God Promises Peace!

MELVIN M. NEWLAND, MINISTER

RIDGE CHAPEL, KANSAS, OK

(REVISED: 2016)

(PowerPoints used with this message are available at no charge. Just email me at mnewland@sstelco.com and request #231.)

Philippians 4:6 7; Psalm 8:1 4; Colossians 3:15 17; Matthew 6:25 34

A. Listen to these words from the 8th Psalm: "O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!" (Psalm 8:1)

"When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon & the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him?" (Psalm 8:3 4).

I don't know just why God cares for us, but it is obvious that He does. In fact, one of the best known passages in the Bible testifies to that, for it tells us,

"God so loved the world that He gave His one & only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life. For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him" (John 3:16 17).

ILL. A songwriter asks, "Why should He love me so?

Love sent my Savior to die in my stead.

Why should He love me so? ...

Nails pierced His hands & His feet for my sin.

Why should He love me so?"

Again, I don't know why. All I know is that He does. And because of His love, He has made some wonderful promises to us.

Listen to this one, "Whoever comes to me I will never drive away." (John 6:37b) But that is just one of many! He promises to hear our prayers, & that He will always be with us. He promises to forgive our sins when we confess them & surrender our life into His hands.

And if we do, He promises that someday Jesus will come again & take us unto Himself. He will wipe away every tear from our eyes; there will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, & we shall be with Him forever & ever.

B. Aren't those wonderful promises? And God has always kept His promises. But this morning I want to look at one particular promise, & it is found in Philippians 4:6 7.

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer & petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts & your minds in Christ Jesus."

Did you hear that? God promises to give us "the peace of God." Now I don't know about you, but I need God's peace. This world is a very stressful place in which to live. Just look at the headlines! Things are constantly going on around us that cause anxiety & stress.

ILL. As I was preparing this sermon, Ethel went on the internet & typed in the question, "What are the 10 most stressful jobs in America?"

Over 300,000 websites popped up in answer to that question. I looked at some of them & found a variety of answers.

Certain categories were almost always included in the lists of "Top 10 Most Stressful Jobs." But there were differences - possibly the result of the personal experiences of those who were compiling the lists.

But let me tell you what the ABC Network listed as the Top 5 Most Stressful Jobs in America:

#5 - Medical Professionals - particularly Interns working long hours in emergency rooms, not yet having all the skills they need, & trying desperately to learn them.

#4 - Teachers, all teachers - particularly those in inner city schools dealing with kids who may be carrying guns or knives, & who have no respect for authority.

#3 - Police Officers - who must be hyper-vigilant to potential danger at every moment, yet extremely careful to practice restraint, & whose split-second judgments may be second-guessed at any time.

#2 - Deployed Military Personnel - separated from loved ones, under constant threat of attack or explosives, suffering from post-traumatic stress, & concerned about whether their jobs will be available when their tour of duty ends.

Now all 4 of those categories were high up in almost every list that I looked at. But I certainly didn't expect to see what ABC Network listed as #1. They listed as the most stressful job in America - Working Parents. And here is how ABC explained their decision:

"There's often no line of division between time spent working & time spent parenting, & it's a stressful combination in which balance is nearly impossible to achieve.

"When a child needs attention, the time spent taking care of his or her needs may conflict mightily with job responsibilities… Many parents are also teachers, soldiers, doctors, police officers or any of the other stressful jobs on this list."