The Missing Peace!

 

"¹⁶ Now may the Lord of peace Himself continually grant you peace in every circumstance. The Lord be with you all! ¹⁷ I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand, and this is a distinguishing mark in every letter; this is the way I write. ¹⁸ The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all."

II Thessalonians 3:17-18 

 

 

Good Morning my beloved,

 

Welcome to worship this Lord's Day! 

We welcome to all of our beloved brothers and sisters, from all around the world, who have been lead to join us today. We are glad to have you here!

 

I would like to encourage all of you to visit our Prayer Wall, there are a number of our brothers and sisters, who are in much need of prayer warriors. I pray that you will join us in praying for them in their time of need. I would greatly appreciate it, and I know that they would as well!

 

In our world today, amidst all the chaos of our day, more and more people are seeking to find some kind of peace in their lives. Some of us desperately need that kind of peace because we’re caught up in the stress and anxiety of the political and social drama that is continually unfolding. While others are living in sheer fear of the Coronavirus situation, that appears to be progressively worsening by the hour. The world is filled with people who are suffering from anxiety like we have never seen in our lifetime. We have become a generation whose lives have been framed by anxiety.

 

According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, or ADAA anxiety disorders are the most common mental illness in the U.S., affecting 40 million adults in the United States age 18 and older, or 18.1% of the population every year.

 

I believe that we can safely say, that everyone experiences some form of stress and anxiety at sometime or another in their life. The difference is, however, our response to a stressful situation. This reminds us that life is loaded with trouble and difficult circumstances that can easily unsettle us. However, today, I have some Good News for you! That no matter what you are going through in life right now, regardless of your circumstances, you can have peace every day, at all times and in every way.

 

Let us bow our heads in prayer.

 

Heavenly Father, 

 

Father, thank You for this much needed Word for us today. Thank you for these eternal truths that are so powerful. Thank You for the clarity You have given us to be able to take hold of these great truths in Your Word.

 

 Lord, we thank You that there is that kind of peace available to us, not only the objective peace of being reconciled to you but the subjective peace of experiencing joy and even confidence in Your sovereign care regardless of circumstances we face. Lord, take these truths, bind them to our hearts and cause them to bear much fruit in each of our lives.

 

Father, we ask that You would touch the hearts and minds of the lost, open up the ears that today would be that day, they would hear. May it all be for Your increase, Your glory and for Christ's sake.  

I ask in Jesus' name we ask and pray.

Amen

 

 

Today's Message: The Missing Peace!

 

Peace, what is it? Many people believe that peace is merely the absence of conflict. An inner tranquility.

Merriam-Webster defines "peace" as a state of tranquility or quiet.

 

When it comes to that inner tranquility, there's all kinds of ways that people attempt to achieve it. However, often times it's inappropriate. There are many people that try to achieve tit by smoking weed; others, by consuming alcohol. Some people use controlled deep breathing, which is called "biofeedback." Others use a technique called visualization. 

 

The Hindus use a kind of meditation,  called "yoga." There are millions of people enjoy inner peace, although they believe a lie, religious lies. However, all of those things that the world has to offer us, all of the methods that man can concoct, cannot withstand a cancer diagnosis. They cannot withstand the devastating effects a heart wrenching divorce. 

 

All of these techniques of men, cannot bring comfort to the deep wounds of personal rejection,  profound embarrassment or the gnawing pain of guilt. There are a myriad of circumstances that can come into our life, seemingly from out of nowhere, that can break our heart, devastate our financial well being, that are just beyond our control. 

In our passage today, the Apostle Paul is not speaking about a peace, that is not obtained by any of the above aforementioned methods. He is talking about a peace, unlike the unbeliever, and some Christians, has ever known. The peace of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

In John 14:27, Jesus tells us "Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful."

 

As we come to the conclusion of Paul's second epistle, the final three verses, to these Thessalonian believers, he was aware that these believers needed much more than he could possibly give them. Paul, had given them all that he had to give, now he's quite a distance away from them, unable to physically be with them, unable to help them. He also knows, that no man is a match for Satan's world system and his relentless opposition to God. Because human ability is powerless in addressing the needs of the soul.

The Apostle knew that they were facing matters that require a solution, that only a great and loving  Father can give. So he does what I believe that every true Christian should do, he intercedes on their behalf, invoking upon them the Lord's blessing.

 

Open your Bibles with me as we examine these final verses of Paul's second letter to Thessalonica. Paul concludes his letter, with a personal greeting, in his own handwriting. Though Paul was the author of hall of his letters, he often used, a secretary, which was common practice in those days and that was for an author to add his own handwriting, his own signature at the end of a letter and that's what Paul is doing here.

 

I am sure that you will recall the church previously had a significant problem, where there was a letter that was purported by some of the false teachers had concocted and confused all of the people and so now he wants to make certain that they know that he has written this letter.

 

I would like to encourage you to follow along with me as I read to you from our text, II Thessalonians 3:16-18.

 

"Now may the Lord of peace Himself continually grant you peace in every circumstance. The Lord be with you all!  I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand, and this is a distinguishing mark in every letter; this is the way I write. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all."

First, I would like to begin by directing your attention to the three categories of blessing that the inspired Apostle is concerned with. Paul invokes the Lord's blessing in three very specific ways.  First of all, he desires for the Lord to bless them with His encouraging peace; secondly, with His enabling presence; and lastly, with His experiential grace. And I believe that today's message will be as helpful to all of you, as it has been to me throughout the years.

 

Let's begin by first examining God's encouraging peace. In verse 16, Paul writes "Now may the Lord of peace Himself continually grant you peace in every circumstance. The Lord be with you all!"

 

What is this peace that Paul is referring to here? True supernatural peace differs greatly from the conditional, circumstantial, ever fragile human peace. Spiritual peace is a God-given, deep settled assurance that He is incomplete control over whatever happens in our life and that He is accomplishing His purposes and His plans, in and through us, all for our good and for His glory. 

 

Romans 8:6 teaches us " For the mind-set of the flesh is death, but the mind-set of the Spirit is life and peace."

 

God's peace is that unsurpassed peace that provides us with stability, a sense of all is well within our soul, even as the world around us may be shaken at it's very foundation. It even gives us a sense of joy, that we may rejoice, regardless of the circumstances. This is what Paul is praying for for them. This is the beautiful, supernatural blessing, that Paul is asking the Lord to lavish upon them. I can assure you from my own personal experience, that when the Lord's peace is upon you, it is in abundance, even in the midst of our trial and trouble.

The Apostle Paul appeals to the only true source of peace, the Lord Jesus Christ. In fact, he calls him "the Lord of peace Himself." You see, because of His great work of redemption, finished on the cross, those who place their faith in Him as their only hope of salvation, are instantly reconciled to the One True living and holy God.

 

When we are born again, in the Spirit, our sins, past, present and future are forgiven, we receive the imputed righteousness of Christ, therefore, we are no longer at war with God.

 

By nature, we often rush around in such a hectic way, especially during times of great difficulty, in hopes of finding a solution, searching for answers. When we are unable to find them, in our own abilities, we begin to pain, we suddenly lose our sense of peace.

 

As I study the life of Jesus I’m deeply touched by the knowledge that , no matter what was going on around Him, He was never in a hurry. He always had time to slow down and point out the beauty in His surroundings, even the birds. He had time to pick up little children and bless them.He had time to stop along His journey, to heal the sick.

Beloved, Jesus Christ’s peace is ours for the claiming. If you have not been experiencing it in your life, may I encourage you to do so today? To allow His peace fill you, and assure that all is well, because everything is under control, in His loving, gentle and capable hands.

At the end of verse 16, Paul wrote "..The Lord be with you all!" Here, Paul praying that God’s presence is with them at all? Jesus Christ promised He would never leave you nor forsake you. Therefore, He has assured us that He will. We can celebrate and rejoice, knowing that His presence is with us, every moment of every day! What a wonderful truth! One for which I am personally grateful. 

Romans 5:1 tells us that "Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,"

Beloved, this is the objective peace of being reconciled and forgiven and only when we have that objective peace can we have that subjective peace of experiencing the peace of God deep within our souls which is a fruit of the Spirit.

 

Psalm 119:165 say it this way "Those who love Your law have great peace, And nothing causes them to stumble."

 

This is the sweet and precious fruit of justification. You see, when the heart has been renewed, it gladly and willingly agrees with the will of God then suddenly the soul is conscious of being the special object of divine His love. The horror of having offended God's, forsaking His law, is quickly replaced with the profound awareness that we have become His beloved. Therefore, He is no longer our judge, no longer our potential executioner, rather, He is our loving Heavenly Father. 

 

This the reason that the Apostle Paul says in Romans chapter 8 "For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, "Abba! Father!"

 

Paul goes on to say in verses 16-17 "The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him."

 

Beloved, if that doesn't bring an overwhelming abundance of peace to your soul, I don't believe that there is anything that will! Because the only way to experience internal peace and to be truly at peace with others is to make sure you are at peace with God. Let me so bold as to say, you cannot have the peace of God until you know the God of peace. 

 

The word "peace" really reflects the Hebrew "shalom" which became a greeting that Christ used with his disciples after his resurrection. In the Greek, it is the word "eirēnēs." In the Bible, peace is not only the freedom from outward troubles, but is the inward Peace that implies health, well-being, and rich blessings of prosperity. Let me tell you something, I may not have a lot of money, but I am a billionaire when it comes to peace! And, on top of that, I have an abundance of joy!

 

As a footnote, I have had a number of people, that have known me for most of my life, come up to me and say, "There's something very different about you. How are you always so calm? I have never seen you like this before!" Well, their right! I know it's probably hard for some of you to believe, but calmness is not indicative to my nature. I've always been kind of a high strung, type A personality. Everything in my life had to be "just so." In case you haven't already figured it out by now, life just doesn't work that way! So I was stressed out most of the time. Let me put it this way, you know that you have God's peace, when everything around you is falling apart, and you aren't! That's how you know. 

I know that some of you are aware of the current struggles and challenges I've been dealing with in my personal life. Taking care of parents in failing health, my younger son who is struggling with renal kidney failure. Not to mention, I've got a few major issues I am dealing with myself. Wait, there's more!

Because of the Covi-19 situation, my income has been cut to "NIL."  And through of of it, I've been at peace, able to stay calm. Guess what? That's not "normal!" Now, do remember what I told you Jesus said earlier? In John 14.

Jesus said the "Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful." - John 14:27

 

Now, take that and add what Paul says in Philippians 4:7, "And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." 

 

Here's the point, without faith in Jesus Christ in obedience to His will, you will never be able to enjoy peace with God. You just won't have it, moreover, you will never be able to have it! Because you cannot experience the peace of God as long as your soul is still at war with Him.  

 

I'll tell you something else, the peace in a mature believer looks so different than other Christians. There's no whining or complaining, when things start to go badly. When there is illness, the mature believer will simply say, 

 

"Lord, I don't understand. I really don't want this. So, I'm asking you for healing and I trust in you are going to accomplish some great work in and through me. I don't know what it is, and I don't need to know. Because I trust you! And I will trust you to the end and in that alone, whatever comes, I have great peace." 

 

Even in the midst of tragic loss of a loved one, it's different. While others yell and scream, we say, "God, I will not ask you why. Because You don't owe me an explanation. You don't owe me anything, however, I owe You everything! And, if You told me, I wouldn't be able to understand it anyway. But I will ask what would you have me do now, in the midst of my grieving, in the middle of this agony, to bring You glory, because in that I know that I will find peace." 

 

In times of persecution, "Lord, I pray for Your protection and safety. I pray for relief. Lord, do what you will with me. You know what's best. My soul is at perfect peace with you and though you take me to the cross, I will trust you and I will thank you for counting me worthy to suffer for Your name's sake and in this I find great peace." 

 

You see, no matter what this world throws at you, you are at perfect peace! Only God can give that kind of peace!

Isaiah chapter 9 verses 6-7 says "... And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace,"

 

Look, I know that some of you hearing this message are living with chronic anxiety, day after day, you're living in fear, with know idea what tomorrow holds. The bottom has literally fallen out, your life is in shambles, everything is up in the air, life's uncertain. If you trying to find your peace in this world, you're always going to be disappointed. You know why?

First, I want to tell you that my heart just breaks for you. However, there's a better plan. And you can choose it today, all of that can all change. But you have to make the decision to change it. Jesus Christ offers you the same peace I told you about a few moments ago. The peace that makes people think you've lost your mind. If you would accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, follow His commands, you have the opportunity to tell them the same thing I do. "I haven't lost my mind, but I have found the peace of Christ."   

 

Listen to the the words of the prophet Jeremiah, in chapter 6 verse 14. "They have healed the brokenness of My people superficially, Saying, ‘Peace, peace,’But there is no peace."

 

The government can't give you peace, psychiatrists and psychologists can't give you peace, Buddha can't give you peace. Allah, can't give you peace. Even Mother Mary herself and the pope can't give you peace! 

Jesus said in John 14:6 "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me."

 

There's only one way to get the peace your looking for, and His name is Jesus Christ!

 

May it be so..

 

And now may the Lord bless you and keep you;

the Lord make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;

The Lord lift up His countenance upon you,
And give you peace.

Now and forever, in Jesus' name
Amen

 

 

 

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