TITLE: CHRIST’S PEACE IN TROUBLESOME TIMES
SCRIPTURE: ST. JOHN 16:33
To the Angel of this House, Deacons, Officers and Members of the Mt. Pleasant Missionary Baptist Church, I am honored to stand behind this sacred desk as you celebrate another milestone in the History of this great Church. We have enjoyed the celebration as we have been taxiing down the runway. I am humbled to be at the controls as the co-pilot as we have been cleared for ecclesiastical take-off.
I received notice about two weeks ago informing me this Church has prayed and by Unction of the Holy Spirit have been led to this particular Scriptural Text and subsequent theme – Christ’s Peace in Troublesome Times. I want to honor this text and theme in an effort to understand what the Lord is speaking to us through this Text and Theme to help us become more useful to the Kingdom. I pray and trust I have spent ample time with the Lord that we can digest this message together and hear what thus sayeth the Lord to the church.
In our text for examination we find Jesus in an Upper Room Discourse with His disciples. Jesus has moved between comforting the disciples in their sorrow and encouraging them in the hope of his soon-to-be finished work and the coming of the Holy Spirit.
• In the 14th Chapter - Jesus both promises that He is going away from them to prepare a place for them in His Father’s house
• In the 14th Chapter – Jesus also addresses their concerns about being left as orphans with troubled hearts
• In the 15th Chapter - Jesus beautifully described how the disciples would be His branches so that He, the vine, would produce abiding fruit in them
• In the 15th Chapter - Jesus abruptly transitioned to warning them that they would face the full brunt of the hatred of the world
• In the 15th Chapter - Jesus encouraged them with the hope of the coming Holy Spirit
• In this 16th Chapter – Jesus once again addresses the subject of how they would be hated of the world
These are the last words Jesus spoke to his disciples before his Arrest -- Trial -- Crucifixion. It’s not simply a teaching tool because there’s a lot of interaction between He and them, and Jesus winds up praying aloud in front of them for a period of time. But it’s not simply a conversation because Jesus is very purposeful and intent on getting specific content across to them. THIS LIFE IS A PARADOX—A LIFE OF SUPERNATURAL PROVISIONS IN THE MIDST OF EXTRAORDINARY DIFFICULTIES.
As Jesus announced His departure to His disciples, He was deeply concerned they clearly comprehend where things stood. Although departure looked like a terrible loss to them, Jesus was letting them know it was really an advance on God’s plan for His people. The critical reality which was meant to encourage the disciples is that with the departure of Jesus, all His followers would enter into a new relationship with the Father.
I can only imagine how the disciples must have felt on this dreadful evening in which Jesus would be arrested as He tells them of His impending cruel departure. This is part of Christianity we no longer Preach.
• We make Gospel Preaching too Happy
• We make it a Point to Preach Congregation into a Frenzy every week
• We like to Preach that Everything is going to be Wonderful
• We don’t separate the Cruelty and Pain with that Great Getting Up Morning
• We like to Gloss over it real quick so we can get the Congregation Shouting about Early Sunday Morning
• We like to get to the “He Died, Didn’t He Die” without the Pain and Suffering associated
It’s the problem I have with how we focus on how God wants to bless you and how if you have the faith and live for God, He will provide you material wealth and bring you through health trials unscathed.
• That can attract a crowd, but that’s not truth
• That will attract a crowd, but no strength in a storm
• That will attract a crowd, but no strength to stand in Troublesome Times
--TIMOTHY KELLER said that kind of thinking and preaching can actually make things worse:
“The fact is, a lot of Christians are cast down all the time because they don’t expect the attacks on their peace and joy that are inevitable. At least a half of being upset is the frustration that says “It is not supposed to be like this,” because we don’t have proper expectations.”
I do not know where we get this “happily ever after” - “this fairy tale idea” that now that we are Christians – Saved – Sanctified – everything is going to be Roses in our lives.
• No more Sickness – because, after all, we are now Saved
• Nor more Stress – because, after all, we are now Saved
• No more Suffering – because, after all, we are now Saved
• No more Tears – because, after all, we are now Saved
• No more Diabetes
• No more Arteritis
• No more Dialysis
• No more Cancer
• No more Surgeries
• Because, After All, We Are Now Saved
I am reminded of PAUL prior to his DAMASCUS ROAD EXPERIENCE. He thought he was on top the world before he came to encounter Jesus.
• He was highly educated in the Law
• History suggests he was a Doctor of the Law
• Sometime between AD 15—20 he began his studies of the Hebrew Scriptures in the city of Jerusalem under Rabbi Gamaliel
• It was under Gamaliel that Saul would begin an in-depth study of the Law with the famous Rabbi
• He would go on to serve on the highly respected Sanhedrin Counsel
Paul thought he was doing well at his young age. He was well respected within his circle - when the world and the flesh and the enemy of god was not his enemy. Then he met Jesus on that Damascus Road and his life would change forever. You would think his life would now be great since he was now on the Lord’s Team. You would be lead to believe he would experience No Troubled Times, after all he was now on the Lord’s Side. But the Record Clearly States -
• ACTS 9:24-25 – Day and night his enemies watched the city gates in order to kill him - One night, however, his disciples took him and lowered him in a basket through a window in the wall
• ACTS 14:19 – Some Jews came from ANTIOCH and ICONIUM, and when they had won over the crowds and stoned Paul, they dragged him out of the city, thinking he was dead
• ACTS 16:22-23 – Over the casting out of a spirit from a young girl – “ Then the mob joined in the attack against Paul and Silas, and the chief magistrates stripped off their clothes and ordered them to be beaten with rods. After they had inflicted many blows on them, they threw them in jail, ordering the jailer to keep them securely guarded
• ACTS 19:21-41 – The Riot at Ephesus – over false, hand made idols – Paul was thrown out of town
• ACTS 21:30 – The whole city was stirred up, and the people rushed together. They seized Paul, dragged him out of the temple complex, and at once the gates were shut began to beat him
• ACTS 21:32 -- says when the authorities came, they quit beating Paul
• ACTS 23:12-16 – When it was day, the Jews formed a conspiracy and bound themselves under a curse: neither to eat nor to drink until they had killed Paul
• ACTS 24:5 – For we have found this man (Paul) to be a plague, an agitator among all the Jews throughout the Roman world, and a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes!
Paul did not have these problems prior to meeting Jesus. Through all the -
• Hardships
• Turmoil
• Chaos
• He found and held onto – CHRIST’S PEACE IN TROUBLED TIMES
So the Question Begs -- How was he able to find Christ’s Peace in Troublesome Times? All that Paul would go through and experience he said in PHILIPPIANS 4:11 “….FOR I HAVE LEARNED, IN WHATSOEVER STATE I AM, THEREWITH TO BE CONTENT.”
• Paul submitted his life to God and trusted Him
• He faced insults, rejection, and many difficult trials but was still content
• When we surrender control to the Lord and believe He has our best interest at heart, we will experience contentment too
Who is in charge of your life? Contentment means accepting things the way they are — in other words, not wanting anything more or different.
• This requires developing an "I can through Christ" attitude
• It means learning to bring God's power into our weakness so we can accept and adapt to changing circumstances
• II CORINTHIANS 12:9 “….FOR MY STRENGTH IS MADE PERFECT IN WEAKNESS….”
The Realities of Life is – all too often our lives have some element of struggle and pain. Yes, we can hide it behind Facades - Make Up - Busy Schedules - Exercise Addictions - Eating Disorders - Alcohol and anything else used to escape the reality of life. Nevertheless, underneath all the addictions and facades lay the same things — struggle and pain. It is the truth that we desperately don’t want to hear.
Jesus understands struggle and pain.
• He did not die to guarantee us a pain-free life
• He did not die that we would experience no challenges in this life
• He died to guarantee us a resurrected life
Jesus understands what we go through in this life. The Bible records a lot of happy endings, but that is not always the case in every ones situation.
• Jesus felt the pain of that Mother in the Town of Nain on way to Graveyard to say goodbye to her son, only child – Raised Him Up
• Jesus felt the pain of Jairus when he got the news his daughter had died – Raised Her Up
• Jesus felt the pain of the Woman with the Issue of Blood and suffered medically for 12 years – she was Healed
• Jesus felt the pain of Mary and Martha when their brother Lazarus had died – went to graveyard and raised Him Up
• Jesus felt the pain of that father who said I bought my son to your disciples to heal him and they could do nothing – Jesus Delivered Him
How do we find Christ’s Peace in Troublesome Times when –
• Our loved one is sick and does not recover
• Our loved one spends years in the Nursing Home
• We must say farewell to a Spouse or Child after praying all night long
• Receive bad news from the Doctor after holding on to your faith – yet the news was still bad
In the midst of our stress and stressful days, I have often heard those around me say during those times they look for their “happy place.” Where can we find this Happy Place in this midst of turmoil in this life? Perhaps the promise of Jesus that in Him we have Peace is how we begin this process.
• The Basis of Peace is what Jesus has done
• The Ability to have Peace is by living in Jesus
• The Promise is that if these two things are in place, we have Peace
The text tells us –
• In Jesus the world will not overcome us
• The enemy cannot defeat us
• We are able to overcome our sins
• We have all we need in Jesus
• That is a place of Peace!
All too often we look for peace in this world in all the wrong places.
• Look for Peace based upon our Income
• Look for Peace based upon Retirement Plan
• Look for Peace based upon our Influence
• Look for Peace based upon our Educational Level
There is only one place we can look for Christ’s Peace in Troublesome Times -- PSALMS 121:1 “I WILL LIFT UP MINE EYES UNTO THE HILLS, FROM WHENE COMETH MAY HELP.”
• What ‘Hills?’
• We have no Peace because we look toward the Wrong Hill
• I WILL LIFT UP MINE EYES UNTO THE HILLS
• Not CAPITOL HILL
--PSALMS 121:2 “MY HELP COMETH FROM THE LORD, WHICH MADE HEAVEN AND EARTH.”
The reality of trouble in life is obvious -- it’s the reality of peace that often eludes us. Interestingly, when Jesus warned His followers about trouble, in the same breath He also promised peace. He even told them to “BE OF GOOD CHEER, I HAVE OVERCOME THE WORLD.” The word overcome indicates a past event that has a continuing effect. Not only did Jesus conquer the fallen world through His death and resurrection, but He continues to provide victory, no matter how much trouble we may face. So, although we can expect some trouble in this fallen world, the good news is that we can count on Jesus for peace in troubled times.
Jesus reminds his disciples once again they will have trouble in the world, but to take heart because he has overcome the world.
• It’s a dual promise of Pain and Ultimate Victory
• It’s a promise that encompasses both the Cross and the Resurrection
• Christ’s Peace in Troublesome Times – Comes with Decrease before Increase
• Christ’s Peace in Troublesome Times – Comes with Low’s before High’s
• Christ’s Peace in Troublesome Times - Comes with Valley’s before Mountain Top
• Christ’s Peace in Troublesome Times - Comes with Tears before Joy in the Morning
• Christ’s Peace in Troublesome Times – Comes with a Cross before a Crown
• Christ’s Peace in Troublesome Times – Comes with the Wages of Sin being Death – Before the Gift of God bringing Eternal Life
To get to the Point of Peace in these Troublesome Times, we must follow Jesus as He carries His Cross. Victory comes, but only at the price of the broken body and spilt blood of the only innocent man who ever lived.
• Ultimately, this Cross is our only hope for strength in troubled times
• It reminds us that on the other side of all the pain and struggle, there is joy unimaginable
• It reminds us that our grief is turned into Joy
• It reminds us that our imperfect desires are brought into line with His perfect Will
The power of the world, the realm controlled by Satan, was defeated when Jesus accepted His Father's will to go to the Cross.
• He broke and defeated the power of sin and death
• He brought life and immortality to light
• He insured that death would not have the final say
• So in the middle of sorrows and trials, we can take heart and have peace
• Not because things are easy
• But because the hard things of this life are temporary and are preparing for us an eternal glory
• Our peace is not in the absence of strife or troubles
• But in Jesus and what he has done to make our future sure!
I am reminded of MR. SPAFFORD who was a very wealthy Attorney and Real Estate Investor. But he lost all his money in the CHICAGO FIRE OF 1871.
--Then, two years later, he sent his wife and four daughters on a trip to England
--The ship sank and all four daughters drowned
--Only his wife lived
--In the midst of all that pain and sorrow, he wrote this lovely hymn that we are familiar
When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say,
It is well, it is well with my soul.
It is well with my soul,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.
Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,
Let this blest assurance control;
That Christ has regarded my helpless estate,
And hath shed His own blood for my soul.
It is well with my soul,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.
--That is Christ’s Peace in Troublesome Times
--Learn to Lean and Depend on the Lord – that’s Christ’s Peace in Troublesome Times
--WEEPING MAY ENDURE FOR A NIGHT BUT JOY COMETH IN THE MORNING – that’s Christ’s Peace in Troublesome Times
--WALK BY FAITH AND NOT BY SIGHT – that’s Christ’s Peace in Troublesome Times
--YE THOUGH I WALK THROUGH THE VALLEY OF THE SHADOW OF DEATH, I WILL FEAR NO EVIL, FOR THOU ART WITH ME – that’s Christ’s Peace in Troublesome Times
--PHILIPPIANS 4:8-9 - FINALLY, BRETHREN, WHATSOEVER THINGS ARE TRUE, WHATSOEVER THINGS ARE HONEST, WHATSOEVER THINGS ARE JUST, WHATSOEVER THINGS ARE PURE, WHATSOEVER THINGS ARE LOVELY, WHATSOEVER THINGS ARE OF GOOD REPORT; IF THERE BE ANY VIRTUE, AND IF THERE BE ANY PRAISE, THINK ON THESE THINGS. THOSE THINGS, WHICH YE HAVE BOTH LEARNED, AND RECEIVED, AND HEARD, AND SEEN IN ME, DO: AND THE GOD OF PEACE SHALL BE WITH YOU
--Thank God for the Aches and Pains along the Way
--Thank God for the Tears we Shed in this Life
--Because He was Hung Up for our Hang Ups
--He Died on that Friday
--He stayed in the grave all Day Saturday
--But early Sunday Morning He Got Up
--That we might be able to experience -- CHRIST’S PEACE IN TROUBLESOME TIMES
