Now What? - Week 1
November 9, 2008
Peace For Troubled Hearts
John 14:27

[video – man on the street] Can you relate to that woman? The truth is, we do have a lot of trouble our world.

 On election day, I took a camera crew and spent several hours just talking to people. I asked them, “What are the things that worry you? What keeps you up at night?” And I got a variety of answers. You saw some of them on the screen.

Some people are worried about the global climate today. They are concerned about terrorism. They are concerned about the war in Iraq, and the emerging threats of Iran and North Korea. They are concerned about the recent Russian aggression and the increasing power of China.

Most people talked about the economy. Small business owners were concerned about how they will keep their business going. Lenders are fearful about mergers and large banks going under. Job losses were on people’s minds. With Bell Helicopter laying off 500 employees just a few weeks ago and hundreds of teachers in Dallas losing their jobs, it concerns people.

And then some were just concerned about the moral decay in our culture. The bias against family values. The recent moves to legalize same sex marriages, or issues like partial birth abortions were on their minds. And just the things that are on television, things years ago would have been considered pornographic or indecent, are now commonly seen on TV and the movies.

There is a lot to be troubled about. And if you are not careful, you can let fear and anxiety about the future control your thoughts and emotions. So over the next few weeks we are going to take a close look at how we are Christ followers should handle these difficult times and how you can respond to these challenging times with great confidence in God.

OBSERVATIONS

There has always been trouble, and there always will be

    The world is troubled because people are far from God

    Jesus said, “In this world you will have trouble –fear not I have overcome the world”

Trouble times can be an incredible opportunity to point people to God.

We saw this right after 911

Laymen prayer revival

Early church suffered under terrible oppression and persecution, yet it was the peace the exemplified in those terrible times that lead people to Christ.

When our securities are taken away, when the foundations are shaken, then people’s hearts are ready to turn to God.

How do you find peace?

Turn John 14

Jesus talking to his disciples in upper room before his death

They were increasingly troubled – Jesus was talking about going away, going back to his Father, they would not see him again. And he could read in their eyes a welling up of doubt, fear, worry, anxiety. Jesus knew what was about to hit them, their world would be shaken; everything they knew and trusted in would be tested. These were his final words to them. So he washed their feet, he shared a meal and he encouraged them to not be afraid.

John 14.1 - “Don’t let your hearts be troubled.  You trust in God, now trust in me.”

The word troubled means me to stir up, turbulent. Their minds probably flashed back to one when they were in a boat with Jesus. A stormy, sea was billowing up, waves were tossing the boat all around them. Disciples were afraid they were going under and Jesus was asleep in the back of the boat. The cried out to him for help. And Jesus stood up and commanded the waves, “Peace, be still”. He was doing the same thing here. Except the tempest, the turmoil, the turbulence wasn’t on the sea, it was in their hearts. And when our hearts are troubled – when anxiety and worry we loose the ability to see God at work. Some of you have felt that this week. You have felt you gut churning. You have felt a knot in your stomach.  You are troubled about your job, your investments. You troubled about your kids or grandkids. You are troubled about your marriage. You troubled by pressure at work, global threats. Inside, you are troubled.

I asked people in my interviews how they handle worry. Some said they exercised some say that stay informed, some say they get involved. The lady at the end said she just stays medicated. That’s no joke. Today over $500 million a year is spent on anxiety related medications.

Instead of worry, Jesus said “Trust me”. These words could be translated, “Keep on believing in God and in me” You see, your greatest uncertainty, is your greatest opportunity to really trust Jesus. Now why would Jesus tell them this? Because in turbulent times, troubled times, it’s easy to loose our confidence in God. These are the times we learn what it means to battle fear with faith, to draw close to Christ. It’s easy to walk with God with your getting promotions, or the business is growing, or the skies look calm. It’s another thing altogether to trust Jesus when you don’t see what’s coming around the corner. How do you do that? That is what we are going to look at over the next four week. And I am going to show you four practical things you can do to find peace in times of uncertainty! And these four things come straight out of the mouth of Jesus.

But today, I want to look at one verse this morning. Just one verse as an overview of what we will learn over the next four weeks.

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” John 14.47

Jesus told his disciples on that dark night, that he was giving them peace. Now the Greeks understood peace as the absence of conflict. Peace was the absence of fighting – or the absence of stress – or the absence of conflict, trouble, problems. If the storms were gone –that would be peace. That is how we think about peace. “If only the tension in my home could resolve, or I could find a job, then I would have peace.” But the Hebrews had a different view - for them peace was something you experience in the storm. Peace was a state of your soul in the middle of the crisis. And that is what Jesus was offering them. Jesus was offering them a steadied quiet, an anchor of peace, a calm assurance even in the middle of the crisis. And only Jesus can give you this kind of peace. You see, you will never be able to stop the storms of life from coming. Once this current problem has passed, there will be another one brewing on the horizon. We can’t escape troubles but we can keep our heart from being troubled. How? By receiving the peace that Jesus offers.

When the Bible speaks about the peace – there are two phrases that sound alike but are very distinct and very important.

Peace with God

The first one is “peace with God”. This is the kind of peace we have in knowing that we are right with God. Romans 5.1 “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ…” Look at that phrase – “Peace with God”. This means that you know for sure that you belong to God. You see, you will never experience peace in your life if you are not convinced that you are at peace with God.

The Bible clearly says that each one of us is far from God. We have been infected with a SIN virus. We’ve messed up. We are cut off from a dynamic real relationship with God. But when we were far from God, God reach to us in the person of Jesus Christ. And when Jesus died on the cross, he died there to pay the penalty of our sin and to restore us back to God. I Peter 3.18 says, “For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God.” And when you ask Jesus to forgive you, to lead your life, then you find peace with God. Some of you have never done that. If you were honest, your frustrations stem from an inner frustration with God. You don’t have peace with God. You have never surrendered your life to Jesus. You have never bent your knee and asked Christ to come into your life. Today, Jesus is offering you peace with God.

Peace of God

And listen, once you have peace with God, then you can receive the second phrase “peace of God”. This is the peace that is only given to Christ followers. It’s reserved for people who have come to Jesus for forgiveness. And this peace is a peace that sustains you in your darkest moment. This is the peaceful assurance that no matter what happens, you are in God’s hands. The Apostle Paul wrote to about this peace. “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.” Phil 4.6-7 NLT

Paul is saying, instead of worry, cry out to God. And when you cry out to Him, God will flood your heart and mind with his peace. It’s the peace that God is in control, that God is holding you in the psalm of his hands and you can trust him. That’s the peace Jesus offers. And it’s a peace that goes way beyond anything you will ever get from his world!

You see, the peace that Jesus offers is different than the peace this world offers. The best this world can do is make promises that things are going to get better, tell you to “stay positive”, “look on the bright side”. But at the end of the day, no one can control the circumstances of life. No one. So promises get broken, positive thoughts only go so far, people disappoint us, circumstances spin out of our control. And the peace the world offers us – really isn’t any peace at all.

But the peace that Jesus gives is completely different. Jesus offers you peace with God – to know for sure that you belong to God, that you are his child and that you are his for eternity. And Jesus offers you the peace of God – to know for sure that no matter what happens, He is the blessed controller of all things and that all things will work together for your good when you love him and follow him! 

Remember – you have to have peace with God, before you can know the peace of God. Some of you here need the peace of God to overflow into you life. You need to peace of God to sweep over you, wash away your worries, doubts, fear, anger, disappointments. You need to set your eyes on Jesus in a fresh new way.

Jesus was talking to his disciples that night. It was their last moments together before his death. Jesus told his men that day – when you have my peace: when you are at peace with God and have the peace of God, then you won’t be troubled on the inside. You won’t be in inner turmoil all the time. And you won’t be afraid.

He stood up, and walked toward the door. “Come now, let us leave.” And Jesus walked out into the night, his men follow behind him. And on that walk in the dark, Jesus explained more about how to know the peace of God. He shared with them four things that would be handles they can hold on to when everything seemed to be falling apart.

He talked to them about how to walk closely with Jesus, how to cultivate obedience in their life, how to tap into God’s tour guide for finding direction and joy, how to set their sights on eternity and their heavenly home. Over the next four weeks we are going to look at what Jesus talk them on that walk in the dark together. I invite you to walk with Jesus. It may be dark time for you, but Jesus has something to say to you.

Conclusion: How many of you need to know God’s peace in your life? Worry, fearful of the future, uncertain what life will hold? How many of you need God’s peace?