Peace
Introduction
- Concentrating on v6-7
- Anxiety statistics
- We have all experienced anxiety at some time
- It can be all controlling/consuming
- These words are very encouraging
Come in Thanksgiving
- Bring everything to God in prayer
- Everything!
- We all worry, we can all be anxious
- Bring your worries to God in prayer with thanksgiving
- How can I come to God with thanksgiving in anxiety or a hard situation?
- We are not thanking God for the situation
- Give thanks that we can come to God with our anxieties
- Give thanks for our relationship with God (which is undeserved)
- Give thanks for the cost of our salvation
- Give thanks for our standing before God
- Our basic fundamental position should be to give God thanksgiving
- We owe Him everything
- Thanksgiving is the only proper context in which we can come to God and make petitions
- God does not need us, but we (desperately) need God
- Saying thank you and meaning it
- A true acknowledgment of all that God has done for us
The Protection of hearts and minds
- God will give us His Peace
- The Protection of God
- Example of bodyguards, castles, guards
- The more we are resting in God, the more the peace of God reigns in our lives
- Paul is writing these words when he is under threat of execution - yet he was joyful and had peace
- The peace of God does not change the situation but enables us to cope with the situation
- The peace of God surpasses all understanding
- It transcends our human way of understanding the world
- We can have peace in God but we have peace with God
- Rom 5:1
- We learn more and more about God
- We must completely trust in God, all the time
- We need Him in all things
In Christ Jesus
- This is only possible in the Lord Jesus Christ
- This reality should not be complacent in our lives
- These three words come at the end but hold much significance
- You cannot approach God unless you are in Christ Jesus
- Let us understand what Christ did - explanation
- Loved with a pure love
- Imputed righteousness
- Full assurance
- The gospel to all
- We can bring all our problems in Christ to God
- This should bring thanksgiving
- Christ knows what anxiety and pressure is:
- Luke 22:41-44
- Heb 4:14-16
- Christ did everything and we gained everything
- It is all about God
Closing Remarks