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WEEKLY
Volume 4 Number 7
12 July 2009
A Peaceful Heart
(Message delivered by Rev Hien Nguyen at the
Worship Service, 2:00 pm, July 12, 09)
Text:
John 14:27
Many live in this troubled world
without a true and lasting peace. They may live with optimism and enjoy
their temporary peace when they have good health, good jobs, a good
amount of money in the bank, a good relationship with others, etc., but
their peace will disappear and their hearts will be occupied with
worries, troubles and uncertainties when they fall sick, lose their
jobs, or go bankrupt, not to mention when they encounter family
problems, broken relationship, misunderstanding, misjudgement,
criticism, opposition, dangers, difficulties, or trials. Nowadays, more
people go to see a psychologist or a psychiatrist for their mental
problems, but disappointedly those mental “healers” can never cure their
troubled hearts nor give them a peaceful heart, neither can even the
hireling pastors and false teachers, “They have healed also the hurt
of the daughter of my people slightly, saying, Peace, peace; when there
is no peace” (Jer 6:14; 8:11). How about you? Do you really have a
peaceful heart? We thank God that He is our Creator and Maker, who is
able to cure our hearts and give us a peaceful heart, “Behold, I will
bring it health and cure, and I will cure them, and will reveal unto
them the abundance of peace and truth” (Jer 33:6). Then, who or what
troubles our hearts and how can we have God’s peace in our heart or have
a peaceful heart?
Who or What Troubles Our Hearts
Sin:
Many fail to see that the root of all their problems and fears is their
sins. God’s Word confirms twice that “There is no peace, saith the
LORD, unto the wicked” (Isa 48:22; 57:21), and “But if ye will
not do so, behold, ye have sinned against the LORD: and be sure your sin
will find you out” (Num 32:23), and “Your iniquities have turned
away these things, and your sins have withholden good things from you”
(Jer 5:25). Dear friends, the first step to have a peaceful heart is
to have peace with God, who is our Peace and the God of peace,
“Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our
Lord Jesus Christ” (Rom 5:1). Thank God for giving us and mankind
His only begotten Son, by whose atoning death and resurrection we can be
reconciled with the holy and righteous God. It is wise to make sure that
all our sins have been confessed to our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ
and been cleansed by His precious blood.
Self:
Many also fail to see that the core of their problems and fears is their
own “self.” If we feel so painful and frightened when someone or
something adversely threatens our life, our reputation, our interests,
and so forth, it shows that our “self” is so dear to us. Many do not
want to follow the Lord Jesus Christ as they do not want to give up
their self-will, self-love, self-importance, self-image, self-pride,
etc. Moreover, they are scared of self-denial, shame, persecutions,
rejection, separation, or death. Their fear is timidity or cowardice,
and since they want to save their life, they will lose it in the end.
“But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers,
and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall
have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which
is the second death” (Rev 21:8). Our Lord Jesus still challenges His
followers, “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and
take up his cross daily, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life
shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same
shall save it” (Luke 9:23-24). It is truly a blessing of rest when
you and I submit ourselves to the Lord and can say, “I am crucified
with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me:
and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the
Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me” (Gal 2:20).
Satan:
Knowing that when we trust in God and His Word, we shall have peace,
Satan always cast doubt on God’s Word and His love (Gen 3:1). Satan is
the father of lies (John 8:44) and he may disguise himself as an angel
of light to mislead many from God’s Word and God’s Truth (2 Cor 11:14).
He may be fierce as “a roaring lion walketh about, seeking
whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8) in order to threaten and
discourage many from following the Lord. Satan may accuse and afflict us
as he did to Job (Job 2:4-5; Rev 12:10). Many fail to see the work of
Satan, so they fail to cry unto the Saviour Jesus Christ to deliver them
from the attacks of Satan. Many “mental problems” nowadays are actually
caused by Satan, who used to trouble King Saul due to his disobedience,
“But the Spirit of the LORD departed from Saul, and an evil spirit
from the LORD troubled him” (1 Sam 16:14). Dear friends, it is safe
when we trust and obey God’s Word and let God and the Holy Spirit
control our hearts, “And the God of peace shall bruise Satan under
your feet shortly. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen”
(Rom 16:20). Thank God that we can overcome Satan by God’s Word and
Jesus’ Blood “ye are strong, and the word of God abideth in you, and
ye have overcome the wicked one… And they overcame him by the
blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony” (1 John 2:14;
Rev 12:11). Then, we can be sure that those who question, criticize or
cast doubt on God’s Word have fallen into Satan’s trap and been defeated
by Satan in the first place.
Wicked People:
Living in this world is not easy and peaceful due to the corrupt,
depraved and sinful nature of human beings. Our Lord Jesus Christ lived
a holy and perfect life, taught God’s Word and did many good things, but
He was envied and killed by wicked people including “religious leaders”!
Paul suffered the same and asked his fellow-believers to pray for him
that he might “be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men: for all
men have not faith” (2 Thess 3:2). We should not be surprised but be
ready to suffer even when we live a godly life and bear witness of God’s
Word as Jesus says, “The servant is not greater than his lord. If
they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept
my saying (word, logos), they will keep yours also” (John
15:20).
Unfavourable Situations & Trials:
Our Lord does not promise that those who believe in Him and follow Him
will be exempted from troubles, difficulties or trials, but He does
promise to be with them and see them through all troubles and give them
the victory, “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; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33) and “Nay, in all
these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.”
(Rom 8:37) and “lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the
world. Amen” (Matt 28:20). Then, let us trust in our Lord Jesus
Christ, who loved us so much that He died for us, rose again for us and
is living and praying for us.
God’s Peace
You and I have limited knowledge,
strength and ability, so we are usually worried as we do not know what
may happen to us tomorrow and we are not sure if we are able to cope
with or to deal with all the problems or difficulties. We do need God’s
peace, which “passeth all understanding” (Phil 4:7). Let us just
meditate on God’s peace! God is almighty and all-knowing. God knows the
end of a matter from the beginning and He has all power to perform what
He desires. God is always the almighty Conqueror or Victor, so He is
never worried or frightened and no one even Satan can hinder His work
nor disturb His perfect peace. Thank God that He is willing to give us
His perfect peace as He is our “God of peace” (Rom 15:33; 16:20;
Phil 4:9) and our Lord Jesus Christ is “The Prince of Peace” (Isa
9:6), “the King of peace” (Heb 7:2) and “he is our peace”
(Eph 2:14), and the fruit of the Holy Spirit is peace (Gal 5:22; Rom
14:17). We must know and believe that true and lasting peace is from our
God the Father and from our Lord alone (Rom 1:7; 1 Cor 1:3, et al).
Then, we have to seek God first. If our peace relies on anyone or
anything in this world, it will not last long. Peace is a precious gift
from our Lord Jesus Christ even before his shameful and cruel death on
the cross, “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as
the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled,
neither let it be afraid” (John 14:27). We cannot buy God’s peace by
our money or good works but only by our humble, trusting, and submissive
heart. It is good to remember that the Holy Spirit inspired Paul to
write His fruit of love and joy before peace, “love, joy, peace.”
We cannot have God’s peace if we fail to love Him and His Word and to
choose Him as our Joy. Then, how can we have a peaceful heart?
A Peaceful Heart
Be Submissive to God and His Word with
Our Full Trust and Obedience:
Surely, you and I must be born again first so that we may have a loving
heart for God and His Word and enjoy Him for ever and then we may have a
peaceful heart. In order to maintain God’s peace in our hearts, we must
trust in and submit to Him and His Word. There is no other way. The more
we hear, trust and do God’s Word without any doubt, the firmer
foundation we have, “Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings
(words, logos) of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise
man, which built his house upon a rock” (Matt 7:24) and “Great
peace have they which love thy law: and nothing shall offend them”
(Ps 119:165), and “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” (Phil 4:9). Then, it is unwise or foolish for those who
read or hear God’s Word and then criticise it instead of submitting to
it as they are destroying their own foundation! You and I have to read
God’s Word to know His will and then ask Him for grace and strength to
do God’s will. We shall have no peace if we still have conflict between
God’s will and our will like the prophet Jonah (Jonah 1), but we shall
have rest and peace when we can say, “God’s will be done” in all things.
Acknowledge God’s Sovereignty, Trust
in Him and Commit Everything to Him:
No matter what may happen to us, it is always good and wise to
acknowledge God’s sovereignty (Matt 10:29-31) so that we may have peace
in our hearts as He is in control and is able to make all things work
together for our good, “And we know that all things work together for
good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his
purpose” (Rom 8:28). Trusting in God’s Sovereignty, we shall seek
Him in prayers and submit all things unto Him, “Be careful for
nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving
let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which
passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through
Christ Jesus” (Phil 4:6-7) and “Thou wilt keep him in perfect
peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee”
(Isa 26:3).
Fear God and Depart from Sins and
Evil: We have to
hate sin as God does as sin is the root of all troubles (Isa 48:22;
57:21). When we commit sins, the only way is to come back to the LORD in
repentance right away to restore our fellowship with Him and enjoy His
peace again (1 John 1:9). May God sanctify us and help us live a holy
life to enjoy His peace always (1 Thess 5:23).
Keep a Close Fellowship with the LORD:
Knowing that the LORD Himself is our Peace and All we need, we shall
regard all things as loss to keep a close fellowship with Him in all
situations and to let the Holy Spirit and God’s peace control our hearts
and minds, “For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually
minded is life and peace” (Rom 8:6) and “And let the peace of God
rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be
ye thankful” (Col 3:15). We also have to look unto the Lord and walk
after Him by faith step by step and not by sight. When Peter turned his
eyes to the waves and storm, he was frightened and he sank. If we look
at our strong enemies, our weaknesses or our difficulties, we shall
worry and sink. May God turn our eyes to the Lord Jesus Christ all the
time (Heb 12:2). If the LORD is with us and for us, we shall have His
peace and All we need, “Now the Lord of peace himself give you peace
always by all means. The Lord be with you all” (2 Thess 3:16).
Praise the Lord!
Conclusion
Dear friends, do you really have a
peaceful heart at the moment? We do need the LORD Himself and His peace
while living in this troubled world. May God help you and me submit to
Him, His Word and His will with our full trust and obedience, trust in
Him and His sovereignty, depart from sins and evil, deny ourselves, look
unto the Lord Jesus Christ, and keep a close fellowship with Him and
then we shall experience “the peace of God, which passeth all
understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus”
(Phil 4:7). Amen.
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