The Secret To Inner Peace Series

This is the last in our sermon series - entitled “One Thing”. We’ve been focusing on ONE WORD in Scripture that sums up a basic Bible truth, and today’s word is PEACE.

Jesus said “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.” John 14:27

And again He said: “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." Matthew 11:28-30

Jesus knew that we lived in a world where peace of mind is hard to find. Everybody WANTS this peace, but very few know how to find it. It’s especially true in America where 75 to 90 % of all visits to a primary care physician’s office are related to stress disorders. As a result, Americans are consuming (every year) five billion tranquilizers, • five billion barbiturates, three billion amphetamines, and sixteen tons of aspirin. Much of this “medicine” is being taken to help alleviate stress or the resulting headaches and pain associated with stress.”

And Jesus says: if you let Me, I can take care of that for you. I can give you peace. I can give you rest for your souls. Just come to Me, and trust Me. But then Jesus says: He came to give us this peace - but it’s a peace that is not like the world tries to offer.

The way the world thinks about peace is based on the idea that if we could just change OUR circumstances/ our situations - then we could have peace. If you had more money, or a better job, or a better marriage - if you could just fix what’s wrong in your life - THEN you could be at peace. In other words – if things changed in your life - then you wouldn’t be so stressed. You could have tranquility… and you wouldn’t worry so much. But that’s not going to happen.

And it’s not what Jesus said. Jesus said “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.” John 16:33

In other words, you can’t avoid trouble – it’s part of life. You can’t avoid difficulties. You can’t avoid times when you’ll be stressed. And you can’t control/fix a lot of stuff in your world. It’s part of life.

But even when those things happen - because Jesus promises that He has overcome the world, and because of that, you can have HIS PEACE. It’s a peace that is something that only JESUS can give you.

ILLUS: There’s a story of an elementary school in Columbus, OH that sums this up. There were storm clouds in the sky and strong gusts of wind – wind that bent trees and filled the air with clouds of dust … and the School radio blared tornado warnings. It was obviously dangerous - too dangerous to send the children home. So, instead, the teachers took the kids down to the basement, where the children huddled together in small groups. They were afraid… and so were the teachers. To help ease the tension, the principal suggested a sing-along. But that didn’t work. The voices of the children were weak and unenthusiastic, and eventually child after child began to cry, and no one could calm them. Then a teacher, whispered to the child closest to her, “Aren’t you forgetting something Kathie? There is a power greater than the storm that can protect us. Just say to yourself, ‘God is with us.’ Then pass the words on to the child next to you.” As the words were whispered from child to child, a sense of peace settled over the group. You could still hear the wind outside - blowing as fiercely as before - but it didn’t seem to matter now. Inside the school, the fear subsided and tears faded away. What made the difference? The storm still raged outside, but knowing God was with them calmed their fears.

One person put it this way: “Sometimes God calms the storm. And sometimes He lets the storm rage and He calms His child.”

In our text today we read about God’s SECRET for finding that peace in our lives. “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:4-7