He had one team in particular that he pulled for each week. When they won, he had a wonderful week-end, but if they lost he had a t-e-r-r-i-b-l-e week-end.
His joy and peace within his heart each week was determined by the football team that he supported.
The fact is, many folks allow THINGS and PEOPLE to decide what kind of life they are going to have.
Illus: When it comes to THINGS this reminds me one day as a preacher was visiting his members, he came across a little boy that was selling a lawn mower. The preacher was in need of a good mower, so he asked the young lad how much he was asking for his mower. The young boy told him and he bought it.
The preacher took the mower home with him and he was satisfied that he had come across a good deal.
When he got home, he took the mower out of the trunk of his car and he decided he would start it to see what a good purchase he had made.
• He pulled on the cord to start the mower, but it would not start.
• He took his coat off and pulled on the cord some more, and still it would not start.
• He rolled his sleeves up and pulled on the cord and it still would not start.
He called the young man up and said, “Son, I can’t get this mower to start.”
The young boy said, “Oh, I was to embarrassed to tell you, before you can get it to started you have to curse it!”
The preacher said, “Son, I can’t do that, I am a minister, I do not curse.” He said, “In fact, it has been so long since I cursed I forgot how!”
The young man said, “Preacher, you keep pulling on that cord, and it’ll come back to you!”
Every day we encounter PEOPLE and THINGS that can rob us of the peace of God in our daily lives.
Someone said, “One of the most wonderful words in our vocabulary is the word “Peace”.
• God must have thought it was a wonderful word. In the New Testament alone it is used four hundred and twenty-nine times.
• Also, we can see the value placed upon peace as we consider that the New Testament speaks of God as the “God of Peace.”
In heaven we are going to have peace, But I am glad we can have peace in this life.
One of the great things about the Millenlial we are going to have peace when the devil is going to be thrown in the bottomless pit for almost a thousand years.
Youtube – Red Foley song PEACE IN THE VALLEY
There are three kinds of peace we can possess.
Two of these three kinds we should seek to have in our life.
But there is one kind we should not seek to have.
That is…
I. THERE IS A FAKED PEACE
This is one kind of peace we should not seek to have in our life…A FAKED PEACE that our society offers us.
For example, the hippies in the 60’s had a fake peace.
Illus: They even created a “Peace Sign” by holding up their hands and using two fingers to make a “Peace symbol”.
But the only kind of peace they had in their life was a “Fake Peace”.
In fact, they had such turmoil in their lives that they could only cope with life by living on “booze and drugs”. They had a “Fake Peace”.
We have seen this “Fake Peace” in many ways in this country.
Every day we see people that are smiling from ear to ear, they seem to be so joyful and happy. But yet if you could look into their hearts you would see pure misery.
Illus: A very affluent lady called Dr. Odell Belger one evening at his home. She asked him if he had a few minutes she could talk to him.
• He said, “Yes, may I ask who I am talking to?”
• She said, “I would rather not tell you my name.”
• She went on to say, “If I was to mention my name you would know me instantly because you have more than likely seen me on television and in the newspaper.”
• She said, “Preacher, I just need to talk to a pastor, I am so miserable.”
• She went on to say, “I should be one of the happiest ladies in town, I have a beautiful home filled with expensive furniture, clothing, jewelry and beautiful beautiful cars.”
• But she went on to say I am so miserable that I have pondered suicide and that is why I want to talk to a preacher.
• She said I associate with some of the most affluent people in Columbia, S.C. and I smile and laugh but they have no idea how miserable I am within.
She had a good case of “Fake Peace.” We see much of this kind of peace in the society in which we live.
THERE IS A PEACE THAT SOME FAKE, but also-
II. THERE IS A PEACE SOME TAKE
Look at John 14:27. Jesus said, “My peace I leave with you ... MY PEACE I GIVE TO YOU."
It can not be bought!!!
Notice this is a peace that He gives, but we have to be willing to take it.
Illus: One of the reason we all like Christmas is because we like receiving gifts…DON’T WE!
But suppose someone was going to give you a wonderful gift and you would not TAKE IT!!!
If you are not willing to take the gift that means you have to go without the gift!!!
God offers the gift of PEACE but many are having to do with out His peace because they are not willing to TAKE IT!!!
We all like receiving gifts…don’t we!
Jesus said, “My peace I leave with you ... MY PEACE I GIVE TO YOU." But they never would TAKE the peace God wanted them to have.
Many when they get to heaven by the grace of God they are going to be literally shock to find out they could have had the PEACE OF GOD IN THEIR LIFE instead of all the DISCONTENT THEY HAD.
Illus: Anytime you have a GIFT given to you, someone has to be willing to TAKE IT!
Why? Because the only kind of peace they know about is a FAKED peace.
Illus: Dr. Odell Belger was sitting in a restaurant with him and his wife. As she was approaching people that she knew she was greeting them with a smile. When she saw Dr. Belger and his wife she wasted no time coming to his table. When she got there she greeted them and she said, CAN I TALK TO YOU?
Of course, Dr. Belger told her she could and she began immediately tell how miserable she was in life. All the smiles that she entered in the restaurant they were gone!!!
But never would have anyone known that as she came into the restaurant greeting people, but no one knew she was so sad and miserable.
Dr. Belger talked to her about some scriptures and had prayer with her there, but whether or not she will be able to enjoy the Peace of God will depend on whether or she is will to receive it.
It is available to everyone, but you have to be willing to receive it!!!
This world is full of people and the only kind of peace they know about is a FAKED PEACE that no medicine or doctor can help them…BUT THE LORD JESUS CAN!!!
The Lord cannot make it any clearer than He already has. He said, “…My peace I give to you, NOT AS THE WORLD GIVETH.”
Notice, He did not say, “…My peace I force on you.”
Every day we decide if the PEOPLE and THINGS we encounter are going to control our lives, or if we are going to live in the PEACE OF GOD that He gives us.
WHAT KIND OF PEACE DOES HE OFFER US?
He offers us a-
A. SPIRITUAL PEACE
It is not a peace where the world determines our happiness.
Illus: Dr. Jerry Falwell is probably one of the best Christian debaters that has ever been on national television.
There are many things about Dr. Falwell that I admire. But any one who watched this man on television, has to reach the conclusion that this man has a relationship with the Lord Jesus and knew something about the PEACE OF GOD!!!
Illus: For example, when Senator John McCain was running for President in this great nation, he got on national news one day and attacked Dr. Falwell, and referred to him as an “Evil force.”
• The News media asked Dr. Falwell about this charge that Senator McCain made against him.
• The news media just knew that bringing out this attack on him would probably cause Dr. Falwell to go berserk in his response to McCain comments about him..
• But instead, he said some nice things about Senator McCain, and said “He was a good man under a lot of pressure.”
The reason I mention that is because Dr. Falwell has learned not to let PEOPLE and THINGS determine his happiness.
Whenever you saw him on television, he consistently had a smile on his face because he had learned not to let PEOPLE control him, but the PEACE OF GOD FROM WITHIN controlled him. What a great lesson to learn!
HE (Jesus) GIVES US A SPIRITUAL PEACE, not as the world gives.
His peace also gives us a …
B. SATISFYING PEACE
He said in John 14:27, “My Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: NOT AS THE WORLD GIVETH, give I unto you.”
The Lord wants us to know that the kind of peace He gives to us is not the AS THE WORLD GIVETH.
The world gives us a “Fake peace”, but the peace He gives is genuine.
It is a SATISFYING PEACE that He gives within that no one but He can give.
The lost people in the world do everything they possibly can do to find a SATISFYING PEACE.
They seek for this kind of peace in many ways, such as:
(1) SOME SEEK FOR PEACE IN MATERIAL THINGS
They are constantly buying things. Why? Because they are convinced that PEACE can only be found in things.
But they are mistaken, things do not bring PEACE in our lives, the Lord Jesus brings PEACE in our lives.
(2) SOME SEEK PEACE IN A PERSON OR A PET
Illus: Two ladies were going down a road at a speed of forty miles an hour, and a elderly man pulled his car into their lane. They had no choice but to smash into his car and perhaps kill him or drive into a large tree beside the road. They chose to drive into the large tree.
Do you know what it is like to be driving forty miles and hour and come to a complete stop?
A man who saw the accident rushed to the scene of the accident to check on the two ladies. They were slammed against the steering wheel and the dashboard. Their legs were broken!
In this condition all they could think about was their two cats that were in the rear of the station wagon. They said to the man who was trying to assist them, “Would you take those two cats down to the state fairground. They are suppose to be in a cat show.”
The man who wanted to be helpful said, “Yes, if that is what you want me to do.”
He walked around to the rear of the station wagon and the two cats that were in separate cages had experienced what the two ladies had experienced…A SUDDEN STOP!!!
That is, they experience what it is like to be traveling forty miles and hour and come to a sudden stop.
Can you imagine what it would be like trying to put those two cats back into those cages for the next cat show if they can remember what happened at the last cat show.
Their backs were bowed up and their eyes were as big as a couple of quarters. They looked vicious!
He walked back up to the ladies and said, “Ladies, I can carry those cats to a cat show but I can promise you one thing, they are not going to win any prizes! Those cats are highly upset.”
There are people who are trying to find peace in a PERSON or in a PET. I am here to tell you that the peace they are seeking for can’t be found in either one of these PLACES!!!
(3) SOME SEEK PEACE IN POWER AND FAME
Listen, if power and fame could bring PEACE WITIN, in Hollywood would be some really contented people in the world. But some of the most miserable people on this earth are in that crowd.
Illus: They have beauty, fame and wealth, but that crowd is so messed up and so miserable that they go from one marriage to the next trying to find the PEACE they desperately are seeking to find.
The Christians that have God’s peace in their hearts have more than all that crowd with their money, position, and power.
The only thing they have is a “Fake Peace”.
The Lord assures us that His PEACE was not of the world.
HE GIVES US:
• A SPIRITUAL PEACE,
• A SATISFYING PEACE,
but also he offers us a-
C. STEADFAST PEACE
That is, His PEACE only comes to us as we “STEADFASTLY” fix our eyes on Him.
Look at Isaiah 26:3, we read, “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.”
In order to have this SPIRITUAL PEACE, and SATISFYING PEACE, we have to STEADFASTLY keep our minds on the Lord Jesus.
Notice, he did not say, “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace who occasionally put his mind on Christ.” He said, “Whose mind is stayed on thee…”
Every day, every hour, every minute we are thinking about these things. But God wants us to keep our minds on him constantly. Not just Sunday.
God has promised us peace WHOSE MIND IS STAYED ON HIM.
The word “Stayed”, is the Hebrew word “Camak” which means TO LEAN UPON, TO REST YOURSELF UPON.
There is a PEACE that God gives, but we have to literally TAKE IT. He is not going to force it on us, but we can have it if we are willing to CONSTANTLY LEAN UPON HIM.
There is a:
• PEACE SOME FAKE,
• PEACE THAT SOME TAKE,
but also-
III. THERE IS A PEACE SOME MAKE
In Matthew 5:9, Jesus said, “Blessed are the peacemakers”.
Thank the Lord for all the PEACEMAKERS. The church could not get along with out them.
Illus: We hear about on the news that some people are known to be Pyromaniacs. In life they feel they do not have anything more important to do than to start fires. They do not care about the harm they might do to people’s property and life. THEY ARE PYROMANNIACS!
And these who live their life starting these brush fires are maniacs…mentally they have a big problem.
All you have to do is read through the New Testament, and you will find that the church has always had TROUBLEMAKERS.
Look at Acts 13:50-52. We read, “But the Jews stirred up the devout and honourable women, and the chief men of the city, and raised persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and expelled them out of their coasts. But they shook off the dust of their feet against them, and came unto Iconium. And the disciples were filled with joy, and with the Holy Ghost.”
Look at the words “stirred up”. There was no problem whatsoever until these Jews came along and stirred up trouble.
But they got these “devout and honorable women” so stirred up that the apostle Paul was expelled from the city.
Paul and Barnabas saw that these Jews were a hopeless case, and the Bible says they shook the dust off of their feet against them. In other words they are hopeless and it is a waste of time to deal with them.
There are some people who come across our path, and the best thing we can do with them is to shake the dust off our feet against them.
They are continuously MAKING ENEMIES.
They will never have the PEACE GOD WANTS THEM TO HAVE until they stop making enemies and start making friends.
Conclusion:
There are three kinds of peace you can find in the lives of people:
I. THERE IS A PEACE SOME FAKE
II. THERE IS A PEACE SOME TAKE
III. THERE IS A PEACE SOME MAKE
