People in this world want inner peace….. Plain and Simple… People want answers to the question “Why” or “How Come”…
- Why did this happen to me? / How come my relative had to die?
- Why did my grandmother get cancer? / How come prices keep going up and my salary keeps going down?
- Why did that person have to run the red light and hit me?
We might never know the answers to their questions, but we do know how to get through the day, that is with the help of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour.
Philipppians 4:4-7
(4) Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice.
(5) Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand.
(6) Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.
(7) And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:4 - Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice.
Rejoice – To feel or give great joy – We have joy in knowing that we have a one-on-one relationship with the creator of the universe, and that He personally cares for our well being. He has unconditionally accepted us when we believed that he died and was buried for our sins, and rose again on the third day, also for our sins.
(Rom 12:12) Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer;
(Mat 5:12) Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.
1Th 5:16-18 - (16) Rejoice evermore. / (17) Pray without ceasing. / (18) In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
Philippians 4:5 - Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand.
We need to be examples for all men. We need to have the peace that Jesus provides shine outside of us, in our manner of speech, dress, attitude, etc…..
Heb 13:5-6
(5) Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.
(6) So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.
(Luk 21:34) And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares.
The Lord is at hand. The day he comes back to get his bride is coming soon. We do not know when he shall return. Knowing this, we need to make sure that all we do glorifies the Lord, which helps spread the gospel message of love throughout the world.
(1Pe 4:7) But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer.
(2Pe 3:10) But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.
Philippians 4:6 - Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.
Be careful for nothing – Basically means “do not worry”, because God takes care of all of our needs. Worrying means you have doubts in God’s ability to care for your.
Mat 6:25-30
(25) Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?
(26) Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?
(27) Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?
(28) And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin:
(29) And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
(30) Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?
By Prayer and supplication – God wants to help us. He wants us to ask for his help. It is not a sign of weakness to ask for help. It is a sign that you realize you are not alone in this world.
(Psa 55:17) Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and he shall hear my voice.
1Th 5:17-18 (17) Pray without ceasing. / (18) In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
Mat 7:7-8(7) Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: / (8) For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.
With thanksgiving – Be thankful for what God has given to you or allowed to happen to you…
Col 3:15-17(15) And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful. / (16) Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. / (17) And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.
(Eph 5:20) Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;
Philippians 4:7 -And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
Peace of God – Who but the creator of the universe can give complete peace…..
(Num 6:26) The LORD lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace.
(Isa 45:7) I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things.
Joh 14:26-27
(26) But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.
(27) Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
Passeth all understanding – The carnal mind does not understand how a Christian can have peace through trials and tribulations.
Eph 3:17-19
(17) That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love,
(18) May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height;
(19) And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.
Keep your hearts and minds through Jesus Christ – Without Jesus, we would not be able to have the peace, to understand and know that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, but is also God himself. The triune God is a mystery to those who look for logic to understand all things.
1Pe 1:4-5(4) To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, / (5) Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
We have what they need, and we need to be bold enough to share it when God gives the opportunity.
We Have What The World Wants – March 6, 2011
How many people in this world are searching for peace, for meaning in life? How many people don’t know what their purpose on this earth is? There are 15,000,000 people in the US that suffer from depression. What causes depression varies from person to person. There are people who have valid documentable medical depression, but there are also people who just don’t know how to cope with the many things life throws at you.
How many people have lost loved ones? How many parents and grandparents have had to bury their children and grandchildren? How many people have buried their brothers and / or sisters?
How many children have been diagnosed with seemingly untreatable diseases? How many people have relatives who either have cancer, or have died from cancer?
How many people in today’s economic environment have either lost their job, or their salary has been cut so that the company can stay solvent? How many people today have lost their home to foreclosure? How many people are living on less income now than 5 – 10 years ago?
How many people sit there and say “Why would a loving God allow these things to happen?” They curse God because of their circumstances and use either legal or illegal drugs or alcohol to numb their senses just to get through the day.
Following are verses from a current popular song, Firework, by Katy Perry
- Do you ever feel like a plastic bag / Drifting through the wind / Wanting to start again
- Do you ever feel, feel so paper thin / Like a house of cards / One blow from caving in
- Do you ever feel already buried deep / Six feet under scream / But no one seems to hear a thing
There are cults which prey on these people, giving them false hope. There are “religious” leaders which tell people that they have the “power” within themselves, which just needs to be harnessed. Popular entertainers like Oprah fill people’s minds with this “Self-empowerment” mentality, and when the newness wears off, there is nothing to fall back on….
The same Katy Perry song also has the following lyrics:
- You don't have to feel like a waste of space / You're original, cannot be replaced / If you only knew what the future holds / After a hurricane comes a rainbow