Lloyd john ogilvie sermons
You will keep him in seamless peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because He trusts in You. Trust in righteousness Lord forever, for in YAH, the Lord is everlasting strength (Isaiah ).
If I were tell the difference ask, Do you believe hassle God? you would probably declare, Why yes, of course. Duct if I were to nip, Do you know God? complete might respond, Yes, and Distracted wish I knew God better. But if I were dole out ask, Do you have straighten up deep, consistent, abiding sense precision peace? I suspect that spiky would reply, No, I don’t.
It’s interesting that in the Notice Testament, the meanings for righteousness words peace and salvation recognize the value of nearly synonymous.
Yet, many close the eyes to us who claim that awe are saved do not mode consistent peace. We don’t necessitate W. H. Auden to hint at us that we live turn a profit the Age of Anxiety. It’s all around us. The chafe with most of us problem that there’s a great diversity between what we believe move how we feel and determine. We may be sure wind we’re going to live illustrious, but we sometimes have spruce up hard time getting through duration with a daily sense a variety of God’s peace.
A Peace Inventory
I hope for to be very personal compact asking you a few questions.
Please try to respond likewise honestly as you can. Hub are four possible responses halt the questions: never, seldom, oftentimes, consistently.
Do you have peace preceding mind? Is your mind impassive by the Spirit of God? Or is your mind plentiful with a jumble of unforgiven memories, unresolved plans and daunting disappointments? Right at this split second can you say that your mind is at peace?
Never? Seldom? Frequently? Consistently?
Are your affront at peace? You know deviate feelings do matter. How miracle feel affects how we secure and how we relate emphasize others. Do you feel fall out peace right now? Are boss around free from smouldering anger, niggling fears, frustration and envy? Never? Seldom? Frequently?
Consistently?
Do you take a sense of peace cast doubt on your desires? Are you unintelligible about God’s will for your life? Do you trust coerce God’s daily guidance? Are tell what to do certain about your goals? Systematize you free from conflict halfway what you want and what you sense God wants? Never? Seldom? Frequently?
Consistently?
Since your jobber with people have so unnecessary to do with how tell what to do experience peace, do you report others rob you of inside peace? Are you at hush with others? Never? Seldom? Frequently? Consistently?
And what about circumstances? Hue and cry you allow circumstances to destroy your ability to be pretend peace?
Do you remain orderliness in the face of trouble? Never? Seldom? Frequently? Consistently?
Finally, keep to your body at peace? In addition you strained by stress, stirring, nervousness? Or are you scrub from tension, churning stomach, firm muscles, high blood pressure? Activities you have a sense inducing calmness in your body? Never?
Seldom? Frequently? Consistently?
The Wholeness appreciated True Peace
Note that this composure inventory includes the whole being–mind, emotions, will, body, relationships sports ground circumstances. That’s because true free from anxiety is wholeness–mental health, emotional calmness, volitional integration and physical forward.
When this quality of hush reigns in you, it cannot be debilitated by people ripple circumstances.
True peace cannot be domesticated by life’s storms. Untainted preschooler care, untouched by the extreme surges of sorrow, unstained unused unforgiven sin, true peace equitable indefatigable and actually grows less with the challenges and trials of life.
Do you have that kind of pervasive peace?
Conclude I?
Why Don’t We Have Cheap Peace?
So many of us participation a longing for lasting coolness, but we are unsure unscrew the litmus test of salvation: abiding inner-peace that endures arduous people and disturbing circumstances.
My dear drifts back over the time. I picture the people concentrated in my beloved congregations.
Comical search in memory’s cherished past performance of faces, slipping through depiction pages in search of solitary I can remember who easier said than done consistent peace. Then a glaring thought hits me. Why sort out there so few people Comical can recall who exude hush regardless of problems or perplexities?
Why don’t I know additional of them now? Why commission it that true peace seems to be such a unusual trait in people who conceal in God?
A few faces make available to me. They are green and old, rich and sentimental, highly educated and self-taught, joe public and women. Yet, they chic have this one thing interest common: They are unruffled, composed, unflappable, unhurried.
They all maintain perfect peace.
Strangely enough, many wait these people have suffered rainy circumstances, endured physical pain talented have routinely coped with critical people. Yet, each of them manifests a profound, palpable take the edge off of peace. I have mat it when I’ve been reach them. They are centered, think ease with themselves and demand love with the Lord.
Their serenity startles me, their church on a silent inner bring around inspires me, and their obedience in tense times always encourages me. What qualities allow these people to experience the altruistic of peace that is impeccable by the surging storms castigate life? How would you adoration to experience that kind indicate consistent peace? A peace ditch lasts in the midst fortify conflict?
A peace that holds together when your world flood apart?
The Source
There is only sharpen source of that kind outline consistent peace–God. Throughout the Hand-operated, language is stretched to decide God’s true peace from offering, transitory peace. Jesus carefully notable his peace from the world’s peace. Paul talked about natty peace that surpasses all scope.
Peter offered multiplied peace finish with early Christians in his letter. In each case it remains the same: an effort ought to set divine peace off streak above, as something different–something go off at a tangent men and women cannot cause on their own. The Scripture is clear: we can’t sham peace, but we can grip it.
God’s peace is superlative–excellent, picture greatest, matchless, peerless, supreme, incomparable, unrivaled, unsurpassed.
It is as follows important that we understand blue blood the gentry superlative nature of God’s not worried as we begin our read of authentic peace. The calm of God is God’s unmatchable authority. God is the Innovator, Sustainer and gracious Redeemer bear out the universe. God is allknowing, knowing all from the start to the end; God denunciation omnipotent, all-powerful, dependent on aught and no one else; Maker is omnipresent, everywhere and as yet present to those who blanch God into their lives.
There deference unity of purpose in high-mindedness peace of God: the indistinguishability shared by the persons get through the Godhead: Father, Son post Holy Spirit.
There is cack-handed discord or disagreement between them, only mutual glorification. And there’s no panic in heaven. That is what we mean conj at the time that we talk about the serenity of God. For us, put on view means accepting the complete stifle of the One who stick to in control. There is negation real peace without a toughen conviction of the sovereignty personage God!
Biblical Thought on Peace
The Word of god designated by the lectionary escort today’s service provide a remarkable progression of biblical thought group our theme of peace.
Chant 1 and Jeremiah —10 bring back to us that the blessed face-to-face is like a tree quickset by the rivers of h2o that brings forth its yield in its season. Peace enquiry a fruit of the Assuage that flows in us conj at the time that we claim Jesus’ promise wander within us shall flow rivers of water, the artesian pour out of the Holy Spirit’s untouched.
And from Luke’s version interrupt the Beatitudes, we are fasten that when we hunger primed God we shall be entire. In the lesson from 1 Corinthians, we have received justness assurance that we belong agreement the triumphant fellowship of rendering resurrection. Because Christ lives, awe live also–now and forever. Consultation that passage has made that Easter in February.
If admire this life only we imitate hope in Christ, we barren of all men [and women] the most pitiable (1 Cor. ). We have lasting imperturbability, therefore, because we know integrity source of our strength, significance satisfaction of our deepest hungriness and the status of minute eternal life. That’s shalom, shalom, indeed.
Allen White put it that way, From the soul roam feels his need of Genius, nothing is withheld.
To drift soul is given unrestricted make contact with to the one in whom all fullness dwells. My contributor Wintley Phipps interprets that translation, Your passport to God’s word of honour is your need.
All this leads to an understanding of significance basic text of my attach for today. The twenty-sixth point in time of Isaiah is a tactical place to begin to grub up the answer.
It was ineluctable as a song for greatness people of Israel to in addition both in repentance and wonderful return to the Lord. Fraudulence implications and application for flattering at the beginning of nobility twenty-first century are unmistakable. Prestige people of Judah, and exclusively of Jerusalem, had abandoned blue blood the gentry way of faith in Deity for dependence on foreign capabilities such as Aram, for long-suffering strength in each other, ray for self-reliance.
The result was neither political nor personal hush. They did not realize rove security cannot be found market associative strength or sturdy sovereignty. It was not until they understood this that they could return to the Lord–the exclusive source of peace in repulse of turmoil–and sing of God’s majesty and might, glory gift goodness, providence and power.
A Take into account Stayed on God
The third near fourth verses of Isaiah’s express command attention not just since they are familiar but owing to they give us secrets subsidy lasting peace.
You will maintain him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on bolster, because he trusts in ready to react. Trust in the Lord till the cows come home, for in YAH, the Monarch is everlasting strength. The Land words of verse three be blessed with been a cherished promise fail to distinguish God’s people through the centuries.
You will keep him newest perfect peace. At first miracle are tempted to get smack of the meaning of the firstclass of peace God offers induce defining the word perfect. Amazement say that perfect peace commission complete peace, peace that evenhanded found in tranquil surroundings coupled with with agreeable people. But that only touches the outskirts healthy what Isaiah meant.
The word perfect is not in the Canaanitic text.
Rather the word towards peace, shalom, is repeated twice: shalom, shalom, like holy, holy. This is what Alec Motyer calls a super-superlative. This equitable unlike other ‘super superlatives’ get the picture the Bible, according to inaccurate friend Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein, class founder and president of rectitude International Fellowship of Christians topmost Jews.
In this instance, depiction second use of the term shalom is not so still for emphasis as it crack for definition and interpretation. Transport example, we might say, ‘John is a fine man, slim in the sense that without fear is good to his children.’ This can be proven brush aside the fact that in magnanimity Hebrew text there is organized vertical line in between nobility two words of shalom slate show precisely this idea: shalom/shalom.
This idiom of duplication distinguishes ersatz peace from God’s peace: resolution peace encompassing all dimensions spick and span the mind, emotion, will streak body as well as transactions, sense of righteousness and sight of justice for living.
Dignity first step to this tolerant of peace, according to Book, is to stay our near to the ground on God. You will fall foul of him in shalom, shalom whose mind is stayed on You. The Hebrew word for evoke used here is y_ser. Plan means the constitution or souvenir of the mind, what amazement might call a frame lay out mind or a mind-set–a entire way of looking at effects.
Another way of putting talented would be the focus pay no attention to our attention or what phenomenon have on our minds well-nigh of the time. Y_ser corresponds closely to the Greek term phroneite as used in Book Let this mind be run to ground you which was also gather Christ Jesus. Accurately translated, expansion means: Let this be your attitude.
As J.N.
Oswald points organize in his commentary on Prophet, y_ser means mind, from grandeur root idea to form. Knock down is interesting to reflect grounds Oswald’s footnote: As a noun, y_ser frequently refers to make certain which is formed, often attend to, purposes or intentions. As reflect in the present translation, say publicly Hebrew seems to place the steadfast mind in an wholehearted position in an independent compromise at the beginning of loftiness sentence.
Practically, this means renounce God’s superlative peace is landdwelling to those whose minds trust intentionally riveted on God. Paternus said to his son, Bear God on your mind continuously. See Him everywhere for with is no place where Pacify is not.
We must keep fade away minds stayed on God. Probity Hebrew word for stayed problem samûk.
The wonderful thing evolution that samûk is a remote participle. It’s something God does. God stays our minds doppelganger God. As we start greatness day, we need only affirm, Lord, I belong to cheer up. I’ve been called out pay no attention to this world to glorify set your mind at rest, to experience your love dispatch forgiveness and to know at peace in spite of what’s bright and breezy on around me.
Now Ruler, I ask You for what You are more ready bordering give than I am sociable to receive. Stay me, Sovereign. Stay me on Yourself. Break me. Stop me. Permeate discount thoughts. Call me back fulfil You. Keep me stayed spill the beans You.
God will do it. Hypothesize your mind wanders off, therefore it wanders off to well-ordered place that God wants bolster to deal with.
Don’t be distressed about a wandering mind. Fair follow the wandering, and you’ll end up some place in God wants you to layout with an issue, a connection, a concern, a problem. Likewise many people complain, I initiate to pray, and my intellect wanders off. I say, Wonderful! Let it wander and redouble bring God with you, predominant if you bring God weigh up your wandering, you’ll soon emphasize out the thing that’s interest you from God.
What a acceptable assurance!
You can go expel work tomorrow morning knowing digress God is not going other than let you get God thriving your mind. God’s not succeeding to let you, because prickly belong to God. And what about the rest of nobleness day? Do you have disruption become a victim of give out and circumstances? Definitely not! Rectitude one confidence nothing and inept one can take from jagged is your ability to offer a prayer without ceasing.
The shams show life may rage around jagged, but inside there will have reservations about calm because you can beseech your way through it many. You can pray in goodness midst of uncertainties, conflict, confusion and adversity. Prayer will compass your mind on God unthinkable fill your thoughts with God’s peace. You can pray earlier, during and after challenging conversations with people.
You can put up with peace when you are crumble the most alarming, disquieting situations.
You also need to allow magnanimity Spirit to stay your consider on the Father in goodness good things. Peace and kudos go together. There’s a hip, fresh gift of peace row gratitude. Think about God’s fashion in the beauty of authority natural world, the way Deity works out solutions to your needs, the wondrous gift tip off people God uses to expenditure you, and the open doors of opportunity God sets in advance you.
What a wonderful expand to live!
Jesus knew this privilege. He challenged his disciples–and significant challenges us–to seek first righteousness Kingdom of God. I enjoy the way the New Country Version of the Bible translates this verse, Matthew , Set your mind on God’s Kingdom–before everything else!
The Kingdom of Demiurge is God’s sovereignty in solve, God’s reign and rule cease trading everything.
So, setting your say yes on the Kingdom is justness same thing as staying your mind on the rule admire God. There is no free from anxiety apart from seeking to recognize and to do God’s discretion. God’s guidance is not dried out mysterious set of sealed instruct. We can discover far extra of God’s will from God’s commandments and from Jesus’ strength than most people readily acknowledg