FINDING PEACE OF MIND
II Cor. 2:12-17
INTRO.- Peace of mind. Many things cause us to lose it.
ILL.- A cowboy Sheriff in the old west said to a man, "Excuse me for being nervous," as he slipped the noose over the condemned man’s head, "This is my first hanging."
The man replied, "Mine too!"
If you were about to have your neck stretched and/or lose your life you would have little peace of mind.
ILL.- A bank robber help up a bank one time. He said to the teller, "Give me all your money." The teller replied, "HERE, TAKE THE BOOKS TOO, I’M SHORT TEN THOUSAND DOLLARS."
If you were in trouble financially, that would certainly cause you to lose your peace of mind.
ILL.- Charles Keating, owner of the failed Lincoln Savings and Loan Association in 1991, was shook up as he left the courtroom on August 2, 1991. Keating was facing 20 counts of securities fraud. As he left the courtroom, a 90-year-old former customer named Sarah Mandell, grabbed him by the collar and began shaking him, saying, "GIVE ME BACK MY MONEY!"
If we were to lose all our money in some failed financial institution we would probably have little peace of mind.
ILL.- It’s like the latest deal, THE ENRON CORPORATION. Some people have lost millions. One man was interviewed on national TV and stated that he lost 2 million dollars in Enron stocks. BET HE HAS LITTLE PEACE OF MIND RIGHT NOW! He’s probably worried to death about his financial future.
And what it makes even worse is that apparently some of the top dogs in that corporation are still doing quite well!
It is said that, Kenneth Lay, chairman and CEO of Enron, is one of the 16,000 still employed after abrupt layoffs left more than a quarter of the Enron workforce unemployed.
Kenneth Lay and other top executives are still living the Houston good-life in the best neighborhoods. Lay’s home is the entire 33rd floor of a high rise. The former CEO is building a new house. He golfs at the nearby $75,000 membership River Oaks Country Club and is a frequent diner at the fanciest restaurants.
Kenneth Lay may have some "peace of mind," but not the stockholders and/or employees who lost millions!
Certain things happen to all of us in life which cause us to lose our peace of mind.
ILL.- Listen to this letter from my Hispanic Brother Ruben Casas. As most of you know, Brother Ruben preaches to a Hispanic congregation in East Los Angeles. Last week he wrote, "This past week was the pits for me. Gangs did another drive by (shooting) and three people died. One is in critical condition and might also die. Please pray for this terrible situation. They were not members of the church, but had contact with members of the church. It is difficult around here."
In another letter he wrote: "The living conditions in East Los Angeles are not safe for our family. The schools are performing very poorly. I want my children to attend better schools in Covina. El Sereno, which is the name of the community where the church is located, is a very ugly neighborhood. We have graffiti all over the front walls of the church property. Almost all of the decorative small windows in the front of the church are broken. Some of them have been hit with bullets, others with stones or other objets. It is a rough area.
"Although we have a chain link fence around the property, individuals have tried to break into the church as recently as Monday night. All of our doors are made of steel and the windows have steel bars. That is not legal in Los Angeles, but we have no other recourse in order to protect the church property."
Sounds like Brother Ruben has little peace of mind! I’ll put it this way: I don’t plan on moving to East L.A. any time soon!
There will always be many things in life to keep us from experiencing peace of mind. Each of us could list a dozen things or more that make it difficult for us to keep calm or worry free: family problems, children problems, marital difficulties, work problems, financial worries, car worries, health problems, etc.
Even the apostle Paul did not experience a peace of mind at times. Paul said, "The Lord opened a door for me, but I still had no peace of mind."
That’s somewhat surprising, because normally we think of inner peace as a natural result of being a Christian. But Paul admitted that during this period of his missionary journey, he had no peace of mind.
Christians do experience pressure, stress and worry. But our faith in Christ should make a difference. IT CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE IF WE WILL LET IT!
PROP.- Let me share a few thoughts that should help us to find peace of mind in this world of stress. We need:
1- a grateful heart
2- a sense of significance
3- a sure destiny
I. WE NEED A GRATEFUL HEART
II Cor. 2:14 "Thanks be to God..."
Phil. 4:6-7 "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and petition, WITH THANKSGIVING, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."
A grateful heart is needed if we are ever going to have any peace of mind!
When we complain about our problems all the time, all we do is increase our problems. All we do is increase our stress level. But when we praise God for the good things in our lives, we increase our peace!
ILL.- I heard a sermon one time which had three simple points: God is good. God is generous. God is gracious. Therefore, put your trust in Him. We do need to be reminded of these things about God! He is good, generous, and gracious!
But we have a tendency to focus on the negative things in our lives instead of all the good He has poured out on us!
MOST OF US COMPLAIN FAR TOO MUCH. We Americans are blessed. We American Christians are blessed in great abundance. Griping and complaining are an indication of spiritual immaturity.
We tend to think that criticism and complaint are privileges that we have, but in reality, they destroy our peace and anger God.
Numbers 11:1 "Now the people complained about their hardships in the hearing of the Lord, and when He heard them His anger was aroused."
I wonder if God ever gets angry at us? Hmmm!
Instead of thanking Him constantly, daily, hourly for his goodness, generosity, and graciousness, we complain.
ILL.- Some children decided to play a trick on Grandpa one day. When he was taking a nap, they sprayed his mustache with bug spray. When he woke up, he sniffed the air and said, "Something in this house stinks."
He went into the kitchen and said, "This kitchen stinks!" He went outside and said, "THE WHOLE WORLD STINKS!"
It wasn’t the world that stunk, it was Grandpa! There is something wrong with us if we complain all the time that everything and everybody stinks!
ILL.- Two women went to a concert. On the way home, one asked the other, "How did you like the concert?" The other woman replied, "Well, the way that first violinist blew his nose after the first selection just ruined the entire evening for me."
Some people miss the entire concert of life because they focus on one negative thing! Like somebody blowing their nose.
ILL.- A lady said to preacher George Stuart one Sunday morning, "Doctor, you said britches instead of trousers in your sermon. That is such a coarse word, and I was embarrassed by it."
"Well," replied, Dr. Stuart, "Let’s see. What did I say before I said britches?" She said, "I don’t know." "And what did I say after I said britches?" She said, "I don’t know."
Stuart said, "Well, if I hadn’t said britches in my sermon, you wouldn’t have remembered anything I said."
Some people fasten onto one flaw in a sermon and miss all the other good things.
Our peace is often destroyed because we only see problems and not blessings. We only see the negative stuff and never the positive.
This principle also applies to how we view people. Some people only see the negative things in other people’s lives. As a result of this, they become spiritual policemen, trying to correct everybody’s life.
SOME PEOPLE ENJOY GIVING OTHER PEOPLE A "PIECE OF THEIR MIND," but when they do this, they lose their peace of mind! Their inner peace!
ILL.- I know of an elder in a church one time who smoked cigars. I didn’t like cigars and I don’t like cigars. I don’t like the smoke nor the stink. I didn’t like that about him, but it was the only flaw that I ever saw in his character. I was not about to chew on him for smoking those cigars. He was such a good man, a good Christian man in every other area of his life!
To accost him for smoking would have cost me my own peace. It would have caused me more stress. When you stick others, you stick yourself. Besides, I had negative qualities in my own life that were far worse than his smoking.
Phil. 2:14-15 "Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation."
We will never appear "without fault" to an unbelieving world if we go around griping and complaining all the time. Instead of complaining, we need to start praying and praising!
We need to focus on God’s goodness, His generosity, and His grace and graciousness! His love. His patience. His forgiveness. We need to give thanks and praise! This thankful attitude should be evident in our lives. Evident to all around us.
We need to learn to focus on what we do have, instead of what we don’t have! For example, when you get up in the morning do you thank God for the sleep that you got? Or do you complain because you have to get up?
Brothers and sisters, be thankful that you have a house to live in and a bed to sleep in! Be thankful for the food on your table, even if it’s not the best or the most. Some people in the world don’t get to eat every day! Some people don’t have a house nor a bed!
How spoiled and rotten we are at times! We have so much and we are so ungrateful! It’s no wonder we don’t have any peace within!
Count your blessings and give thanks. You’ll be better for it. And you’ll feel better for it.
II. WE NEED A SENSE OF SIGNIFICANCE
ILL.- A man walked into a restaurant in a strange town. The waiter came and asked the man for his order. Feeling kind of lonely, the man said, "I want meat loaf and a kind word."
Later, when the waiter returned with his order of meat loaf, the man said, "Where’s the kind word?" The waiter placed the man’s order on his table, sighed, bent down and whispered in his ear, "Don’t eat the meat loaf."
Brothers and sisters, what did you live for? Is it to give a kind word to someone? I hope so. At least that. And even more. God put us here for others. To speak a kind word. To do a kind deed. To shed light in a person’s life in a gracious way.
We need to know that our lives count for something here and now. We need to know that our lives are important to others in order to have some peace of mind. WHEN YOU KNOW YOU ARE A BLESSING TO SOMEONE, IT BRINGS THE BLESSING OF PEACE INTO YOUR OWN LIFE!
II Cor. 2:14 "But thanks be to God, who...through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of Him (Christ)."
When you are know you are spreading around a good fragrance, the fragrance of Christ, it can’t help but make you feel better.
Paul knew that his life was not only important to God, but also to others. What about you? Do you know? If someone isn’t saying something positive to you about your life, like, "I need you in my life." Or "Thank you for what you have done." Or "Could you pray for me, etc." then something may be wrong with your life.
ILL.- Victor Frankl wrote, "There’s nothing in the world which helps a person surmount difficulties, survive disappointments, keep healthy and happy, as the knowledge of a life task worthy of his dedication."
What is your life task? Do you know what it is? Are you aware of it? Are you blessing others in it? I pray so. And when you do, you’ll be blessed in many ways.
If you only exist for yourself, your life will be miserable. No peace. No joy. No thrill. But if you live for others, try to do things for others, minister to others, you will be blessed. You will receive. You will receive peace within.
ILL.- The poet wrote:
Is anybody happier because you passed his way?
Does anyone remember that you spoke to him or her today?
Can you say tonight in passing with the days that slipped so fast,
That you helped a single person, or the man that you passed?
ILL.- When preacher John Wesley visited Rathby to preach in his church, as he went into the pulpit a child sat on the steps directly in the way. Instead of asking, "Why is that child allowed to sit there?" Wesley took the child in his arms, kissed her, and then placed her on the same spot where she had been sitting.
That reminds me of someone else. Jesus. HAVE YOU KISSED A CHILD LATELY? Have you noticed a child lately? Have you spoke to a child lately? Have you picked up a child lately?
When you leave people’s presence, does it make them feel better or sad? Better or worse? If they are sad for your leaving, then you have done something good. If they are glad, then otherwise.
We all need to think about the fragrance that we spread or leave behind.
Gal. 6:10 "Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially, to those who belong to the family of believers."
ILL.- John Ruskin once said that when we fail to praise someone that deserves praise, two sad things happen:
1- We run a chance of driving him from the right road for want of encouragement.
2- We deprive ourselves of the happiest privilege of being a rewarder to him who deserves reward.
When we fail to commend, praise, give encouragement, and help others, we take these very things from our own lives. Why don’t you start looking for the good in people’s lives with the idea of commending them?
ILL.- Ben Franklin said, "When you are good to others, you are best to yourself." When we bless others, we bless ourselves!
Prov. 11:25 "A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed."
Why not make it your goal in life to refresh others any way you can? That’s the significant life that we all need to live.
1- We need a grateful heart
2- We need a sense of significance
III. WE NEED A KNOWLEDGE OF OUR DESTINY
ILL.- According to one preacher, St. Peter processes applicants to heaven in a very unique way. He gives each person a piece of chalk and say, "You start climbing that big ladder and every time you reach another rung, you make a chalk mark for each sin you committed."
An hour later, one man was climbing down the ladder. At the bottom, an angel asked him, "Didn’t you make it?"
"I don’t know," replied the man, "I’m just coming down to get more chalk."
Brothers and sisters, if this is true, some of us are going to use more chalk than others. And I figure I will be at the top of that list. I would use as much or more than anyone.
I feel much like the apostle Paul who said in Eph. 3:8, "I am less than the least of all God’s people." At least, I have often felt that way.
Rom. 4:7-8 "Blessed are they whose transgressions are forgiven; whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will never count against him."
Blessed are they. BLESSED ARE WE! If the Lord held any of our sins against us, just one single sin, we’d all be in trouble. But thank God, He doesn’t!
ILL.- Some years ago I was in need of a job. I had a running friend in Southern Illinois who was the General Manager of the Silk Tree Factory, which was a home decor store. At that time they had about a 6 or 7 stores and the company was growing. They were going to lease a building in Cape Girardeau, MO, and open up a new store there.
I told my friend, "I need a job." He said, "You got one." It was as simple as that. However, we all know that often it is not as simple as that.
We’ve all heard that it’s "who you know," not "what you know." Sometimes this is very true. It my case, it was true. My good friend came to my aid. He came to be my salvation.
GUESS WHAT? When it comes to our salvation in heaven, it is "who we know" more than "what we know." It is because we know the Lord Jesus Christ and have become personally acquainted with him.
If our salvation was dependent on our Bible knowledge, all of us would be lost! But thank God that Jesus is greater than our knowledge and HE IS STILL GREATER THAN OUR SIN!
God will not hold our sins against us and it’s all because of Jesus. We know Him. We believe in Him and we believe Him. We trust in Him. We have surrendered to Him. IT’S WHO WE KNOW THAT GIVES US ASSURANCE OF LIFE AFTER DEATH!
II Cor. 2:14 "But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ..."
We have a triumphal Savior in Jesus Christ! He triumphed over sin, Satan and the second death. And He enables us to do the same! When you know your eternal destiny is a sure thing it gives you great peace of mind!
ILL.- Have you ever watched a video tape of a ball game after the fact, knowing that your team had already won? You’re so excited and happy that you stay up until one in the morning to watch the game.
Your whole attitude is different. Your team might get behind 10 points, but you don’t care, you don’t get shook up, you don’t worry, BECAUSE YOU KNOW HOW THE GAME ENDS!
So with the Christian when it comes to life. We don’t mind some of the things that happen in life, because we know what is going to happen in the end! WE KNOW THAT OUR ETERNAL DESTINY IS A SURE THING!
Brothers and sisters, I am not worried about the end of my life. I may worry how I get there, but I am not worried about where I will end up. AND IT’S BECAUSE OF WHO I KNOW. It’s not that I know me. It’s that I know Christ! He is trustworthy. He is faithful. He is my Savior!
I will never do enough good to merit salvation. Nor will my sin keep me out. Because I trust Christ. I am trying as best I can to walk with Christ.
WE HAVE A SURE DESTINY IN CHRIST! Are you sure? You can be sure.
CONCLUSION-------------------------------------
ILL.- A man named Lowell (Bud) Paxton made millions of dollars with his idea for the HOME SHOPPING NETWORK on TV. But his life was not at peace.
There was a troubled marriage and a multitude of frustrations in his life. Then Bud became a Christian and his whole value system changed. People now mattered more than things, eternity more than the present.
On Oct. 19, 1987, Bud Paxton was scheduled to address the International Convention of Stockbrokers in Washington, D.C., a gathering of 1,800 brokerage firms.
But when he entered the room at 1:30, only about 20 people were there. Earlier in the day, the stock market had started to plunge - a plunge that would go down 508 points. The people had panicked. Everybody left.
Paxton himself had over 100 million dollars in the stock market that day. His preacher asked him, "Aren’t you ruffled? How do you feel about it?"
Paxton said, "I’m just thankful that my trust isn’t in the things of this world." WHAT A GREAT ANSWER OF FAITH!
Do you want peace of mind? It can only come through trust in Christ, a continual trust in Christ. Do you have it? Do you want it? Trust and obey.
