Some time back the Gallup organization polled Americans about their most important criteria for judging personal success. They apparently gave them a list of 20 or 30 different options, and these were the top 5 results:
1- Good health
2- an enjoyable job
3- a happy family
4- A good education
5- Peace of mind
A peace of mind was something God has promised to us.
When Jesus was born the angels declared
Luke 2:14(KJV)-14 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.
We’re told that part of the fruit of the spirit is… peace. So, not only do most men and women highly prize peace… so does God.
Many people believe they will experience peace of mind when they get revenge.
Many think they will experience peace only when their political party is in power.
Many will experience peace only when things go the way THEY want them to go.
Everybody wants peace – they just want that peace to be on THEIR terms.
And that is why there is so much conflict in this world
But God’s peace is different than the kind of peace the world pursues. Jesus said:
John 14:27 (KJV)
27 Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
God wants to give us a peace that we can have no matter what happens to us in our lives. As one man once put it “Peace is not the absence of trouble. Peace is the presence of God”
Philippians 4:1-4-NIV
4 Therefore, my brothers and sisters, you whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm in the Lord in this way, dear friends!
2 I plead with Euodia and I plead with Syntyche to be of the same mind in the Lord. 3 Yes, and I ask you, my true companion, help these women since they have contended at my side in the cause of the gospel, along with Clement and the rest of my co-workers, whose names are in the book of life. 4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!
This is one of the most powerful passages in Scripture because it tells us HOW we can have God’s peace. (pause…)
I almost passed over verses 1-4. I had always regarded verses 5-7 as Paul’s discussion about peace. But then I realize that what he said in verses 1-4 probably initiated his entire discussion of the topic.
Look with me at Philippians 4:2 NIV
2 I plead with Euodia and I plead with Syntyche to be of the same mind in the Lord.
These ladies (Euodia and Syntyche) are not at peace… there’s a conflict between them that’s upsetting the church. It has become so obvious that news of their conflict has made its way back to Paul. And so he’s writing to them and telling them… “knock it off”
He’s telling them that the way to resolve their conflict is “To agree with each other… (HOW?) “ in the Lord.”
This brings us to the first KEY of having God’s peace in our lives - to do everything we do “in the Lord”
Remember what I said earlier about what causes conflicts in people’s lives? They want peace… but they want it on their terms.
That’s why these ladies were in conflict they wanted what they wanted - on their terms.
Now, what Paul is telling these ladies that they’ve got to change their perspective. He’s telling them that – because they were Christians - none of their conflicts were “about them” anymore. They belonged to Christ.
1 Corinthians 6:19-20 (NIV)
19 Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; 20 you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.
Therefore, since these ladies belonged to God - their objective was no longer allowed to be based upon whether they WIN. That’s the way many people conduct themselves in such conflicts. They want to win. They want conflicts resolved in their favor. And, if you were a pagan, you could do things that way. But if you belong to Jesus, you can’t do things that way anymore. If you belong to Jesus, you have to start asking yourselves the question: ‘What does God want? Not - what do I want?”
Remember Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane when He prayed “Not my will, but thine?” He’s our role model. He has set the pattern of our priorities. When conflicts arise, we need to ask “What does God want?”
Well, the Bible tells us. A repeated command throughout the Bible is “Love One another”. You have a conflict with someone in the church… settle it! Resolve it! DO NOT rest until you have sought or until you have given or received forgiveness.
In fact, this is so critical that I get the impression that Paul wanted the entire church at Philippi to be involved in this endeavor of getting these ladies back together. To crowd them into the same pew, to find ways of helping them settle their differences.
Why? Because when we do this… God promises us His peace!
Another key to having God’s peace is to INCLUDE GOD in all that we do.
Philippians 4:5-7 (NIV)
5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
The principal reason people don’t have peace in their lives is because they don’t include God in solving their problems. Perhaps they think God is too busy, maybe they don’t want to bother Him, or maybe they would prefer to handle it themselves
But as one person once observed… “If something is big enough to worry about… it’s big enough to pray about.” (repeat)
BUT the kind of prayer I need to pray is the one that turns all my problems over to God. Because if I don’t turn my problems over to God… if I end up being the only one struggling with my problems… then I will not have peace. The principal reason people don’t have peace in their lives is because they don’t include God in solving their problems.
Too often we view praying to God the same way a mountaineer once did. He fell off a cliff, and as he tumbled down into the huge canyon, he grabbed hold of a branch of a small tree. "Help!" he shouted. "Is there anyone up there?"
A deep, majestic voice from the sky echoed through the canyon. "I will help you, my son. But first you must have faith and trust me." "All right, all right, I trust you," answered the man. The voice replied, "Then, let go of the branch."
There was a long pause, and the man shouted again, "Is there anyone else up there?"
The problem is, when we approach God in that fashion, we’ll have neither peace nor answered prayer.
James tells us James 1:6-8 (NIV)
6 But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. 7 That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. 8 Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do.
IF I WANT GOD’S PEACE IN MY LIFE
I need to do all that I do “in the Lord” – I must live by His priorities
In all that I do I must include God, especially in prayer and now…
In all that I do, I MUST REMEMBER what God has done before.
Remember that mountain climber who wanted someone else to answer his plea???
Why did he doubt? He didn’t trust the voice. The voice was asking him to do something that he wouldn’t ordinarily do. And most importantly, the voice had no track record that he could trust. The voice had no credibility with him.
Philippians 4:8-9 (NIV)
8 Finally, brothers and sisters, 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. 9 Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.
What has God done in the past? How has God shown Himself to be faithful?
How has God shown Himself to be worthy of your trust? THINK ON THESE THINGS!
The reason many people don’t trust God with their lives is because they’ve never practiced the concept. But when we do… God’s peace is the result.
The peace that God promises us is different than the peace that this world pursues. The peace that appeals to most people is that which hinges on life being kind and gentle with them. If things are good and life runs along at a gentle flow, they are comfortable and at peace. But when difficulties strike and tragedy overwhelms them, their peace disappears. The Bible is very clear on the fact that life will be hard even for the Christian. Jesus “In this world you will have trouble.” Even the disciples faced repeated conflict and difficulties as they were arrested, beaten, stoned, whipped, thrown in prison and executed because of their faith. But the peace of “passes all understanding.” It’s a peace that makes absolutely no earthly sense, because it’s based upon God’s presence. He doesn’t remove the pain and the tragedy from our lives because this world is not our home
Do you have Peace?
