The Spirit Led Life Part 6 (Peace)) Series

Joe Bedy

Central Christian Church

St. Petersburg, FL

Songs: Jesus There is something about that name

Our God is a Strong Tower

I want to know you More

Gal 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,

Gal 5:23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

Tonight we resume our series on leading this Spirit led life and our focus is on peace.

The worldview of peace is different than the Christian view and hopefully we as Christians will have a different view of peace and a different source of that peace than what the world has.

The world believes that peace comes from control, people of the world believe that if they can control the circumstances around them, if they can control the people around them, if they can control their things and other peoples things this control will bring peace.

Our own government tries in vain to bring us its constituents to a sense of peace, by control.

Most of you remember “walk softly and carry a big stick.”

Our leaders believed that if they had enough nuclear armament to destroy the world 100 times over, they could control the world and this would lead to peace. The truth is that what resulted from that was called the “Cold War” and it was far from peaceful.

Those of you who lived in the Tampa Bay area during the Cold War may have heard like I did, that if we were attacked by nuclear missiles (Inter-continental ballistic missiles) to be exact, they would be targeted at McDill AFB and the G.E. plant on Brian Dairy Road that was operated by the Atomic Energy Commission.

I can remember the civil defense sirens that hung on telephone poles, which would sound the alarm of an imminent nuclear attack. I remember the drills in school, when we were told to hide under our desk and put our hands over our heads.

Now, I can tell you that even as a fifth grader, I had my doubts as to how that $9.95 plywood desk could save me in the case of a nuclear attack. But the system was designed to give us peace, to give us some control in a situation where we could have NO control.

People will go to GREAT extremes to protect themselves, control their situation and gain a sense of peace.

Do you remember the bomb shelters people built in their back yards, stocked with canned foods and fresh water, where they could stay for 40-50 days? Then what? Designed and created sold to them to give them control and peace in a situation over which they had no control. Trust me trying to get into that bomb shelter if a nuclear attack was imminent would have been far from peaceful. Try chaotic and violent!

Who could control the terrorists’ attacks that occurred on American soil September 11th of last year? Yet, people continue to look to the government to control evil and give them peace of mind. I tell you tonight, if you look to the government, to the world, to the world systems for your peace you have the kind of peace that the world gives-it is NO peace at all, because they will fail.

There are many things in this world that will steal our peace and create anxiety in us.

I think of the fellow who walked into the doctor’s office the reception said to him “what do you have?” He said “Shingles.” She said “ OK, fill out this form and the nurse will be right with you.” The nurse came out took him into the examining room and she asked the man “what do you have.” He said “shingles” she said “ok,” she took his temperature, his blood pressure and his pulse she told him to “take of his clothes put on this skimpy robe have a seat on the examining table and the doctor would be right with him.” An hour later the doctor comes in gives him a thorough examination, most of you guys in here know the kind I am talking about. The doctor looks him all over ands says “man what have you got.” The man answered

“ shingles!” The doctor says “well where are they?” In the back of my pick up truck now where do you want them delivered?

Jesus tells His disciples and all believers about the troubles we will have in this world.

Jesus knew that the Devil would try to create for us a false sense of peace through the government, through possessions and through our control of people and things.

So Jesus said at 10:34 "Do not think that I came to bring peace on the earth; I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.