OPEN: How many of you have ever heard of a singer named Travis Tritt?
Now he’s a famous Country singer, but before he made it big, Tritt spent years playing in small out-of-the-way bars and taverns. He said that (as you might expect) these were dangerous places. His fans were mostly drunks who had a hard time controlling their tempers. Thus… bar fights would break out, and even entertainers were in danger. How did he handle those risky crowds? (He wrote:)
“Just when [bar fights] started getting out of hand, when bikers were reaching for their pool cues and rednecks were heading for the gun rack, I'd start playing 'Silent Night.'
It could be the middle of July -- I didn't care. Sometimes they'd even start crying, standing there watching me sweat and play Christmas carols."
The singing of a few Christmas carols brought peace to a bunch of drunken men in a tavern. And you know, Christmas Carols can do that, because original Carol promised exactly that: “Peace to men.”
Luke 2:14 tells us the angels sang a carol nearly 2000 yrs ago. And that carol declared: "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests."
Peace To Men - that was the promise of that first carol.
And without God’s peace, the world can be a very violent place
About 27 years before Jesus was born Rome experienced something unique that history has called Pax Romana = the peace of Rome. Beginning with the reign of Augustine, Emperor of Rome and lasting till about 180 A.D. (a period of 200 years) Rome was at peace.
They had few internal conflicts and their nation rarely went to war.
Their Pax Romana offered something the world hadn’t known for centuries: a nation at peace from war.
But that peace (pax romana) was only yours if you were Roman. If you weren’t Roman, you could have peace with Rome… but it was often a peace enforced at the point of a sword. You did things their way, or there was no peace
And even for the Romans this Pax Romana was a time of violence and uncertainty. During this period MOST of the Emperors of Rome died by assassination.
· One of those emperors – Caligula - was an insane and cruel tyrant who engaged in various drunken parties and orgies.
· Then there was another Emperor named Nero who (some believe) burned Rome to the ground and then blamed the Christians for his deed, sending them to die in the Coliseum to amuse the crowds by their deaths.
· Then there was Titus – an emperor who had once been an infamous General. He was the commander of the Roman army who had the inhabitants of Jerusalem slaughtered and the city demolished in 70 A.D.
This was a time of great national security for Rome.
But it was also a time when people were filled with uncertainty and violence.
There was peace from war in Rome… but there was no real peace within the hearts of men.
So, when the angels sang that the Messiah had come, they were declaring that God was offering something Rome could not give. "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests."
At the height of Rome’s Pax Romana, the angels of God declaring that a newborn baby was going to offer a new and different kind of peace. Something better than the world could offer.
During His earthly ministry Jesus told His followers He had come to offer us a peace that was different than what the world could give. Jesus said: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” John 14:27
Jesus said He’d come to give us a peace world couldn’t give.
So – it’s worth asking - what kind of peace does this world offer?
Well, one of the most prominent gifts of peace this world offers is from the mouth of a bottle, or the filter of a cigarette, or the needle of a syringe, or a pill from a bottle.
The world offers to calm our fears through drugs.
In fact LEGAL drugs are so important to peoples’ peace of mind that these drugs make up multi-million dollar industries. And ILLEGAL drugs probably account for more than that. People buy these drugs by the truckload - because it’s in these drugs they find peace.
But these drugs are just short-term fixes, because when the booze/nicotine/ and the drugs quit covering their pain… the pain is still there
After the drugs are gone, peoples’ hearts are still troubled. And they are still afraid. And so they need more and more of the drugs to mask the pain.
Another way the world offers peace, is by using what I call the “Pollyanna” approach. “If I just ignore it – the pain will just go away. It’s just a figment of my imagination.”
The pain doesn’t exist… because I refuse to believe it exists.
ILLUS: As I was researching for this morning’s sermon I encountered a website on meditation. And that’s pretty much what they prescribed. They suggested a state of meditation where a person would focus on avoiding thoughts about depressing things, and spend their time thinking about good things. And what “good things” did they suggest you think about?
- “I feel peace and tranquility filling my mind and body.”
- “My mind is calm, like a lake on a quiet summer day.”
- “I feel calm relaxed and peaceful.”
- “I am a center of peace, calmness and happiness.”
I hate to say this… but that’s pathetic.
These folks want you to fix your mind on empty words and meaningless phrases.
They are simply expecting you to visualize something to be true… and thus they say it WILL be true.
It’s based on a concept known as “visualization”.
It’s used a lot in sports.
Athletes will be trained to “visualize” the ball going through the basket as they shoot. Or to visualize a football being thrown to a specific point on the field.
And it works!
Visualization CAN increase an athlete’s performance.
But even in sports, visualization can only allow you to do what is physically possible. Just by the laws of physics I can only jump so high/ throw a ball so far.
In that same way visualization CAN help me deal with my pain and inner conflict… for a while. But eventually it won’t get the job done because it doesn’t actually deal with the root cause of that pain.
I can’t obtain lasting peace by medicating it into oblivion
And I can’t obtain that peace by wishing it away.
In order to get a lasting peace in my life I have to face up to the CAUSE of my pain. In Isaiah 53:5 we’re told that Jesus came for a purpose:
“… he was pierced for OUR transgressions, he was crushed for OUR iniquities; the punishment that brought US peace was upon him, and by his wounds WE are healed.”
What is the root cause of the pain in my life?
It’s me!
The cause of the pain in my life is my OWN sins, my own transgressions, and my own iniquities. I have to acknowledge that they are sins. I have to admit I HAVE done wrong. I have to accept that my iniquities need to paid for.
That’s the reason there’s no peace in people’s lives.
That’s the reason their hearts are troubled.
Because people REFUSE to accept it’s their fault.
ILLUS: I talked with a young man some time back who was weeping because he’d made a “mistake” that had hurt someone in his family.
When I called what he’d done “sin” he bristled at the idea.
Sin was bad.
He hadn’t meant to do a bad thing; he’d simply made a bad choice.
But if it was JUST a bad choice… why did he feel so bad about it?
If it’s just a mistake… why was he feeling guilty?
If it’s just an oversight… why was feeling shame?
He felt bad, he felt guilt, he felt shame… because what he’d done was sinful.
But why did he continue to avoid calling his decision a “sinful” one?
Because – if he could continue to call it a mistake – he was saying “HE” could fix problem. If he could fix it himself, he didn’t need God’s help.
ILLUS: Back in 1988, a screaming woman was trapped inside her car, which was about to plunge over the edge of the road in East Los Angeles.
A 1/2 dozen passing motorists stopped, grabbed some ropes from one of their vehicles, tied the ropes to the back of a the woman’s car, and hung on until fire units arrived. A ladder was extended from below to help stabilize the car while firefighters tied the vehicle to tow trucks with cables and chains.
One of the rescuers observed: “Every time we would move the car, she would yell and scream. She was in terrible pain.”
It took almost 2 and ½ hours for the passersby, police officers, tow truck drivers, & firefighters – about 25 people in all – to secure the car and pull the woman to safety. All through the episode, the woman continued talking, repeating a phrase over and over to rescuers.
“It was kind’a funny,” the fire captain recalled later. “She kept saying: ‘I’ll do it myself.’”
And that is the way of this world.
They don’t want God’s help.
They’d rather do it themselves.
They’re trapped in their sin.
They’re filled with pain from their sinful decisions
God WANTS to help them fix their situation, but all they seem to want to say is
“I don’t need your help. I’d rather do it myself.”
And so, they continually feel pains of life.
They will be continually troubled.
They will continually be filled with fear.
Now part of the reason people don’t accept God’s concept of peace is because it doesn’t make sense to them. In their view, peace of mind can only come about if they have the right job, or the right spouse, or the co-workers. Peace can only come to pass if people treat them right, or their family would only understand them.
But Paul writes that “… the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” Philippians 4:7
God’s peace doesn’t even seem to make any sense – it transcends all understanding.
Paul wrote about having the peace of God and he also wrote about having the GOD of peace in your life. Then he went on to say that he’s experienced this peace even though:
“I know what it is to be in NEED, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or HUNGRY, whether living in plenty or in WANT.” Philippians 4:12
Paul said he’d found the SECRET of having peace… even if he was in need. Even if he was in want. Even if he was hungry. His happiness didn’t depend upon what happened to him. His peace of mind wasn’t tied to how life OR people treated him. It wasn’t tied to the size of his home or his bank account. It wasn’t tied to how successful his relationships were.
So then what was the secret of Paul’s peace?
He said he had learned “I can do everything through him who gives me strength.” Philippians 4:13
This wasn’t just wishful thinking on Paul’s part.
He wasn’t being some kind of Pollyanna who said “Oh it will be alright.”
Paul had looked for God in his life. And Paul had seen God at work in his life in the past, so that whether he was well-fed or hungry he knew God was close at hand. And he knew that God could/would supply for all his needs
Turn with me to Philippians 4:4-9 and let’s see what Paul said helped him have the peace of God in his life. Notice what verse 4 says:
”Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I say rejoice”
The world doesn’t do that.
The world doesn’t focus on what it has. It focuses on what it doesn’t have.
The world has a whole list of things in life that have disappointed them and brought them down. They don’t take time to realize they have two hands and two feet. They can laugh and run and think and sing (well, some of you can sing).
And we can rejoice in what we have because we know that “The Lord is near” (Vs.5b) He knows of your problems and your difficulties in life, and He hears you when you pray.
So, when you pray go ahead and list your prayers and petitions. If it’s important to you, it’s important to Him. But in your prayers, don’t be the like the world. Don’t just focus on your list of wants and wishes. Flavor your prayers with thanksgiving (vs. 6)
Remember what God has done in the past when you’ve prayed.
And Paul says if you pray like that, “the peace of God that passes all understanding with guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.”
Then he concludes: “whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable— if anything is excellent or praiseworthy— think about such things.”
Don’t focus on what you wish were true.
FOCUS on what IS true, noble, right, etc.
Christianity isn’t some mindless drivel about contemplating your navel in the hopes of having God’s peace. Christianity is a fact driven faith, that focuses on God’s faithfulness in the past to build our faith in the present and the future.
And when we do it God’s way, then “the God of peace will be with you.” (vs. 9b)
That is what gives us our peace.
ILLUS: The scene was at the Alpine Elementary School in Columbus Ohio.
Tornado warnings had gone off and the children were sent to the basement for safety
The children huddled together in fear.
The teachers were worried too.
To help ease the tension, the principal suggested a sing-along. But the voices were weak and unenthusiastic. Child after child began to cry – and no one could calm them.
Then a teacher, whose faith seemed equal to any emergency, whispered to the child closest to her, “Aren’t you forgetting something Kathie? There is a power greater than the storm that will protect us. Just say to yourself, ‘God is with us.’ Then pass the words on to the child next to you.”
As the words were whispered from child to child, a sense of peace settled over the group.
You could still hear the wind blowing with the same ferocity of the moment before but it didn’t seem to matter now. Inside, the fear had subsided and tears faded away.
So, the question this morning is this: Do you have that peace in your life?
The only way to “… have peace with God (is) through our Lord Jesus Christ…” Romans 5:1
It is“… Christ in you, the hope of glory. Colossians 1:27
And you obtain His peace and His hope by allowing His blood can fix your sin problem. The only way to get Jesus into your life is to accept Him on your terms:
1. Faith
2. Confession
3. Repentance
4. Baptism
5. Live for Jesus.
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