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[0:00] The peace of God. I put to you today that there's a storm coming. And it's been forecast. I'm not talking about tomorrow's weather or the weather this week ahead.

[0:10] Maybe there will be storms. But it's a kind of a storm that the Bible speaks about. And the time is coming when God shall judge the earth. We know that world peace is coming after the storm.

[0:22] When the Lord Jesus comes to take his reign as rightful king. But first the storm of judgment is coming. And we know there's a judgment that is coming against man's sin.

[0:33] The coming storm of God's wrath against sin. God now commands all men everywhere to repent. He provides for us a certain way to trust him. To have faith. To believe.

[0:44] To find that way of escape from the coming judgment. But many are troubled. They're lacking peace. Peace is offered to all though. It's a promise for us from God.

[0:55] We see even the very good news of the gospel is glad tidings of good news isn't it? It's actually called the gospel of peace. In Ephesians 6.15.

[1:06] The very word of God. The very gospel of salvation is called the gospel of peace. The good news of peace. It's the message of peace with God. And that's what I want to share about today.

[1:17] Now this kind of peace I'm talking about. It's not from some mystical temple. Or ceremonies. Or incense. Or chanting. Or religious ritual. It's not found at the feet of some guru.

[1:30] Working yourself up into some trance or frenzy. Blanking your mind. The kind of peace that I'm recommending to you is the peace of God. It's the very peace of God. And it's actually found in a person.

[1:42] Christ Jesus. We read about the peace of God in Philippians 4. Where it tells us how the peace of God shall keep your hearts and your minds through Christ Jesus.

[1:54] Hear what the Bible says about the peace of God. As we read these precious verses here in Philippians 4. From verses 6 through 9. It reads.

[2:05] Be careful for nothing. But in everything by prayer and supplication. With thanksgiving. Let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God which passeth all understanding.

[2:19] Shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Finally brethren. Whatsoever things are true.

[2:30] Whatsoever things are honest. Whatsoever things are just. Whatsoever things are pure. Whatsoever things are lovely.

[2:42] Whatsoever things are of good report. If there be any virtue. And if there be any praise. Think on these things.

[2:55] Those things which ye have both learned and received and heard and seen in me do. And the God of peace shall be with you.

[3:06] In some places around the world today it's hard to find peace. We're living in a world at war. Many armed conflicts are raging all around the planet. Right now. There's constant ceasefires.

[3:17] But there's no lasting peace. There's no certain peace. It's an uncertain peace. And just like in war torn countries. People are lacking that peace in their own lives.

[3:28] And hearts. There's that lack of meaningful sense of peace. In many people's lives today. And sure there's some short lived moments of peace. Some happy memories.

[3:39] Some happy moments. But people by and large don't know that real constant heartfelt peace. That comes from God. By grace. Through faith. Many times there might be a false sense of peace.

[3:51] Like a fake kind of peace. But it's short lived. And it's shattered easily by some hangover. Or broken relationships. People just get left feeling empty and disappointed.

[4:02] And all of us deep down have that longing for real heart peace. In our lives today. Deep down we're all crying out. For more than an uncertain peace. And Christ offers that.

[4:14] People are looking for true peace. And really it means wholeness in our lives. Doesn't it? That peace from God. And God's promise is such a peace. The peace of God.

[4:25] The peace of God. Not only the peace of God. But the God of peace. It surpasses all comprehension. Doesn't it? And he is the very source of it.

[4:36] Now. Someone put this little message together. And you sometimes see it on t-shirts that people use to witness. And it's kind of an interesting combination of words here.

[4:49] That for those people have. Who have no God. They have no peace. But those who know. K-N-O-W. God. They K-N-O-W.

[5:00] Peace. So you get that. Imprint that on your mind. To have. To know God is to know peace. But to have no God is to have no peace. It's. It really follows doesn't it?

[5:11] Because God is that source of peace. And here is Paul's prescription for peace. That we just read through here. In Philippians 4. Not just peace. Any kind of peace. But the peace.

[5:22] That comes from God. From God himself. And it is based upon knowing him. Knowing our God. The peace of God. So firstly I put to you. As we walk through this verse together.

[5:35] Spend a little time unpacking it. We see. Firstly Paul talks about. A peaceful praying. He tells us how prayer. Helps us with peace.

[5:45] And again verse 6 we read. Be careful. Or in other words. Don't be full of cares. Be careful. About nothing. He says. But in everything. By prayer.

[5:56] And supplication. With thanksgiving. Let your requests be made known. Unto God. So Paul's saying here. Of peaceful praying. Prayer.

[6:07] That is. Capturing that peace. That God wants us to have. And so Paul says this. He says stop being anxious. He says don't worry about anything. Pray about everything.

[6:18] Instead of fretting and worrying. As our human lot is at times. He says instead of worry. Pray. Stop worrying. In the context too. It talks about being content. It talks about in whatsoever state I am.

[6:31] They with to be content. He's learnt that he says. And God's will is the place of blessing. We get that as we pray. We find God's will. We discern God's will. We get that trust. That faith.

[6:42] That trusting. Someone said this. Don't worry about God's tomorrow. Remember God is already there. God is already there in your tomorrow.

[6:52] Whatever you're worried about. Whatever the future holds. And people are present troubles. I know. I get to hear about a lot of them. At times. And in a way. You know. They call it.

[7:02] Vicarious trauma. That the one who cares. Sometimes they can feel. That hurt. Themselves. And we know. There's many burdens. People share. And you've probably got burdens.

[7:13] You haven't shared with me. But we know that. The ultimate burden bearer. Is him. Isn't it? Don't worry. Give it to him. Don't worry about God's tomorrow. God is already there.

[7:26] God feeds the birds of the air. It says. He looks after every living thing. And prayer recognises that. It recognises. God is close. And he cares. He truly cares. And in the context.

[7:36] Just the verse earlier. Verse 5. It reads that the Lord. Is at hand. It's telling us there. That the Lord is near. Friends. Know that in prayer. God is near.

[7:47] And he can get even nearer. As you pray. The one who cares for us. Is with us. And he cares. He truly cares for us. He is near. And he's always near. Even unto the end of the age.

[7:58] So God's promises for us. For those who are here. Is that all things work together for good. For our good. If you love God. You're called according to his purpose.

[8:10] All things are going to work together. Even the bad things are going to work together for the good. Amen. It will. Trust him. He tells you that. He says that he will make all grace always abound.

[8:21] All grace always abound towards you. He tells you that nothing is going to separate you from his love. Nothing. Nothing at all. And that nothing can pluck us out of his hand.

[8:34] Nothing at all. These are promises he gives to us. And in prayer we can grab hold of them. Can't we? Confess them. So when do we pray? In everything.

[8:46] Everything. That's everything. All right. God cares about you. And every single part of your life. Every part of you. The Lord Jesus says that not a single sparrow falls to the ground.

[8:58] Without your father knowing about it. He knows even the very hairs of our head. They're all numbered. As they get less and less.

[9:08] The very hairs of our head. They're all numbered. He knows every little detail about you. And he told us to pray for our daily bread. Think of that. Sometimes we neglect that don't we?

[9:19] Our daily bread. Ask him for it. Trust him for it. Depend upon the Lord. We can bring our every need. In everything. Our every need before him. Our every need. Our need of body, mind.

[9:31] Practical needs. Our friends. Our troubles. Our losses. Our hurts. Our trials. Our hopes. Our fears. In everything. Pray. Amen. Brother, sister, pray.

[9:42] In everything. We can bring it all unto him. Unto his very throne. And let the Lord know what you need. He wants you to pray. I know. I could pray more. We could all pray. Couldn't we pray more?

[9:53] To take hold of his hand. He calls us to that. And the peace is there. As we pray. How are we to pray? By prayer and supplication. It tells about an earnest pleading.

[10:05] Lord, supply. It's supplication, isn't it? In everything. By prayer and supplication. Plead your need before the throne. It's been said that he who has learned to pray.

[10:16] Has learned the greatest secret. Of a happy and holy life. So said William Law. He was a Puritan, I believe, of old. Another quote is this. The worst sin.

[10:27] Is prayerlessness. That's a good one, isn't it? Wow. I'm pretty sinful then. I could think of it. Yeah, I'm not praying enough. I need to pray. The worst sin is prayerlessness.

[10:38] We should depend upon him. We should call upon him. We should communicate. We should build that relationship with him. Pray also with thanksgiving. Don't forget the thanksgiving. Remember his kindness is towards you.

[10:51] How often we come to God in prayer with a shopping list without saying, Thank you, Lord, for all the good things that you've given me thus far. Thank God for his mercies that you've received in time past.

[11:02] His grace. We've so much to bless God for, haven't we? Bring your thanksgiving. Pray with thanksgiving. It says then, let your requests be made known unto God. Let your requests be made known.

[11:15] Tell him about your concerns. Tell him what your needs are. Prayer is one of Paul's solutions to finding peace. Instead of anxious care, use prayer.

[11:27] Brother, sister. I know we've got needs. Julie's got needs. She's praying like mad. And sometimes you've got to pray and keep on praying, don't you? Persevere in prayer. Pray even though you don't seem to get the answer straight away.

[11:40] Persevere in prayer. Keep on praying, saying. And trust him. It builds your faith. As you pray more, he'll give you more faith. To believe him more. To depend upon him more. To lean upon him.

[11:51] So peace comes as we pray. Peaceful praying. We see secondly, as we look further through verse 7, it tells us this.

[12:02] Of peaceful thinking. It tells us of our thought patterns. Of our mindset. Verse 7. It says, And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep our hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

[12:15] Peaceful praying. What is the peace of God? It says, the peace of God. This is not just any peace. This is the peace of God. It's God's peace. It's God-given peace.

[12:27] Wesley said, The peace of God is that tranquility of spirit that only God can give. It comes from him. It's God's peace. And he gives it to you. It's God's peace.

[12:37] It's from him. It's by him. It's true peace of mind. He's the one who made your mind. He knows what your mind needs. Sometimes people fill their mind with other things.

[12:47] Or they depend on other things. When the ultimate peace comes from the one who's made your mind. He knows what it needs. And his peace is going to pass all understanding, it says.

[12:59] The peace of God is beyond our understanding. It's beyond all we can conceive or imagine. And God's response to prayer is also beyond our expectations. We see, for example, Ephesians 3 verse 20.

[13:12] It says, Now unto him that is able to do exceeding, abundantly, above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us. He's able to do everything abundantly, exceeding, above what we can ask for even, above even what we can think.

[13:30] So think of that mind. We can think all kinds of things. God can think above and beyond what even our brain power can fathom. God can even do more than we can think.

[13:41] And God's peace, it's incomparable. It's incomparable. We see that it is beyond our imagination, isn't it? It's beyond all that we can ask or think, isn't it?

[13:53] It passeth all understanding, is the sense of it. And how do you unpack that? It passeth all understanding. It's just incomparable. Our brain can't fathom it. It's beyond our comprehension, yeah.

[14:08] And so his peace is like nothing else. Nothing else you can even imagine. And he tells you here in John 14, our Lord Jesus says these words. He says, He says, My peace, My peace I give unto you.

[14:24] Not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. My peace I give, he says.

[14:35] Will you let God's peace fill your hearts and minds? God's peace flows from his word. It's his very words, his promises. And we can meditate on his very words, his very promises for us.

[14:48] It tells us of Christ's victory won for us. He says further in John 16, 33. He says, These things I have spoken unto you that in me you might have peace.

[14:58] In Christ you can have peace, he says. In the world you shall have tribulation. There's going to be trouble, yeah, in this world. But, he says, Be of good cheer. He says, Take comfort in this.

[15:09] I have overcome the world. He's got absolute victory and you are in him. And in him you shall have peace, he says. The peace of God, it will guard your hearts and minds through the Lord Jesus.

[15:23] So, it's his promise to you. When your mind gets easily swayed by doubts and fears and troubled and concerned, distressed, he says he's going to guard.

[15:35] He's going to guard your heart. He's going to guard your mind through the Lord Jesus. It's by his intervention. Through his great power of grace. Because of his wonderful love. Friends, think of the promises of God.

[15:48] He says, Come unto me, all you that labour and are heavy laden. I will give you rest. I will give you rest. By faith we can know that. That rest. Again, verse 7, it reads, And the peace of God which passeth all understanding shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

[16:05] It's got a picture there of a sentry guarding the gates, as it were. That's the sense of this keeping. Keeping of your hearts and minds. So, the peace of God which passeth all understanding shall keep your hearts and minds.

[16:19] Now, this sense of keep is it's a protection. It's like a guard manning the guard post. It's a guard at the gates of your hearts and your minds. That's the sense of it.

[16:30] A guard at the gates of your hearts and your minds. It's like a garrison would guard a city. Patrolling your heart and your minds like a sentinel. And we're as safe as someone living in an impregnable castle.

[16:43] That's the sense of it. That's the peace of God. It's going to guard you. It's going to protect you. It's going to watch over you. It's going to keep you. It's going to keep you safe. And you've got that sense of security that he gives to you.

[16:56] And Peter uses this same word of keeping. Again, speaking of this guarding of the power of God. Not only do we have the peace of God which guards, which keeps our hearts and minds.

[17:07] But we have the very power of God. It says of the saints. 1 Peter 1 verse 5. That we, the saved, are kept by the power of God. We're guarded by the power of God. Through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

[17:22] It talks about the security of your salvation. That we kept. Yeah, we're kept in his firm clasp, aren't we? In his firm grip. He's holding us short. He's holding us hard and close to his very heart.

[17:35] We're kept as a firm guard would keep guard. And so his peace keeps us and his power keeps us. Our Lord promises perfect, perfect peace.

[17:47] For those whose mind is stayed on him. And I know people like to say it's shalom, shalom. In Isaiah 26 verse 3. Thou wilt. God will keep him in perfect peace.

[17:58] Shalom, shalom. His mind is stayed on thee. Because he trusteth in thee. There's a perfect shalom. There's a perfect peace. It's an emphasised peace.

[18:09] It's an absolute assurance of peace. And they will keep him there, it says. Whose mind is stayed upon thee. Because he trusteth in thee. So that prayerful thinking.

[18:20] We talked about that peaceful praying. We're talking about that peaceful thinking now. And that prayerful thinking is trusting, isn't it? As we think on the promises of God.

[18:30] As we dwell upon his word. As we place our faith and trust in our Lord Jesus. As we stay our mind upon him. How do we do that? It's as we have the word, isn't it? It's as we have the promises of God.

[18:42] We can repeat them to ourselves. We can recite them to ourselves. We can meditate on them. We can memorise them. We can hide them in our heart. And as we have that trust that the word is locked and hidden within our heart.

[18:55] We can bring it to our reminding. And bring it to our remembrance. And our mind can be stayed upon him. That we're focused upon him. That we're dwelling upon him. And we've got a secure peace that's within.

[19:06] Even if there's many troubles all around about. Without and about us. There's an assurance here. Brother, sister, saint of God this morning. That there's a perfect protection for you.

[19:17] From God. It's guaranteed that you're safe from anxious fears or alarms. Of course we're going to be threatened with them. But we've got a guard. He's spanning that guard post.

[19:27] He's protecting our hearts and minds. Like a guard would patrol our heart and mind. And guard the gates of our hearts and minds. So there's a wonderful grace there.

[19:38] And God's peace, it says that it prevails. It's going to keep us. It's going to prevail over your heart. In other words, your affections. All of those emotions of you. You know, the vulnerable part of you.

[19:50] Your heart. And then your mind. Your understanding. That you're going to have that thoughts. Those thoughts that are righteous thoughts. And good thoughts as we'll come to. And Paul says in Colossians 3 verse 15.

[20:01] Let the peace of God rule in your hearts. That sense of rule. Of reign. Of govern. Of preside. Of control. So that the very peace of God would govern our hearts.

[20:14] Think of that. That God's peace would so rule us. That it would govern us. It would govern over our hearts. It would preside. And so in Christ we guarded. And we kept safe. God's peace controls our attitude.

[20:27] Our thinking. That's what he wants for you. Sometimes it's very easy to be just like our neighbour. Who doesn't know the Lord, isn't it? As we take the same programming. As we follow the same fads and fashions of the world around us.

[20:41] That we can be just like the world. And so we need to be mindful of that. Our thoughts can impact our behaviour. We don't want to be living like the world that doesn't know the saviour. We want to be living for our Lord.

[20:53] It's been said the average person has 10,000 separate thoughts every day. Think of that. You just had one thought. 10,000 separate thoughts every day. It's mind-blowing, isn't it?

[21:05] And that works out to 3.5 million thoughts a year. Well, no wonder you're tired today. 3.5 million thoughts a year. That's amazing, isn't it? And here we have a list of thoughts that we should think upon.

[21:17] It tells us here in Philippians 4 verse 8, the things we should think upon. Just dwell upon this if you can. There's a bit to unpack here. Think of all of these words, of these truths.

[21:30] As I'll read it, Philippians 4 verse 8. Think about these things, he says. Think about them. Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report.

[21:48] If there be any virtue, if there be any praise, think on these things. It's all Jesus. Yeah. It's really when you think, isn't it? He is the one who demonstrates all this in his very person.

[22:00] How are your thoughts today? Your thought life. What is it that you fill your minds with? Now we can control our thoughts, our conscious mind. We can make a decision. We can be deliberate about what we think about.

[22:13] We can try to be, as it were, guarded and filtering what comes in those gates, as it were, into the mind, into our thinking. So let your mind, yet your thoughts be filled up with these things, he says, says Paul.

[22:27] Fill it up with truth, with that which is true, that which is true in speech and life. Now who is the truth? The Lord Jesus, isn't it? The way, the truth. He's the very essence of it.

[22:39] He's truth incarnate, isn't he? He's the truth. And he's the source of all that is true. The Bible is God's written truth. Think about the things that are true. Secondly, the things that are honest.

[22:52] In other words, honest in action. Honourable. So exclude from your mind that which is dishonourable. We know the world would give us the opposite of all this, wouldn't it? The world, the media, the flesh would tell us to dwell on that which is opposite to all of this.

[23:07] But rather dwell on that which is honourable. Honouring God. Dwell on that which is just. That which is righteous. Think about righteous things. It's not about the unrighteous things. Think about that which is pure.

[23:19] Instead of that which is impure. Impure. You know, pure words. Words that are purified. That our hearts be clean. That our thoughts be clean. That our communication be clean.

[23:30] Let our Facebook be clean. You know, let's be clean. Let's be pure. Let's be lovely. What comes from love that is of God? What inspires love in others?

[23:40] Be gracious. That which is lovely. Do that which is lovely. That which is going to command your saviour to the world around you. Think of those things that are of good report.

[23:51] Anything that's commendable and noble. Those things that are of good report. Don't dwell on all the goss and the trash talk and the gutter language of this world. Think of that which is of good report.

[24:02] That which is righteous and good and noble and proper. Think of that which is of virtue. In other words, it's excellence. There's an excellence there. Don't set off with a dross.

[24:13] Think of that which is virtuous. And dwell on that. Encourage that. Multiply that. Snowball that. Any praise, he says. Think on that which is praiseworthy.

[24:24] That which deserves to be praised. Think about that which you want to be praising God for. Not that you want to complain about or be miserable about. But dwell on that which is praiseworthy.

[24:34] That which is praising God. He says, think on these things. Think on these things. Now, it's going to take a lifetime to put Philippians 4 verse 8 into practice, doesn't it?

[24:45] To actually, yeah. Okay. I've got to stop thinking that way. I'm going to go Philippians 4 verse 8. All right. Now, it's been said that all thought tends to convert itself into action.

[24:57] So said Thomas Edison. Now, what we think about tends to be what happens. You know, as the Bible says, doesn't it? That out of the heart, you know, our actions flow, basically.

[25:07] So, this peaceful thinking that we're talking about, that Paul's telling us about, it transforms us. If we can start thinking right, we'll start acting right. It'll transform.

[25:18] We can be transformed, it says, by the renewing of our mind. So, think. Now, it's interesting when it says think on these things. This word think, it's got the sense of continually think.

[25:30] So, it's not just having a passing thought. I'm going to continually think. I'm going to train my mind to think on, to keep on thinking on these things. So, let your mind dwell on these things is the sense of it.

[25:41] In other words, meditate on these things. Fill your mind with these things. Fill your thoughts. That they be Christ-honoring thoughts. Thoughts of him, who is the very embodiment of all this, isn't he?

[25:52] And as the like verse Colossians 3 says, it's got the sense of keep seeking the things that are above. Set your mind on things above. Set your affections on things above. It's got the sense of keep thinking of things above.

[26:04] Keep thinking of those things that are setting my mind on the things above, not on the things of the earth. We can all get earthbound in our thinking. God wants us to be heavenbound. To be capturing heaven in our thoughts.

[26:17] So, brother, sister, watch your thoughts. It's going to help you get peace with God when your thoughts are straightened down. Our life starts with our thoughts. Now, here's what a commentator has said.

[26:29] I'm not sure they're necessarily a Christian. This quote. But it's very true, I think. Nevertheless, this man said this. Watch your thoughts. They become your words.

[26:41] Watch your words. They become your actions. Watch your actions. They become your habits. Watch your habits. They become your character.

[26:52] Watch your character. It becomes your destiny. So, it starts with the thoughts, doesn't it? It starts with our thoughts. We start talking that way. Acting that way. It becomes a habit.

[27:03] It just becomes a lifestyle. It becomes the norm. And then it becomes our character. It's what people think of you as. It's how you're living and how you're acting. It's what you're standing for or not standing for.

[27:14] And then it just becomes a way of life, doesn't it? It becomes your pattern. And we could think of these things spiritually, couldn't we? If we get the mind right, the mind of Christ, then we'll get the life right.

[27:25] We'll be living for him and for his glory. So, brother, sister, can I urge you gently today to clean out and block out sinful thoughts.

[27:37] Have a bit of a decluttering of the mind. I know we could do with some decluttering at our house, but it's getting around to it, isn't it? It's the thing. What do I throw out?

[27:47] But when we think of our mind, what are we cluttering our mind up with? Is it stuff that we should be decluttering, blocking out, throwing out? And rather, fill your mind with scriptures.

[27:58] Fill your mind with godly biographies. There's some great books in the library here, in the church library. Go and check it out and get an armload of books to take home. I know it's the old technology, but it's good stuff there.

[28:09] Amen? There's good books here. I know Shirley can guide you. Shirley, wave your hand, Shirley. She's the church librarian. She can point you in the right direction. Some good godly biographies.

[28:21] Read about men and women of God, of old, revivalists and reformers and missionaries. Men and women of God have got a testimony of God's grace at work in their lives. Fill your mind with that stuff.

[28:32] Let your mind be filled with that stuff, rather than what other stuff is out there. Fill your mind with wholesome music. Get some good wholesome music you can play. And it's got messages that will help build your faith and help you grow.

[28:44] What are you absorbing? Really, your mind is like a sponge, isn't it? And it's constantly, generally, sponges pick up all sorts of rubbish, don't they? When you wipe something, it picks up the rubbish.

[28:58] But we want our sponge, our mind, our brain, to be filling up with good stuff, with God's stuff. Amen? Amen? Apply God's filter as your mind would process. Filter out that which you don't want, that God would not want you to be dwelling upon.

[29:14] Amen? It's been said, we grow like the things we think about. That's a good quote too, isn't it? As one preacher put it, Let Christ be enthroned in the very sanctuary of your minds.

[29:25] Let Christ be enthroned in the very sanctuary of your minds. That's a good one, isn't it? Let him be seated on the throne of your mind, of your heart. So Paul urges us to experience God's peace to peaceful praying, number one, pray.

[29:40] To peaceful thinking, number two, get the thinking right. And then not only that, but Paul didn't leave it just there at praying and thinking. He talks about action too. Right thinking, right praying leads to right action, right living.

[29:55] We see Paul talks further, verse 9, about peaceful living. Peaceful living, verse 9. Those things which you have both learned and received and heard and seen in me, do. And the God of peace shall be with you.

[30:08] So Paul's putting himself forward here as a living example. He's saying, I'm not just talking the talk, I'm walking the walk. And he's urging the Christians, do the right thing. Live right. Put your faith into action.

[30:19] Follow my example. And we'd like to have Paul here to tell us all about it. But we've got the record of his life, don't we? How firm he was despite much suffering. How he was singing praise at midnight in the suffering of his back torn and beaten and bruised.

[30:35] And how he was numbers of times beaten at almost the extent of his life, scarcely to survive it. That the living example of a godly life.

[30:46] We see Paul's telling us all of that, showing us that. And Paul's telling us here in this verse, verse 9. He says, follow what you've learned, what you've received, what you've heard, what you've seen in my life.

[30:59] Wouldn't that be good if we could say the same to others? I've got the peace of God. You can see it in my life. I'm living it in my shoe leather. I'm walking it out in my daily life. That God's peace is walking with me.

[31:11] You can say that, brother. You can say that, sister. You can be a living testimony for the grace of God. And Paul says, if it be possible as much as life in you, live peaceably with all men.

[31:23] That's Romans 12, verse 18. That God's peace will actually be seen in how you interact with other people. That actually, wow. You love God so much. You're so filled with God's peace that you're not getting ruffled by all the daily catastrophes and all the misery that is around at times.

[31:40] That God's peace will hold you steady and strong. Keep you steady through that time. So can we say to others, follow us as we follow this way.

[31:51] Do these things as I do them. The God of peace shall be with you. Paul could say that. Maybe we can try to be more like Paul. To try to follow his example. Paul says, what I have taught, what you've heard me say, what you've seen in me, practice these things.

[32:05] He's saying, put it into practice. Put it into action. It's interesting. The word learned here is related to the noun disciple. Paul was a living example to those that would be his disciples.

[32:16] He was a living demonstration of the principles that he was teaching. You know, we can yarn on. I can yarn on and say, blah, blah, blah. But if I'm not living it, then it's hollow, isn't it? It's shallow.

[32:27] It's superficial. And we can be the same. We can be a big mouth Christian, a blabber mouth Christian. But then when people actually observe our life, it doesn't always ring true. Let's rather be that living example.

[32:38] God helping us to be that living example. We can disciple others. We can be such that others will learn of us. That they'll learn. They'll learn well of us. They'll learn the right things of us.

[32:50] So if you live like this, he says, the God of peace shall be with you. What a blessing. Amen. Live like this. The God of peace shall be with you. Not just the peace of God, but the God of peace.

[33:01] We're told in Ephesians 2.14, he is our peace. This is Ephesians 2.14. Our peace is a person. It's Christ. It's Christ in you.

[33:12] He is your peace. He is the author and maintainer of it. The Bible describes the Lord Jesus as the prince of peace. Are you his royal subject? You see, peace is a person.

[33:23] It's Christ. It's Christ. Do you have this peace? It says, as you have Christ, you'll have this peace. And he's the one that tells how he's made peace through the blood of his cross.

[33:34] He's the one that brings peace to people's aching, broken hearts through the blood of his cross that he shed for us. And we're told in Philippians 2.15 how we should be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, the children of God, without rebuke in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom he shine as lights in the world.

[33:57] God wants you to shine. He wants you to polish up and shine. He wants you to be radiant, glowing. Testimonies for his grace. Now, friends, in the opposite vein, we could think how the Bible tells us of the opposite.

[34:13] Now, there's no rest for the wicked. Who said of that saying? There's no rest for the wicked. It's the same we often hear. You know, it's a common saying. People don't often realize it's actually a Bible saying.

[34:26] There's no rest for the wicked. It's actually said often of a busy person. Oh, you're so busy. You must be wicked. There's no rest for the wicked. In fact, it's actually written down in the pages of the word of God 2,800 years ago.

[34:41] And it's still true today in the 21st century, isn't it? The full quotation actually goes like this. It says, but the wicked are like the troubled sea when it cannot rest, whose waters cast up mire and dirt.

[34:56] There is no peace. Saith my God to the wicked. Now, there is no rest for the wicked. That's true. It's biblical. Now, it's so very easy to get too busy for God.

[35:08] Too busy to think about God. Too busy even to fellowship. Too busy to take time to think. Through the awesome consequences of rejecting God. Some reject the gospel.

[35:20] They're too busy. Genesis 6.3 says, My spirit shall not always strive with men. Friends, there's a time limit to God's striving. Many people search endlessly in a fruitless search for peace.

[35:34] Maybe in drugs or drink at the point of a needle. Or different relationships only to find despair and disappointment. It's not found there. It's in Christ.

[35:45] It's in Christ. So where can I find this true peace in this troubled world? The answer is in the pages of the word of God in John 14.27. As we read before, peace I leave with you.

[35:57] My peace I give unto you. Let not your heart be troubled. Neither let it be afraid. The peace that the Lord Jesus extends is one that will not be taken away.

[36:11] It's not a peace that is fickle, uncertain. It's sure. It's stable. It's certain. He won't let you down if you come to this one. He's the peacemaker. He's the prince of peace.

[36:23] He's the one who is the peace. The very peace embodied. It's Christ. There is an answer for all your fears and worries and troubles. There is a way you can find lasting peace in a world at war.

[36:35] There is a place of security and safety. It's Christ. It's in Christ. A place where you can take shelter from the coming storm. A place where you can know God's shelter from his wrath in the blood of our saviour.

[36:48] As he is your trust. The wonderful kind of peace that he promises. It's lasting. It's wonderful. It's eternal. It's promised. It's assured. You have his word on it.

[37:00] And he offers it as a gift to us. As we accept that precious price that he paid. Simply trust him. Receive Christ. You might say, preacher, I'm not sure that I'm a Christian.

[37:12] Don't. Leave it another day. Get it right. Get it now. Get it today. Get salvation now. Trust Christ now. Don't keep delaying it. You don't know how long you've got to delay it.

[37:26] Friends, believers here today. There's true joy in Christ. We can testify of that. And this peace is real. It's new. It's assured. It's a purpose in life.

[37:36] A brand new start. And Christ is the only true and reliable source of this peace in our world today. As again, I said before. He says, come. He's just inviting.

[37:47] He says, come. His arms are wide open. He says, come. Answer me, he says. All you that labor and are heavy laden. And I will give you rest. There's peace there.

[37:57] There's a rest for your soul. He says, you shall find rest unto your souls. And we can have a rest, as it were, physically or mentally. But this is even more.

[38:09] It's a rest unto your soul. It's unto your very soul. There's no better peace, is there? No better rest. So how does peace come? It's in Christ. When we think of wars, of nations at war, peace comes when one of the nations surrenders to the other.

[38:24] There's a surrender and there's a victory. In a way, it's kind of the same with trust in Christ, isn't it? The Bible says we're naturally at war. We're at enmity. We're hostile towards God.

[38:36] We can be made his friend. He can be our friend. You can be his friend. And it's simply as you surrender. Let him take charge. Let him take over. It's really, as this play on words goes, that the missing piece is God, isn't it?

[38:53] The missing piece of the puzzle. Some people have this missing piece that they don't know God. Of course, it's a play on words, the piece, the jigsaw piece, and then the piece, as in the piece from God.

[39:06] It's really, as we surrender the control of our lives to him, as we trust him as our Lord, we can know a victory and a joy beyond compare. And do you have this piece is the big question.

[39:18] Now, of course, for believers, we can still have troubles and times of testing. And I can testify of that with Julian. The testings at times, the struggles, the hardships, the heartaches, it's not always plain sailing.

[39:34] And we know that there's people suffering, loved ones not well and loved ones that we've lost and situations of hardship and sadness and grief that we've gone through, trauma.

[39:47] I'm sure everyone's got their own story of that. But yet there is victory. Yet there is joy. And there is joy even a piece that passes all understanding.

[39:58] It's a piece that's not based on our feelings or happenstance. It's based upon his assurance. It's based on his promises. And it's based on his delivery of peace to your heart as you simply receive the gift that he wants to give.

[40:12] As you can know, as I can testify, the greatest experience of my life is to know Christ. And I recommend him to you today, and I'm sure every believer would say the same to you who may not yet be a believer, that you make peace with God today.

[40:27] Make it today to accept his peace as he extends that to you. And I don't know where you are today, where you're at, what your situation is, whatever the storm you're going through.

[40:38] And as a believer, too, we're not immune to storms. We're still in the world you shall have. Tribulation. Yeah. Don't be surprised that you're going to have tribulation.

[40:49] But he says, my peace is going to stay with you. My peace is for you. My peace is with you. Christ's call to you is still the same. Let him bring peace, his peace to your heart and life.

[41:00] And that's really as we're essentially at the first starting block is to be saved. Say, yes, I want to be saved. I want to be saved today. I want to get right with God. I want to do business with God today such that I know that I know that I'm saved.

[41:14] And by his promise, you can know that by the trust of his word, by faith in him, by his promise that that faith saves you. You can be saved today and assuredly know that.

[41:24] And then it's the discipling, isn't it? It's the walking. It's the living it out that follows on. That the God of peace shall be with you. Think of that. The God of peace shall be with you.

[41:35] That he's never going to leave you. He's never going to forsake you. The God of peace himself shall be with you. And therefore being justified by faith as you trust his promise, as you trust his dying on your part, as you trust his blood shed for your sin, you can be saved.

[41:52] Assuredly saved. Safe forever saved. And know that you're saved because of his promise. And you can have that peace with God. It says through our Lord Jesus Christ. You can be justified with God.

[42:03] Declared guilt free because he's taken that guilt and he's carried it for you. So have you made that peace with God today? I trust for you that you have.

[42:14] If you're still fighting with God, surrender. Surrender today. Unconditional surrender. Make peace with God. Trust him. Give your heart.

[42:25] Trust him. Let him take your life. Trust him. Believe on him to be your saviour. And exchange your guilt with his grace and forgiveness and righteousness.

[42:40] Friends, it tells us that the disciples at this troubled time as we see that Christ was crucified and then he was risen. And it says that Jesus came.

[42:52] Jesus came. And he stood in the midst. And he said, peace be unto you. Think of it today that Jesus has come and he's standing in the midst. And he says to your heart, peace be unto you.

[43:09] Let us pray. Lord, we thank you for that wonderful grace that took you all the way to the cross, Lord. That that was the place you bore our very sin.

[43:20] And Lord, there you took our pain, our penalty. Lord, we thank you for the peace that we can know by faith as we trust you. Lord, we pray that you'd help us with that peaceful praying.

[43:33] Lord, that we'll not neglect to pray. Teach us to pray. Give us the words to say. Even if we don't say words, help us to pray.

[43:43] Lord, just to have that prayerfulness in our life. Not to be anxious about anything, but to pray about everything. Lord, help us to have that prayerful, peaceful thinking.

[43:56] Such that we'll set our mind on those things. We'll think upon these things, not the other things, but these things that you tell us to think upon. Lord, recondition our thinking. Declutter our brain, as it were, and help us to filter.

[44:10] Set those guards on our hearts and our minds such that we'll filter what we think about. And it will be good stuff, Lord. That will be a blessing. Help us to have that peace of mind, that thinking.

[44:23] And Lord, that living. Such that we'll be like Paul and we can say, that which you've seen and heard and that which you've witnessed about me, do. That we'll be a living example like Paul was.

[44:35] That our living will be peaceful with all men. Help us to have that peace in our day-by-day lives. Even when turmoil is all around us. We know there's needs here present.

[44:47] And for those watching from afar, Lord, there's people not well today. There's people that are going through some testing. Lord, there's many challenges. Some are in great, great need.

[45:00] Lord, we don't discount that. But Lord, we know that ultimately our rest can be in you. And you give us rest for our souls, Lord. And that's beyond compare. We pray each one might know that trust today.

[45:12] To know you as Saviour and Lord. And that every believer might have that peace of God. Which will keep our hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.

[45:23]  Amen.