OPEN: Several years ago, I visited the historic site of Appomattox and heard an amazing story.
As I remember it, our guide told of Wilmer McLean who owned a home near Bull Run. His house was seriously damaged during the opening battle of the Civil War, and so, falsely believing he would be safer from future conflicts, he rebuilt his home - only to have it destroyed during the 2nd battle of Bull Run.
Disgusted, he moved to a part of the country where he felt he could escape the ravages of war - a small obscure community called Appomattox. When Lee surrendered to Grant, it was McLean’s house that was used by the two Generals to sign the historic terms of surrender. Their aides de camp were so moved by the signing they desired a memento of the occasion - a souvenir to remember what had taken place in this house. So they all walked off with a piece of furniture from McLean’s house.
APPLY: No matter where that man ran he could not escape conflict. He could never seem to find peace.
People have sought peace for generations.
They have rallied for it.
They have bargained for it.
They have compromised for it
They have even fought for it.
They presume that if they can ever create an world where there is no trouble, no difficulties, no conflicts - then they can have perfect peace.
But Jesus tells us (even for us who belong to Him) “in this world you will experience trouble…” John 16:33
Peter wrote: “Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you.” 1 Peter 4:12
You are NEVER going to reach a place in this world where there will be no trouble
No difficulties
No conflicts
(pause…) It’s never going to happen.
The circumstances of conflict and troubles will (sooner or later) invade your life. And you will not be able to move away from them.
But you can choose how you will deal with those circumstances…
ILLUS: Victor Frankl was a Jewish Medical Doctor during 1930’s. Frankl was a pioneer of modern day psychotherapy, and he developed much of his theory for Psychotherapy while a prisoner in a WWII concentration camp, arrested along with other Jews and imprisoned. As a Medical Doctor, he was put to work treating other prisoners.
While serving in that capacity, he had an opportunity to observe people under the most trying of circumstances. He saw people as they lived… and he saw them as they died. He had expected that people who were weak would die and those who were strong would survive. However, that wasn’t always true and it caused Frankl to wander if there wasn’t something else involved. What he observed became the source of his “Logo Therapy.” He noticed that those who lived had one thing in common: they had chosen to live rather than die.
He found that when everything else had been taken, friends, food, dignity, health… the one thing their captors could not take away was – choice. The choice to live.
According to Frankl, the last of man’s inalienable rights was the right of individual to choose how they would respond in any given situation. Victor Frankl said: “You cannot always control your circumstances, but you have the power to control your response to your circumstances.”
In other words, you can have peace, because you CHOOSE peace… you pursue it.
As Psalm 34:14b tells us “…seek peace and pursue it.”
I. What Kind of Peace should we pursue?
Jesus said: Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. John 14:27
What kind of peace is this? This peace of Jesus. It’s a peace where my heart isn’t troubled. It’s a peace where I am not afraid.
It’s not like the “world’s peace” Because the world’s peace is based upon what my circumstances are. If my life going badly then I’ll be sad or angry. If things are going well, only then will I be pleased. That’s the peace the world knows.
BUT this peace from Jesus is different. This peace is a promise from God of His peace IN SPITE OF my circumstances.
As Paul writes: this peace “transcends all understanding” – it doesn’t even make any sense to the world.
Isaiah tells us that this kind of peace (perfect peace) is promised by God to His people.
You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you. Isaiah 26:3
II. What’s this peace like? How will you know when you have it?
You won’t stumble through life. As we’re told in Psalms 119:165 “Great peace have they who love your law, and NOTHING CAN MAKE THEM STUMBLE.”
You know you have God’s perfect peace, because…
…You’ll be surefooted
…Confident
…Able to stand up with courage and boldness
ILLUS: It reminds me of the story of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. When commanded by the Babylonian King to bow down to his golden idol they replied:
"O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up." (Daniel 3:16b-18)
Did you catch that? Even if God doesn’t rescue us…
we WILL NOT bow down.
we WILL NOT fall down
we WILL NOT stumble down before your idol.
You know you have the peace of God when you are able to stand tall and look dead into the fiery furnace in your life and say: "Even if He doesn’t rescue me …. I will not stumble"
It doesn’t mean you won’t be a little scared… but it does mean that even when you are scared, you won’t even think of turning/ you won’t consider giving up BECAUSE your trust will be in God… not your circumstances.
III. So, how do I get this peace? How do I “pursue it?”
Well, Isaiah 26 tells us something about that – READ Isaiah 26:1-3
“In that day this song will be sung in the land of Judah: We have a strong city; God makes salvation its walls and ramparts. Open the gates that the righteous nation may enter, the nation that keeps faith. You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you.”
In vs. 1 we’re told we have a strong city; God makes salvation its walls and ramparts.The imagery God is using is that of safety and peace INSIDE the walls of a city. In other words, if you’re going to find God’s peace & security you’ve got to be inside the walls. You have to be where He wants you to be.
Now, I know I’m preaching to the choir here, but part of that means being in church.
Jesus: “where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in the midst of them." Matt.18:20
God’s church can be a strong city with Jesus setting right in the middle of it. God’s peace is here BECAUSE Jesus is here. That’s a spiritual reality
But there’s a practical aspect of this as well… when you go to church you can find God’s peace because there are other Christians to model yourself after. And when you model yourself after other faithful believers, you are GUARANTEED peace.
Paul wrote: 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. Philippians 4:9
How does that work? It works because the people you hang around with shape your life. If I spend my time reading great books – I’ll begin to think like those people. If I spend my time watching MTV – I’ll begin to think like those people
ILLUS: Just as an example. How many of you notice that once in a while I slip into a southern accent? I wasn’t raised in the south. I’ve spent very few of my days south of the Indiana border. But as I was growing up – one of my favorite shows on TV was the Andy Griffith show. He stood for every thing that I wanted to be: well liked, easy going, wise, clever and kind. I identified so strongly with his character that ever since, you will find that I’ll slip into that same southern drawl he had when I speak.
I became what I train my mind to become. And I trained my mind to become what I want, by what I spent my time listening to.
That’s why, if I want to be skilled in a given trade, I may apprentice myself to that type of workman, so I can watch them as they work and listen to how they reason.
Or I will go to college and learn from teachers who can help me to think as I ought to think the to prepare me for the occupation of my choice.
Too often, we don’t have peace in our lives, because we listen to the wrong things.
We listen to the wrong music
Or we watch the wrong TV programs
Or we read the wrong kinds of books and magazines
Or we spend our time with the wrong kinds of people
You’re not going to find God’s peace there…
What you’ll find by surrounding yourself with that kind of music, entertainment and companionship is anger, blasphemy, cursing, lust, arrogance, impurity, self-righteousness etc.
God tells us Do not be misled: "Bad company corrupts good character." 1 Corinthians 15:33
You can’t spend a lot of time with certain kinds of people and receive God’s kind of peace.
But, when you come to church and begin to look to other Christians whom you can admire, then you’ve got someone to model your life after. You can learn how to live your Christianity as they do and you can gain the kind of peace they’ve come to know.
IV. Lastly, and more importantly than this…
… as important as being in church and surrounding yourself with other Christians can be - if you want God’s kind of peace in your life - Then you’ve got to focus on God. You’ve got to learn to TRUST HIM.
Because if you don’t trust God, you will not have peace
God “will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you.” (Is 26:3)
ILLUS: Years ago, I was playing tag with a young 7 yr old boy. We were playing tag and he took off running and laughing thru the yard in back of the church. But he was looking back every so often to see how close I was getting. Well he looked back at the wrong time and when he finally faced forward to see where he was going – he ran square into a tree. Knocked him to the ground & blood began to flow from his mouth. He was scared. He screamed and he cried and a couple of the women tried everything they knew to get him to realize, it would be ok. He wasn’t going to lose his tooth/ the bleeding was just superficial. But he wasn’t listening. He was scared.
Suddenly it occurred to me what needed to be done. I leaned down to the boy, took him by the shoulders and told him “Look at me!”
For a moment he stopped screaming and he looked into my eyes.
“Do you trust me?” I asked.
And thru his tears and thru his torment he looked at me and said “yes.”
“If you trust me, then believe me – you’re going to be ok. Your tooth’s going to be ok. You’re going to be ok…”
And it was as if a miracle had occurred.
He stopped crying, he stopped fussing. He got up and when back to playing again.
What happened? What changed? His attitude changed because he trusted someone
What God is telling us is – our ability to gain His perfect peace is based on an attitude that is convinced that we can TRUST Him.
CLOSE: In the mid-17th century, Oliver Cromwell sent one of his officials to France to represent England in some negotiations. One night during his travels this official found he was unable to sleep. According to the custom of the day a servant slept in his room and that evening the servant was sleeping soundly. In the middle of the night the official woke his servant up to tell the servant that he could not rest because “I am so afraid something will go wrong with the diplomatic mission,”
“Master,” said the servant, “may I ask a question or two?”
“Of course.” Replied the official
“Did God rule the world before we were born?”
“Most assuredly He did.”
“And will He rule it after we are dead?”
“Certainly He will.”
“Then, master, why not let Him rule the present, too?”
Something in the servant’s reply stirred the official’s faith and he felt a deep sense of peace come over him - and in a few minutes both he and the servant were sound asleep.
SERMONS IN THE “RX FOR THE SOUL” SERIES
Healing For Depression - 1 Kings 19:1-19:18
Relieving Stress - Matthew 8:14-8:27
The Cure for Loneliness - Genesis 2:18-2:25
Peace For The Mind - Isaiah 26:1-26:12
