Persecuted For The Right Stand Not For Having The Wrong Spirit

“Blessed are they which are persecuted righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.” (Matt. 5:10-12)

Let me give you a simple explanation of this Beatitude. I’m afraid that some people have the wrong idea of what this means. They think it applies to them when it really doesn’t.

“Oh, Brother Stancil, nobody likes me. Everybody hates me. People treat me so badly. I’m so persecuted.” Hold on a minute. Who is this passage actually talking about?

First of all, persecution is not a consequence for sin or bad decisions. Nearly every Thursday I go and speak to men at the Federal Corrections Complex in Beaumont, Texas. It is amazing that, out of 1,700 men incarcerated there at any given time, all but one or two are innocent. At least, that’s what they tell me. “It was my lawyer. The man is keeping my down. I didn’t do it. It’s not my fault. They’re just out to get me.”

When you make bad choices or decisions, there are consequences. When a prisoner complains to me about the 20 years he has to serve, he has to realize that his own choice to rob a liquor store led to that result. I love the guys I minister to at the prison, but don’t expect me to feel bad for them because they are locked up after what they have done.

The same goes for events in our own lives. Even if we are not in prison, many of us are going through things that we incorrectly label as some kind of suffering God has decided to let us endure, when in reality we are just living with the results of some bad decisions. That is a hard concept for so many people to grasp today.

We live in a generation that is foreign to many older people because they were taught about consequences when they were younger. So many younger people today have never had so much as a spanking while growing up, and they were never taught about right and wrong, and suddenly they find themselves in jail because of things they have done. That is not persecution; that is just the normal result of some really stupid choices.

Persecution does not arise from conflicts over your personality. “Nobody likes me,” you whine. Well, it could be because you’re a jerk. It’s amazing to me how many people are rude, mean or unkind to everyone around them and then wonder why no one wants anything to do with them. If that is your story, you are not suffering for Jesus. You’re just suffering the effects of your toxic personality that clashes with normal, acceptable behavior.

“Well, that’s just who I am,” you say. If that is your position, then you will be like that all by yourself because no one wants to be associated with you.

I can choose not to be around people that I don’t have to be around. If you’re dragging other people down, I am not going down with you. I’ll just cut myself loose and watch you sink. I have enough in my own world to deal with, and if you have a bad spirit or a bad attitude, people do not want to be infected by it. You can correct that if you work on it.

Persecution does not come about because of your lack of common sense. It’s funny to me how some people think that being a Christian is a license to be brutal to one another. Under the guise of “truth” or “trying to help” a friend, you say something that is just ridiculous and it comes across in the worst way.

I have been the pastor of my church 11 years as of this writing. There are things I can say from the pulpit now that I couldn’t say 10 years ago, because my people can handle it and they know how much I love them. Some young preacher will complain about being run off from his church in just a few months for “preaching the truth,” claiming that he’s being “persecuted for righteousness’ sake.” No, he’s just an idiot who tried to unload everything on people in his first few weeks. That’s not common sense. A new Christian is not going to take some preaching as well as those of us who have been saved for 30 years. It’s a no-brainer.

All four of my children are very different. I’ve learned that some kids only need to be spoken to and others might need a two-by-four to get their attention. It’s the same with any group of people. The book of Jude talks about preachers using compassion with some and fear with others. Some newer Christians in my church think I am rough and hard but they have no idea. There are preachers I would not invite to speak at my church because some of the people aren’t ready for it.

You say, “My spouse wants to divorce me and all I did was speak the truth.” Are you divorcing because you tried to lead softly or because you crammed certain things down your spouse’s throat? Use common sense.

Are you wondering why your kids hate you? Maybe it’s because you gave them all of the rules without any of the love. The Bible says in Eph. 6:4, “Provoke not your children to wrath.” You can actually provoke your children into rebellion if you’re not careful. I’ve had to apologize to my kids before. When I start gritting my teeth during my dealings with them, it is a “me” problem and not a “them” problem. Use common sense.

There are many times that we claim to be persecuted when really we are just bringing problems upon ourselves. We are approaching the problem from the wrong perspective.

So if it is not brought about by consequences, or personality conflicts, or a lack of common sense, what is this persecution we are talking about? It is an attitude that expects persecution and endures it with a sense of responsibility and privilege for Jesus’ sake.

Look again at verse 11. “Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.” To be reviled is to be reproached, insulted or disgraced.

When is the last time someone insulted you just for being a Christian? I don’t mean because you were rude or something you did, but just for Jesus’ sake.

To persecute means to zealously pursue, to take out or drive away. When is the last time someone tried to run you out or chase you off, not because you were hard to live with, but for Jesus’ sake?

The latter part of verse 11 talks about people who just lie about you. Has that happened to you lately solely because of your faith?

The truth is that many of our problems are brought about by us, and we try to spin the truth and make it sound as though it’s because we are Christians. Let’s face it – we live in the United States of America with freedom of religion. That’s not going to happen too often here. Very few of us can claim this Beatitude because most of our problems are “me” problems.

Now some of you may have been brought up in a Catholic family, as a Hindu or Muslim or even a Satanic type of environment. If you came out of that and are born again, you may face some real trouble within your own family. You might have been reared in a good family that was not religious, and when you go back and try to witness to them you hear, “Who do you think you are to talk to us about God? We’re OK here.”

People in those situations may have good reasons to claim this verse, but the majority of us who say we are persecuted for our faith need to realize that our Christianity has nothing to do with it, except that we don’t present our Christianity correctly.

Let’s look at some Biblical examples of real persecution. In Acts 4 Peter and John healed a man in the name of Jesus, and for that they were beaten and driven out of town. In Acts 7 Stephen stood and presented the Gospel, and he was stoned to death even while he forgave them.

In Acts 16 Paul and Silas came into town to have a revival, and they were beaten and thrown in prison. When God flung open the doors so they could escape, they stopped long enough to lead a jailer and his family to Christ.

What did all of these men do wrong? Nothing. These were not personality issues. These were men who took a stand for Christ and were hated by the world for it.

One of my favorite verses is John 10:32, when Jesus is about to be stoned. “Jesus answered them, Many good works have I shewed you from my Father; for which of those works do ye stone me?”

There will be some persecution if you live for Christ. People will hate what you stand for. But you have to stop and think about whether your persecution is because of Christ or because of you. If it’s because of you, don’t blame your Christianity for it.

Here is some very encouraging news for you regarding persecution. First, it is a reality in every believer’s life and you should expect it. You may wonder how in the world that is supposed to be encouraging. Well, it shouldn’t surprise you when it comes.

Some people are shocked when they get saved only to discover that their lost family members are not thrilled at the idea. Young people find out that their parents will not allow them to be baptized because they are so chained to religion and what they have believed all of their lives that they will not be happy when you find the truth of God’s Word. “Just forget the Bible,” they say. “Do what we tell you to do.”

II Tim. 3:12 says, “Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.” To take that thought a step further, look at Luke 6:26. “Woe unto you, when all men shall speak well of you! for so did their fathers to the false prophets.” If somebody is not mad at you, you’re not living for Christ.

If you’re just doing what is right, some people are going to say, “Who do you think you are? Do you think you’re better than me?” You should expect that people are not going to be happy when you get saved and become sold out for Christ.

Remember that your persecution is restrained by the Lord. The only things happening in your life are the things that God allows to happen. When Satan wanted to go after Job, God let him do it up to a point. But He dictated how far the devil could go.

You may be under a heavy load right now and being treated badly for His sake, but He is not giving you more than you are able to bear. Sometimes I wish I weren’t as able as I am, but I will always be able to carry my load. It’s not as bad as you may think it is because God always has your best interest at heart.

If you bear persecution correctly, you will earn great rewards. Verse 12 says, “Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.”

Consider II Cor. 4:16-18. “For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.”

Fundamentalist Christians will always be compared to the worst things people can think of, such as Islamic fundamentalists. But God promises that if we handle the things the world throws at us, there will be great benefits down the road.

Persecution is part of a Christian’s refining process. Rom. 8:28-29 says, “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. For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.”

Sometimes God uses the most difficult thing in your life for your best interest. He will use heathen people to help you become a better Christian. He did it for years with the Israelites, bringing along the Philistines and other nations to stir things up whenever His chosen people got out of line. The Philistines were wicked people and God judged them severely, but He also used them for His purpose to help His people.

One of the reasons Jonah didn’t want to go to Nineveh was that he wanted God’s judgment to rain down on that wicked city for what it had done in the past to Israel. God had used Nineveh and its ungodly people in past times to teach Israel a lesson or two.

So if some vile person is causing you problems and it is true persecution for Christ’s sake, stand up and deal with it. God will bless you for it. He just might be allowing it to happen so you can become more like Him. You will learn important principles in battle that you would never learn if you didn’t have to go through it.

I am always a better Christian after the battle than I was before. I look back at some things I have endured in my ministry and, while I wouldn’t want to go through it again, I wouldn’t trade it for anything. God taught me about myself through those times. There were doors I would never have opened on my own, so He had other people open them for me.

Persecution makes us pliable. We are often broken when we are persecuted. Sometimes we are so hard and unmovable when God wants to do something in our lives that He has to blow us up and remake us.

Persecution also makes us more powerful. It gets us down to where we are nothing, and then we realize that He is everything. The less we have of ourselves and the more we have of Christ, the better off we are.

Persecution brings praise to God. If you read the book of Job, you will see several important things. In chapter 1 Job was the best Christian that God had, but it took him 40 chapters to repent of his sin. Job was a better Christian in chapter 41 than he was in chapter 1 because he finally said, “Lord, it’s all about you.” When you can praise God after the battle, God is truly praised.

There is a method to enduring persecution correctly. You must respond and not react. Our first impulse when someone says something we don’t like is to say something back. We instinctively tense up and get ready to fight when someone just bumps into us.

The key to responding and not reacting is to consider the consequences of your decision or action. The person who provokes you might be an idiot, but if you react in like manner a third party will see you both and think that both of you are idiots. If you respond with love, people will notice that as well. If you stop to think about it, you might realize that your adversary is just a person who is having a tough time in life and needs your help.

You have to recognize that you are a Christian and should simply act differently than a lost person. When I visit the prison, I expect to see and hear certain things because it is a prison. It’s a very different world. But if I go to your home or we are eating together in a restaurant, I don’t expect you to stab me because I accidentally bump into you, as someone in prison might try to do. I’m not thinking about you possibly beating me or cussing me because I “disrespected” you. People in prison are killed for less than that.

You are salt and light in a dark world full of lost people, so you should not act the same way a lost person acts. If you are in a contest with a coworker or a neighbor to see how low you can go, acting petty over some stupid disagreement, you are not being salt and light. You expect a lost person to act that, but you are supposed to be different.

Rejoice over the privilege of being persecuted. If you read the New Testament, in every instance of persecution you will find great rejoicing, because they were doing something great for Christ.

When talking about the reward for enduring persecution, verse 10 says, “For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” The word “is” means present tense. It means that I will have a secure life, unaffected by circumstances. I will be satisfied with what God is doing for me. I will be safe in His protective arms.

In addition to those present benefits, I will have the assurance of a future reward, as verse 12 indicates. I will be with Christ forever and be reunited in Heaven with family and friends.

The key in persecution is recognizing whether it is for His sake or just because of something you are doing wrong. If you are doing right and living for God, but people talk about you and behave in unkind ways, you should expect it and rejoice in it while trying to show Christ-like love to those who need it so desperately.

30 Ways To Pray For People In Authority

I was preaching outside of Washington DC this past week and saw a pamphlet with the above title. After looking over it I realized I am doing much about those in authority such as fighting against bad legislation, trying to get good legislation passed, and trying to get bad people out of office and good people in. While all of that is good and necessary it is not what I am commanded to do in Scripture. I believe firmly that I am to be a part of the process but my greatest Scriptural admonition is to pray for those in authority. Let us not stop trying to win at the ballot box and certainly in the legislature but let's do what we are commanded to do and that is pray. Here is the pamphlet I saw written by Gary Bergel, former president of Intercessors for America.

30 Ways to Pray for People in Authority
by Gary Bergel

Scripture instructs us to pray for all in authority (1 Timothy 2:1-2), but how do we do that, exactly? Here are 30 ways to pray for our leaders-our judges,educators, police chiefs, school board members, military officers, elected officials. and others who serve our country by leading. By doing this, you are standing in the gap, intervening between God and those in authority.

1. That they be God fearing and recognize that they are accountable to Him for each decision and act (Prov 9:10)

2. That they be granted wisdom, knowledge, and understanding (Jas. 1:5)

3. That they be presented with the gospel and a living Christian witness (Rom 10:14)

4. That if unsaved, they be drawn to a saving encounter with Christ; if born-again, they be strengthened and encouraged in their faith (1 Tim 2:4, Eph 1:17-23)

5. That they recognize their own inadequacy and pray and seek the will of God (Prov 3:5-8, 1 Kings 11:9-13)

6. That they be convicted of sin, transgressions, and iniquity (Psa 51:17, John 8:9)

7. The they heed their conscience, confess their sins, and repent (Prov 28:13, Jas 4:8)

8. That they read the Bible and attend prayer meetings and Bible studies (Psa 119:11, Col 3:2)

9. That they value and regard the Ten Commandments and the teachings of Christ (Psa 19:7-11, John 8:31-32)

10. That they respect and honor their own parents if living (Eph 6:2-3)

11. That they respect authority and practice accountability (Rom 13:1-7)

12. That they be given Godly counsel and God-fearing advisers (Prov 24:6)

13. That they be honest and faithful to spouses and children (Mal 2:15-16)

14. That they be practicing members of local congregations (Heb 10:25)

15. They they desire purity and avoid debauchery, pornography, perversion, and drunkenness (1 Cor 6:9-20, Titus 2:12)

16. That they be timely, reliable, and dependable (Matt 21:28-31)

17. That they be honest in financial, tax and ethical matters (1 Cor 6:10, 1 Tim 6:6-10)

18. That they seek pastoral care and counsel when needed (Heb 13:7)

19. That they seek out and nurture Godly friendships (Psa 1:1-3

20. That they have thankful and teachable spirits (Rom 1:21)

21. That they be generous and have compassionate hearts for the poor and needy (Psa 112:9, 1 Kings 10:33-37)

22. That they redeem their time and know priorities (Eph 5:15-17)

23. That they desire honest, integrity, and loyalty (Psalm 26, Prov 11:3)

24. That they have courage to resist manipulation, pressure, and the fear of man (Prov 29:25, 2 Tim 1:7)

25. That they be shielded from occultism, New Age cults, false religions, and secret societies (Isa 1:29, 2:6)

26. That they be presented with Biblical world views and principles (Eph 3:10)

27. That they endeavor to restore the sanctity of life, families, divine order and morality in our nation (Eph 5:22-6:4)

28. That they would work to reverse the trends of humanism in our nation (1 Chron 12:32, Isa 59:19)

29. That they desire humility and meekness and be willing to serve and cooperate (John 13:14, Titus 3:1-2)

30. That they be prepared to give account to Almighty God (Heb 9:27)

Adapted from "Intercessors for America" newsletter

More Than A Motto

IN GOD WE TRUST

Psalms 33:12  Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD;

On every coin or bill printed or minted in the United States is the phrase “IN GOD WE TRUST”. 

Where and how did this phrase get on our currency?  It is a relatively new addition to the currency, added largely because of increased religious sentiment during the civil war.  Secretary of the treasury Salmon P. Chase received many appeals from devout person throughout the country, urging the United States recognize God on US coins.  From Treasury Department records, it appears the first such appeal came in letter dated November 13, 1861.  It was written to Secretary Chase by Rev. M. R. Watkinson, Minister of the Gospel from Ridleyville, PA.  Three years later, after several acts of congress, In God We Trust was minted on the 1864 two cent coin.  Another act of congress on March 3, 1865 allowed the motto place on all gold and silver coins.  On July 30, 1956 the President approved a Joint Resolution of the 84^th congress, declaring IN GOD WE TRUST the national motto of the US.  It first appeared on paper money on October 1, 1957.  By August 18, 1966 the motto was on all of our currency. 

Although the motto did not come into existence until just recently, the principle of IN GOD WE TRUST is what our nation was founded and built on.  Our founding fathers had a deep commitment to the things of God and to His Divine Providence in leading them.  Over the next 200 plus years, however, we have slowly but surely taken God and removed Him from public life.  We have taken God out of our classrooms, courtrooms, boardrooms, out of every walk of life.  We have become a nation as in the days of Noah where men live and die with no thought of God,  “Genesis 6:5  And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.” 

By reading the letters, papers, and records of our founding fathers, it is plain to see their trust in God.  Here are a very few quotes of some of our founding fathers concerning their trust in God.

John Adams- SIGNER OF THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE; JUDGE; DIPLOMAT; ONE OF TWO SIGNERS OF THE BILL OF RIGHTS; SECOND PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES

The general principles on which the fathers achieved independence were the general principles of Christianity. I will avow that I then believed, and now believe, that those general principles of Christianity are as eternal and immutable as the existence and attributes of God.

The Christian religion is, above all the religions that ever prevailed or existed in ancient or modern times, the religion of wisdom, virtue, equity and humanity.

Suppose a nation in some distant region should take the Bible for their only law book and every member should regulate his conduct by the precepts there exhibited. . . . What a Eutopia – what a Paradise would this region be!

I have examined all religions, and the result is that the Bible is the best book in the world.

Samuel Adams- SIGNER OF THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE; “FATHER OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION”; RATIFIER OF THE U. S. CONSTITUTION; GOVERNOR OF MASSACHUSETTS

I [rely] upon the merits of Jesus Christ for a pardon of all my sins.

The name of the Lord (says the Scripture) is a strong tower; thither the righteous flee and are safe [Proverbs 18:10]. Let us secure His favor and He will lead us through the journey of this life and at length receive us to a better.

I conceive we cannot better express ourselves than by humbly supplicating the Supreme Ruler of the world . . . that the confusions that are and have been among the nations may be overruled by the promoting and speedily bringing in the holy and happy period when the kingdoms of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ may be everywhere established, and the people willingly bow to the scepter of Him who is the Prince of Peace.

Elias Boudinot- PRESIDENT OF CONGRESS; SIGNED THE PEACE TREATY TO END THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION; FIRST ATTORNEY ADMITTED TO THE U. S. SUPREME COURT BAR; FRAMER OF THE BILL OF RIGHTS; DIRECTOR OF THE U. S. MINT

Let us enter on this important business under the idea that we are Christians on whom the eyes of the world are now turned… [L]et us earnestly call and beseech Him, for Christ’s sake, to preside in our councils. . . . We can only depend on the all powerful influence of the Spirit of God, Whose Divine aid and assistance it becomes us as a Christian people most devoutly to implore. Therefore I move that some minister of the Gospel be requested to attend this Congress every morning . . . in order to open the meeting with prayer.

John Hancock- SIGNER OF THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE; PRESIDENT OF CONGRESS; REVOLUTIONARY GENERAL; GOVERNOR OF MASSACHUSETTS

Sensible of the importance of Christian piety and virtue to the order and happiness of a state, I cannot but earnestly commend to you every measure for their support and encouragement.

Gouverneur Morris- REVOLUTIONARY OFFICER; MEMBER OF THE CONTINENTAL CONGRESS; SIGNER OF THE CONSTITUTION; “PENMAN OF THE CONSTITUTION”; DIPLOMAT; U. S. SENATOR

There must be religion. When that ligament is torn, society is disjointed and its members perish… [T]he most important of all lessons is the denunciation of ruin to every state that rejects the precepts of religion.

Randolph of Roanoke- CONGRESSMAN UNDER PRESIDENTS JOHN ADAMS, THOMAS JEFFERSON, JAMES MADISON, JAMES MONROE, JOHN QUINCY ADAMS, ANDREW JACKSON; U. S. SENATOR; DIPLOMAT

I have thrown myself, reeking with sin, on the mercy of God, through Jesus Christ His blessed Son and our (yes, my friend, our) precious Redeemer; and I have assurances as strong as that I now owe nothing to your rank that the debt is paid and now I love God – and with reason. I once hated him – and with reason, too, for I knew not Christ. The only cause why I should love God is His goodness and mercy to me through Christ.

Regardless of what any revisionist may write or say, our founding fathers understood that without God’s providential hand of guidance, there would be no America.  Our greatest hope is that America will again see our need to put our Trust in God!  In God We Trust needs to become more than just a motto!

Peace, Peace, Wonderful Peace!

Blessed are the peacemakers; for they shall be called the children of God.” (Matt. 5:9)

If you are like most people in the United States in the 21^st century, you are an extremely busy person. In fact, your life may be so busy that it borders on chaotic.

Perhaps you sit down sometimes, like I do, at the end of the day just before bed and say, “Wow. What a day. Is there any relief in sight?” In my case, with a family that includes four children and an ever-growing ministry, there often is no relief in sight.

We all go from one crisis or problem to another, and it is indeed chaotic to say the least. It reminds me of the television commercial from the 1980s where the frazzled woman screams, “Calgon, take me away!” The next scene portrays her soaking in a huge bubble bath, all her problems just a distant memory.

It seems that, amid all of the problems we face every day, very few of us really find peace. That state of being where we are right with God and right with our fellow man, and everything is on an even keel, appears to elude us. All we see are troubles and trials.

Let me clarify something here. All of us have troubles and trials; no one is immune from that. The difference is that some people are able to have peace in the midst of their troubles and trials.

There is no one reading this book who does not have some degree of difficulty, and most of you are likely to have a great deal of difficulty. But while many of you are searching for peace, some of you have found it.

Let’s look at the attributes of a peaceful person. Peace is not the absence of conflict. You might be thinking, “If I could just make all of my problems go away, I would be OK.” You will never be able to wish all of your troubles away. The Bible says in Job 14:1 that this life is “full of trouble.” There will be conflict as long as you live. You might think that’s depressing, but you can have victory along with your problems.

Look at II Tim. 3:1-7. “This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts, Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.”

That is an accurate description of the day in which we live, and if you think it’s going to get better you are mistaken. The fact of the matter is that we live in the last days, and as we get farther along in the last days we get farther from God’s creation.

Have you ever thought about that? What we are living in now is not God’s perfect plan for this age. This isn’t the way He created things. His original plan was for Adam and Eve in the garden, all alone, with obedient children and no in-laws. I trust you are laughing a little bit at that last statement, but God did create a perfect world. What happened? Adam and Eve willfully disobeyed God, and it all went downhill from there.

So God started with perfection, and He will end with perfection when we are living with Him forever, but in the meantime we must live with the consequences of man’s choices. That is what produced everything we see around us.

Adam and Eve had the choice to live in perfect harmony with God and never die. God did not design death, just as He did not design sin. He wanted them to have a wonderful time in the garden. But Adam thought he was smarter than God, and his sin brought the curse. We are left with the results of that curse.

So as long as we are stuck in this world between perfection and perfection, we will have troubles. Why? Because sin destroys everything it touches. It twists people’s thinking and causes them to do things God never intended them to do. If it’s bad now, what will it be like when our young children are grown? If we can’t escape conflict, we had better learn to deal with it, and that means teaching our children some principles for how to live.

Peace is not the absence of conflict, nor is it compromise with conflict. On one side you have the standard of God’s holiness and perfection, and on the other side is the world that is anything but holy. So the world tells the church crowd, “You are the problem. If you would be more like us and stop preaching against our sin, we would all get along.”

Thus, the church is asked to come over toward the world and compromise its position, It’s interesting that in a compromise situation, the one in the position of strength must always give up some of that strength and come down to where the other side is. What the church should be saying is, “Hey, world, we know there is conflict. Why don’t you, through the blood of Christ, come over and join with us?” But we usually choose to let the church be more like the world for the sake of getting along.

Too many of us do this every day with our children. A lot of you moms and dads have made a deal with the devil in the past few days, only in this case the devil is a four-year-old. We compromise for the sake of peace.

Another popular line of thinking is, “If I can make it through this week...” We don’t solve anything or fix the problem. We just want to survive the moment.

We’ve taken a few moments to consider what peace is not. So what is peace? Peace is the attitude or condition that comes when a person is right with God and right with man. There are a few dozen other definitions of peace, and I struggled to narrow it down, because there are several different levels of peace. The Bible speaks of national peace, spiritual peace and some other things, all of which give the impression of soundness.

When we talk about a sound idea or principle, we are usually saying that it is solid or complete. It gives the idea that you’ve got it together and you are whole. You’ve figured it out.

I know very few people who have it all figured out. You can probably think of more than one occasion in which you’ve seen someone and thought to yourself, “I wonder if he is as together as he appears to be.” There are many people who, underneath a very smooth and orderly presentation, have conflict galore in their lives. But there are some who actually live their lives at home the same way they do in public. Their outward portrayal is a true reflection of who they are.

Those are the people who have found peace. Things do not exacerbate them or get them riled up for no reason. Nothing inflates or deflates them. Through good times or bad times, they stay on a pretty even keel.

Most of us are not like that. We are either way up or way down, and we can’t seem to find that constant level that isn’t too high or too low.

There are more than 400 references in the Bible to peace. Rom. 12:18 says, “If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.” Heb. 12:14 says, “Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord.” You cannot see God if you don’t have peace.

James 3:16-18 says, “For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work. But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy. And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace.” The opposite of peace is confusion, and the Word of God has answers for those who are confused.

Let’s look at the author of peace. According to I Cor. 14:33, “For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.” The author of confusion is the devil, and the author of peace is God. If God is in the middle of something, there is a level of peace about it. Satan seeks to cause confusion, and it is evident in every aspect of our society.

Think about this for a moment. The predominant features of a rock concert are darkness, noise and smoke. The same is true for a battle zone. A church service should be the antithesis of that; it should be peaceful (although peaceful doesn’t mean dead). It should be encouraging, not confusing.

In the New Testament, God is described six times as the God of peace. Gideon built an altar to the Lord and in Judges 6:24 he called it “Jehovahshalom.” That means “God is peace.” One of the terms used to described Him in Isa. 9:6 is “Prince of Peace.”

John 14:27 says, “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.” He is the giver of peace.

But He also points out that the peace He gives is not like the peace the world gives. What is the difference? We equate peace with the absence of problems. Your job is steady, your marriage is stable, and your kids are OK. That is probably your definition of peace. You have a brief respite from trouble, and everything is good right now.

The world gives you a week like that every few months to keep you in the cycle. You have 30 days of hell, five days of peace, 30 more days of hell, and so on. Every once in a while Satan tells his demons to stop bothering you so you think it’s all going to get better.

I’ve watched marriages like this. A couple will fight like cats and dogs for six months, then they have a good week and think, “We’re fine, Preacher. We don’t need to change a thing.” Then they’re right back at each other’s throats.

Peace is not the absence of problems. Peace comes in knowing that, in spite of the problems, God is still on throne.

The world says, “I’ll give you a little break this week.” God says, “Whether you get a break or not, I’m still God and you’re still OK. I’ve got everything under control.”

There are several aspects to real peace. First, man cannot have peace without a right relationship with God. A lost person who thinks, “I don’t know where I’m going when I die,” is as far from peace as one can get.  The Bible says in Rom. 5:1, “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

I see lost people who sit in our church services, and you can tell by looking at them that they are not at peace. But because they are holding onto something, they would rather go through life in confusion and chaos than make peace with God. You will never have the peace of God until you make peace with God, and that only comes when you confess your need of a Saviour.

God’s peace is everlasting and unchanging, and it is directly related to your spiritual condition. His peace is completely unfazed by your circumstances.

Deut. 9:18-20 says, “And I fell down before the LORD, as at the first, forty days and forty nights: I did neither eat bread, nor drink water, because of all your sins which ye sinned, in doing wickedly in the sight of the LORD, to provoke him to anger. For I was afraid of the anger and hot displeasure, wherewith the LORD was wroth against you to destroy you. But the LORD hearkened unto me at that time also. And the LORD was very angry with Aaron to have destroyed him: and I prayed for Aaron also the same time.”

God is angry with Aaron, and His wrath is about to be poured out on Moses’ people. He is ready to level Israel to the ground and start over with Moses. But the last phrase of verse 19, where God hearkened unto Moses, gives a glimpse of how great He is.

Moses was in this instance a man with perfect peace – right with God, interceding for his people. God was ready to wipe Israel off the face of the earth, and Moses pled for Him to do otherwise. In the midst of so much confusion and chaos, there was a little bubble with only Moses and God.

Today there is the same kind of confusion and chaos all around us. God is still angry at the wicked every day, and His judgment will come sooner rather than later. But there is a group of people walking with God through all of this, and they have found peace.

It doesn’t matter what some Islamic terrorists do, or how high the price of gas goes. We still have God, and He has promised to meet our needs. When God gives you peace, these things are not going to bother you. He gives peace that is not changed by circumstances.

Since the beginning the devil has led an attack on peace. Our sinful nature is always battling for control. There are two voices you listen to – the one with the world’s view and the one with the Word of God. Every time you turn on your television you are exposed to the world’s view, whether it is a sporting event or some scientific program that talks about what supposedly happened billions and billions of years ago. They all think that this world is just one big accident.

Sometimes it seems like we are outnumbered, just a few people wanting to follow God against an entire world. But we have about 6,000 years of history behind us with the fingerprint of God on it. The people who would say that there is no God are dying as fast as they get here, and His Word just keeps on going.

The battle within us rages because, as Jer. 17:9 says, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” People tell me all the time, “Preacher, I am basically a good person. In my heart I really want to do good.” It’s a lie. Your heart is deceitful, and the person it deceives is you. People go to Hell because they think themselves to be better than they are. They think that they’re doing OK, and they’re better than most people they know, and that is what deceives them.

Pride keeps you from repentance, which keeps you from peace. If you have true peace, it’s because you realized that there are some thing you can’t handle and you need God to come into your life and take control.

II Cor. 5:18-20 says, “And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God.”

When I think about people I know who do not have peace, I see blatant areas of disobedience in their lives. The ones who have peace, on the other hand, seems to be trying their very best to do right. That is not a coincidence. There is a direct correlation between your obedience to the Word of God and your level of peace.

Walking with God is the first step toward attaining peace. There must be some time that you spend alone with Him if you are ever going to have peace. How can you know His will for your life if you are not engrossed in His Word and seeking Him in prayer?

Trying to win people to Christ is another step to find God’s peace. When you have the joy of leading someone to Christ and seeing that person find the thing that he or she needs more than anything else, something inside you is rekindled. Some of you were saved a long time ago, and that moment for your is far back in your memory, but every time you open the Bible and share the Gospel with someone else it is like you are seeing it for the first time again.

The ones who are the most at peace are those who stay in the saddle and keep working together for God. Those are the people who are steady no matter what kind of trouble comes along. There is a lot less depression in people who are busy. They are usually more content.

Let the Word of God dwell in you and be your foundation. Col. 3:16 says, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.”

Philosophy is always changing. Some of the philosophies of education I studied in the late 1980s, which were the “new” way of doing things at that time, have now gone by the wayside. Textbooks are rewritten every five years. Our television talk shows have gone through the same kinds of cycles.

When presidents, leaders, philosophers, gurus and educators come and go, the Bible stays the same. It has been relevant since the moment it was written. Men and women have been having trouble since the Garden of Eden. We’ve been having the same problems for centuries, and the Word of God has been fixing those problems that entire time.

Somewhere there is a lost person who has the same problems you have. The difference is that you can have peace through God if you are right with Him and living for Him.