GROUNDED IN PEACE
2 CORINTHIANS 2:12-17
INTRODUCTION... How do I get peace in my life?
1) http://www.innerself.com/Spirituality/inner_peace.htm
Prema Baba Swamji says, to find peace by doing several things. Third on the list is to breathe the pain and ’upset of the moment’ symbolically out of your heart. This is a great secret. Your heart is a transforming device. It will turn negative energy into positive loving energy… then breathe out this positive energy and give it back to the situation or individual that tried to upset you. Repeat as often as necessary.
2) http://findpeaceofmind.org/finding-peace-of-mind.htm
The Kadampa Buddhist Meditation Center says, “Since time without beginning we have been under the control of our mind, like a puppet on a string. We are like a servant working for our mind; whenever our mind wants to do something we have to do it without any choice. Sometimes our mind is like a crazy elephant, creating so many problems and dangers for our self and others. By sincerely engaging in spiritual practice we can reverse this situation, and gain mastery over our mind. Transforming our mind in this way, we will finally enjoy real freedom.”
3) http://lifeimprovementresourcecenter.com/
The Life Improvement Resource Center offers programs to help you change your life and give you peace of mind. It offers... Rapid Results Grapho Therapy which changes your life by changing your writing. The Boundless Living Flightwave System uses brain fusion for creating a new reality. The Dreams Alive Creation Program promises to effectively eliminate obstacles and problems.
I hope you get the point. There is so much advice and expertise out there on fining peace in one’s life or finding peace of mind. Finding peace in our lives is a concern and a challenge for many people. Perhaps for you. I have to say though that my life is not grounded in anything else but in the Word of God. It is not through breathing or mystical pagan meditation or some fancy program that you will find peace. How do we find peace? What does God’s Word say about finding peace and peace of mind in our lives? Let’s look to God’s Word for the answer.
READ 2 CORINTHIANS 2:12-17
Paul tells us in verse 13 that he had ’no peace of mind.’ He had arrived in Troas and expected to find his dear friend Titus there waiting for him. Yet, that was not the case. Keep in mind he could not just grab a phone and find out where Titus was or if he was in trouble. He could be imprisoned somewhere or in need of help and Paul would have no way of knowing. He was stressed. He had no peace. Verse 14 though, has a ’but.’
I. PEACE THROUGH GIVING THANKS (VERSES 12-14)
After that crucial conjunction, which often signifies a change in thought or idea, Paul says that he gives thanks to God. He gives thanks to God specifically in this situation because of God’s leading. As I read these words, I get the idea that God is leading Paul step by step where he needs to go and who he needs to be with. And Paul gives God thanks for that leading.
It is the giving of thanks that I would like to focus on. Dietrich Bonhoeffer, pastor imprisoned and executed by the Nazis in World War II said, ’In ordinary life we hardly realize that we receive a great deal more than we give, and that it is only with gratitude that life becomes rich. It is very easy to overestimate the importance of our own achievements in comparison with what we owe others.’ I see the Apostle Paul giving credit where credit is due in his life and it produced a rich peace in his life. He says in verse 16 that he is not equal to the task and he knows he needs God’s help. He knew it was God who led him to Troas and opened the door for him and that he preached not in his own power. He thanked God for that. He knew that even though Titus was not there that he was in God’s hands and he thanked God for that. He knew that God was still leading him step by step and he thanked God for that as well.
One of the marks of authentic and real Christianity is the presence of a thankful attitude even in the midst of trial and difficulty. It has been called unquenchable optimism. This kind of thanksgiving does not say, ’Praise God I have cancer!’ but does place confidence in the Lord of Lords. Paul’s faith in God saw Him working and he thanked him. This gave him peace. This attitude of thanksgiving was the base of Paul’s peace. He did have ’no peace of mind,’ but then he began to thank God for all He had given and peace came into his life and replaced the turmoil. In our lives, we like Paul, need to acknowledge where our blessings and provision comes from if we want to have peace. Peace comes from thanking God that He is in control.
I would encourage you today that if you are experiencing a lack of peace, perhaps you should get down on your knees and thank God for HIs provision, leading, and blessing in your life. Do it because He deserves it and we do not live our lives on our own. I know it may be difficult, but you will have peace.
II. PEACE THROUGH IDENTITY (VERSES 15-16)
Verse 15 continues Paul’s thought and says something very specific to us, “we are to God the aroma of Christ.” ’The Aroma of Christ’... I wonder what that means exactly. I did a little digging and found that Paul is actually thinking of a Roman Triumphal Procession when he writes these verses. If you have ever seen Ben Hur, Spartacus, or any movie set in the Roman times, you might have seen the parade march in the streets of Rome of the victorious generals to meet with the emperor. The crowds cheer the victors of war and the soldiers receive the accolades. What we do not see is that burnt offerings were given up and the air was filled with different aromas and fragrances. To the generals, soldiers, and people in the streets, it was the sweet smell of victory. To the prisoners of war following in chains, it was the smell of imprisonment and death. The fragrance in Paul’s mind is Christ. Ephesians 5:1-2 says, “Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly beloved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave Himself up as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.” Jesus is at the same time the victorious General and the victory itself. He is the fragrance.
Paul can describe himself and us in these terms because by sharing God’s Word we are spreading abroad the fragrance of the knowledge of Christ. He is sharing the knowledge of God all over and its in the air. Since we are associated with this sweet fragrance, we smell like him. For us, it is the smell of salvation and victory in Jesus. For those who reject Christ, it is the smell of eternal death.
That is our identity. Our identity is the herald of the message of Christ. We share the fragrance of God. When we realize who we are, we have peace. When we realize what God thinks of us, we have peace.
ILLUSTRATION... “How to Smell Like God” by Steven James. Cincinnati: Standard, 2002. Pgs 4-5.
In his book for teens, “How to smell like God,” Steven James says, “When I first met Tanya, I knew she was different. Part of it was the way she acted. The way she smiled. The way she looked at you. She wasn’t like most 17 year-old girls you meet. How can I say this... she smelled different than other people. Not physically, it was more like the aroma of her whole life. Then when I met Seth, I smelled the same thing. And Josh and Brook and Chris all smelled that way too. What is that smell? Over the years, I’ve met hundreds of teenagers who all smell the same. Then one day when I was reading 2 Corinthians 2:14-16, I realized what they smell like. Those students smelled like God. The fragrance of their lives was different from the stench of the world. You could tell when you were with them. Their attitudes and priorities and lifestyles were different. They smelled like they didn’t belong on this planet, like they were made for a better place. It was the fragrance of Heaven. Strong. Powerful. Life-changing.
I would encourage you today that if you are experiencing a lack of peace, perhaps it is time to stop and smell yourself. I realize that sounds strange, but honestly ask yourself if your life reflects him. Do you smell like God or do you smell like the world. An honest look at your life can bring peace.
Paul begins this small passage by telling us that he had turmoil in his life and was not at peace. Yet, it was not a permanent condition. Paul gave thanks to God for His provision and leading in his life and this brought peace. Paul knew that God saw him as the aroma of Christ and rested in this knowledge and it brought him peace. Now Paul gives us one more avenue to pursue in our lives if we need peace: purpose.
III. PEACE THROUGH PURPOSE (VERSES 16-17)
ILLUSTRATION... Dr. James Dobson, Coming Home, Timeless Wisdom for Families, Tyndale: 1998, pp. 242-243
When my daughter, Danae, was a teenager, she came home one day and said, “Hey, Dad! There’s a
great new game out. I think you’ll like it. It’s called Monopoly.” I just smiled. We gathered the family together and set up the board. It didn’t take the kids long to figure out that old Dad had played this game before. I soon owned all the best properties, including Boardwalk and Park Place. I even had Baltic and Mediterranean. My kids were squirming, and I was loving every minute of it. About midnight I foreclosed on the last property and did a little victory dance. My family wasn’t impressed. They went to bed and made me put the game away. As I began putting all of my money back in the box, a very empty feeling came over me. Everything that I had accumulated was gone. The excitement over riches was just an illusion. And then it occurred to me, Hey, this isn’t just the game of Monopoly that has caught my attention; this is the game of life. You sweat and strain to get ahead, but then one day, after a little chest pain or a wrong change of lanes on the freeway, the game ends. It all goes back in the box. You leave this world just as naked as the day you came into it. I once saw a bumper sticker that proclaimed, He who dies with the most toys wins. That’s wrong. It should say, He who dies with the most toys dies anyway.
One of the biggest selling books on the market these days is the ’Purpose Driven Life’ by Pastor Rick Warren. In fact, it has spent more than 70 weeks on the New York Times’ best-seller list. Why is there such ’broo-haha’ over a book like this? Why is the self-help section in bookstores one of the biggest? Why the success of TV and radio personalities like Dr Phil and Dr Laura? The answer to all of these questions is that every person whether they realize it or not is searching for purpose and meaning in their lives. I have found that when there is a lack of purpose there is a lack of peace.
Paul, in this passage, refers to his purpose and clings to it. Paul knows that the purpose of his life is to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He had done other things. He had other skills and jobs he could do. In fact, Acts 18:3 describes him having skills in the tent-making trade. Yet, his purpose was to share the Gospel. In verse 17, he states that he does not peddle the Gospel for profit. He was not a TV evangelist. He spreads the message about Christ freely to all those he can. He has been called to be an Apostle. He is fulfilling that purpose and he has peace.
I would encourage you today that if you are experiencing a lack of peace in your life it may be that you are not fulfilling the purpose God has for you. If you are outside of God’s will, the lack of peace may be the signal to yourself that you need to realign your life to be in line with God.
REVIEW
Colossians 3:15-17 says all three things again that we have talked about this morning. This idea of peace is not found just once, but several times. Peace comes through thanksgiving. Peace comes through knowing our identity in Christ. And peace comes through following our God-given purpose. Colossians 3:15-17 says, “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body [there is some identity] you were called to peace. And be thankful. [There is the giving of thanks] Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs [there is purpose] with gratitude in your hearts to God. [there is thanksgiving again] And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, [there is purpose again] giving thanks to God the Father through him. [there is giving thanks again]”
CONCLUSION
