Sunday Morning September 20, 2009
Bel Aire Baptist Church
Series: Having It All [#1]
PEACE AND QUIET
2 Peter 1:1-2
Introduction:
What would you say if I told you that you can have it all? Sometimes as Christians, we act like we are supposed to be impoverished, solemn, and boring. We act like we aren’t really a true follower of Christ unless our life is filled with agony and defeat. We act as if life is supposed to be drudgery. Let me tell you, “That is not Biblical”.
2 Peter 1:3 (NIV)
“His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.”
In this letter, Peter tells us that as children of God, we can have it all. I’m sure as Peter wrote this he was reminded of his experience as a younger man in a boat during a storm with Jesus.
Mark 4:35-41 (NIV)
“That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, "Let us go over to the other side." Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, "Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?" He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, "Quiet! Be still!" Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. He said to his disciples, "Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?" They were terrified and asked each other, "Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!"
I’m here to tell you this morning that through Jesus Christ, you can have peace and quiet. Whatever storm you are going through can be calmed through the power of Jesus. The power of the storm in your life is not greater than the power of the Savior.
2 Peter 1:1-2 (NIV)
“Simon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who through the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ have received a faith as precious as ours: Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.”
We can peace in abundance because we can have grace in abundance. Grace is getting that which we don’t deserve. None of us deserve any peace and quiet in our lives. We should have to deal with turmoil and strife all of the time, but through Jesus Christ we can have peace in the midst of the storm. Do you want peace?
You can have peace in your life through…
1. Your being right.
Who in here is always right? Amen, me too. Through Jesus Christ, you are always right. To be righteous means to be in right standing and you can’t do that without being right. Whatever is of God has to be right.
That means you can’t have peace in a situation unless you are doing God’s way. In fact, when you make the right decision, you will have peace about it. If you don’t have peace about something you are doing, maybe you should put it in check. If you are doing something that you shouldn’t be doing, you want have peace.
You can peace in your life through…
2. Your faith.
I love the fact that it points out that we don’t have just an ordinary faith- We have a precious faith. See, God gives us the best and gives it to us in abundance.
Hebrews 11:1 (NIV)
“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.”
As you grow stronger in the Lord, you will learn that God gives you peace in those times that you are stepping out in faith. When Peter took that step of faith by getting out of the boat to walk towards Jesus on the water- He had confidence and peace about the fact that he could do it.
You can peace in your life through…
3. Your knowing.
I’ve already been told that you all are always right, so that must mean that you all know everything also- Correct? Amen again.
Colossians 2:2-5 (NIV)
“My purpose is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. I tell you this so that no one may deceive you by fine-sounding arguments. For though I am absent from you in body, I am present with you in spirit and delight to see how orderly you are and how firm your faith in Christ is.”
In Christ, we have access to all of the wisdom and knowledge we will need for that thing we are dealing with. If you don’t have the wisdom and knowledge for that thing, maybe it’s because you haven’t asked God.
James 1:2-8 (NIV)
“Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does.”
Conclusion:
Let me give you the bottom line this morning- You can have peace in all situations and at all times through Jesus Christ; but that is only possible if you are living righteously, walking in faith, and making decisions through the wisdom and knowledge given to us through God.
That means that you must:
> Be in the Word. What is your daily Bible study time look like? We have had many times of commitment to the reading and studying of the Word. Are you still doing it, or have you let it slip? Today, recommit to being in God’s Word.
> Be in prayer and fasting. How can you possibly know what God wants if you don’t communicate with Him? If you want peace, you must confess the sin in your life to God. If you want peace, you must meditate on what God is telling you- You can’t do all of the talking. And yes, you may even need to fast. I’m not sure that we all even know what that means. Fasting means to not eat for a specific amount of time so that you can focus on what God is telling you. Every time you get hungry, you pray. Most of us have taken this out of our spiritual lives, because it isn’t comfortable. Put it back in your life and see what God will do. Today, recommit to being in prayer and fasting.
> Be in fellowship with one another. Don’t forget about the power that we have through one another. Together in Christ, we are always stronger. Together in Christ, we will see the enemy destroyed.
Do you want peace and quiet? It’s yours in abundance today if you will just take it. It starts with your commitment to God in these areas and will only happen if you do it.
