understand it but I know it’s real. It’s unusual and beyond my mental capacity to reason how a person can be in a lions’ den and never complain. The peace of God – it passeth all understanding. But not only does it passeth all understanding, it’ll keep you heart. It’ll guard your heart, you see with the heart man believeth unto righteousness and the peace of God stands guard over the two areas that create worry; your heart from wrong feelings and your mind from wrong thinking. How do you know it? Because Daniel 6:23 say that in everything that he went through he believed God.
The hymnologist called it the other day and said “I will trust in the Lord, no matter how dark it gets. I’m gonna trust in the Lord, no matter how difficult it might appear. I’m gonna trust in the Lord, no matter how long I have to stay in this bad situation, I’m gonna trust in the Lord… Because I have the peace of God and it is guarding my heart. But not only today o sot guarding my heart it’s guarding my mind.
And in a day when the psychiatrists are laying people on couches – you need something to guard your mind. In a day when children are in need of pills to make’em act right, you need something to guard your mind. And I won’t the Lord to guard my mind. And I tell the Lord that I don’t want my body to out live my mind. Every morning when I wake up I have to check my mind to see if I know who I am. And that’s an indication that all night and all day the Lord has been guarding my mind. I overhear Isaiah say “Thou will keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on Thee because he trust in Thee.” And then he said trust ye in the Lord forever for in the Lord Jehovah is everlasting strength.” And that’s why we’re not brought to confusion and mental anxiety because when we are faced with tragedy terror or tribulation we know our God can bring us out alright.
I overheard David say great peace have they which love the law and nothing shall offend them. And so with right believing and right thinking we have peace with God. And that’s why Paul said “now in conclusion brethren if you really want peace with God you’ve got to think on some things. You know your mind ought to be like the mind of Christ and if your mind is like the mind of Christ you’ve got to think on some things. And if you mind is like the mind of Christ you ought think on things that are true (honest, just, pure, lovely) Whatsoever things are of a good report and if there be aby virtue and if there be any praise you ought to think on these things. I don’t know how you feel about it but I need the peace of God to guide me everyday, I need the peace of God to help me along the way, I need the peace of God in all of my confusions and in my trouble and trials I need the peace of God. And somebody here this morning you need the peace of God, you need the Lord to tell you it’s gonna be alright, it’s gonna be alright. And that’s why Paul could say just a little while later in the middle of the text, I can do all things. When you have the peace of God you can do all things. I can run and not get weary, I can do all things. I can keep my peace in the midst of confusion, I can keep on smiling when people are bothering me, I can fly with wings as eagles, I can hold on just a little while longer. I don’t have to worry, I don’t have to fret, I don’t have to get disturbed, I know my Lord can make a way out of no way. Somebody here today as I get ready to go to my seat today you can testify that you can make it. Turn to somebody and tell you can make, turn to somebody and tell I know it’s rough now but you can make, turn to somebody and tell I don’t care what you’re going through you surely can make it. If you think you can make you ought stand to your feet and find somebody and hug them and tell you can make through the storm, you can make it through the rain, you can make it over mountains, somebody here all you wanna hear is you can make it! You need to find somebody and tell’em hold on! Hold on! It’s gonna be alright! Hold on my brotha, hold on my sister.