Series: “Longing for Christmas”
Part 2
“Finding Peace”
Pastor Jerry
Mark 4:35-41
————————————- Message Synopsis ————————————-
Since the beginning of recorded history, the world has been entirely at peace only 8% of the time. In other words, only 286 years in over 3,100 years, have we been without war. And what about personal peace? In the midst of shootings, and personal turmoil, and the continued Covid pandemic, can the hope of Christmas still deliver peace?
Have you ever wondered if anyone else feels this way? The truth is that you are not alone. Everyone is on this same path, seeking answers to the uncertainty that afflict the world. Seldom in all history has mankind had to cope with so much fear and doubt. We desperately want peace, yet feel hopeless that we will ever find it.
Peace of mind is one of the top goals everyone wants to achieve. Like most people, we want some inner peace in our life. Many people will try to profit off of your state of mind by guaranteeing that they have the key to what you are looking for. I saw an ad for a perfume this week called a “Scent of Peace.” The tag line says, “Wear it to have an uplifting feeling”
Now, folks, if it were all that easy– just put a little perfume on and you’ll have peace of mind. Peace of mind is such an important concept in life that people will do almost anything to find it. They will travel to exotic places, do crazy thing like using brain-destroying drugs. They will experiment with bizarre rituals. They will try all kinds of things.
I am convinced that there is a great hunger of mind and thirst of soul on the part of the average person for peace! All humanity is seeking the answer to the confusion, the moral sickness, the spiritual emptiness that oppresses the world. All mankind is crying out for peace. But the truth is very few people are at peace with themselves. Most people carry a high degree of stress, of anxiety, of tension in their lives.
The world has grown in power and in knowledge…we have access to just about anything we’d ever want to know, right at our fingertips. And yet….our hearts remain empty, our lives are anything but peaceful, and nothing seems to satisfy. Why are we still empty? Let’s find out what it is and how to gain it.
As a pastor, I have noticed that there are three things that steal the peace of mind that God intends for us to have.
- When circumstances are uncontrollable we often lose our peace. As you know much of life is beyond your control. You get frustrated because you get sick and there’s nothing you can do about it. You are told of a strange virus and you don’t know how to combat it safely. We visit the malls and don’t know if it will be safe to do so today. Lots of things just end up being out of your control. When that happens we lose our peace of mind.
Another thing that steals the peace of mind that God intends for us to have:
- When people are unchangeable we tend to lose our peace. People naturally resist change. And they resent it when you try to change them. Have you ever tried to convince someone to get vaccinated? But they just don’t cooperate and you can’t figure out why. They resist it and they resent you. The quickest way to lose your peace of mind is to try to change somebody else because most people are just not going to change. So we lose our peace.
A third thing that steals our peace of mind
- When problems are unexplainable. We know that life is not fair. Not everybody has a happy ending and live happily ever after. What makes it more difficult is that you are not always going to know why. And when you don’t know why things don’t happen in your life you tend to get anxious, nervous, stressed. And you lose your peace.
God has promised peace of mind because it’s a fundamental need of your life. That’s the promise of Christmas: the gift of the “Prince of Peace.” One of the Hebrew names of God – is Jehovah Shalom. Shalom means peace. Jehovah Shalom means, “I am the God of peace.” The most used greeting in the New Testament between Christians is “Grace” and “Peace.” We are to live peaceful lives. Jesus says in John 14:27,“I am leaving you with a gift – peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give isn’t fragile like the peace the world gives. Don’t be troubled or afraid.”
If God says “I’m offering you a gift of peace,” He means it. It’s not something you work for. It is simply a gift: a gift of Christmas… Then why don’t we have it? Today we’re going to talk about that. We’re going to look at The Path to Finding Peace’
I need to say right up front that peace has nothing to do with problem-free living. If you have to wait until all your problems are solved to be at peace, you’re never going to be at peace. Because Jesus said, “In the world you will have problems.” Much of your life you’re going to have conflict. But you can have peace of mind in the conflict?
Peace of mind is the result of three important decisions you need to make. And when you choose these things it will produce peace in your life. It is the choice for acceptance, the choice for trust, the choice for surrender.
- ACCEPT WHAT CANNOT BE CHANGED
Worrying about what cannot be changed certainly won’t give you peace. Becoming resentful or bitter, feeling guilty about things that cannot be changed, will not give you peace. There is only one thing that will bring peace in your life and that is acceptance. Acceptance of what cannot be changed. In the Bible, in the book of 2 Samuel 12, there’s the story of King David who had a young baby that was dying and David did everything he could to keep that baby from dying. But the baby died. God did not give the answer that David prayed for. I don’t know why. Someday we’ll learn why He did not answer that prayer the way David wanted it, but God had a plan and purpose in it.
When David’s advisers heard this they were were afraid to tell him. But David heard them whispering and he said, “Has the child died?” They said yes. And David got up. He went and took a bath. He put on clean clothes. He ate a big meal. And he went back to work.
The advisors were astounded. You were in agony when he was near death. Now that he’s died, you’re ok. What’s happened?” David said, “The child has gone to heaven. And one day I will die and I will be reunited and go to heaven with that child. In the meantime there’s nothing else I can do. I’ve got to get back to work.”
He accepted what could not be changed. Notice several things: First, acceptance is a learned experience and you learn it from going through tough times. It is a choice and it is only possible by supernatural power. You’re never going to learn to really accept the things of life without God’s power in your life. What comforts us is the presence of God in our life.
Millions of people pray the edited version of the Serenity Prayer. But there are eight more lines to the Serenity Prayer that you may never have heard. That’s where all the power is. The power of peace is in the part that they’ve cut out.
“God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, The courage to change the things I can, And the wisdom to know the difference.
Living one day at a time, Enjoying one moment at a time, Accepting hardship as the pathway to peace, Taking, as Jesus did, this sinful world as it is not as I would have it, Trusting that You, God, will make all things right if I surrender to Your will, So that I may be reasonably happy in this life, And supremely happy with You forever in the next. Amen.
All of the power is in the second part of the prayer. It’s through the acceptance, the trust, the surrender that you find the path to peace. God says this is the starting point to peace –accepting what can’t be changed.
Another important decisions you need to make in order to have Peace of mind is…
- TRUST IN GOD’S LOVING CARE
Isaiah 26:3 “You, Lord, give true peace to those who depend on You because they trust in You.” God gives peace to those who trust in Him because they depend on Him. Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and don’t lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths.” You’ve got to learn to have peace in the middle of your problems or you’re never going to have peace.
Regardless of why you have the problem that you have that’s unsolvable, regardless of the source from where, you still need the same response every time –- trust in the loving care of God.
Then, you need to take the third step in the path to peace. The third important decision…
- SURRENDER TO GOD’S LOVING CONTROL
Christmas time is an announcement of peace. Peace can only come into your heart when Jesus comes into your heart. Why? He is the Prince of Peace. When the Prince of Peace comes in, He brings peace. A cleansing of sins will come and that is the beginning of peace. Beloved the real peace did not start till Jesus came.
The Bible tells us “Therefore having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”(Rom.5:1).Peace was in the mind of God. Peace came before the foundation of the world, because the lamb was slain then, but peace was enforced in our lives after Jesus rose from the dead. Peace starts for us when we were born again, and when Jesus came into our lives and washed away all our sins. Unless sin is removed, there is no peace in the heart.
Many people have an outward form of peace, but it is not real. Many people have sleepless nights, their hearts are restless? The real reason is because they’re fighting against God. You have a decision to make: who’s going to be in control of my life? Me or God? You think you know better. The more you take control yourself, the more miserable you become and the more out of control your life becomes. Because it doesn’t work. You are at war with the real God when you try to play God.
If you want to have deep, personal, satisfying peace of mind in heart and soul, you’ve got to surrender control of your life totally to God.
Today, you can have the peace of God in your life. But first you’ve got to make peace with God. You can’t have the peace of God until you first make peace with God. How do you do that? By surrendering your life in faith to Jesus Christ. “Since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us.” Do you want to have the peace of God in your heart this Christmas? I know that there is only one way to find peace. Through acceptance, trust and surrender.