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Philippians 4:4-13
Six Keys to Experiencing God’s Peace
Sunday, April 12, 2015
Intro:
My mother used to sing a song called “Things money can’t buy”. I
remember one particular part of the lyrics, “Money can't buy the peace that I
feel, Money can't buy salvation that's real. Contentment on earth or a home
in the sky, these are the things that money can't buy.”
Real peace is definitely one of the things in life that money can’t buy. If
money could buy peace then a wealthy person would never commit suicide.
If peace could be bought with money then citizens of wealthy nations would
be the happiest people on the planet. But of course we all know that there
are many people with money whose lives are filled with unrest, conflict, and
disappointment. But what exactly is peace? How would you define it? How
do know if you have it?
What is Peace?
Peace is one of those things that is hard to define but you know when you
experience it. The dictionary defines peace as both an absence of anxiety
and harmony in your relationships with others.
Peace in the Bible has a considerably richer notion than the mere absence of
stress which tends to be our understanding of peace today. In the biblical
sense peace basically means well-being in its fullest sense. Peace is life at
its best under the gracious hand of God. It is experiencing all the blessings
of life as God intended for us to experience. This type of peace is not a
superficial, emotional peace; it’s not simply a "good feeling" you have. It’s a
deep-seeded assurance residing in the very core of our being.
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The peace that God brings to our lives is a peace that 'transcends all
understanding". God's presence brings a peace that doesn't make sense. In
the midst of our most difficult times and in the most distressing
circumstances you can have peace. When others expect you to fall apart
and go crazy, you can have peace. He'll give you peace in the midst of the
storm. It's a peace that's stronger than any problem or circumstance in
your life.
We know we can have this peace because God has promised it to us:
(v.7) the peace of God will guard your heart and mind in Christ Jesus, and
(v.9) the God of peace will be with you. It's important to understand that we
need the protection of God's peace. The Bible says that our fight is not
against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against
spiritual wickedness in high places (Ephesians 6:12).
Satan is constantly on the attack, trying to invade our heart and mind and
rob us of our peace. The Bible says be on the look out because your
adversary the devil is as a roaring lion, walking about, seeking whom he
may devour (1 Peter 5:8). But thanks be to God, the peace of God stands
guard between our heart and mind and Satan's evil plans.
It's also important to understand that there is a difference between knowing
that God is with you and living in the reality of God's presence. To live in
the reality of God's presence is to trust him and give every difficult situation
in your life to him. When we worry and fret, and allow anxiety to overwhelm
us, we are not living as if we believe that God is with us. Unfortunately,
there are many people who, although God’s peace is available to them, are
not experiencing its power in their lives.
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The reason they haven’t experienced God’s peace is because they’ve never
learned the secret to unlocking its power in their life. These few verses
reveal the secret, the six keys, to experiencing God’s peace. These six keys
are not conditions God has placed on his promise to give you peace; they
are not things God says you must do before he’ll keep his promise, but are
the "keys" that unlock the door to God's promises. These six things aren't
obstacles to God's promises, but the access to God's promises.
Six Keys to experiencing God's Peace:
1. (vs.4) Give God some praise!
a. If you want to unlock the promise of God's peace in your life,
begin to give him praise.
b. The human tendency is to dwell on the negative.
c. When we rejoice in the Lord, we turn the focus off our problems
(what’s wrong in our life) and onto God's goodness (what’s right
in our life).
d. There is power in our tongue; when we constantly talk about the
problems in our life we give strength to negative emotions.
e. When we speak words of praise to God we chase those negative
thoughts away.
f. Remember, rejoice in the Lord always.
2. (vs.5) – Do your best to get along with others
a. “If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with
everyone.” (Romans 12:18)
b. Be loving
c. Be forgiving
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d. Be gracious – “A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh
word stirs up anger.” (Proverbs 15:1).
3. (vs.6) – When you’re tempted to worry; pray!
a. There's a verse of song that says, "Oh what peace we often
forfeit, oh, what needless pain we bear. All because we do not
carry everything to God in prayer."
b. One of the greatest privileges we have is to talk to God…
4. (vs.8) - Discipline your mind.
a. Satan tries to infiltrate our minds through our thoughts. This is
why it is important that we think on the right things. If we let all
the wrong thoughts take up residence in our minds, we negate
the protective power of God's peace.
b. 2 Corinthians 10:5 says, "We are to cast down imaginations and
every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God,
and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of
Christ"
c. What do you think about?
5. (vs.9) – Obey God
a. If we are to experience the promise of God's peace we must be
obedient to what God has taught us. What good is knowing if you don't
put it into practice?
b. You can't have real peace without obedience; disobedience brings
guilt, and the forfeiture of the power of God.
c. Fully surrender your life to God and you will have peace and joy.
d. Job 22:21 "Stop quarreling with God! If you agree with him, you will
have peace at last, and things will go well for you."(NLT)
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e. You must repent of your sins, and accept Jesus as Lord
6. (vs.10-13) – Learn to be Content
a. Learn to be content.
b. Secret of having peace
c. Dictionary definition of content = "being satisfied with what you
have"
d. My definition = "Content is being at peace with what you have"
e. Godliness with contentment is great gain.
f. 1 Tim 6:6-8 "But godliness with contentment is great gain. 7 For
we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out
of it. 8 But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with
that." (NIV)
g. Discontent is a great robber of God's peace and joy.
h. Learn to be content with who you are and your circumstances of
life.
Conclusion:
Six Keys:
o
Give God some praise (vs.4)
o
Do your best to get along with others (vs.5)
o
When you’re tempted to worry; pray! (vs.6)
o
Discipline your mind (vs.8)
o
Obey God (vs.9)
o
Learn to be content (vs.12)
Do you have this peace in your life? It begins with having a
relationship with God through Jesus Christ. Ask Jesus into your heart
and allow the Prince of Peace to bring real peace into your life.
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