GOD S COVENANT OF PEACE Sermon by Pastor Victor Jibuike Sunday, 18 April 2010 1
Key Bible Text: Isaiah 26:3-4 You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you! Trust in the LORD always, for the LORD GOD is the eternal Rock. 2
Introduction In today s noisy and fast-paced society, almost everybody lives in stress. There are no scarcity of stressors: unreasonable work deadlines, meaningless/badly paid jobs, money issues/debt, marital/family issues, poor health, daily horrific news/ images on TV. The list goes on. Even a varied assortment of new tools to cope with life s confrontations (e.g gadgets) has not helped people manage well the inner and outer aspects of life. Today thousands of people are unable to cope. Coping with complex issues is hard. But fortunately it need not bring about high levels of stress. 3
Introduction Everyone needs Peace What can conquer stress and anxiety? The answer is inner peace. That's why everyone values peace. Everyone would like more peace 4
Objectives of this message To explore the following questions? What is real peace? Where does peace come from? What are the conditions for experiencing peace? 5
What is real Peace? Someone has defined real peace as follows: Peace does not mean to be in a place where there is no noise, trouble, or hard work. Peace means to be in the midst of all those things and still be calm in your heart. Jesus told his disciples: I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world. (John 16:33) 6
Where does Peace come from? God is the source of peace. Isaiah 29:3a You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you. Psalm 29:11: The Lord gives his people strength. The Lord blesses them with peace. Judges 6:24: The LORD Is Peace. God wants you to have peace and made a way for this to happen. Jesus died so that you can have peace. Isaiah 53:5: But he was wounded and crushed for our sins. He was beaten that we might have peace. He was whipped, and we were healed! However God s peace comes with conditions. 7
Conditions for experiencing Peace (1) Become a Christian To experience peace, first you become a Christian. Jesus death on the cross purchased your peace but you have to apply this to your life. As Paul said: For God in all his fullness was pleased to live in Christ, and by him God reconciled everything to himself. He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth by means of his blood on the cross. (Colossians 1:19-20) Be a Christian so you can have God s Spirit in you which gives inner peace Gal 5:22-23: the fruit of the Spirit is love joy and peace. The Spirit produces peace in us. After that we need to live by that Spirit: Romans 8:6: the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace. 8
Conditions for experiencing Peace (2) Pray always, about everything With prayer we can live in peace. Paul puts it this way: Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. If you do this, you will experience God's peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:6-7) 9
Conditions for experiencing Peace (3) Know what God wants and love doing it To have peace, we need to know and do what God wants David puts it this way: Great peace have they who love your law and nothing can make them to stumble. (Psalm 119:165) Great peace because they love God s law and want to follow it. If our lifestyle pleases God, even those who oppose us will be at peace with us. Proverbs 16:7: When the ways of people please the LORD, he makes even their enemies live at peace with them. 10
Conditions for experiencing Peace (4) Do what God says Isaiah 32:17: The fruit of righteousness will be peace: the effect of righteousness will be quietness and confidence forever. Disobedience to God brings lack of peace. When we do what is not right, it bothers us and produces guilt and a troubled mind. We also feel like a failure when we are doing what is wrong. Then we are down - depression and stress can set in. When we do what is not right we cause problems for ourselves and others and this takes away our peace. So living right for the Lord is an important key to experiencing inner peace. 11
Conditions for experiencing Peace (5) A lifestyle of worship We can also experience peace when we focus on the Lord by trusting him and worshipping him in spirit and in truth. John 4:23-24: But the time is coming and is already here when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. The Father is looking for anyone who will worship him that way. For God is Spirit, so those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth." 12
Summary God has given us an unbeatable strategy for coping with life s confrontations. His peace. God is the source of real peace. He wants you to have inner peace and has made a way for you to have it. My prayer for you is that you will constantly put your trust in God and do what He wants. Then you will always experience real peace of mind in the midst of all of life s pressures. Amen. 13