The Peace Christ Offers: Beyond Worldly Comfort

Amen. So, if I press this button, it all goes wrong, I bet.

Don't anything come up? Oh, ah. Yes, I mentioned that. That was an answer to a prayer. So, we're going to start off with three short readings.

And actually, they're my favorite. And it's all about peace, the peace which Christ gives us. I'm afraid the world cannot give us. So, let not your heart be troubled.

You believe in God, also believe it in me. In my Father's house are many mansions. And if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you unto myself, that where I am, there ye may be also. And the next... I'm not too good. John 16.

It's all about peace. Behold, the hour cometh, yea, is now come, that ye shall be scattered, every man to his own, and shall leave me alone. And yet I am not alone, because the Father is with me. These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation, but be of good cheer, for I have overcome the world. Peace I leave you. Peace I leave with you. My peace I give unto you, but not as the world giveth give I unto you.

But not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. You know, there are three readings which I go to regularly, you know, when I don't feel at peace in the world. So we're going to focus on that last reading specifically.

And so what Christ says is, you know, I offer you peace, and the world offers you another peace, but the peace I give you is not what the world can offer. And we're going to compare the two and compare and see what moral we can draw from that by the end of the service. So first of all, this is the easy bit.

I'm going to show you what the peace the world can offer you. I've got it in a bag. Anybody want peace in this world? Because I've got it. Oh look, first of all, I've got a nice cup of tea. I don't know about you, but I look at my road trip work and I look for my tea break, which is very ungodly, isn't it really? But I do.

Tea breaks, you know, and that offers us peace, really. Peace from all the trials of work, all the stress of work, sit down and have a laugh with friends. But the problem is, of course, half an hour and it's over, then you're back to where you started from.

And when I'm at home and I'm feeling a bit stressed out, chocolates, you see. This is the only packet that hasn't been eaten in my flat. You can't have any because I'm having those tonight. But no, I could get through.

I've actually got through two packets in one sitting very easily. But the problem is, I feel a bit sick afterwards.

And it's true, isn't it? You get a bit of a tummy on you, you see, after three packets. Anyway, so there we go. So we've got tea, we've got biscuits, and they don't last for long, and then you're back as miserable as you were before you started.

But some people have... I shouldn't actually bring this, because it's a Baptist place, isn't it? But there we are.

There's a bottle of champagne, which was given me in 2014. I haven't opened it because I don't drink, really. It's just there for show. But it's true, isn't it?

Some people, you know, they find some sort of solace in drink or a party. I can't stand parties, so don't invite me to one. I'm not very sociable. But people do, though, don't they?

They live for the weekend. Some of the young people I work with.

Or indeed, you could go on a holiday to the West Country. I can't stand London. And the way I get away from the tribulation of London is to go on holiday. And I do love my steam trains. And I think that's it, really. Apart from one more, which is hobbies. I mean, Laurie's got his garden and Mark's got his football. I've got my painting, you see.

I love to paint. But the problem is, with holidays, you know, they don't last long and they cost a lot and they're ended as soon as they started.

And with hobbies, again, they cost a lot and you're back where you started afterwards, really. A state of... Well, you have to return to real life, don't you?

Because you've got a terrible throat, as you can probably tell. So I guess what we're saying is that these are temporary escapes, aren't they?

They come at a cost and we're back to where we started from. Now, none of these things are bad.

I wouldn't say these things are bad. I mean, they're all God-given, aren't they? But the problem is, of course, when people...

I don't know how many percentage who are not believers, but what, 93, 95% of people, they rely on the peace the world can give them. And if you... These are all good gifts from God, but if you concentrate on the gift rather than the giver, then you'll come a cropper, won't you, in this life and the next? It's true, isn't it? We know that addiction happens, especially with alcohol and drugs and goodness knows what. And they take you away from the problem rather than confront it. But as we shall find, the peace...

So that's what the peace the world can offer, but the peace that Christ offers does not offer an escape. It doesn't offer us a temporary fix. But in that time of tribulation, we receive a comfort and strength and hope and love.

So Christ does not necessarily take us out of a situation, but helps us to confront all sorts of situations that we find ourselves in. And I think that's the peace that we're talking about, because believe you me,. the peace that the world can offer. But the peace that Christ offers does not offer an escape.

It doesn't offer us a temporary fix. But in that time of tribulation, we receive a comfort and strength and hope and love.

So Christ does not necessarily take us out of a situation, but helps us to confront all sorts of situations that we find ourselves in. And I think that's the peace that we're talking about. Because believe you me, actually this is the hardest sermon. I've done about nine so far. This is the hardest sermon ever. I was telling Pastor Mark, it took me about two months to do. And yet the whole Bible is full of peace. Because obviously it's about the Prince of Peace.

But for me it was very difficult to understand what peace Christ was giving us. But it's comfort, it's strength, it's assurance, it's hope, it strengthens us during our trials.

And of course it comforts us. And it doesn't come at a cost to us. But of course Christ pays, didn't he, the ultimate cost on the cross, you see.

He paid the cost for us, paid the price for us. And it's permanent in this life and the next. So I guess that's the difference.

But wonderfully we have, St Paul gives us an example of how we access the peace and how we must be seekers of that peace. And you know what, he makes it quite easy, doesn't he, to read his letters. He gives us, he's like a lawyer really, we have a bullet point format. And then he has a promise. And then he gives us a command. And that's what we're going to turn to now. We're going to visit poor old St Paul in prison. Actually he's not in a prison, he's under house arrest, excuse me.

And there he is writing his letter to the Philippians in northern Greece, in Macedon. Obviously we can't go into all the ins and outs of that. We don't have time. But there he is, he's in a house arrest in Rome.

He's going to stand trial, isn't he? He's going to stand trial. And it's probably that he'll be brought in front of Nero, who is probably the worst sadist since, well, a bit like Lenin or Stalin or any of those, you know, people of power, cruel people of power. And he's got to stand in front of him and be tried for his life. And I think I'd be rather scared. I don't know about you. Because at any time there's going to be a knock at the door, isn't there? However well you're getting on with your Roman centurion guard, there's going to be a knock on the door and that will lead to interrogation.

Could it lead to torture? And it will lead to death. And yet he writes this letter to the Philippians, which is full of peace, isn't it? It's pregnant with peace throughout. How can he do that? In my letter, it would be very different. It would be, get me out of here and sharpish. I can't stand it.

I didn't sign up for this. I think it possibly would, but who can tell? But no, it's pregnant with peace all the way through.

And that's because the peace of Christ does not depend on the external circumstance that we're in, does it? It doesn't matter. For me, I really am at peace in, say, Torbay or Minehead. That's where I get my peace. But he has peace, guided by a Roman centurion.

So his peace comes within through Christ. So let's see.

So we've got seven. He gives us a bullet point, seven points, how we can access peace. And let's look at the first one, shall we? Well, actually, they're all up there, I think.

Yes, so the first point. So he says, Rejoice in the Lord all way again.

Rejoice in the Lord all way. And again, I say rejoice. Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand. Be careful for nothing, but in everything in prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. The peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. There's seven points and then a command and a blessing. So let's look very briefly at each point.

Rejoice in the Lord always. And again, I say rejoice. That's the first bullet point. And wasn't it a tradition of the Christians to face the lions rejoicing and singing? Because in a way, in a macabre way, perhaps, I don't know, they found that the Romans were doing them a favour. They were going to be with Christ, you know, within a few minutes. And their suffering would not last long. So even the Roman sources you read say that these strange Christians were singing at their death.

And in Acts 15, don't we find Silas and Paul in prison? And it says at that midnight, Paul and Silas prayed and sang praises unto God, and the prisoners heard them. So their focus is on Christ.

It's not just on Christ, it's also on evangelising. They're on God's work, aren't they? Because they're singing psalms and hymns and all that goes with it, and making sure the prisoners hear them. So they're working for Christ.

So they are Christ-centered, Christ-peace-centered, rather than world-peace-centered. In Acts 5, Peter and other apostles have been punished severely in public. So they don't depart from the council licking their wounds, feeling sorry for themselves, as I possibly would.

No, they depart from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name. So they found peace being flogged in public.

It's what the world cannot understand. Well, the world cannot understand that.

So they're not focused on their wounds, they're focused on Christ. And you know what? When I've suffered tribulation, when I'm cycling 12 miles to work and it's snowing, I do actually sing, I need thee every hour, and I do mean it. It's a sobering way, it's a way of God actually, I'm sure, to get me to pray more and to sing more by making me cycle to. being flogged in public. It's what the world cannot understand. Well, the world cannot understand that.

So they're not focused on their wounds. They're focused on Christ. And you know what? When I've suffered tribulation, when I'm cycling 12 miles to work and it's snowing, I do actually sing I need thee every hour. And I do mean it. It's a way of God, actually, I'm sure, to get me to pray more and to sing more by making me cycle to work. And actually, I'm quite serious on that. I think everything is for a reason.

Everything. Seconds, that's the first point. The second, he says, is peace through moderation to others.

My poor old throat, excuse me. Let your moderation be known to all men. Well, moderation is not a word we use today.

It's an old-fashioned 17th century word which comes from the Greek, which is epikēs, which is extending gentleness, patience, and being appropriate with others. I've got to say that most of my peace in this world is robbed through my being ungodly to people or them being ungodly to me. It's true, isn't it? It's arguments with others that could easily be avoided if we showed patience, gentleness, and being appropriate with them. So what good advice that Paul gives us.

And I do remember that when I'm at work. So the third, remember the Lord is at hand.

And that's what St. Paul reminds us. Do you know, this drinks up a lot of my fear or discontentment in life because I just have to read about, well, so much, so many promises of the life to come. You know, when I think, well, I'd really rather live in the West Country, thank you very much. I don't suppose I'll ever do that, but it doesn't matter because, well, read Matthew, the end of time, which could come now. And he's, well, Matthew 24, 31, and he shall send angels with a great sound of a trumpet and they shall gather together the elect from the four winds from one end of heaven to the other. We're going to witness that. And that must bring us peace at the worst of times.

And what does Peter 1, 4 say? To an inheritance. This is what we will have. We will be transported to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you. Again, peace can be found in the thought that we will be with Christ for eternity. Fourth, we're getting through them quite rapidly here. Care for nothing, he says. Well, of course, he doesn't mean care for nothing.

He says, don't worry. And if we put our trust in Christ, then we don't worry, do we? Because we resign that everything is ordained, everything has a purpose and a plan, and all things will go well for those who love and trust the Lord. And that is why I just realised this, that you never get St. Paul or any of the saints being accused of being worried. It doesn't happen, does it? And St. Paul was very worried, concerned or saddened, I don't know, but never worried.

Fifth, but in everything in prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known unto God. Do you know what? To my shame, I underestimate the power of prayer. And when I do this, I look at Corinthians 8, 26. Little slurp, forgive me. Likewise, the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities, for we know not what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is in the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God. I have to read this time and time again, because as soon as you open your mouth or open your mind to Christ and pray, then we set off a chain of spiritual events, which is quite mind-blowing.

And this is why I love this language, because it cuts to the bone, doesn't it? If we're afraid that our prayers are not going to be heard, the Spirit helps us in our infirmities. We are crippled, aren't we? We are absolutely spiritually crippled. We're bent down with sin. But never mind, in our infirmities, the Spirit helps us.

And we don't know what to pray for, so the Spirit helps us. And then, of course, Christ is there. It says that Christ is there as our intercessor. We set off a chain of spiritual events as we pray for peace. And the last thing, I think, is supplication. Paul talks of supplication. I think when I try and do things myself, when there's tribulation in my life, and I try and set things right, I think I'm leaning to my own understanding, aren't I? Rather than leaning to God.

And things always go wrong. And it's pride, isn't it? I can fix this. And you're really saying to God, I don't need you, which is awful thought. But supplication is, I think, intense prayer, perhaps, intense pleading and intense worship to God that leaves pride at the door.

We just bow the knee to Christ, lean to Christ and say, help me, Father. Grant me the peace that the world cannot give. And one very small example here is Hezekiah of old. He's my favourite king because he's a very good king, but his sin that dogs him throughout his reign is his pride. And he's always getting told off for his pride, isn't he, poor old Hezekiah? And we read, he's very ill. In those days was Hezekiah sick unto death. And Isaiah the prophet of the son of Amos came unto him and said unto him, Thus said the Lord, set thine house in order, for thou shalt die and not live.

He sounds like my doctor. But he really is.

He's got no bedside manner. If you're feeling bad when you go in, you're feeling worse when you go out. And off he trots to the middle court. Well, thank you very much, Isaiah, for that.

I feel much better. But poor old Hezekiah...

I mean, he's very ill. In those days was Hezekiah sick unto death. And Isaiah the prophet of the son of Amos came unto him and said unto him, thus said the Lord, set thine house in order, for thou shalt die and not live. He sounds like my doctor. But he really is.

He's got no bedside manner. If you're feeling bad when you go in, you're feeling worse when you go out. And off he trots to the middle court. Well, thank you very much, Isaiah, for that.

I feel much better. But poor Hezekiah, he's feeling bad.

And he says, oh, well, it's all right. You're gonna die anyway. So better put your house in order, right?

To write your will. And then Hezekiah turns his face to the wall and prayed unto the Lord. And Hezekiah wept sore. Now, this is interesting to me because if you know anything about ancient history, a king is never alone.

He has very important and very powerful men around him who he is beholden to his power. But what does he do?

He turns from them. He turns away from the world. He turns away from the peace which the world can give, the power the world can give. I don't need you. You are no use to me now. He turns his face to the wall and prays. And we are here that God hears his prayers. And Hezekiah comes skipping back, doesn't he?

He says the Lord hath granted thee 15 years more. Happy days. So we're coming to the end.

Thanksgiving, let your requests be known unto God. Well, when I wake up some mornings, I'm facing that morning commute.

I'm not very thankful, really. But then again, the prophet Micah says, walk humbly with thy God each day.

And you suddenly realise that God made man so that we would walk with him and be with him because he loves our company through prayer and we love his, I hope. And that does give me peace, actually, that he's woken me up to be with him, to talk to him, to talk to others about him as well. And that's what I try and do each day. And I truly do make sure I talk to others about Christ each day. So there we are.

Supplication with thanksgiving. And I thank you, Father, for each day. So there we are.

We're gonna finish now. What have we got here? Oh, I see, yeah. So yeah, we're gonna, there we are.

And then what does he end up with? The peace, he ends up with the promise. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your heart and minds through Christ Jesus. If all these are in place, then there's this wonderful promise that the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Now, wonder I found this a difficult sermon to write because it passeth all understanding.

You know, it's true, isn't it? It's true. I thought, what a waste of time. You know, but I'm being silly now, but it's true, isn't it? But we see through a mirror darkly, a mirror dimly.

But I would say if there be any worth in this sermon, I hope that's of worth, you probably know, or anyway, to see that those bullet points that St. Paul gives us to find peace. How are we going to, what have we got here? We've got, yeah. I think what we're gonna do is we're gonna leave the last words not to St. Paul, but we're going to leave it to our Lord, who is the Prince of Peace. Imagine that, you know, if you're the Prince of Wales, it's quite a thing, or the Prince of Monaco, but the Prince of Peace, he's in control of peace. It knocks everything into a cocked hat, doesn't it?

Listen to those lovely words. Behold the hour cometh, yea is now, that ye shall be scattered, every man to his own, and shall leave me alone. Yet I'm not alone, because the Father is with me. These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation, but be of good cheer, for I have overcome the world. What comfort that must bring, that he has overcome the world. Remember the little prayer, and then a hymn. Holy Father, grant us that peace which the world cannot give.

We thank you for the peace that you do give us, the world can give us, the wonderful things you give us, and we look forward to waking up every day to be with you, and to talk to others about you, and to be centered on the peace that you give us, rather than the peace the world gives us. Bless us tonight, put a hedge around us, and keep us safe during the week. In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, amen.