Ellis
This morning there is an impossible gift to give. And oh, how I wish that we could give it away.
It is the one gift that every individual wants, seeks and prays for. Of all gifts, this is the one at the top of the list. Everybody wants peace and peace of mind. We are living in a fallen world — a world corrupted by sin and chaos, confusion, catastrophe, wars, crime, chronic health issues, tragedies, death and bad news. For some, it’s hard to keep hope alive. For others, it’s hard to stay above water. So, they turn to other means and methods to calm their nerves and give them an artificial sense of peace.
The danger in this, however, is that it can lead to dependency and dependencies can lead to addictions. Unless you are 10 years old or younger you are affected by life. Children for the most part don’t have any care with the exception of being bullied, they have peace without responsibility.
Satan, according to II Corinthians 4:4, is the god of this world. Since the fall of Adam, he has exercised influence over this world system (1 John 2:15). Every chance he gets, he wreaks havoc in this world. When we look around and see all that is going on, including sickness, death and personal issues it can disturb us and we look for something to give us peace in the midst of it all.
Why do we think that there are people in mental institutions and on drugs and alcohol? Why do we think people are suicidal and have given up? Community, people want peace of mind. It seems to elude them. The world wants peace, but they are looking in all the wrong places. A man or a woman can’t give it to you, ambition can’t give it to you, pleasures can’t give you peace and education can’t give you peace.
World leaders come together at summit and the number one thing that they all talk about is peace — world peace — and that they would lay down their weapons of nuclear war and live in peace. And though we as people and Christians can give a lot of things to individuals — money, houses, clothes, and inheritance — the one thing that we cannot give anybody is the gift of peace. We wish that we could.
Friends, to not enjoy peace is a disturbance of the soul and nobody wants their souls disturbed. You can’t sleep well when your soul is disturbed. It’s hard to concentrate and stay focused on anything when your soul is disturbed. You can’t enjoy life, family, your money, your church and your God when your soul is disturbed.
The people in Maui (Hawaii) — some have lost everything, some have lost loved ones — need some peace this morning.
Some parent whose child was abducted and killed need some peace this morning. Some child who lost their parent, some husband or wife who lost their spouse need some peace. Homeless people sleeping under a bridge, nowhere to go community, they need some peace.
I wonder did anybody see the segment the other week where a reporter reported homeless people living underground in a dark sewage? Not on the streets or under a bridge, but underground in a filthy sewage with no lights. As the reporter went deeper into the sewage, he found some more people living in darkness in dirty, trashy, filthy sewage. Don’t you know these people need some peace? And somewhere decent to stay.
Peace has eluded many people People who are rich and wealthy, some have everything that money can buy but don’t have peace of mind. Some doctors and lawyers who lost patients and lawyer cases don’t have peace of mind. Some celebrities, movie stars, and sports athletes are making millions of dollars, but still don’t have peace. There are people who are on their deathbed dying and don’t have peace. And the Bible says of the unsaved in Isaiah 48:22 “There is no peace saith the Lord unto the wicked.”
Peace is the tranquility of the soul. It’s inner serenity, but in all of this, there is some good news. With Christ and in Christ peace is available to those who abide in him.
I want to establish right now this morning that your credit report doesn’t have anything to do with it. Your background has no merit in this. Your race doesn’t have a thing to do with it. God has ordained through the Holy Spirit that his children have peace. That’s His gift to us.
Jesus told his disciples and us “Peace I leave with you, my peace give I unto you: not as the world gives,” (John 14:27). In Christ we can choose to not be troubled or afraid; and we can choose this morning to have peace. Even with no money, no wife or husband, no friends, no job or income, no fancy clothes, no Lincoln or BMW, no mansion with stained glass windows, and health problems all around; we can choose to have peace.
Go to bed and sleep all night long!
In Christ our blessed savior, we can CHOOSE not to be troubled. It’s our birthright! It has already been deposited into our account. All we have to do is withdraw it from our spiritual bank account. Our bank routing word is “The blood!” and the passcode is J-E-S-U-S! Withdraw your peace! Peace belongs to the people of God. When the devil tries to disturb us, we ought to verbally say PEACE! Don’t let him rob you of your peace.
It’s God’s gift to you.