Peacemakers of the Heart
“An Internal Peacemaker”
Introduction:
1. According to Philippians 4:6-7, God never intended for His children to live stressed-out lives. God’s plan for His children is one of peace.
2. Peace will only come at the root level of our inner spirit. We must put in place a solid root system that will sustain us when the storms of life blow. We have already examined three of these roots:
• Our quiet time with God
• Our quiet time of rest and relaxation
• Our quiet time with our spouse
3. All three of these peacemakers are wonderful and necessary, but we desperately need a life support system that we can carry with us through the stressful grind of daily life – something reliable, dependable, and available at a moment’s notice.
• Breathing the thin, polluted air of your surroundings can leave you gasping.
• Illustration: Astronauts depend on a life-support system they carry with them.
4. What would the Christian’s spiritual life support system be? The living Word of God! Hebrews 4:12; 2 Timothy 3:16
5. As we commit God’s Word to our memory and implant it in our hearts, we provide ourselves with an internal peacemaker that goes with us wherever we go. We can have fresh air wherever we go.
6. What exactly will this peacemaker do for the believer?
First, it will change the negative aspects of your personality.
1. Everyone has sinful and obnoxious aspects to their personality. These can be ingrained in our being in a variety of ways:
• Through the genes (we inherit negative tendencies from our parents)
• Through established, negative habits (it starts early in childhood)
• Through ungodly attitudes and actions before salvation (Illustration: Do you think Jesus wanted the maniac of Gadara’s personality to stay the same?)
2. These negative aspects in our personality cause us to respond to situations in a wrong way, which creates stress and robs us of our peace.
3. God’s plan is for the believer to change! This is what the Christian life is all about. Romans 8:29; Ephesians 4:13-15
• The excuse, “that’s just my personality,” won’t cut it. God has given us a way to change and expects us to change.
4. The only way for us to change is to renew our minds (Romans 12:2). This will only come as we implant God’s Word into our minds and hearts.
5. We then begin to respond to stressful situations in ways we would have never imagined. When the air begins to get polluted, we breathe in the fresh air of God’s Word, and it calms our spirit.
Second, it will help you to rise above adverse circumstances.
1. Too many times we become “victims” of our circumstances. Our joy and peace level is controlled by our surroundings. We’re like a thermometer instead of a thermostat.
2. In John 14:26-27, the peace promise from Jesus came at a time when the disciples’ lives were falling apart.
3. Yet Jesus was guaranteeing peace. Obviously, the peace Jesus has to offer has nothing to do with how things are going.
4. The key is in the reminding work of the Holy Spirit. At the very moment of trouble, He will bring to center stage the words of Jesus, but He cannot remind us of what we never knew.
5. In order for the Holy Spirit to remind us of His words and bring peace in the midst of turbulent circumstances, His Word must be in us.
6. We don’t have to be slaves to the tension in the air around us. We can breathe better air. We can reprogram our responses to pressure.
Third, it gives you victory over sin.
1. Nothing will cause more stress in a believer’s life than sin. Sin hinders our fellowship with God and brings with it many destructive effects.
• Imagine going down Nova Road at 100 miles per hour and you’re laughing and having a big time. Then you discover there are no brakes – this is what sin does in our lives.
2. Psalm 119:11 is very clear – nothing puts the breaks on temptation to sin like the Word of God tucked away in the mind.
• The red light of God’s Word flashing in our minds is often enough to stop us in our tracks.
Without God’s Word in us we have no brake system.
3. Each time you heed the Word and reject the inclination to sin, you strengthen your spiritual life and make it easier to refuse sin the next time.
4. Victory over sin will only come in proportion to how much of God’s Word you plant in your mind.
Fourth, it enables you to overcome worry.
1. Worry is very natural to human beings. Yet worry stands in direct opposition to peace.
2. This is why God’s Word is replete with “fear not,” “let not your heart be troubled,” and “be not afraid.”
3. Worry enslaves, but peace brings freedom.
4. The key to overcoming worry is to cement God’s Word in your heart and mind. Philippians 4:9; Colossians 3:15-16; Psalm 119:65; Proverbs 3:1-4; Isaiah 26:3
5. Make it a goal to memorize one verse a week or learn it as a family or couple. Review it over and over again, and then use it in your daily life.
• Memorize it.
• Review it (over and over again).
• Use it (in your daily life).
In Conclusion:
1. We tend to blame our tensions and stress on the latest crisis surrounding us. If we have to eliminate crises to get peace, then we’re doomed to be slaves to stress.
2. But remember, stress has little to do with external pressure. It comes from internal disorder.
• Illustration: A house doesn’t get messy because it’s windy outside. It is messy because of internal disorder.
3. Peace, by God’s definition, is restoring order to our inner man.
4. Order begins when we:
• Begin each day with our quiet time with God (there is no hope of peace until this happens).
• Insist on regular rest and relaxation (this helps us keep our perspective).
• Guard our huddle time with our spouse (this brings balance to our lives).
• Reprogram our minds through implanting God’s Word (this enables us to have peaceful responses).
