Jesus’ disciples experienced tribulation, rejection, and even death as they strived to spread the gospel. Dr. Stanley explains how we can have peace in a world full of rebellion, dishonesty, crime and greed. Look to Christ and follow God’s Word so your heart can remain calm—even when troubles surround you. For more messages from Charles Stanley, including this week’s broadcast, go to https://intouch.org/tv

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today in touch the Teaching Ministry of

Dr Charles Stanley reaching the world

with the Gospel of Jesus Christ next on

in touch Jesus the prince of

peace which one of these words best

describes your present

emotions

conflict

hopelessness

anger

emptiness

loneliness we could just go on down the

list of those emotions that often times

just absolutely overpower people I

wonder where the emotion of Peace fits

in

that for some people they’d say well

peace is sort of out there somewhere I

don’t even know what it is sometimes I

think I have it sometimes I don’t and so

peace to them is something they hope one

of these days they may be able to grasp

and be able to think since sincerely

about now I understand what peace is and

now that I have it but you know what

most people never will because they

avoid the very essence of what peace is

all about and you say well I don’t think

I’ve ever found it I want to show you

how you can really find

it and I want us to turn if you will to

a passage in the Old Testament and the

ninth chapter of Isaiah and I want us to

just read this this Prophecy of the

coming of Jesus and how he’s described

and then we’ll turn to the New Testament

to show you what that really means in

light of our present day and who we are

beginning in the sixth verse of Isaiah

chapter 9 for a child will be born to us

a son will be given to us and the

government will rest on his shoulders

and his name will be called wonderful

counselor Mighty God Eternal Father of

Peace there will be no end to the

increase of his government or of Peace

on the throne of David and over his

kingdoms to establish it and to uphold

it with Justice and righteousness from

then on and forever more and how will

all that happen the Zeal of the Lord of

hosts will accomplish this then I want

you to turn if you will to the 14th

chapter of John and in this 14th chapter

uh Jesus is speaking to his disciples uh

he’s going to be crucified the next day

he’s telling him some of the most

precious things that he has said in

three years and he says for example in

the 25th verse of this 14th chapter

these things I’ve spoken to you while

abiding with you but the helper the Holy

Spirit whom the father will send in my

name there’s the Trinity right there in

one verse look at that the helper of the

Holy Spirit whom the father will send in

my name he will teach you all things and

bring to your remembrance all that I’ve

told you peace I leave with you my peace

I give to you not as the world gives do

I give to you do not let your heart be

troubled nor Let It Be

fearful now peace is one of the major

subjects in the

Bible it’s found 332 times and the

Apostle Paul every single one of his

Epistles will begin like this great

Grace and peace be unto you sometime

it’s all the way down to the third and

fourth and fifth verse but in his

salutation he’s always added Peace So

what I want to talk about in this

message is this in that Isaiah passage

Jesus is called the Prince of Peace we

sing about him being the Prince of Peace

we talk about it we see pictures of it

why is it that Jesus is the Prince of

Peace why is he called The Prince of

Peace does that have any effect in your

life life in mind and the answer is

indeed it does and what I want you to

see in this passage here in John

primarily I want you to see how

important it is that you and I

understand what real peace is and where

real peace comes from and how many

people have been duped into believing

that they have peace when they really

don’t so here’s the first thing I want

us to look at here and that’s simply

this that Jesus secured

our peace listen through his

substitutionary death on the cross now

watch this carefully because there is a

dis a difference between peace with God

and the peace of God and so Jesus by

coming sent by the father he came for

the primary purpose of doing what we say

well he came for the primary purpose of

dying on the cross but what was his goal

his goal was what to make it possible

for mankind distant from God these are

the words the scripture uses

alienated enemies separated these were

the words that describe Mankind’s

relationship to God Jesus came in order

to do what to bring sinful alienated

separated mankind into a relationship

with the Living God and how did he do

that and how could he do that God being

absolutely Ely holy and Man being sinful

and the issue was that sin separates man

from God when you trusted Jesus Christ

as your personal savior you experience

watch this you experience peace with God

the war was over you gave up your

Rebellion you gave up your in your

insistence on having it your way you

said Lord you’re right I’m asking you to

forgive me and to cleanse me from my

sins well why did he do it not simply

because you ask he did it because Jesus

his only begotten son came into the

world and took your sin Deb in mind all

of our guilt all of our penalty he

placed upon Jesus Christ who died on the

cross and when he died what did he do he

closed the gap between sinful Mankind

and what almighty God he closed the Gap

he made it possible he dealt with the

issue he dealt with the one thing that

kept us from being close to God and that

sin and when he died on the cross he

paid our sin debt in full and therefore

the Bible says therefore being justified

by faith we have watched as peace with

God through our Lord Jesus Christ now so

you say what’s that justification mean

therefore being justified by faith what

happens is when Christ paid our sin debt

in full that made it possible watch this

carefully for God to look upon sinful

Mankind and forgive him of his sins and

declare him no longer guilty but what

one of his children and every single

person who accepts Jesus Christ as their

personal savior they join hands with God

at that moment they become a child of

God in the family of God of the

household of God and are eternally

secure as the children of God all

because of what Jesus Christ did he is

the Prince of Peace that’s where it all

begins he and he alone the sinless Son

of God the Lamb of God he and he alone

could have paid that price to reconcile

man with God so when we think about the

peace of God and peace with God that

settled the issue that now anybody and

everyone can have a relationship with

him because Jesus has paved the way and

paav the way with his blood you’ll hear

once in a while somebody saying what’s

all that BL blood got to do with it

everything because you see all the way

back to the

Garden all the way through the Old

Testament all those sacrifices were a

foreshadowing of the one final sacrifice

that would make it possible for the

father to bring together with himself

sinful mankind he secured your peace now

watch this carefully since he secured

your peace and the only peace that real

peace the only peace that’s lasting

peace the only peace that’s genuine

peace since he secured it why do you

think that somehow you and your sinful

condition can be brought together in a

relationship with holy God and ignore

the only one who could have the only one

whom God sent to make it possible to do

what to reconcile sinful man with holy

God you must remember that God is Holy

he’s holy God tolerates no sin and

therefore cannot excuse sin he doesn’t

excuse sin he forgives and Jesus

Christ’s death brought about that

relationship therefore when a person

says I don’t need Jesus well tell me

what do you have you have nothing the

testimony of almighty God is this

testimony by Jesus I am the way the

truth and the life no one comes to the

father but by me why because he is the

only one and that transaction was the

only transaction that made it possible

for sinful mankind to be joined with the

Lord God and have eternal life that’s

the first point the second point is

simply this when you think about that

relationship think about in this

light that listen he not only secured

that peace but he is the source of our

peace on a daily basis through our

personal relationship with him because

people say well sometimes I have peace

and sometimes I don’t listen listen to

these verses and uh Jesus makes them

makes it so very clear in this 14th

chapter listen to what he said he said

Peace I leave with you now watch this

he’s the one who secured it no one else

there’s not a soul in history or ever

will be who could secure that peace to

the Cross listen to what he said Peace I

leave with with you my peace I give to

you not as the world gives do I give to

you do not let your heart be troubled

nor Let It Be

fearful so how do we how do we

experience this peace now peace with God

means the war’s over and I’ve trusted

him as my savior I’m his child but what

about I have to live on Monday morning I

have to live through difficulty

hardships trials turbulence tribulation

and all how how do we have peace in a

world that’s so messed up like like ours

is every where can you put your finger

on the globe that there’s not either

Revolution or Rebellion it’s either in

its beginning stages or it’s hot or

whatever it might be everywhere you turn

there is anything and everything but

peace and the world gets smaller and

smaller and smaller more and more

dangerous how can God expect us to have

peace in a world like this with the

simple reason listen number one he made

it possible by bringing this together

with the father through his death

secondly he came not only to die for us

but to dwell in us he said I am abiding

in you and you are abiding in me that is

Jesus Christ lives his life in and

through the believer in the presence of

the holy spirit in the power of the Holy

Spirit Christ in you Jesus said I’m

abiding in you I’m living in you you’re

living in me he Ed the branch of the and

the vine uh the grape vine to show that

relationship that a branch can’t produce

anything unless it’s connected to the

vine the sap that runs in the vine runs

in the branch produces the grapes it’s a

relationship and so watch this carefully

all true genuine

peace is the result of a personal

relationship with Jesus Christ there is

nothing else that can produce that kind

of peace and I want to show you how

feudal it is how absolutely feudal and

mistaken and blinded people are to think

that they can have peace and reject

Jesus Christ the son of God they may

have a lifestyle but they don’t have

peace and it’s so interesting to me when

I talk to people and just once in a

while sometimes people come to the line

or other times and and they’ll give me

their problem and so forth and I’ll ask

what’s going on and the longer they talk

the more they tell me and the more they

tell me the more it’s very evident that

Jesus is nowhere in the

situation and they’ve trusted this and

trusted that and talked to him and

talked to her and believed this and

tried that and this and somehow they

don’t have any peace because you see

watch this I’m going to say it many

times in this sermon peace the peace of

God that tranquility and calmness and

quietness that makes it possible for you

to walk through the most difficult

trying times of your life that peace

comes in a

relationship you can’t buy it you can’t

Bor

aoid it is a relationship and that

relationship ship is only with one

person and that’s Jesus Christ and when

I look at these passages and see uh how

what Jesus said for example do not let

your heart be troubled you believe in

God believe also in me and what he’s

really saying is do not let your heart

be troubled any

longer because what I’m going to say and

then the 14 15 16 chapters are wonderful

chapters of his assurance that made a

whole difference and and made all the

difference in the world for them and so

when you you come to this whole idea of

his peace what kind of peace is

that there is a qu listen when when you

have a relationship with Jesus there is

a sense of

quietness and

tranquility and calmness that’s

Indescribable because what happens when

you have that kind of relationship you

can walk through any kind of difficulty

hardship pain suffering you name it

because what because he’s the he’s the

source of our

peace when you have him you have a

relationship watch this a relationship

in which he will never reject

you a relationship he will never leave

you relationship he he he’s not in the

business of criticizing you he may bring

to your mind and heart convict you of

sin but that’s not being critical he’s

just saying this needs to go in your

life every your heart desires is to be

found in a personal relationship with

Jesus Christ because in that

relationship you make right decisions

you make wise decisions you don’t just

let your life float but you have a sense

of purpose and direction in life because

that’s who he is and he’s living his

life in you then I would say one other

thing at that point Jesus is the

sustainer of our peace through the

indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit

it isn’t enough just to have him we see

the difference in his peace and the

world’s peace but he he’s the one who

sustains that peace which means it

doesn’t have to come and go and he said

in the 16th chapter of of John the 33rd

verse these things I’ve spoken to you so

watch this so that in me you may have

peace now watch this in the world in

which you live you have tribulation but

take courage I have overcome the world

and I am your life

life there’s the victory he doesn’t say

we’re not going to have heartaches and

troubles he says but he says I am in you

now I want you to think about

this turn to turn to Second

Thessalonians for a moment look at this

look at this passage and sometimes one

verse will hit somebody and another

verse will hit someone else look in 2

Thessalonians and uh this third chapter

and um look at this

verse

verse 16 of the third chapter of 2

Thessalonians now may the Lord watch

this now may the Lord of Peace himself

continually Grant you peace in every

circumstance not in some of them but in

all of them there is a way that he will

give us a peace to walk through anything

and everything in life no matter what it

is and I can remember one occasion when

I got a phone call that was normally

have just wiped me

out I remember putting the phone down

and this overwhelming sense of Peace

just covered me even I was surprised I

thought God and I remember exactly what

I said to

him in the

process it had to be his peace because

it could never have been mine and could

never have been anyone

else’s overwhelming sense of absolute

Tranquility confidence and assurance

that he would lead me right through it

all that’s who he is that’s the kind of

peace that he gives no matter what we

face in other words there are no

limitations to his peace but we have to

do is be sure we’re looking at the right

place for it now I want you to turn to

the 119th psalm for a moment and look if

you will in the 165th verse

listen carefully

now 119th Psalm 165th

verse those who love your law have great

peace and nothing causes them to stumble

you say what does that mean all right

listen

carefully how many of you believe the

Bible say amen amen how many of you love

the Bible say amen amen all right thank

you very very much

now if you love

someone what do you do you give them

time right right you show genuine

interest in them now here’s what the

Bible says if I love the word of God if

I love the word of God I will read it I

will meditate upon it and I will obey it

if I love it I’m going to read it I’m

going to meditate upon it I’m going to

obey it and he says if I love his

law I will have his

peace because when I face something

that’s a challenge to me the first thing

I do is go to the word of God why now

watch this carefully if I read that not

quot if I read it that word is imprinted

on my brain my

mind if I love God’s word he will so

work in my heart that he that he will

work me through whatever I’m facing and

I won’t stumble I’ll have his peace my

peace I give unto you not as the world

gives give unto you let not your heart

be troubled now you see the first thing

to do when you find yourself troubled is

get in the word of

God because listen what you watch this

what you’re doing is you are you are

absorbing the mind of God in your life

at that moment to deal with this and he

is the god who deals with any in

everything we face and he’s a God of

Peace that’s what he that’s what he

wants for our

life let me ask you a question what do

you

own that brings you

peace you so I got the finest automobile

you can

buy how fast can you wreck

it he said you can’t think of anything

there words you you do not own anything

when I see people grasping and lying and

cheating and stealing and making all

kind of decisions to get more

money besides ending up in jail and

prison or whatever it might

be half feudal to look for anything else

but peace except through Jesus he is it

if you’ve never trusted Jesus Christ as

your savior listen

carefully you don’t have peace

and you will never have

peace until he becomes your savior in

your life now you don’t have to believe

me look

around look at your own

life what is the source of your peace is

it something you own you can lose it is

it some reputation you have you can lose

that no matter what it is there’s only

one source of true genuine peace and

that is a personal intimate relationship

with Jesus Christ you say well how do I

have that here the way you have it you

acknowledge the

fact distant from him you so I believe

in God what kind of God is this you

believe in here’s the God you must

believe in Jehovah god of the scripture

who sent his only begotten son Jesus

into the world to close that gap between

you and him that’s that’s the god of the

scripture that’s the one true God the

moment you’re willing to acknowledge

that and that you have sinned against

him and that you do sin against him and

that you’re a sinner by heart you say

well I’m not as bad as others not that’s

not the issue the issue is you have

violated the laws of God broken the laws

of God sinned against God and the only

way to deal with that is to bring it to

him and to bring it to him through his

son Jesus Christ who went to the cross

and paid your sin dead and full you ask

him to forgive you of your sins

Surrender Your Life to him here’s what

he does he says he seals you at that

moment with the Holy Spirit of promise

that is the Holy Spirit the person of

the Trinity forever child of God and

this piece that I’m talking about can be

yours

immediately if you listen if you will

begin to Simply look to him as your

peace get in the word of God and begin

to read it

watch God work in your life transform

your life let me say one more time there

is no peace apart from Jesus God said

it there is no peace for the wicked none

God said it I didn’t said he said it you

said I’m not

Wicked if you’ve turned your back Upon

Jesus you are because you’ve turned your

back upon God Jesus said I am the way

the truth and the life no one comes to

the father but by me and you you said

I’ll have none of that that’s

wicked you say that’s just your opinion

well just read the scripture and what

you’ll find out is this that Rebellion

against God is sin and God is Holy he

doesn’t tolerate it will he forgive you

yes only through Jesus and once he

becomes your savior everything else

we’ve said about the peace of God

becomes yours and that’s my prayer for

you and father how grateful we are that

you’ve left nothing

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unturned that there’s not a single

circumstance in life in which we will

ever have to go through that you’ll not

be there with us to walk through it with

us that means we can experience your

power your Assurance your confidence

your

boldness and we thank you for making it

possible for us to live victoriously in

a world that is so defeated by sin I

pray for the person who who’s seated

here this morning who knows in his or

her heart there’s no real peace there

that today they would say yes to Jesus

Christ yes today yes to him yes

today and Father for every single

believer seated here who’s going through

difficulty hardship troubles and

trials just let this truth sink deep

into their heart it is the truth Divine

truth God truth biblical truth and it

works every

time and this we ask in jesus’ name

amen