Real Genuine Peace

John 14:27

There are lots of reasons in everyone's life to be stressed or afraid. The reasons for stress and anxiety or fear can vary, but are usually pretty universal. Job stress, lack of a job, money, children, the inability to have children, weather events such as tornadoes, earthquakes, mud slides, floods, hurricanes, violent crime, identity theft, the threat of war, civil unrest, medical issues...the list goes on.

Even followers of Jesus get stressed and fearful. Life is not easy for anyone. Every last person on this planet has something they are dealing with. Rich, poor, middle class, fill in the blank race, it doesn't matter. When it rains, everybody gets wet (Matthew 5:43-45 and John 16:32-33).

If we, as believers in and followers of Christ Jesus, could just take a step back, take a breath and open our bibles, we will see that there is no reason to be afraid. Jesus tells us many times that we should not be afraid. He has our lives hidden with Himself in God (Colossians 3:3).

I would challenge everyone who is a believer to read through the bible and try to count how many times we are told not to be afraid. The references are too many to list here.

Jesus promises us a peace that is beyond understanding (Philippians 4:4-7). In The Revelation, John gives the most encouraging news of all when he reports all that he has witnessed. In Revelation 1:1-6, emphasis on verses 4 and 5, we are told that grace and peace are imparted to us by our Triune God.

We are the children of the Most High. We are heirs of God (Romans 8:16-17 - I recommend starting from verse 1 for context). We have no reason to be afraid of anything. We have been given life eternal in Christ Jesus. We have been given the right to be called children of God(John 1:1-13) and have even been invited to call our God 'Abba' (Daddy)(Romans 8:15).

Praise to our great God in Christ Jesus that we can go through anything with peace and joy in our hearts because an eternity with Him is the inheritance we are coming into.

God is AWESOME!

Treasure

Proverbs 31:10-12

A few years ago, I was diagnosed with a progressive kidney disease called Chronic Kidney Disease. One of those illnesses that gets progressively worse no matter what you do. The Nephrologist said that dialysis was an inevitablility.

Around Thanksgiving of 2020, my wife and I got COVID. I ended up with COVID pneumonia and spent two weeks in the hospital, 4 days of which I was in ICU. The COVID did further damage to my kidneys.

In late 2021, fluid began to build up in my ankles. It quickly went up my legs and to my chest. It got around my lungs and was crushing them. I could not breathe. The Pulmonoligist sent me to the ER and admitted me to the hospital where they were able to drain fifty pounds of fluid off of me. I ended up on peritoneal dialysis.

A few months after starting dialysis, I went blind in my right eye. My eye doctor sent me to a retinal specialist, who in turn sent me for a biopsy of my temporal artery to test for Giant Cell Arteritis. After the biopsy, I threw a blood clot and had a TIA (basically a stroke).

Then, my dialysis wasn't working like it was supposed to work and I began to lose the use of my legs. I ended up using a walker, nearly in need of a wheelchair. My Nephroligist started me on hemodialysis

I ended up in the hospital almost every week for a while with fluid in my lungs because my kidneys did't work anymore. My Nephrologist adjusted my dialysis prescription and the fluid build up stopped. I started getting stronger and no longer needed a walker or cane and could stand up by myself.

I am still very weak and my poor wife has to do literally everything.

My point in all this is to say that I hit the jackpot when I married my wife. She is what I call a Proverbs wife.

She does everything and never complains or gets short with me for not being able to help. Words are too clumsy to say how thankful I am to her and how much I love her.

Through all of what we have been through, we both determined to trust God no matter what (1 Peter 1:6-7). Cheryl's sense of humor has remained intact. She promised that she would not be like Job's wife (Job 2:8-9).

God sent her to me because He saw all of this coming and decided to bless me with Cheryl (Proverbs 12:4, Proverbs 18:22 and Proverbs 31:10-12). She is all those things and more.

God is AWESOME!

Yoked

Matthew 11:27-30

Jesus taught that the Christian life is not easy. He used a path as a metaphore for the life of His followers. He said that the path to destruction was easy because it is wide, but the path to life is hard because it is narrow (Matthew 7:13-14)

Some may look down that narrow path and think to themselves that the path is too hard, the terrain is too rough and seemingly up hill most of the way. But for those who are in Christ, this is not so. True, it is not easy, but we have a lot of help (John 16:33).

Jesus promised that if we come to Him, He will give us rest. He will put His yoke on us and gently guide us on our way(Matthew 11:27-30). Some of us make it hard on ourselves, though. We sometimes pull that yoke off and try to do it ourselves rather than trusting in Christ Jesus to guide our lives. Then, because He loves us, He uses the oxgoad to get us back on the path and, being stubborn, we kick against it (Acts 26:12-14) thinking we know better (Proverbs 14:12-16).

Our wise Father will not let us stray from the path for very long. He will bring us back again and again (Hosea 1-2).

When we repent and put our focus on Christ, we find that the narrow way becomes a little easier because we are abiding in Christ, He is carrying us (John 16:33 Colossians 3:1-3). The path has disappeared. Christ Jesus has taken it's place, He is the Way (John 14:1-7).

God is AWESOME!

Heart Condition

Proverbs 27:19

We don't know what lurks deep in the heart of a man. All we know is that whatever is in there is not good (Jeremiah 17:9-10).

When someone talks, when they are with their closest friends or family and feel free to speak honestly, what is in their heart will sooner or later come out of their mouth (Luke 6:45). And since we are a fallen people with a sin nature, we can't help ourselves. We will gossip and viciously put someone's character in a blender.

We love to think of ourselves as good people. We are wrong (Mark 10:17-18 and Romans 3:1-12). We try to be good on our own and will fail miserably.

But, for His Name's sake, our Great God made a way. He gave us His Son and we have been given to His Son (John 6:37-40). He gave us a new heart and renewed our minds and gave us His Spirit (Ezekiel 36:22-27). It is only in Christ Jesus that we find goodness.

God is AWESOME!

The Gospel

Luke 24:13-35

Jesus had been killed on a Roman cross three days ago. Cleopas and his friend, both followers of Jesus, were dejected. They were walking the seven mile road to Emmaus and discussing the events that had just taken place. Jesus Himself came along side them and joined the conversation. He asked about what they had been saying. Cleopas and his friend, who had been prevented from recognising Jesus, were surprised that there was anyone who hadn't heard about what happened in Jerusalem three days ago. It was quite the spectacle.

Jesus said they were foolish. Then He proceeded to school them on what had really happened there in Jerusalem. He started with Moses and worked His way through all the prophets.

He likely started in Genesis 3:14-15 in the Garden, then to Abram in Genesis 12:1-3. Then to Deuteronomy 18:15-18 and Job 9:1-35 with emphasis on v. 33-35, and Job 19:25-27. Psalm 22 where He is actually quoted thousands of years before His birth. Isaiah 7:1-14 and Isaiah 9:6-7. Hosea 11:1 and Micah 5:2 and so many more prophecies by so many prophets in so many other books.

When the three men got where they were going, Cleopas and his friend invited the wise stranger, urged Him, really, to stay with them. The stranger agreed to stay with them. They sat down to share a meal and Jesus broke bread and opened their eyes, then He vanished (Luke 24:13-35).

They hurried back to Jerusalem and found the other disciples and confirmed to them that Jesus had indeed risen from the dead.

This is the gospel. Jesus was born of a virgin. He was killed on a cross. He rose on the third day. From the very beginning (Micah 5:2), the law and the prophets and the Psalms pointed to Christ Jesus (Luke 24:44).

God is AWESOME!

The Guilt Offering

Isaiah 53:1-10

It is early in the morning. There is a bit of a chill in the air. The priest is adding wood to the fire at the alter when a man walks up to the tent and calls out in desperation to the priest. He has lead his ram all the way to the tent. He humbly hands the lead over to the priest, his hands trembling in fear.

His offering, after realizing his guilt. The priest takes the guilt offering and performs his prescribed duty (Leviticus 6:1-7; Leviticus 7:1-7)

The priests had to perform these sacrificial offerings multiple times, until the Sacrifice of the final High Priest, who offered Himself (Isaiah 53:10; Romans 6:10; Hebrews 10:8-18)

Jesus was the sacrifical lamb, lead to slaughter by the guilty men. He was betrayed by a close friend, suffered many things (Luke 22:31-71) and then was killed upon a cross (Luke 23:1-46). God fully accepted this guilt offering. We know He did because Jesus was raised from the dead (Luke 24:1-51; Colossians 1:13-20).

After His resurrection, He went to Simon Peter (Cephus) and had a conversation that took away Peter's guilt (Luke 22:54-62; 1 Corinthians 15:1-5).

We have been set free from our sin in the risen Christ. We can stand before the All Mighty Living and Holy God, blameless in Christ Jesus (Jude 1:24).

God is AWESOME!