Welcome to the InTouch podcast with Charles Stanley for Friday, December 26th. Do you feel like you've missed out on peace and goodwill this Christmas? Let's learn how to let God's peace fill your life, not just during the holidays, but every day. Join us as we explore more from John chapter 14. How does God expect me to have peace in a world that's so full of rebellion?
and revolution and poverty and dishonesty and lust. And murder and crime, and all that. We can just go on down the list to picture the kind of society we live in. But listen to this. The society in which Jesus lived, in which he was talking in this time, was described or characterized by war.
Slavery and Poverty. Those are the three words that describe that society.
Now he's talking to them about having peace. And he's also at the same time saying, I'm going to lay down my life, which means he was going to die. He also said, You're going to have tribulation. He also said, you're going to be outcast. And he also said, They're going to kill you and think they're doing God a service.
Now to be able to talk about peace in that kind of environment. and to mix those comments along with what he said. About Didn't seem to make any sense. And they were confused, and they were frustrated. And so they were asking him.
And in fact, he could read that in their minds. And so he said to them, Look, he said, I'm not going to leave you as orphans. He said, I'm going to send the Holy Spirit. Look at this. He says, I'm going to send the Holy Spirit, and he's going to be in you, with you, and upon you.
And if you'll think about this verse for a moment, when people say, well, you know, I just don't believe in the Trinity and all that. Uh so I want you to listen to this verse. Verse 26. of John 14. Jesus speaking, but the helper And he identifies them, the Holy Spirit.
whom the father, will send in my name. There's the Trinity in one single verse. And he says, What is he going to do? He says, When these things come, Here's what I want you to remember. The Helper, the Holy Spirit within you, living my life through you.
He's going to teach you all things, bring all things to your remembrance. My peace. Peace I leave with you is my peace I give to you. He says, Don't let your heart be troubled. Don't let it be feel for me.
Why? He says, because I am there. I am with you. I am in you. I am going to walk with you through this.
And remember, I'm going to cause everything going on to turn for you good. And secondly, remember that I am in absolute control. I can stop it, I can change it, I can leave it because. I'm going to accomplish my purpose in it all.
Now, there are a lot of folks who say, well, if God has got a peace, why doesn't He eliminate all this pain? Why doesn't He eliminate all these things? Why do we have to go through all of this?
Well, I'll tell you one reason. A couple of reasons. Number one, first of all, Think back in your life, what is it that has driven you to God? Happiness and joy and plenty of money? No.
What drove you to God is difficulty, hardship, and pain. When do you learn the most spiritual lessons? When you've got plenty of everything and everybody loves you, everybody thinks you're great and you're just wonderful, and you've got everything? No. When do we learn the greatest lessons?
When we're going through things we can't handle, that we have to trust Him for. Listen, He's made it possible for us to have this awesome relationship with Him. listens to us pray, speaks through our heart. speaks through our mind, gives us wisdom and direction. Helps us through situations and circumstances.
That's who He is. Listen, He's the one who can calm your fears. no matter what you're going through. and your anxieties. What did he say in that sixth chapter of Matthew?
He said, Don't be worried about tomorrow. He said, Your Heavenly Father knows all about your need. He's going to meet those needs. You know what? Our problem is we don't trust him.
Now, I'm going to show you in a few moments why we lose. Why do we lose our peace? And so when we think about his peace and how eternal it is. I want you to think about The peace the world has to offer. Because you live around friends and you work among people, and they're not Christians, and they tell you you're wasting your time going to church.
Can't believe you go to church on Sunday. What are you wasting your time doing that?
Well, I believe in God too, and my God's as good as your God, and on and on. You've heard all that stuff. You know what that is? It's the babblings of a cover-up. because they don't have peace.
They don't have any tranquility in their heart. If you'll be around folks like that long enough, you know what? They'll spill it. They can smile. They can do all the things that make you think that they really got it all together.
And you know what? They don't even know what peace is about.
So think about their kind of piece. And I think about a number of words. Shallah. unstable, unsatisfying. false.
It's not real. I've been a pastor long enough to have listened to a lot of people over these years. And a lot of times they start out, and I mean everything is fantastic. And the longer I listen, the worse it gets. You know what?
You cannot cover up. You cannot cover up a lack of peace. That's why you see people, they got a frown on their face and a frown in their heart.
Something's wrong. They can tell you what's wrong. But they can't tell you how to deal with it. Oh, they will tell you, yeah, I'm working, everything's going to be fine. You say, well, I love my occupation.
Wonderful. But that's not the source of your peace. It's not even the source of your security. You can lose that in a day. The only peace that is lasting is a personal, intimate relationship with Jesus Christ.
And the tragedy is, most people will go through their life still looking and still searching. I'll tell you what they're like. They're like a walking civil war. On the outside, man, they looking sharp. They're looking fine.
On the inside, there's lust. On the inside, there's bitterness. On the inside, there's anger. On the inside, there is indifference. On the inside, there's unbelief.
There were all of these emotions on the inside. you can cover it up on the outside to some degree. But if they speak, they'll reveal it. After a while they can't put on that fake smile any more. They're a walking civil war.
Because think about this. Your body is so built. That when you have all this anger, bitterness, resentment, hostility. All of these attitudes, lack of love, Greed, selfishness, pride, arrogance, on and on we could go. Here's what happens: your mind's containing that.
And your mind is affecting your body. And your body is responding to it. And you can ask anybody who knows anything about the human body. All of that is destructive to the human body. And Jesus, He desires that you and I have peace in our heart.
In our life. We may have peace with Him. But if we don't have the peace of God, something's going to be missing in our life. Everything your heart desires is to be found in a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, because in that relationship you make right decisions, you make wise decisions. You don't just let your life float.
But you have a sense of purpose and direction in life. Because that's who he is. And He's living His life in you. Then I would say One other thing at that point. Jesus is the sustainer of our peace through the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit.
It isn't enough just to have him. We see the difference in his peace and the world's peace. He's the one who sustains that peace, which means it doesn't have to come and go. And he said in the 16th chapter of John, the 33rd verse: These things I've spoken to you, watch this, so that in me you're me. You may have peace.
Now, watch this. In the world in which you live, you have tribulation. But take courage. I have overcome the world and I am your life. There's the victory.
He doesn't say we're not going to have heartaches and troubles. He says, but he says, I am in you.
Now, I want you to think about this. Turn to 2 Thessalonians for a moment. Look at this passage.
Sometimes one verse will hit somebody and another verse will hit someone else. Verse 16 of the third chapter of 2 Thessalonians.
Now may the Lord of peace himself continually grant you peace in every circumstance. Not in some of them, but in all of them. He will give us the peace to walk through anything and everything in life. No matter what it is. And I can remember one occasion when I got a phone call that would normally have just wiped me out.
I remember putting the phone down, and this overwhelming sense of peace just covered me. Even I was surprised. I thought, God. And I remember exactly what I said to him. in the process.
It had to be his peace. because it could never have been mine. and can never have been anyone else's. overwhelming sense of absolute Tranquility. confidence and assurance.
that He would lead me right through it all. That's who he is. That's the kind of peace that He gives, no matter what we face. In other words, there are no limitations to His peace. What we have to do is be sure we're looking at the right place for it.
Now I want you to turn to the 119th Psalm for a moment. And look, if you will. in the hundred and sixty-fifth verse. Listen carefully now. Hundred and nineteenth Psalm, hundred and sixty fifth verse.
Those who love your law. Have great peace. and nothing causes them to stumble.
Now here's what the Bible says. If I love the word of God, I will read it. I will meditate upon it. and I will obey it. If I love it, I'm going to read it.
I'm going to meditate upon it. I'm going to obey it. And he says If I love his law, I will have his peace. The first thing to do when you find yourself troubled is getting the Word of God. Because listen, what you're doing is you are absorbing the mind of God.
in your life at that moment to deal with this. And He is the God who deals with any and everything we face. And He's a God of peace. That's what He wants for our life. Let me ask you a question.
What do you own? that brings you peace.
So I got the finest automobile you can buy. How fast can you reckon? You see, you can't think of anything. And when I see people grasping and lying and cheating and stealing and making all kinds of decisions, they get more money. Besides ending up in jail and prison or whatever it might be.
Half feudal. to look for anything else. But peace except through Jesus. He is it.
Now. How do you lose your peace? Let's say you're saved and You say, Well, I've lost it. How do I lose it? Number one.
It's a three-letter word. What is it? Sin.
Now you say, well, how does that make me lose?
Now, watch, you don't lose your peace with God. You lose the peace of God in your heart. Here's what sin does. Sin creates strife between you and the Father. In other words, there's a disconnect.
All of a sudden you're rebelling. In other words, sin is a form of rebellion. It may be what you call a little lie or a big lie, whatever it might be. Sin does what? caused us to lose our peace.
And so you sin against God. And your conscience begins to work on you. You don't have any peace. When your conscience is working on you, you don't have any peace.
So that's the first thing. The second way you lose it is doubt the promises of God. Let's say you are facing something in your life and you think, What am I going to do? And God says, My God shall supply all your needs according to His riches and glory in Christ Jesus. Yeah, I know that's what it says, but.
What you're doing is you're doubting God, and what happens? You don't have any peace. You listen. You can't have peace and doubt the peacemaker and the one who is your peace. That's two ways.
There's a third way you lose it. Look at this. by projecting upon today tomorrow's cares. And how many times have you said, oh my goodness, next week, Lord, Lord, Lord, what am I going to do?
Next Thursday, Friday, and Jesus made a specific statement in His Word not to do that. And he says it, for example, in Matthew chapter 6. In part of the Sermon on the Mount. Listen to this: seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. He's been talking about needs.
So listen to this, very clear statement. Do not worry about tomorrow. For tomorrow will care for itself, each day has enough trouble of its own. Matthew chapter 6, verse 34.
So, how do we lose our peace? Worrying about tomorrow. And listen, somebody says, yeah, but there's one you forgot. What about when somebody mistreats me? How can I have peace when somebody mistreats me?
Watch this. Nobody. can steal your peace. You have to give it up. They can't take your peace.
That's the gift God has given you. You have to give it up. If they criticize you and characterize you as being something you're not, All kinds of things that they may do to you, they can't steal your piece. You don't have to believe what they say, you know it's not true. Nobody can take your peace.
You have to give it up, and you shouldn't give it up. You have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. He is your peace. And remember this, he says, I will never leave you nor forsake you. Therefore, don't I ever have to give up my peace?
I can choose to give it up, but I don't have to. And remember what Paul said about it? It's a peace. that is so awesome it passes all human understanding. And so he says it this way.
He says, don't be anxious about all these things. But in everything By prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your request be made known to God. and the peace of God. will surround you. like a garrison.
and a fort, surround you to protect you. from whatever's going on in your life. If you've never trusted Jesus Christ as your Savior, listen carefully. You don't have peace. And you will never have peace.
until he becomes your Saviour in your life.
Now you don't have to believe me. Look around. Look at your own life. What is the source of your peace? Is it something you own?
You can lose it. Is it some reputation you have? You can lose that. No matter what it is, there's only one source of true genuine peace. And that is a personal intimate relationship with Jesus Christ.
Here's what he does. He says he seals you at that moment with the Holy Spirit of promise. Forever child of God. And this piece that I'm talking about. can be yours immediately.
If you will begin. They simply look to Him. As your peace. Get in the Word of God and begin to read it. Watch God work in your life.
Transform your life. Let me say one more time. There is no peace. Apart from Jesus, God said it. There is no peace for the wicked.
None. God said it. I didn't say it. He said it. You say, well, I'm not wicked.
If you've turned your back upon Jesus, you are. Because you turned your back upon God. Jesus said, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father but by me. And you've said, I'll have none of that.
That's wicked. You say, that's just your opinion.
Well, just read the scripture and what you'll find out is this. that rebellion against God is sin. And God is holy. He doesn't tolerate it. Will He forgive you?
Yes. Only through Jesus. And once he becomes your Savior, everything else we've said about The peace of God. becomes yours. And that's my prayer for you.
And Father, how grateful we are that you've left nothing unturned. That there is not a single circumstance in life in which we will ever have to go through that you'll not be there with us to walk through it with us. That means we can experience your power. Your assurance, your confidence, your boldness. And we thank you.
for making it possible for us to live victoriously, in a world that is so defeated by sin. I pray for the person who is seated here this morning who knows in his or her heart. There's no real peace there. that today they would say yes to Jesus Christ. Yes to him.
Yes to day. And Father, for every single believer seated here, is going through difficulty, hardship, troubles and trials. Just let this truth sink deep into the heart. It is the truth, divine truth, godly truth, biblical truth. And it works every time.
And this we ask in Jesus' name. Amen. Thank you for listening to part two of Jesus, the Prince of Peace. If you'd like to know more about Charles Stanley or InTouch Ministries, stop by intouch.org. This podcast is a presentation of In Touch Ministries, Atlanta, Georgia.
