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Home Sermons 2010 Peace, Prayer and God's will
 
Peace, Prayer and God's will PDF Print E-mail
Written by David Charlton   

Scripture

Philippians 1:9-11

And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, 10 so that you may approve what is excellent, and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, 11 filled with the fruits of righteousness which come through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.

Philippians 4:6-7

Have no anxiety about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, will keep your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

John 14:27

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.

Summary and Function

Summary: Many people want to discover God’s will for their lives. When they make major decisions, they want to do what God wants them to do. This is a great desire that we all should have. Often times, however, worry, anxiety, depression, anger or hatred prevent us from discerning God’s will. This is why we need God’s peace. God’s peace drives out the stuff that keeps us from connecting with God. The more peace we have, the less worry, anxiety, depression, anger and hate we have. The more peace we have the more we can expect to be in God’s will.

This peace comes through faith. We pray in faith and expect to receive this peace. The peace may come instantaneously or over time but it will come. Jesus said, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.”

Purpose: To help the congregation to receive God’s peace and fall more in line with God’s will. 

The Sermon

I. Introduction: Making decisions out of fear or anger

1. Decisions made out of fear, anger, desperation or sinful desires are almost always
bad.

2. Many prisoners made decisions out of fear, anger, desperation or sinful desires.

  • Many bank robbers were motivated by desperation.
  • Many violent offenders committed their offenses out of anger or fear
  • Many embezzlers or sex offenders acted out of sinful desires such as greed or lust
3. Although most of us don’t end up in prison, we’ve all made bad decisions out of
fear, anger, desperation, or sinful desires
  • Some people decide to marry out of desperation only to find their spouses are abusive
  • Many of us allow greed to influence our decisions. We go into debt and end up in a career with no fulfillment
  • Many of us have intentionally hurt people out of anger.
4. Decisions made out of fear, anger, desperation and sinful desires are not only
almost always bad, they often cause us to be outside of God’s will.

5. This is where God’s peace comes in.

II. God’s peace

1. God’s peace drives out fear, anger, desperation and sinful desires.

  • The more of God’s peace you have, the less fear, anger, desperation and sinful desire you will have
  • The less of God’s you have peace, the more fear, anger, desperation and sinful desire you will have
  • The more of God’s peace you have, the more in line with God’s will you will be
  • The less of God’s peace you have, the less in line with God’s will you will be
2. This is why John 14:27 is so important: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I
give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be
troubled, neither let them be afraid.”

3. An historical example of how this works:

  • January 30, 1956: During the Montgomery Bus Boycott, Dr. Martin Luther King’s home is bombed. His wife and baby daughter were home and could have been killed.
  • When Dr. King arrived at his home he found and angry and armed mob ready to strike back in revenge
  • Dr. King, however, had a peace about him. With this peace, he was able to convince the crowed not to take any violent action. He said, “We must learn to meet hate with love.”

4. So, what is this peace? It’s a blessed assurance that…

  • God loves us
  • God is with us
  • God will take care of us
  • Everything will be ok in the end
5. When you have this peace, you can calmly look at your chaotic situation and ask
God, “What is the right thing for me to do?”

6. So, how do I receive this peace?

III. Receiving God’s peace

1. Prayer is one of the primary means to receive God’s peace.

  • Worship, fasting and Bible study are also vital. We need to do them all.
  • For purpose of this sermon, we’ll focus on prayer and how prayer brings us God’s peace
2. If you don’t have peace and your heart is filled with fear, anger, desperation or
sinful desire, go to God in prayer and follow the format found in Philippians 4:6-7:
“Have no anxiety about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication
with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of
God, which passes all understanding, will keep your hearts and your minds in
Christ Jesus.”
  • First: Don’t worry (Have no anxiety about anything,)
  • Second: Go to God in prayer and give thanks (but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving…)
  • Third: Ask God for help (…let your requests be made known to God.)
  • Fourth: Receive the peace (And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, will keep your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
3. It all begins with repentance and faith in Jesus. If you have not yet given your life
over to Jesus, you can do so now and begin to experience this peace.
 
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