HOW TO HAVE PEACE IN A WORLD OF TURMOIL
LUKE 23:44-49
Everyone is seeking peace. Go to any part of the world and you will find people searching for peace. It may be world peace they are seeking—like the summits between the United States and the other superpowers. They may be seeking peace between nations--like in the Middle East. It may be much more personal. They may be seeking peace in their own family.
But, even beyond these there is another kind of peace that everyone is seeking—inner peace. We want to be at peace within ourselves. Inner conflicts and turmoil can become like ancient tortures to our soul. If we could speak to suicide victims after they had taken their life they would say, “I was in such inner anguish and turmoil I could not stand it any longer. I did not want to live another day like this.”
Books are sold by the millions each year promising inner peace. These books are promising a way to find inner peace where there is inner turmoil.
Today, in the words of Jesus as He is dying on the cross, we see the key to true peace.
44 It was now about the sixth hour, and darkness fell over the whole land until the ninth hour, 45 because the sun was obscured; and the veil of the temple was torn in two. 46 And Jesus, crying out with a loud voice, said, "Father, INTO YOUR HANDS I COMMIT MY SPIRIT." Having said this, He breathed His last. 47 Now when the centurion saw what had happened, he began praising God, saying, "Certainly this man was innocent." 48 And all the crowds who came together for this spectacle, when they observed what had happened, began to return, beating their breasts. 49 And all His acquaintances and the women who accompanied Him from Galilee were standing at a distance, seeing these things. (Luke 23:44-49)
Did you see it? In the last words Jesus spoke before His death we have the answer to our inner conflicts and turmoil. “Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit.” Let’s examine these words of Jesus and discover the key to having peace in a world filled with turmoil.
The first key to having inner peace is to have peace with God. You can never have true lasting inner peace until you are first at peace with God. In these last words of Jesus we see His peace with God as He addresses Him as Father. Through the Gospels Jesus has called God His Father. With this word of familial closeness, Jesus is stressing His oneness and communion with God.
The significance of this can be seen when we reconstruct His six hours on the cross. After being scourged by the soldiers, they nailed Him to the cross. At this time He prays “Father forgive them for they do not know what they are doing.” His communion and fellowship with God is still intact. He maybe at war with man but He is at peace with God.
After experiencing men’s hatred for three hours, the sky darkens and God pours forth His holy anger over our sins upon Jesus. As Jesus becomes sin for us there is a break in His peace with God. He is experiencing for the first time the full wrath of Holy God. There is a separation between Him and the Father as He is smitten of God and afflicted, as He is pierced through for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities, and the chastening for our well-being fell upon Him. At the height of this spiritual agony Jesus exclaims, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” Notice, Jesus does not say “My Father” but “My God.” I believe this shows the separation, the break in the communion between Himself and the Father. While He is experiencing the full fury of God’s holy anger, He is not at peace with the Father.
Then when Jesus had fully paid the price for our sins—made the atoning sacrifice, He is once again at peace with His Father God. In the words of Isaiah 53, “As a result of the anguish of His soul He will see it and be satisfied.” When Jesus had completely satisfied God’s holiness and justice He said, “It is finished!” He had accomplished all that God desired for Him to do. He had perfectly fulfilled the Scriptures. Now He once again calls God, “Father.” He says, “Father, into Your hands I commit my Spirit.” Jesus is once again at peace with God. The fellowship has been restored! The communion has been reestablished! The sin barrier has been removed! Jesus is at peace with His Father God!
If we are ever to have true inner peace it must start with being at peace with God. How can you and I have that peace with God that Jesus had? We must first realize as humans born into this human race we are not at peace with God. The Bible says, “There is none righteous no not one.” It says, “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” God said in Isaiah, “Your sins have caused a separation between you and your God.” Because we have all sinned, we all are under the righteous anger of God. Romans 1:18 says, “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness.” Instead of being at peace with God we are under His Holy anger, His wrath.
Next, we must realize that Jesus took our place on the cross. Although we, because of our sins, deserve to be put on the cross, Jesus took our place. He experienced God’s wrath for us. He removed the sin barrier by coming sin for us. In His perfect life and death on the cross He satisfied God’s holiness and justice.
By placing my faith and trust in what Jesus accomplished, I am set right with God and have peace with Him. When I believe Jesus did everything necessary for me to have peace with God, that I can add nothing to what He has accomplished, and simply place my trust in Him-- God gives me right standing and peace with Himself. Romans 5:1 says, “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Do you have this peace with God? Have you placed your faith in what the Lord Jesus accomplished? This is the first step to lasting inner peace.
The second key to inner peace is to have the peace of God. Inner peace starts with having peace with God and then moves to having the peace of God. The key to have the peace of God can be seen in Jesus’ words, “Into Your hands I commit My spirit.”
First, to have God’s peace you must realize God’s sovereign authority in your life. The term “hands” in the Bible represents authority and power. When the Old Testament wanted to speak of God’s powerful deliverance of Israel from Pharaoh’s bondage it says with a mighty hand God delivered them. We read in Exodus, “Then Moses entreated the LORD his God, and said, "O LORD, why does Your anger burn against Your people whom You have brought out from the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand?” (Ex 32:11) We also see this in 1 Peter 5:6-7 which says, “Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, 7 casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you.” Peter is saying we are to humble ourselves under the authority, power of Almighty God.
When Jesus says “into Your hands” He is recognizing the Father’s sovereign authority in His life. Remember, though Jesus was fully God, He submitted Himself to the Father. Jesus knew that nothing could happen to Him that was not ordained of the Father. God the Father was in sovereign control of all these events. Even while Jesus was in the hands of sinful men, He was still in the hands of God. Compare these two verses. Talking about His coming death Jesus told His disciples, "Let these words sink into your ears; for the Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men." (Luke 9:44) When Peter in Acts 4 prayed to God for boldness he said, "For truly in this city there were gathered together against Your holy servant Jesus, whom You anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, 28 to do whatever Your hand and Your purpose predestined to occur.” Acts 4:27-29 Do you see the truth in these two verses? Even while Jesus was suffering at the hands of sinful men, He was still in the hands of His Father God. Nothing could happen to Him that was outside the sovereign will of God.
If you are going to have the peace of God, you must recognize God’s sovereign hand in your life. Evangelist Vance Havner said, “The devil may light the furnace, but God keeps His hand on the thermostat.” Nothing can come into your life that the sovereign hand of God does not allow. Realizing this can give you peace. When you are tempted He has promised that He will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you can endure. No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it. (I Cor. 10:13) In 2 Corinthians 12 He promises that His grace will be sufficient for any situation you face. And He has said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness." Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. 10 Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong. (2 Cor 12:9-10) In Romans 8:28-29 God promises He will work in all the things that happen to you to bring Himself glory and to bring you into Christ-likeness. And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. 29 For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren.
The second thing you must do to have God’s peace is to entrust all that you are and all that you have to our sovereign God. It’s not enough to just recognize His sovereign hand in your life, but you must also surrender all that you are and all that you have into His sovereign hand. We see this in Jesus’ word, “commit.” “Father into Your hands I commit My spirit.” The word commit literally means to place with, to entrust to someone, to deposit and to commit to someone’s care. Here Jesus is entrusting His spirit into the sovereign hands of God His Father. He trusts the Father to raise Him from the dead. He knew Psalm 16:10 which says, “For You will not abandon my soul to Sheol; Nor will You allow Your Holy One to undergo decay.” Jesus was trusting that the Father would neither abandon His soul to Hades (place of the dead) nor would He allow His body to undergo decay. Because Jesus knew this Psalm, He believed the Father would bring His spirit and body together again in resurrection. Jesus entrusted all that He was and all that He had to the sovereign hands of the Father. Therefore, Jesus died at peace with God, and He died with the peace of God.
You can have this same peace of God no matter what your situation might be. How can you have peace in a world of turmoil? First, recognize God’s sovereign hand in your life. God who works all things after the counsel of His will. Nothing can come into your life that is not filtered through God’s sovereignty. Second, entrust all that you are and all that you have to God’s sovereign care. You can entrust your all to him. He loves you beyond measure. When you do this you will have the peace that surpasses understanding.
You can have peace in adversity. Do you remember Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego, the three Hebrew boys who were taken into captivity by King Nebuchadnezzar? He had a stature made of himself, and demanded everyone bow down and prayer to the statue. When Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego would not do this, King Nebuchadnezzar threatened to have them thrown into the fiery furnace. I call that adversity! How did they respond? How would you have responded? They responded in perfect peace. Look what they said to King Nebuchadnezzar.
Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego replied to the king, "O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to give you an answer concerning this matter. 17 " If it be so, our God whom we serve (Notice first, they had peace with God. He was their God whom they served) is able to deliver us from the furnace of blazing fire; and He will deliver us out of your hand, O king. (Next, they recognized God’s sovereign hand was in control of their situation) 18 " But even if He does not, let it be known to you, O king, that we are not going to serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up." (Dan 3:16-18) Third, they were entrusting all to God. They had God’s perfect peace. They were going to obey God trusting Him to take care of the results! You can have this same peace in your adversities by following these same steps. Recognize God’s sovereign control in your situation and entrust your all to His care.
You can also have peace even in the midst of death. When Stephen was being stoned to death because of his testimony about Jesus, the Scriptures say he looked into heaven and seeing Jesus he said, “Lord Jesus receive my spirit.” He died at peace with God and with the peace of God.
What about you this morning? Do you have true peace in a world filled with turmoil? You can have this peace. Jesus said, “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand.”(John 10:28-29) The picture is the shepherd holding his sheep in his arms. Jesus holds Christians in His hands and no one can take us away. There is no better place to be than in the arms of Jesus. That peace your soul longs for can only be found in Jesus. Apart from Him you will experience eternal turmoil, agony, and suffering.
How will you spend eternity? Will you spend it in Jesus’ loving hands or apart from Him in the eternal fires of hell? Will you say today, “Father into Your hands I commit my spirit? I know I have sinned and I am separated from you because of my sins. I know I cannot do anything to earn or deserve heaven. I also know You Lord Jesus have done everything necessary for me to have my sins forgiven and to have a place in heaven. I commit myself to You as my Savior and Lord. I trust You for my salvation and I surrender my will to You. I am willing to turn away from all my sins and turn to You in faith and surrender.” Then you will have peace with God. Next, recognize God’s sovereign hand in your life, and then entrust your all to His loving care. No matter what you face in this life you can have true peace, His peace.
