Peace in the Midst of a Lockdown
Notes
Transcript
Lord, I am tired. How many folks out there are tired. Tired of being tired. Tired of trying to make sure things are right. Tired of trying to make sure things are happening the way we what them to happen. Tired of being in the middle of a lockdown. Tired of Covid. It seems that we always worry about something. Wearing a mask, not wearing a mask. Tirelessly working at the hospital. There is always something that we are unsure about, something that always makes us question if we are on the right path. It’s the times we get butterflies in our stomachs, or when we can feel our blood pressure going up, or when we start getting those anxiety attacks.
4 Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again—rejoice!
5 Let everyone see that you are considerate in all you do. Remember, the Lord is coming soon.
6 Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.
7 Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.
8 And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.
9 Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me—everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you.
What does it mean to have the God of Peace with you? Do we even know what that means?
Def - freedom from disturbance; tranquility.
Bible def - the absence of mental stress or anxiety; especially that results from a proper recognition of salvation’s worth
Worry - give way to anxiety or unease; allow one's mind to dwell on difficulty or troubles.
You can tell who struggle with having peace.
Easily irritated
Let things escalate
Always gotta say something
Always negative
I want the God’s peace like what Paul had when he wrote this. See Paul was in prison.
Let’s take a look at something…The God’s peace is kinda like the difference in what happens to a bottle of water and a bottle of soda when you shake them up. Bottle of water will always be refreshing and not volatile. Soda will be ready to fizz.
Use these keys…
1. Do more prayer than worry v6
a. We put too much thought into the things that can go wrong
2. Don’t try to out think God v7
a. God’s peace exceeds what we know
3. Make Jesus your example v8
a. Learn and live thru the promises.
4. Pursue peace v9
a. You have to intentionally search out the things that are NOT stressful