Jesus’ disciples experienced tribulation, rejection, and even death as they strived to spread the gospel. Dr. Stanley explains how we can have peace in a world full of rebellion, dishonesty, crime and greed. Look to Christ and follow God’s Word so your heart can remain calm—even when troubles surround you. For more messages from Charles Stanley, including this week’s broadcast, go to https://intouch.org/tv
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today in touch the Teaching Ministry of
Dr Charles Stanley reaching the world
with the Gospel of Jesus Christ next on
in touch Jesus the prince of
peace which one of these words best
describes your present
emotions
conflict
hopelessness
anger
emptiness
loneliness we could just go on down the
list of those emotions that often times
just absolutely overpower people I
wonder where the emotion of Peace fits
in
that for some people they’d say well
peace is sort of out there somewhere I
don’t even know what it is sometimes I
think I have it sometimes I don’t and so
peace to them is something they hope one
of these days they may be able to grasp
and be able to think since sincerely
about now I understand what peace is and
now that I have it but you know what
most people never will because they
avoid the very essence of what peace is
all about and you say well I don’t think
I’ve ever found it I want to show you
how you can really find
it and I want us to turn if you will to
a passage in the Old Testament and the
ninth chapter of Isaiah and I want us to
just read this this Prophecy of the
coming of Jesus and how he’s described
and then we’ll turn to the New Testament
to show you what that really means in
light of our present day and who we are
beginning in the sixth verse of Isaiah
chapter 9 for a child will be born to us
a son will be given to us and the
government will rest on his shoulders
and his name will be called wonderful
counselor Mighty God Eternal Father of
Peace there will be no end to the
increase of his government or of Peace
on the throne of David and over his
kingdoms to establish it and to uphold
it with Justice and righteousness from
then on and forever more and how will
all that happen the Zeal of the Lord of
hosts will accomplish this then I want
you to turn if you will to the 14th
chapter of John and in this 14th chapter
uh Jesus is speaking to his disciples uh
he’s going to be crucified the next day
he’s telling him some of the most
precious things that he has said in
three years and he says for example in
the 25th verse of this 14th chapter
these things I’ve spoken to you while
abiding with you but the helper the Holy
Spirit whom the father will send in my
name there’s the Trinity right there in
one verse look at that the helper of the
Holy Spirit whom the father will send in
my name he will teach you all things and
bring to your remembrance all that I’ve
told you peace I leave with you my peace
I give to you not as the world gives do
I give to you do not let your heart be
troubled nor Let It Be
fearful now peace is one of the major
subjects in the
Bible it’s found 332 times and the
Apostle Paul every single one of his
Epistles will begin like this great
Grace and peace be unto you sometime
it’s all the way down to the third and
fourth and fifth verse but in his
salutation he’s always added Peace So
what I want to talk about in this
message is this in that Isaiah passage
Jesus is called the Prince of Peace we
sing about him being the Prince of Peace
we talk about it we see pictures of it
why is it that Jesus is the Prince of
Peace why is he called The Prince of
Peace does that have any effect in your
life life in mind and the answer is
indeed it does and what I want you to
see in this passage here in John
primarily I want you to see how
important it is that you and I
understand what real peace is and where
real peace comes from and how many
people have been duped into believing
that they have peace when they really
don’t so here’s the first thing I want
us to look at here and that’s simply
this that Jesus secured
our peace listen through his
substitutionary death on the cross now
watch this carefully because there is a
dis a difference between peace with God
and the peace of God and so Jesus by
coming sent by the father he came for
the primary purpose of doing what we say
well he came for the primary purpose of
dying on the cross but what was his goal
his goal was what to make it possible
for mankind distant from God these are
the words the scripture uses
alienated enemies separated these were
the words that describe Mankind’s
relationship to God Jesus came in order
to do what to bring sinful alienated
separated mankind into a relationship
with the Living God and how did he do
that and how could he do that God being
absolutely Ely holy and Man being sinful
and the issue was that sin separates man
from God when you trusted Jesus Christ
as your personal savior you experience
watch this you experience peace with God
the war was over you gave up your
Rebellion you gave up your in your
insistence on having it your way you
said Lord you’re right I’m asking you to
forgive me and to cleanse me from my
sins well why did he do it not simply
because you ask he did it because Jesus
his only begotten son came into the
world and took your sin Deb in mind all
of our guilt all of our penalty he
placed upon Jesus Christ who died on the
cross and when he died what did he do he
closed the gap between sinful Mankind
and what almighty God he closed the Gap
he made it possible he dealt with the
issue he dealt with the one thing that
kept us from being close to God and that
sin and when he died on the cross he
paid our sin debt in full and therefore
the Bible says therefore being justified
by faith we have watched as peace with
God through our Lord Jesus Christ now so
you say what’s that justification mean
therefore being justified by faith what
happens is when Christ paid our sin debt
in full that made it possible watch this
carefully for God to look upon sinful
Mankind and forgive him of his sins and
declare him no longer guilty but what
one of his children and every single
person who accepts Jesus Christ as their
personal savior they join hands with God
at that moment they become a child of
God in the family of God of the
household of God and are eternally
secure as the children of God all
because of what Jesus Christ did he is
the Prince of Peace that’s where it all
begins he and he alone the sinless Son
of God the Lamb of God he and he alone
could have paid that price to reconcile
man with God so when we think about the
peace of God and peace with God that
settled the issue that now anybody and
everyone can have a relationship with
him because Jesus has paved the way and
paav the way with his blood you’ll hear
once in a while somebody saying what’s
all that BL blood got to do with it
everything because you see all the way
back to the
Garden all the way through the Old
Testament all those sacrifices were a
foreshadowing of the one final sacrifice
that would make it possible for the
father to bring together with himself
sinful mankind he secured your peace now
watch this carefully since he secured
your peace and the only peace that real
peace the only peace that’s lasting
peace the only peace that’s genuine
peace since he secured it why do you
think that somehow you and your sinful
condition can be brought together in a
relationship with holy God and ignore
the only one who could have the only one
whom God sent to make it possible to do
what to reconcile sinful man with holy
God you must remember that God is Holy
he’s holy God tolerates no sin and
therefore cannot excuse sin he doesn’t
excuse sin he forgives and Jesus
Christ’s death brought about that
relationship therefore when a person
says I don’t need Jesus well tell me
what do you have you have nothing the
testimony of almighty God is this
testimony by Jesus I am the way the
truth and the life no one comes to the
father but by me why because he is the
only one and that transaction was the
only transaction that made it possible
for sinful mankind to be joined with the
Lord God and have eternal life that’s
the first point the second point is
simply this when you think about that
relationship think about in this
light that listen he not only secured
that peace but he is the source of our
peace on a daily basis through our
personal relationship with him because
people say well sometimes I have peace
and sometimes I don’t listen listen to
these verses and uh Jesus makes them
makes it so very clear in this 14th
chapter listen to what he said he said
Peace I leave with you now watch this
he’s the one who secured it no one else
there’s not a soul in history or ever
will be who could secure that peace to
the Cross listen to what he said Peace I
leave with with you my peace I give to
you not as the world gives do I give to
you do not let your heart be troubled
nor Let It Be
fearful so how do we how do we
experience this peace now peace with God
means the war’s over and I’ve trusted
him as my savior I’m his child but what
about I have to live on Monday morning I
have to live through difficulty
hardships trials turbulence tribulation
and all how how do we have peace in a
world that’s so messed up like like ours
is every where can you put your finger
on the globe that there’s not either
Revolution or Rebellion it’s either in
its beginning stages or it’s hot or
whatever it might be everywhere you turn
there is anything and everything but
peace and the world gets smaller and
smaller and smaller more and more
dangerous how can God expect us to have
peace in a world like this with the
simple reason listen number one he made
it possible by bringing this together
with the father through his death
secondly he came not only to die for us
but to dwell in us he said I am abiding
in you and you are abiding in me that is
Jesus Christ lives his life in and
through the believer in the presence of
the holy spirit in the power of the Holy
Spirit Christ in you Jesus said I’m
abiding in you I’m living in you you’re
living in me he Ed the branch of the and
the vine uh the grape vine to show that
relationship that a branch can’t produce
anything unless it’s connected to the
vine the sap that runs in the vine runs
in the branch produces the grapes it’s a
relationship and so watch this carefully
all true genuine
peace is the result of a personal
relationship with Jesus Christ there is
nothing else that can produce that kind
of peace and I want to show you how
feudal it is how absolutely feudal and
mistaken and blinded people are to think
that they can have peace and reject
Jesus Christ the son of God they may
have a lifestyle but they don’t have
peace and it’s so interesting to me when
I talk to people and just once in a
while sometimes people come to the line
or other times and and they’ll give me
their problem and so forth and I’ll ask
what’s going on and the longer they talk
the more they tell me and the more they
tell me the more it’s very evident that
Jesus is nowhere in the
situation and they’ve trusted this and
trusted that and talked to him and
talked to her and believed this and
tried that and this and somehow they
don’t have any peace because you see
watch this I’m going to say it many
times in this sermon peace the peace of
God that tranquility and calmness and
quietness that makes it possible for you
to walk through the most difficult
trying times of your life that peace
comes in a
relationship you can’t buy it you can’t
Bor
aoid it is a relationship and that
relationship ship is only with one
person and that’s Jesus Christ and when
I look at these passages and see uh how
what Jesus said for example do not let
your heart be troubled you believe in
God believe also in me and what he’s
really saying is do not let your heart
be troubled any
longer because what I’m going to say and
then the 14 15 16 chapters are wonderful
chapters of his assurance that made a
whole difference and and made all the
difference in the world for them and so
when you you come to this whole idea of
his peace what kind of peace is
that there is a qu listen when when you
have a relationship with Jesus there is
a sense of
quietness and
tranquility and calmness that’s
Indescribable because what happens when
you have that kind of relationship you
can walk through any kind of difficulty
hardship pain suffering you name it
because what because he’s the he’s the
source of our
peace when you have him you have a
relationship watch this a relationship
in which he will never reject
you a relationship he will never leave
you relationship he he he’s not in the
business of criticizing you he may bring
to your mind and heart convict you of
sin but that’s not being critical he’s
just saying this needs to go in your
life every 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 but he 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 of John the 33rd
verse these things I’ve spoken to you so
watch this so that in 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
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 turn to Second
Thessalonians for a moment look at this
look at this passage and sometimes one
verse will hit somebody and another
verse will hit someone else look in 2
Thessalonians and uh this third chapter
and um look at this
verse
verse 16 of the third chapter of 2
Thessalonians now may the Lord watch
this now may the Lord of Peace himself
continually Grant you peace in every
circumstance not in some of them but in
all of them there is a way that he will
give us a 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 was 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 could
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 but 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 165th verse
listen carefully
now 119th Psalm 165th
verse those who love your law have great
peace and nothing causes them to stumble
you say what does that mean all right
listen
carefully how many of you believe the
Bible say amen amen how many of you love
the Bible say amen amen all right thank
you very very much
now if you love
someone what do you do you give them
time right right you show genuine
interest in them now here’s what the
Bible says if I love the word of God 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 because when I face something
that’s a challenge to me the first thing
I do is go to the word of God why now
watch this carefully if I read that not
quot if I read it that word is imprinted
on my brain my
mind if I love God’s word he will so
work in my heart that he that he will
work me through whatever I’m facing and
I won’t stumble I’ll have his peace my
peace I give unto you not as the world
gives give unto you let not your heart
be troubled now you see the first thing
to do when you find yourself troubled is
get in the word of
God because listen what you watch this
what you’re doing is you are 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 in
everything we face and he’s a God of
Peace that’s what he that’s what he
wants for our
life let me ask you a question what do
you
own that brings you
peace you so I got the finest automobile
you can
buy how fast can you wreck
it he said you can’t think of anything
there words you you do not own anything
when I see people grasping and lying and
cheating and stealing and making all
kind of decisions to 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
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 savior 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 you say well how do I
have that here the way you have it you
acknowledge the
fact distant from him you so I believe
in God what kind of God is this you
believe in here’s the God you must
believe in Jehovah god of the scripture
who sent his only begotten son Jesus
into the world to close that gap between
you and him that’s that’s the god of the
scripture that’s the one true God the
moment you’re willing to acknowledge
that and that you have sinned against
him and that you do sin against him and
that you’re a sinner by heart you say
well I’m not as bad as others not that’s
not the issue the issue is you have
violated the laws of God broken the laws
of God sinned against God and the only
way to deal with that is to bring it to
him and to bring it to him through his
son Jesus Christ who went to the cross
and paid your sin dead and full you ask
him to forgive you of your sins
Surrender Your Life to him here’s what
he does he says he seals you at that
moment with the Holy Spirit of promise
that is the Holy Spirit the person of
the Trinity forever child of God and
this piece that I’m talking about can be
yours
immediately if you listen if you will
begin to 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 said he said it you
said I’m not
Wicked if you’ve turned your back Upon
Jesus you are because you’ve 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 you 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
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unturned that there’s 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 who’s 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 today yes to him yes
today and Father for every single
believer seated here who’s going through
difficulty hardship troubles and
trials just let this truth sink deep
into their heart it is the truth Divine
truth God truth biblical truth and it
works every
time and this we ask in jesus’ name
amen