PEACE OR PIECES OF MIND?
What price would you pay for peace of mind? What price would you attach to being free from worry? Today we are in the grip of an epidemic of worry. Today we are living in a world where planes crash into sky scrapers, terrorists capture missionaries and hold them for ransom.
Judges are assassinated.
Police are ambushed,
Children are molested and kidnaped,
Drugs are sold on school property,
Christians attack Protestants. Muslims attack Jews.
No wonder our anxiety and stress levels is high. No wonder the mental health clinics are seeing their patient loads reach staggering proportions. And now we are close to tax time and additional worries abound.
How much taxes do I need to pay?
Am I going to have enough money for the mortgage? ,
Food,
Clothing,
Car payment and insurance,
The telephone bill
The medical bills?
And if these worries are not enough, many people also worry about their appearance, clothing, hair do, shoes, etc.? I do believe that many of us are worrying ourselves to death!
Worry, worry, worry! How many Christians lose their joy and peace because of worry! What is worry? Worry comes from the Anglo-Saxon word that means ?to strangle.? I think we can all agree that worry does strangle people physically, spiritually, and emotionally. Worry comes when the thoughts in our mind and feelings in our heart pull in different directions and ?tear us apart.? Our mind may tell us not to worry, but our heart suggests differently. This creates a vicious cycle that wrecks our emotional well-being.
Turn with me to Philippians 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.
We need peace in our lives. We need to stop worrying. We need to take a break from the daily grind of living, and just relax! We need to realize that there are some things that we can do nothing about. Some things are simply beyond our control. If we spend time worrying about them, we will waste a lot of energy because we cannot and will not change them. Not only that, it robs us of the time and our ability to deal with those things that we can change.
What does the Bible tell us about worry? Turn with me to Matthew 6:25:Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes?
Jesus has the solution here for our lives. Simply stated, He tells us we must learn to accept who and what we are. We must learn to be content with what we have. As the old proverb goes:
We should pray for the courage to change what we can,
the patience to accept what we cannot change,
And the wisdom to know the difference.
Jesus also points out that some things are more important than others. There are some things that are not worth the sweat and toil we give them. Shakespeare had a nice little saying concerning the excess toil we put into things we cannot change, ?Much ado about nothing.?
Jesus is not advocating a shiftless, thriftless, reckless, thoughtless, improvident attitude to life: what he is stating is that He forbids us to wallow in a careworn, worried fear, which takes all the joy out of life.
Christ?s ?therefore? suggests that now He is going to apply this principle to our lives. He shows that worrying about material things is foolish because it accomplishes nothing. He reminds us to have our values straight. Life consists far more than food and clothing. Jesus was poor, yet how happy and peaceful He was! Paul said he was ?poor, yet making many rich.? (2 Cor. 6:10)
Christ points to God?s care of nature - the flowers, grass, and birds. He also states that ?you are of more value than they.? Since we are of more value than the flora and fauna, it certainly is true that God will take extremely good care of us. The heavenly Father knows our needs, and if we put Him first, He will meet every need.
Jesus sets out some arguments and defenses against worry:
1. Since God gave us life than surely we can trust Him for the lesser things such as food to sustain us and clothing to keep us warm.
2. Pointing to the birds, Christ notes that they do not worry, nor do they waste their time in gathering material possessions for the unseeable future. What is more important, despite the fact that they do not toil in securing their needs, their lives do not stop but continue. One never sees deer, antelope, or elk worrying about the need to dry fruit for the winter, yet all remain healthy and vibrant. What Jesus is trying to point out is not that the animals do not work. It is that they do not worry.
3. Jesus goes on to state a very fundamental argument about worry. Worry, He says, is a characteristic of a heathen. If we know God, and are of God, than we would not be worrying. A Christian does not worry because he knows of the love of God. He knows that God loves him and will take care of him. A heathen is distrustful of others as well as of God.
4. Jesus mentions two ways in which we can overcome worry and have peace. The secret is that we must seek and concentrate on the Kingdom of God. To be in the Kingdom and to do the will of God is of paramount importance. Indeed, in the Lord?s Prayer we state: your kingdom come,
your will be done
on earth as it is in heaven. (Matthew 6:10).
To concentrate on the doing of, and the acceptance of, God?s will is the way to defeat worry.
5. Finally, Jesus tells us to live one day at a time. If each day is lived as it comes, if each task is done as it appears, then you will always have the satisfaction of knowing that you have accomplished much. This gives you peace of mind. Jesus advice is to handle each day and each task as it comes and not worry about the future and things that may never materialize.
To sum up these five admonitions of Jesus let me quote from William Barclay: ?Worry is needless, useless, and even actively injurious.? All your worrying will not change the past, for it is past. Furthermore, worry about the future is useless. Oftentimes, worry about the future of reality is seldom as bad as the future we feared. Finally, let?s look at Matthew 6: 34 : 34Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
The story is told of Tauler, a German Mystic, who was walking down a road. Along the way he met a beggar and the following conversation ensued:
?God give you a good day, my friend? Tauler said. The beggar answered, ?I thank God I never had a bad one.? Then Tauler said, ?God give you a happy life, my friend.? ?I thank God,? said the beggar, ?I am never unhappy.? Tauler in amazement said, ?What do you mean?? ?Well,? said the beggar, ?when it is fine, I thank God; when it rains, I thank God; when I have plenty, I thank God; when I am hungry, I thank God; and since God?s will is my will, and whatever pleases him pleases me, why should I say I am unhappy when I am not?? Tauler looked at the man in astonishment. ?Who are you?? Tauler asked. ?I am a king,? said the beggar. ?Where then is your kingdom?? asked Tauler. The beggar answered quietly: ?In my heart.?
Turn with me to Isaiah 26: 3 You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you.
There may be greater sins than worry, but there certainly is no greater disabling sin. There are many things in this world that will steal our peace and create anxiety in us.
Jesus points out in Matthew 6: 27 that worry is useless. If anything, worrying will shorten ones life rather than extending it. The Mayo Clinic claims that 80 to 85% of their total inpatient admissions is the result of anxiety and worry. Many experts claim that coping with stress is the number one health priority today. Many physicians claim that over half of all their patients could cure their illnesses if they would stop worrying.
Therefore, not only does worry not help, it often has the opposite effect:
Worried about losing your hair? Worry will only accelerate the process, and it will never add a single hair to your head. I know. I tried!
Worried about getting sick? Worrying suppresses the immune system, thus making it more likely for you to get ill.
Worried about losing your job? Worrying may actually cause you to be too cautious which will result in a downward spiral in your job performance.
Worried about getting fat? Many people eat more when they are worried!
The American Heart Association has closely tied worry and stress to heart trouble, high blood pressure, strokes, ulcers, thyroid malfunction, migraine headaches, stomach disorders, and many other illnesses. A million people develop high blood pressure each year. Another eight million develop ulcers every week! In other words, our worrying is keeping a lot of doctors and hospitals in business!
Despite all our worrying, we are not in control of our lives. We cannot protect ourselves absolutely from harm. We only have an illusion of control. After all, if we were in control than nobody would be harmed, no one would suffer. Even the people we think are in control are not in control. Doctors still get sick.
Stockbrokers lose money and go bankrupt.
Policemen get robbed,
Lawyers get sued.
Turn with me to Matthew 13:22: The one who received the seed that fell among the thorns is the man who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful. By excessive worrying, you become fruitless and useless to yourself and others. It is quite possible that the most dangerous phrase to our health is ?What if . . . ? Anxious speculation over the future does not empty tomorrow of its trials, but it does empty today of its joys.
We need to remember that our God is an active God. He did not create us for his enjoyment. By that I mean, we are not actors or toys that he created to amuse him and watch what happens to us. He is actively involved in our lives, if we let him. He is intimately concerned with us His creations and wants to be actively involved in providing for our needs. Turn with me to 1 Peter 5:7: 7Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.
If we truly believe in God, if our faith is certain, then we will have peace of mind. Why, because we will leave all in God?s hands. In Ephesians 2:14, we are told that through Christ, peace has been made with God. This is demonstrated by God?s justification in our case. Therefore, we should be enjoying peace. Peace with God. Peace of mind.
How do we reconcile peace of mind with the toils and tribulations of this world? First we need to understand that our home is not here on earth. Our home is in heaven. We are merely travelers here on earth. Secondly, we are told that our trials are trials which we should be able to handle. God does not want us to fail, but succeed in all things. He will not let us be overcome by that which we will not have success against. He will always be ready to assist us if we ask, sometimes even if we don?t ask. Third, Satan is going to tempt us. Why? To draw us away from God. Did you hear me? Away from God! Otherwise, Satan would not bother with us. Hence, we should rejoice in our sufferings and remember that suffering successfully will strengthen our faith, our resolve and perseverance. Turn with me to James 1:2: 2Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.
We need to develop peace within ourselves. Paul instructs us in this in Philippians 4:4 4Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 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. Does anyone know where Paul was when he wrote this? In prison. In prison! Would you be able to say anything like this if you were in prison? Have peace because the Lord is near. And you think you have problems right now? Is your life in jeopardy? Do you face the possibility of being some Lions? lunch or some gladiators target? Highly doubtful. Yet, that is what Paul was facing when he wrote this letter. Still, he was at peace. Peace with God, peace with himself.
Paul has developed a formula for peace and he is gracious enough to let us know what it is. Don?t worry, let God handle it. That is all there is to having peace of mind. Let God handle it. Surprisingly easy isn?t it. Nevertheless, we find it too difficult to let God handle our problems. We have too much pride in ourselves. To give up or turn our worries over to someone else is just too much to ask. But, we must.
Jesus gives us very good advice in John 16:33. He tells us, ? I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.? Because Jesus has overcome the world He gives us the victory. By trusting in Him, by turning everything over to Him, we will succeed. We will have victory. Isn?t that great news? Doesn?t that give you peace of mind?
Remember that Isaiah calls Jesus the Prince of Peace. He is not called the Prince of Love even though that would fit him. He is not called the Prince of Faith, even though that would be appropriate. He is called the Prince of Peace.
During this sermon I have slides of nature and churches playing in the background. Why you may ask? God has shown that nature is beautiful and at peace. Even during a storm there is beauty. Churches symbolize peacefulness, and there is beauty in the stained glass windows. Nature and the church gives us a sense of peace.
What is stopping you from having peace right now? Is it something in your control, like your attitude? Or is it pride? We do not have to be anxious about anything, yet we choose to be anxious.
You see if we do not have peace it is because we have allowed circumstances to lead us away from God and the peace He offers us. We have focused on the wrong things and not on God. Consequently, we have distanced ourselves away from God. God has not moved away. We have. It is time for us to draw near to God.
What were Jesus?s first words that He spoke to the disciples following His resurrection? ?Peace be with you.? A very simple phrase, yet it was exactly what the disciples needed right then. Their world had turned upside down. The man they had followed for more than three years was dead and buried, so they thought. They were fearing for their lives, worried that they might suffer the same fate. The very thing they needed, peace, was what Christ was offering them.
Today, Christ offers that same peace to you. Do you have it? Did you enter this sanctuary today with it already in hand? Or did you come here this morning with burdens that are just too heavy for one person to carry? Do you expect to leave here today with those burdens still on your shoulders? Or are you going to turn them over to Jesus? Remember, Christ died on the cross for you. He shed His blood to remove worry and doubt. He ascended to heaven to ensure that you will have peace. Will you let Him take your burdens, your worries and give you peace? He is waiting for your answer.
