“The Peace of Jesus”
Series: Winning the War Within (Fruit of the Spirit)
Sunday, March 15, 2009, Galatians 5:22-23; Philippians 4:4-7

Introduction: Today we tackle the topic of peace. As we battle the “war within,” peace is one of the areas that we struggle with the most. Now peace encompasses many things: there is inner peace; there is peace among people; there is the aspect of being a peacemaker. But in all of these areas, the Greek word comes from the root “eirene.” The peace that is referred to is the same kind of peace. The peace we have within our spirit, is to be the same spirit of peace we are to have with one another. God desires that this fruit of peace be in all, and be practiced by all. It grieves God’s heart to see us not at peace with ourselves, or with others. So this morning I want us to look at what keeps us from having peace, and how we can better achieve this kind of peace in our lives. Let’s start by looking at how anxiety destroys our peace.

I. Anxiety vs. Peace- (Philippians 4:4-7; John 14:27)
a. Anxiety- In Philippians 4:6, the apostle Paul exhorts us with these
words: “Do not be anxious about anything…” Anxiety is not a modern problem. It is not a Western world problem. It has been a problem throughout the ages. If this were not so, Paul would not have had to address this issue. So we see that this is a battle with all people of all ages.
This series is called “Winning the War Within.” It is called this because the battle begins within us. When we are called to love, we have to learn what love is, and how to love ourselves before we can love others. It starts within. The same is true for joy, and peace, and patience… So as we think about “peace,” we need to understand the anxiety, the worry that we possess within us. How can we win the battle over this anxiety?
Well, let’s think for a moment about what causes us to worry: have congregation share their thoughts (things like no job; health issues; conflict…).
These things cause us worry because we want life to go smoothly. And so we begin to try and calculate how these issues can be resolved. If you are in conflict with another, you worry about how can you make it right. Maybe you even go over different ideas or conversations of how to make it better. But by doing this you make yourself all the more anxious. If it is an issue of health, you worry about when you will see the doctor, what treatment or medicine you will have, how this will affect what you are able to do, and again these thoughts cause increased anxiety. If you don’t have a job, or sufficient money, you begin to worry about how you will pay your bills, whether or not you will lose your home, what you can do to get more money. And even again, these thoughts usually increase your stress and anxiety.
All the while, your thoughts have done little to nothing in solving your problem!
b. The peace that surpasses all knowledge- Another aspect that
causes anxiety is playing the “what if” game. This game is where we think about what might have been, or what might be. EX. I did this after our baseball game last Saturday. Tyler pitched for our team, and it was a very close game. We went up 1-0, then they went up 2-1. We tied it at 2-2, and then an inning later we went ahead 3-2. The games are 6 innings long, and after 5 innings we were still ahead 3-2. However, kids at this age are limited in the amount of pitches they can throw, and Tyler was out of pitches after the fifth inning. So I brought in another of my top pitchers; but it was not his day. We had an error and then he walked the next 2 batters. He couldn’t find the strike zone. So I changed pitchers again. They got a couple of hits and won the game 6-3! AFTER THE GAME, throughout the rest of the day, I kept saying to myself: “What if I didn’t have to take Tyler out? What if we would have gotten that one hit, or not made that one error? What if we hadn’t made those 3 running mistakes?” And by doing this, I created a great amount of anxiety for myself.
We do this in so many areas of our lives: What if; if only. We drive ourselves crazy! How can we win with war within? We have to give ourselves over to God. Jesus tells us in John 14:27- “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.” And the apostle Paul tells us in Philippians 4:6-7, “…but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
We cannot be at peace on our own strength. We are called to put our trust in God by asking God for help (present your requests to God), and then let God go to work. If there is something we are to do in this situation, then God will lead us to do that. But there are many things out of our control, and for this we give it over to God. For example, you need a job. You pray to God about this. If there are opportunities to work, you take them. If you need to fill out applications and go on interviews, you do that. But you can’t make a job happen for yourself. So in this you have to give it up, and give it to God. Your worry will not make any difference!!
As Matthew 6:27 tells us: “Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life.”

II. What we dwell upon- (Philippians 4:8-9)
a. Our world situation-Another area of stress, worry, and anxiety, is
our world situation. It doesn’t take watching the news for long, or reading many newspaper articles, to become anxious. Let me just read you a few… (from Press Telegram, Sunday, March 8, 2009): Headlines- “Police seek tips in Long Beach slaying.” “Killings defy Long Beach crime trend.” Internationally: “Probe sought in fatal Zimbabwe crash.” AND, “Economists ask: ‘Where’s the bottom?’”
b. On what should we dwell?- The problem is that if we dwell on this
for too long (violence, murder, robbery, war, recession) we will indeed be anxious. The apostle Paul gives us some important words in Philippians 4:8-9, “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. 9Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.”
Our mind is a powerful tool. We can cause ourselves to get depressed, or to feel happy. We can keep ourselves positive, or become very negative. We can stay optimistic, or become pessimistic. What determines this is what we allow our minds to dwell on. Are we dwelling on those things which are true, and right, and pure and admirable, or are we dwelling on that which is false, deceptive, evil, and despicable?
Now I’m not saying that we purposely do this (although some might). What I am saying is that when we delve into the news too much, or go to violent and vulgar movies, or surround ourselves with trashy books, or listen to gossip, or get caught up in sensationalism, we are not dwelling on those things which are true, right, pure and admirable. Consequently, we will struggle to have peace of mind.


III. Learning to be content- (Philippians 4:10-13)
Illustration: A son asked his father, 'Dad, will you take part in a marathon with me?' The father who, despite having a heart condition, says, 'Yes'. They went on to complete the marathon together.. Father and son went on to join other marathons, with the father always saying 'Yes' to his son's request of going through the race together. One day, the son asked his father, 'Dad, let's join the Ironman together.' To which, his father said 'Yes' too. If you don't know what the Ironman is, it is the toughest triathlon ever. The race encompasses three endurance events: a 2.4 mile ocean swim, followed by a 112 mile bike ride, and ending with a 26.2 mile marathon along the coast of the Big Island in Hawaii. Father and son went on to complete the race together. But it isn’t enough for me to tell you about it. Watch this video clip (4:36). [http://www.godtube.com/view_video.php?viewkey=8cf08faca5dd9ea45513]
Some might say, why do this. They will never have a chance at winning the race. It is risky for the father who has a heart condition. But this clip shows in a powerful way, on the face of the son, the love and joy and peace he feels. You can see that he feels like he accomplished the Ironman competition! And that is how we need to live. So often we are not content in life because we feel like we can’t accomplish many of the things we want to. As we ask the Father to walk with us, He will do many things for us, and in that we will be doing them as well. In this we learn how to be content, that the Father will help us to do what we need to do, and accomplish what we need to accomplish. And in our contentment, we will feel inner peace. And when we have inner peace, we will be able to seek to be at peace with others, and bring more peace into our world!
Philippians 4:11- “I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.”
Philippians 4:13- (the verse we saw at the end of the video clip): “I can do everything through him who gives me strength.”

Conclusion: Hopefully, you understand that “peace” starts within. And the only one who can change us within, is God. That is why the Fruit of the Spirit is such good news; God’s Spirit, who lives within us, is there to change us from within. The Holy Spirit can manifest peace within us. Do you want peace in your life? Do you want to see more peace in the world? Then take this to heart: don’t play the “what if” game. Give your anxiety over to God, lift up your concerns to God, and He will begin to fill you with peace. Next, surround yourself with things and people that are true and pure, noble and admirable, praiseworthy and excellent. And lastly, don’t let the world confuse you about what is important. Let God lead you into the life He wants for you, and be content with your life. If you do these things, you will experience the peace that surpasses all understanding! Amen.