It certainly is wonderful to be here with each and every one of
you, we appreciate your presence.
So very much. We have a wonderful crowd here
and as has already been mentioned, if you are a visitor
among us, we hope that you would feel as you are.
And that is as our honored guest and we welcome you.
Every time that we have an opportunity to meet for an
introductory text, I invite your attention to Second
Thessalonians. Chapter 3 and verse 16.
The Bible says now may the Lord of Peace himself, give you
peace. Always in every way the Lord be
with you all the new American Standard renders, this verse, as
follows. Now may the Lord of Peace
himself, continually Grant, you peace in every circumstance.
You know, when we think back historically on the Thessalonian
Church, they were strong in so many ways.
But they were being tormented by persecution, they were tossed to
and fro Oh, and there was false teachers among them, they were
troubled by fear and even troubled by sin, and the Apostle
Paul had endeavored to deal with all of these troubling things,
all of the turmoil by giving them instruction.
But at the end of this brief letter, he expresses in his
benediction, if you will his heartfelt, desire, that God
would grant them peace in every circumstance of life, or as the
new King James, Says, in every way the question before us today
though, is this what was the piece that Paul was talking
about? What was he talking about when
he talked about a piece that stands up against the
circumstances of life? Well, for an introductory
remark, let me just mention some things that were said by written
by Paul before we get into the benediction in verse 16 and I
think there's just kind of sets it up.
I'm not going to spend a lot of time on this but this sets up
what he's about to say. Here is in a thumbnail sketch,
Chapter 3 of second Thessalonians.
Paul begins at the very beginning and he says, finally
Brethren pray for us. Now, you know what's interesting
about those phrases that he uses and bursts one?
I think that there are I think you can know a lot about a
person by the things in which he prays for You know, I think
sometimes people get so engrossed in all of the things
that they have going on in their life, that they fail to remember
the things that are really important, and sometimes in our
prayers, our prayer life becomes all about us and all about the
things going on in our life, what Paul was being greatly
persecuted, you know what he said.
He said Brethren pray for us. Now he wasn't asking for an
easier life, he wasn't asking to be free from persecution, he
even says it. He said, pray for us that why
that the word would have free course.
That's what the King James says, it literally means to run
without obstacle. The only thing that Paul Matter
What mattered to Paul was that no one stood in the way of
preaching the gospel. You know, he says something else
too. I love this.
He said that it would run swiftly the new King James and
be glorified just as it is with you.
And really, that's the mission of every Christian to take the
seed of the Gospel to the world. That's the mission of the
church. Take the seed of the Gospel to
the world, and it would run without fruit with free course
without obstacle. And thirdly, it would be
glorified in the heart of the recipient.
He begins right there. And then he says this He said
that we may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men for
not have all the faith, but the Lord is faithful.
Who will establish you and guard you from the evil one.
I really had to make that point. I really had to read that verse.
You know the word stablish means strengthened.
Have you ever felt that you just too weak?
Have you ever felt that? I'm just really struggling in my
life. I'm just wait.
Have you what? Written off your behavior and
choices because you're just weak and you can't help it?
These are thoughts that sometimes we have, I just can't
help but I'm weak but this passage is a promise.
He said God is faithful that what that God will establish you
that means strengthen you That is a promise from God.
Have you ever stopped to consider that had all the things
you go through in your life? You don't have to be weak.
You can make a choice not to be weak and if you submit yourself
to God, it says if you do that and God promises, I will
strengthen you and you'll get through it.
So he begins by saying, pray for us at the gospel would have free
course of a run without obstacle.
It would be glorified in the heart of the recipient and pray
for us that we are removed from the evil one because they're
standing in the way the gospel that's all he cared about,
alright? Then he moves on and in the next
group of scriptures in verses 6 to 15 he deals with idleness and
from a historical standpoint. You remember that?
They after the first letter was written, Misunderstood when the
Lord was going to come back so they gave up doing the things
that they should do and their responsibilities and they became
busy bodies and they became engrossed in other men's matters
and all of that and they stop taking care of their daily
responsibilities Paul Cricket that too.
And then he gets down to the end.
He gets down to verse 16 and he says, this, in the benediction,
if you will now may the Lord of Peace himself, give you peace.
Always in every way. Way the Lord be with you.
All, you know, the first two words there now may Mark a
transition. In other words, Paul is going
from command in excitation to petition and prayer.
He's expressing not only is prayer itself but the wish that
was in his heart and in doing so his wish for them is to
experience. Peace.
He's asking for what God has already promised, not what God
reluctantly does. Was, you know, really that's
what prayer is all about. It's about requesting things
that God has already promised things that are available that
God has already promised, but their conditional Upon Our
request in prayer. One man.
Said, one time, that prayer is lining up with what?
God has already promised to do or already promised to give.
And in this case it's piece, all right?
What is it? What's piece?
Here are some definitions of Peace.
There were some men that were asked Give a definition to
piece. This is what they said.
One guy said this. One guy said, Peace is the sense
of calm and tranquility. Another said it is quietness and
Bliss. A third one said, it's the
feeling you get when you believe everything is well What else?
It's the attitude of Tranquility, when everything is
the way that you would like it to be.
And you know what's interesting about this of all the things
that I just put on the screen. Do you know, you can get every
one of those little pill? You can get every one of these
feelings with the pill with a prescription with a good night's
sleep, sometimes because we are we listen to people.
We might by deception feel a certain way, but all of these
things really are superficial, these are circumstantial piece.
So what is he talking about, though?
He's talking about things that have nothing to do with the
circumstances in your life. Not Produced on a human or
circumstantial level and I got to tell you, do you know why
people are looking for this? You know why?
And by the way, nobody likes to feel bad, right?
But wants to feel bad, you know why most people are looking for
this kind of piece, because this kind of piece is the kind of
piece that makes you feel better.
You got stress in your life, you got things in your life, things
aren't going the way you would like it to do.
You know what we want that we want circumstantial peace.
We want the circumstances in our life to be different so we can
feel better. Most people are looking for
these things in their life, granted every one of us, but
every one of those things can be destroyed by, failure, can be
destroyed by doubt, fear difficulty, anxiety.
It can be Be torn apart by violated relationships.
How about guilt and shame, and regret and sorrow.
It can be destroyed by being mistreated or victimized by
someone destroyed relationships now.
Did you know that everything that I just said?
I said a lot of negative stuff. I gave you a list of negative
stuff. Everything I said is life.
It's life. Remember that country song years
ago? Sounds like life to me it was
the description of a guy that had all these things going on.
This went went South on me. This happened over here and
really all it was was life. So in other words,
circumstantial, peace is peace. That is based on the
circumstances of life, but it can be destroyed by things in
life. But it's the one that we want,
because it's the one that makes us feel better.
So, what is the piece that he's talking about?
What's Paul referring to? He is talking about spiritual
peace. What is that?
What is spiritual peace? It's confidence that everything
is right between myself and God. Did you get that?
That's it. Spiritual peace is knowing
regardless of the circumstances in my life that what first of
all it's confidence that everything is right between
myself and God. Remember not long ago, I made
the point in a sermon very recent and I talked about
there's a difference between confidence and conceit, okay?
There's a big difference between that and there's a difference
between arrogance and Assurance. Spiritual peace is knowing and
we're going to get to You know, that.
But spiritual peace is when you have confidence that everything
is right between myself and God and it doesn't matter what
happens to me in my life. Number two, that God is in
control of my life In Time and Eternity.
Do you think that way in your life?
Do you think that way when you have all kinds of negative
experiences and circumstances is your mind going to?
What is really important? Is it spiritual?
Peace is everything right between you and God that God is
in control in Time and Eternity, but there's more.
So what I'm saying is this spiritual peace is the presence
of a calm assurance that everything is Well with My Soul.
and, It has nothing to do with the circumstances of life.
Nothing. It's everything to do with your
relationship with God. How is that?
Well, first of all, let's talk about the spiritual piece.
Number one, some things about it.
There's four things number one. Spiritual peace is divine.
If we go to verse 16 of our text, Paul says, now may the
Lord of Peace himself. Now, the word the pronoun is
emphatic, in the sentence of himself, emphasizing his
personal involvement Notice this, it's good.
The god, or the Lord of peace. That gives the piece.
Do you know why? It's the essence of his nature?
God is many things. God is is Justice.
God is perfection. How about that?
How about God is love you. Remember that song?
We used to sing come. Let us all unite to sing that
God is love. These are all attributes of God.
So in every aspect, when we take, look at God, he is all of
those things. Have you ever stopped to
consider though? That in addition to all of that,
He himself is also peace. Now, I don't know about you, but
I want to have the kind of peace, that is not subjected to
the circumstances in my life. I want to have the kind of peace
that God gives as the author of piece itself.
That's the kind of that. I'd like to have why God is
perfect. He has perfect peace.
There's no stress. There's no anxiety.
He never worries. He never doubts, he's never
unclear. He's never unsure.
He is always as one man said at perfect calm.
He enjoys perfect and eternal Harmony within himself.
Wouldn't that be great? Wouldn't it be great?
To be in Perfect Harmony. With yourself.
That's amazing. Now, I got to tell you
something, I understand sometimes when people have
really bad stresses and depressions as steps real
sometimes people even need medication.
What I'm talking about though, I'm talking about a piece that
doesn't need medication. I'm talking about the kind of
peace, that only comes from God and it's on a different level.
It has nothing to do with the things of life.
It has nothing to do with feelings, it has everything to
do with confidence assurance and knowing and what is that?
It's about spiritual peace. And you know what?
Paul says he said now may the Lord of Peace himself, give you
peace. Why?
It's the essence of his nature, wouldn't it be great to have
that kind of peace? 1st Corinthians chapter 14 and
verse 33. It says for God is not the
author of confusion, but of peace.
Now, folks, I know that people often times in the religious
world and in the world itself, they're confused religiously And
you know, I heard somebody say one time that he was against
organized religion, this is what he said.
He said because there's so many different things and there's so
much confusion out there. It's impossible to know what's
really right? And what's really true but
notice what the Bible says. The Bible says this for God is
not the author of confusion, but of Peace.
Do you know what that means? That means if I'm confused, it's
not God's fault. If I'm confused, it's my fault.
And when I deviate from what God said to do and I'm confused in
what I believe. It's my fault.
God is not the author of confusion but of Peace.
God is perfect. God is perfect in every way.
He's the author of Peace. It's part of his attributes and
nature, and he's The Giver of it, too.
We'll get to that part in just a minute.
But what about Jesus Christ, and what about the holy spirit
because in heaven, there's three that bear record.
The Bible says, there are three that bear record In Heaven.
There Is God, there is Jesus Christ, and there is the Holy
Spirit and the Bible says and these three are one and people
get that all messed up and they say you see, there's only one
personage in the godhead know. There's three specific
percentages in the godhead. Three persons, God, Jesus and
the Holy Spirit, and when it says they are one, it means they
are one in purpose. They agree in one.
They work together. You've heard me say this but
it's so simple. This is the easiest way to say
it. Let's just say me and Chris we
talked about something and we're going to go to talk and Jack and
Chris and I agreed on that and we might go to Jack and say, you
know what? Kristen, Chris and I were were
one on that. Meaning we agree?
That's all that means. Not one person.
Aged. They all agree.
So what am I saying? I'm saying that the essence of
peace is an attribute of God but not only God, Jesus Christ two
seasons 2 beginning in verse 13 but now in Christ Jesus you who
were once a far off have been brought near by the blood of
Christ for he himself is our peace.
Jesus is also called The Prince of Peace.
He is the bringer of Peace. He came and established a
kingdom of peace. What about the Holy Spirit?
Holy spirit's in there to Romans, 14 and 17.
For the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but
righteousness and peace and joy. In the holy spirit.
Let me talk about how they work together.
Give you an example of that. Let's talk about prayer, for
example. Okay, talk about prayer.
And let's talk about how we talk to God and how God talks to us,
very simply, you know, Jesus said in John 14 and 6 that no
man, comes unto the father except by, or through me and
that's in every way and it includes prayer.
So when we pray to God, the Father hears God, the Father,
when we pray to God, we pray through Jesus Christ.
Or simply put as our brother pray, just a moment ago.
In Jesus name, we pray through Jesus Christ.
So we talked to God, on our time, we pray for his
providential care. We pray through Jesus Christ.
They work together. And what else?
When God speaks back to us, he doesn't do it directly.
He does. So through the word of God,
which is the revelation of the spirit.
So, we pray to God on our time. He answers us on his time.
That's the his providential care, but he speaks to us
through his word and that's the Holy Spirit.
That's the revelation of the Holy Spirit, they all work
together. So saying once more, the source
of peace is divine, it is God, it is Jesus Christ and it's the
Holy Spirit and they are all working together as the source
of peace. But number two, what else?
What else? It's a gift.
In fact, the verse says, this
now may, the Lord of Peace himself give you peace.
Give you peace in Psalm 85 and 88.
Listen to this. I will hear what the god, the
Lord will speak, what? God the Lord will speak for.
He will speak. Peace to his people and to his
Saints. So God, grants are gives peace
to those that belong to him. Now, this is very much part of
the New Testament. We can read about it in Romans,
first, and second Corinthians we can read about it.
In Galatians, we can read it about in Ephesians and
Colossians. And we can read it right here in
second Thessalonians. We can fight it again and Titus
and Philemon and so forth that God is The Giver of peace and
you will find in these Epistles that piece is given by God to
God's people me give you another example.
In John chapter 20 Remember when the Lord walked into the upper
room, with his disciples know what he said, and what he say,
he says, peace unto you. He wasn't saying, I hope you're
having a nice day. It wasn't saying that he wasn't
saying, oh, I wish you well no it is divine and he was giving
them peace. So when the Lord said peace to
you and several verses say the same thing.
In John chapter 20, several verses they say, peace to you
peace unto you. It's found in verse 19, verse 21
and verse 26. He was giving them peace, peace
to you. Now here's a really important
question, okay? We got to, we have to look at
this do unsaved people. Have the piece that we're
talking about. And this is why we have to look
into that. You know the Bible says this,
the Bible says that when you talk about God's blessings on
people that there's Sun Shines on the just and the unjust on
The Godly and the ungodly. And all that means is this,
there's good things that sometimes happen to people that
are not Christians and sometimes people have prosperity in their
life and they're not Christians. That's what that means.
The Sun Shines on the just and the unjust.
So my Question is this with that being the case and with peace
being a gift that comes from God, I got to ask you.
What about this? If the Sun Shines on the ungodly
and The Godly alike, do unsaved, people have the piece that we
are talking about Well, let's look, Isaiah 57 verse one.
I create the fruit of the lips, peace, peace to him, who was a
far-off and who is near says the Lord.
And I will heal him, but the wicked are like, the troubled
sea, when it cannot, rest, whose Waters cast up mire and dirt.
So, first of all, the words, far and near here could very well be
talking about Jew and Gentile, but that's not the point that
I'm making the point that I'm making is this, what about the
peace that God gives does God give peace to Save people.
The answer is no. Stay with me on this.
I'll prove it to you. But I want to read something
from a man that wrote an eight. 1686 he wrote this, he wrote
this paragraph. He says peace and we're talking
about the peace of God. Peace flows from sanctification.
But the unsaved have nothing to do with peace.
They may have a truce but no peace.
God made for Bear the wicked a while and stop the Roaring of
his Cannon. But though there be a truce yet,
there is no peace. The unsaved may have something
that they look like piece but it's not.
This is the devil's piece that rocks, Man.
In The Cradle of security. He cries peace, peace.
Peace. When men are on the precipice of
Hell, and then he said, listen to this statement.
The seeming piece that a sinner has is not from the knowledge of
his happiness, but the ignorance of his Danger. 2012, and give
you an example. 2012 are good friends, Ivan and Jeanne, Acosta
and Cameron. They came to Bakersfield and
they spent all night with us on Friday night and the next day in
the van. So yeah, the adults driving yet
Ivan and Gina they were the adults, they were driving their
car and then you had the kids the rest of us in the other car
driving and I had the boys with me and we're cruising right
along and as we're doing, we're going down the freeway.
And you were talking about man, we're going to ride Goliath.
We're going to ride Superman. We're going to management.
We have a great time and I'm cruising along 75, maybe a
little quicker and I'm just cruising right along with not a
care in the world, not a care in the world.
I'm with the bond with the kids were having a good time.
We're talking about all we're going to do right?
Well, all of a sudden, I got a call from Ivan, he said look we
gotta pull off. I'm out of gas.
So we do and we're down around the base of the Grapevine.
We pull off the side of the road and I happen to just walk in the
front of the van. I just walked around to the
front and I look down and the tire was coming apart.
And it was the passenger side front tire and it was coming
apart. And instead of, that's my fault,
is Tina's van. But I'm supposed to take care of
that and watch for that stuff. I missed it.
Okay. So you know we had to do with
there's no way we're going to drive to Magic Mountain.
Now we have to look and we got our phones out.
You know you do anything with phones found out the nearest
place was only two miles away, that's old tires.
Now I'm not driving 75. Five miles an hour or a little
quicker. Now I'm in the slow lane.
I'm Driving, Miss Daisy. And I got to tell you, I'm
praying the whole time. I'm just thinking that any
minute this tire is going to come apart.
Fortunately, we made it bought a new tire, put the new tire on
the van. No problem, right?
Here's my point. When I was driving down the road
at 75 miles an hour, without a care in the world, I was doing
so not because I had knowledge of my security, but I was doing
so because I was ignorant of the danger, And folks, that's what
happens when an unsaved person, feels a feeling of Peace, in
their mind, ignorant of the danger.
So I was in perfect peace in my mind but it was a delusion.
There's another kind of peace to, it's called false peace.
Let us never be this person ever please there's false peace and
I'll just be brief on this. But false peace is confidence
based on conceit. It's confidence based on conceit
and not fact it's based on pride and not truth.
It's a peace that comes from an understanding of their true
condition, but it's a piece that comes from their own conceited,
assessment of themselves as being worthy.
It's kind of like this. I know I'm not doing what's
right? I know I'm not serving God as I
should. But I think it'll be all right.
That's false peace. I'm not a Christian.
I haven't obeyed the gospel. I've been baptized emission my
sins. I'm not a member of the Lord's
Church. But it's all right, I'm a good
person. And I think if God is keeping
score somewhere on one side, perhaps on some Ledger that he
would write down would be all the good things that I do on the
other side. We all the bad things, I'm not
perfect. So there are bad things but I
think it'll all work out. I know I'm not living, right?
I'm not doing right but I think you'll be all right.
That's false peace. It's coming from an
understanding of what your true condition is, but thinking it's
still going to be. Alright, let's never be that
guy. That's never be guilty of false
peace, listen to this. This is a piece by the way, that
separates what God has joined. This is really interesting in
Psalm 85 and 10. Look at this, please look at
this. Mercy and Truth have met
together. And righteousness and peace have
kissed. The word literally means fused.
Now, we get this, right? We get this mercy and Truth.
Go together. In other words, if I want the
mercy of God, I have to obey truth.
We get that they go together. If I want, Mercy aktobe truth.
What about this? What about peace?
Righteousness is right. And doing or the outward
manifestation of a Godly heart in my behavior.
Righteousness, goes along side of Peace there together.
They're fused together. If you want the peace, that God
has and God has promised. It has to go alongside a
righteous life in order to have the gift of God's peace.
Let me give you another passage. How about this Deuteronomy 29
and 19 I have peace even though I walk in the stubbornness of my
heart. Another translation says or
follow the dictates of my heart as though, the drunkard could be
included with the sober. You know, that's really an
amazing phrase right there, that the drunkard can be included in
the sober. I remember, I remember in
college, I remember a lot of times, a young person would get
inebriated and they would think that they could act sober in it
and nobody would know. Here at you ever seen that?
Somebody's really intoxicated but in their mind, they're
absolutely convinced that they could fool everybody.
I'm not, I'm not drunk. How many times people use
alcohol or some other substance and get behind the wheel and in
their mind? They're thinking I'm good, I'm
good. Don't you see what?
He's saying? The false peace that we're
talking about. It's described in the book of
Deuteronomy 29 as the guy that gets intoxicated and thinks he
can fake everybody out. It's the same thing.
As if he could be included with the drunker.
That's false peace. He's living under the illusion
that you can separate from God, what your true condition is, but
you can't, and I'll tell you something else to this kind of
Peace, cannot pass the trials of life.
I'm going to tell you right now, please get this.
I don't care what your circumstances are, the trials of
your life are going to continue on and it doesn't matter how
good you decide to be. You're still going to have the
trials in your life. You're going to have them.
If we have the wrong kind of peace.
That is circumstantial piece and that's what we're hanging our
hat on. That's not the kind of piece is
going to get us through the trial.
It's not it's not going to get us through.
So what kind of we talking about?
We're talking about the kind. That would welcome a trial.
We're talking about spiritual, peace, and spiritual Peace, by
the way, this is our third point is available, it's available.
It's always available. The verse says, this Now may the
Lord of Peace himself, give you peace.
Always or continually. Now I know this sometimes peace
can be interrupted. It can be interrupted, you know
how? Two ways.
Two ways and both of them are succumbing to the flesh.
So the piece that we're talking about that is divine that is a
gift and that is always available.
It can be interrupted by succumbing to the Flesh and that
can happen in two different ways.
What do you do though? The first way, by the way is
when your victimized by doubt and fear, okay?
If you doubt and you let the fears in your life, beat you and
win over faith, you're going to be shaken, and you're going to
lose your peace. It's going to be interrupted.
Now I got to tell you something, folks.
I'm not standing before you saying that we're not going to
have things were afraid of. You've heard me say this many
times over the years, there would be no such thing as
courage. If there were no fear.
Fear is not the problem, fear is the problem.
Only when it wins over your faith and when your fear is
pulling you in One Direction and your faith is pulling you in the
opposite direction. You know what that's called?
That's called anxiety, that's called stress.
It's strangling us on the inside if we allow the fear to win.
You know, what's going to happen?
The peace. That God said I will give you is
interrupted So what do you do? What do we do?
If that happens, here it is. Trust in God.
Now, I'm not saying this in a general sense.
I'm not saying this in a general sense and I'm glad that I'm glad
that the word of God says this, so it doesn't look like.
I'm just saying, you know, whatever your problem is, just
you just gotta trust in God. Notice, I'm going to get very
specific with regards to peace and we find this in Psalm 42 and
11. Why are you cast down O my soul?
And why are you disquieted or disturbed within me?
Hope in God. God.
You got to trust in God. Recently, I preached on faith.
I preached on the power of faith.
And one of the things that we learn about faith, Is we learned
that Faith produces something? And it produces hope, one
produces the other. So if you don't have hope that
you should have and you don't have the peace of God that you
should have regarding hope. Maybe it's because your faith is
little and weak. Maybe you're like the disciples
who so many times. Jesus said, oh, you of little
faith. And what did we learn?
We learned that the antidote for little weak Faith was persistent
prayer. If you're struggling in your
faith, start praying more. Where your knees out praying to
God? That is the antidote for little
weak faith. Persistent prayer.
The psalmist, David said, hope and God, that's one way.
By the way, that you can have our piece interrupted.
Here's another way, it's when we turn back to sin, two ways, turn
back to sin or because we doubt in Psalm 85 and 88, I will hear
what the Lord was speak for. He will speak peace to his
people and to his Saints, but let them not turn back to
falling. So, two ways that fact that this
piece can be interrupted, When were victimized by doubt and
fear or when we turn back or turn away from God.
So what do we do? What do we do?
If we have sin in our life and we lost our peace, all you got
to do is make it right? All you have to do is repent
confess that sin to God and change your life.
One of the greatest things about being a Christian is it doesn't
matter how many times you've messed up, you can change your
life immediately, and come back. That's a greatest thing in the
world. Oh, and by the way, if you mean
it, if you really mean it, you're forgiven like the sin
never happened as some of the greatest things ever, you know?
A man does if you keep messing up, people write you off, not
God, God didn't write you off. If you mean it they can't just
say stuff and not mean it. If you mean it you're forgiven
like it never happened and you can have the peace restored back
to you in your life. Finally though.
There's something else about this piece.
The spiritual peace, it is not subject to the circumstances of
life. And I'm finished.
This is our final point. Let me just say this.
Now, the Lord of Peace himself, give you peace.
Always in every way or based on any circumstance in your life
piece. This piece is not affected by
anything in the worldly realm. It's a piece that is built upon
confidence. That all things are well in the
eyes of the Lord with my soul and nothing in this world can
take that from us. Have you ever stopped to
consider that nobody in the world can take that away?
They can't. But if your mind is set on the
things of the world, as the most important things in the world
and you don't have your mind fixed on other things, and
spiritual things, then you'll be tossed to and fro with things
that you would lose or gain in life.
But if Heaven is your goal. And nothing is more important
than serving God that God is in control of your life and Time
and Eternity. It doesn't matter.
This world can take it all at doesn't matter.
It doesn't matter Romans 8:28. Get this passage is a very
misunderstood Passage And we know that all things work
together for good to those that love God and those who are
called according to promise people misunderstand.
This passage. This passage folks does not mean
that if I love God, everything is going to work out.
That's not what that means. I've heard people say well you
got to do is love God and then God will make it all work.
It'll all work out. Nope sometimes it didn't work
out. Sometimes it doesn't work out
sometimes, God allows things and it doesn't work out.
It's - its hurtful painful we endure the and we endure that
So, Paul was not talking about every single circumstance in my
life is going to work out. What it means is in God's plan,
everything in God's plan is going to work out for those who
love God and the Bible talks about, if you love him, you got
to keep his commandments. So I'm talking about a faithful
child of God, that loves God. Don't worry about the
circumstances in your life. Don't worry about whatever's
thrown your way because everything in God's plan is
going to work out. His plan for salvation his plan
that he never leaves our side, his plan that he gives us the
strength to endure and persevere.
He's planned for all the things that we have and all the
spiritual blessings that we have in Christ and most importantly,
eternal life waiting us. And it doesn't matter what
happens to us while we live here.
We got that. Give you another example,
though. This go down 10 verses from from
chapter 8, and verse 28 of Romans.
And I'm going to get specific and Tell you, Paul also dealt
with this. Here are some specifics.
By the way, these things are going to work together for good.
For, I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor
principalities nor powers nor things present, nor things to
come nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall
be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ
Jesus, our lord that's tough. That's tough.
That will work together for good little side.
Note, here. I'll be very brief little side
note. But can God use something that's
negative in your life? And have a positive outcome by
way of its influence on others and serve his purpose.
Yes. Yes.
And he does that what I'm saying is it may not work out the
physical circumstances in life, sometimes we just have to endure
it. Sometimes we just have to make
it through. So in conclusion, I'm done.
We talked about the kind of peace that Paul wanted them to
have. This is spiritual peace.
It's divine. It's a gift.
It's available and it's there. Regardless of the circumstances
in your life, we learned. We learned also, it's given to
those who obey God, it then brings a feeling of contentment
in a settled attitude and that guards, our hearts like a
fortress. And by the way, to let me inform
7 says I love this in the peace of God.
Which surpasses all understanding will guard your
hearts and Minds through Christ Jesus.
Jesus our lord. Another translation means that
says Garrison, in other words, all of this, the peace of God
that Paul has been talking about you.
It's going to do, it's going to guard your heart.
It's gonna guard your heart. I don't know about you, but I
think we all need our heart Garden.
It's all about the heart. Can you imagine a promise that
so great or a piece? That is so great.
And the world can't even explain it.
It surpasses all understanding in your mind, but it's the peace
that comes from God, is divine. It's a gift, it's available and
circumstances will never take it away.
And it's going to guard or Garrison, your heart.
Everyday, you live. The peace that surpasses all
understanding that is peace. Regardless of circumstances, I'm
through this morning. Thank you so much for your kind
listening. We never know the hearts and
minds of those that are present. Are you hearing the sound of my
voice to? You're not a child of God the
steps to become a child of God are very simple.
Romans 10:17, Paul says. So then faith comes by hearing
and hearing by the word of God. So hearing the word of God
produces Faith. Jesus said in Mark 16:16, he
that believeth and is baptized shall be saved.
He that believeth not shall be damned.
And we understand the word belief there in that passage
means having the force to obey. In other words, I find out what
the Lord wants me to do in my life.
I believe it so much. I'm going to Obeyed today, when
he got to do, be baptized for the remission of your sins.
Jesus also said in Luke 13 and 3, I tell you nay.
But except you repent, you will all likewise perish.
In other words, I got to change my mind.
I have to change my life. I've been going in this
direction. I don't want to do that anymore.
I want to live for Jesus. I want to go in the opposite
direction. That's repentance.
Bible also says, if you confess me before men, Jesus said, I
will confess you before my Father, which is in heaven and
Acts chapter 8, we find out exactly what that confession is.
That convention is, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of
God and upon taking all of those steps, they lead us to the point
of Salvation. They lead us to the point of the
watery grave of baptism, they lead us to that point of
Salvation. In First Peter, 3:21 Peter said
the like figure whereunto even baptism.
Even baptism doth also. Now, save us, not the putting
away the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience
toward God, by the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
If you have never done that, we would, we would love to assist
you in doing that today, if you would, maybe you have taken
those steps, but you haven't been living as you should, it's
time to come back. We thank you for listening to
our podcast, put on by the Church of Christ at 22:15 plans.
Road in Bakersfield, if you would like any additional
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