Peace in the Midst of a Storm

We are continuing our Christmas series.

We are incorporating Advent this year.

Last week we talked about Hope.

This week we are talking about Peace.

Each week we are having a child come up and read a verse that has to do with our theme for the week and then we will light a candle together.

This week Jarrett Byrne will be reading Isaiah 9:6

My message today is called, “Peace in the Midst of a Storm”

The definition of peace is “freedom from disturbance; tranquility.”

I’m sure when I say the word “Peace” you envision certain things.

Maybe it’s sitting by the ocean?

Maybe it’s camping in the woods?

Maybe it’s Golfing?

The point is we all have things that we enjoy doing when we want to just get away.

When we don’t want to be disturbed and just want to relax and unwind.

And our goal is to have THAT feeling all the time.

We pray for that kind of peace where life is just easy and free of disturbances.

And many people believe that when we pray for peace and God gives it to us, that’s what it looks like.

A life free of disturbances and full of tranquility!

But that’s not what Jesus is talking about when He says He will give us peace.

Look at what He says in John 14.

John 14:27 “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”

Jesus is in the middle of telling His disciples that He’s going to be leaving but He will send the Holy Spirit.

As he’s saying this he tells his disciples “Peace I leave you”.

But not just any peace.

He said “MY PEACE I GIVE YOU”.

So what does that mean?

He goes on to say, “I do not give to you as the world gives”.

Jesus is saying, I know when you think of peace you think of how the world can give you peace.

Whether it’s sitting on a quiet beach for a period of time or having a nice retirement fund to give you peace of mind.

My peace isn’t about that.

This idea of freedom from disturbances and difficulties, that’s not my kind of peace.

A couple chapters later we get a clearer picture of what He was talking about.

John 16:33 “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

Hang on a sec!

Jesus just gets done once again telling His disciples He’s going to be leaving.

He even tells them that they are going to all scatter and will be mourning over things.

He then says that He’s telling them these things so that they will have PEACE!

Did I miss something?

He even flat out just says, “in this world you will have trouble”.

That sounds like the OPPOSITE of peace.

Having troubles and going through difficulties is definitely not what I think of when I think of peace.

And this is where Jesus shows us the difference between His peace and the peace that the world gives us.

The world gives us “moments” of peace.

Short periods that help us feel good for a little while.

Jesus gives us peace that’s inside us.

Jesus gives us peace that doesn’t leave when trouble comes.

Why does His peace stay with us?

“But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

He’s telling us we can have peace no matter what we’re going through because He has overcome the world.

It’s like I said last week in why we can have hope.

Because in the end HE WINS

And because of that we can have hope and we can also have peace.

Peace comes when you have confidence in who God is.

When you realize that He’s in control and we can trust Him.

I showed you some pictures of what we think peace looks like but here’s a picture of what Jesus thinks peace looks like.

Show pic of “Peace in the midst of a storm”

Now when you look at that it doesn’t seem very peaceful.

It looks like a big storm with high winds and heavy waters flowing.

Yet look at the bird tucked away in the rock just resting in its nest.

That’s the peace that Jesus gives you.

Even when the storm is all around you and you have nowhere to go, you can still have peace.

2 Thessalonians 3:16 “Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way. The Lord be with all of you.”

There’s a couple stories in the bible involving Jesus that I think shows what peace looks like.

In Mark 4 it tells the story of the disciples and Jesus are traveling in a boat.

All of a sudden a massive storm comes.

This storm is so bad that the disciples think they are going to die.

While they’re freaking out they look and see Jesus and what’s he doing? SLEEPING!

The disciple wake Jesus up and asked, “Don’t you care if we drown?”

So Jesus gets up and calms the wind and the waves.

And then responded, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?”

When I read that this week it struck me.

I think a big reason why people don’t have peace is ultimately because they don’t have enough faith.

Think of it this way.

If someone challenged me to a 3 on 3 game and I know they are pretty good players.

And I find out my teammates are two guys that have never touched a basketball before.

How many of you know I’m not going to feel good going into that game.

I’m not going to have a lot of peace thinking about that game.

But imagine if I found out Steph Curry and Kevin Durant were my teammates?

I dare say I would sleep VERY WELL the night before the game.

I would have total peace and confidence going into that game because I have FAITH in my teammates and what I know they can do.

When we live in fear and worry and a total lack of peace it’s because a big part of us isn’t truly confident that God’s got us.

We don’t have the faith to trust God’s in control.

And a lot of the times we start to feel this way because we lose our focus.

Instead of focusing on God and His Word, we focus on the issues that are before us.

Which reminds me of the other story involving Jesus.

Again it involves a boat and a storm.

The disciples are out crossing the sea again and all of a sudden they see Jesus walking toward them ON WATER.

Of course they freak out because they don’t know who it is and they think it’s a ghost.

So Jesus calls out and tells them to not be afraid because it’s Him.

Peter responds, if it’s you Lord then tell me to come out as well.

So Jesus does and Peter steps out onto the water.

Imagine what that must have been like!

Peter is looking at Jesus and walking on water.

But all of a sudden it says in Matthew 14:30 NLT “But when he saw the strong wind and the waves, he was terrified and began to sink. “Save me, Lord!” he shouted.”

When he kept his eyes on Jesus he did something that was IMPOSSIBLE to do.

But as soon as he took his attention off of Jesus and onto the storm around him, he started to sink.

WHY?

Jesus gives us the answer in the next verse.

Matthew 14:31 NLT “Jesus immediately reached out and grabbed him. “You have so little faith,” Jesus said. “Why did you doubt me?”

Jesus knew what happened.

Peter got distracted by the storm so he focused on it and when you focus on the storm you forget what the man who can calm the storm is capable of doing.

The Old Testament prophets even knew this.

Look at what Isaiah says.

Isaiah 26:3 “You will keep him in perfect peace, Whose mind is stayed on You, Because he trusts in You.”

Isaiah is telling us the secret to peace.

It’s keeping your focus on God.

Quit spending so much time thinking about how terrible your life is and start spending time with God in prayer and in His Word.

That’s the ONLY way you’re going to ever have true peace.

Quit watching the news whose job it is to tell you how bad it is in this world and to put fear in you.

If you just go home from work and watch the news all night I can promise you it’s going to be hard to have peace.

What you put in you, comes out of you

And when you put fear and hate in you by what you’re watching, fear and hate will start to come out of you.

But you put the Word of God in you, it starts to overflow out of you.

And part of what will overflow out of you will be PEACE!

Take your eyes off of the storm and onto Jesus and watch peace come into your life.

Some of you think, there’s no way I can have peace in what I’m going through.

It’s not possible

I don’t understand how anyone could have peace during this season of my life.

Paul tells us that it’s possible though.

Philippians 4:7 “And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

The Greek word used here, eirēnē, conveys a range of meanings, including well-being, prosperity, freedom from anxiety, safety from harm, and deliverance from enemies.

I’ll take all of that please!

I love how Paul says that this peace “transcends all understanding.”

That means that when you’re in the heart of your storm and the waves are crashing and it seems like you can’t take it anymore, all of a sudden you have peace.

And everyone around you looks at you and says, “how on earth do you seem so at peace during this time?”

It’s because my focus isn’t on the storm, it’s on the One who can calm the storm.

Church my goal for you this morning is that you understand that peace is available to you.

No matter how bad you feel life is, God can give you peace.

But the only way to obtain it is to keep your eyes on Jesus.

Spend time with Him and seek Him.

Because when we keep our eyes on Jesus we can do things that seem impossible.

If Jesus can cause Peter to walk on water I promise he can give you peace where you’re at!

Trust in God.

Know that we will face trials in this life.

But we can take heart

Because He has overcome the world

He’s on your side

He will get you through it!

He can make so when the waves are crashing all around you and the wind is howling, you’re sleeping peacefully!

Altar Call

Lead into “The Big Give”