Brother Bill Wednesday Evening 7/9/14

Brother Bill Wednesday Evening 7/9/14

There are times of trial, but my attitude is “God I’m going to trust you.”  We can trust Him.  Sometimes I have to get a hold of myself, “Wait a minute, I’m going to trust God.” 

The lesson that I want to bring before you tonight is on the thought of peace.  Thank God that because we can have God as our God we can have access to that peace.

Joh 14:26  But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.

Joh 14:27  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.

Isn’t it good to have God as our teacher?  We don’t know everything and we sure do need God.

Have you noticed that the world has their good times, they get married, have their children and “Things are going good for us as a couple.”  Maybe they get a job that they want and can afford a new vehicle; they have that earthly joy because they have that.

If you were to look behind closed doors because of what is going on in their lives, when they open up to you and tell you of the heartaches that they have, you find out that things are not as hunky dory as they act like it is.  There is a tension and a lack of peace. 

Teri was telling me of a lady in Sacramento that lived in a part of town where there were problems with robberies and people breaking into their homes.  Teri said, “Why don’t you just move.”  They said that they thought that it was that way everywhere.  She said, “No it is not.”

I wonder if that is the way in the world: they think that everyone has that tension and lack of peace, but there is peace. 

Luk 10:5  And into whatsoever house ye enter, first say, Peace be to this house.

Luk 10:6  And if the son of peace be there, your peace shall rest upon it: if not, it shall turn to you again.

There are homes that you could try to say, “Peace be to this house”, but because they don’t have the son of peace there, the peace will not rest upon them.  If we want to have that peace in our life we need to have the son of peace there.

Pro 17:1  Better is a dry morsel, and quietness therewith, than an house full of sacrifices with strife.

This is really, really true.  Have you ever lived with unsaved people before and you could really see this picture.  There is such a value of that quietness. 

Different ones in the world don’t want to give up what they have to live for God.  They are not seeing the true riches.  Unless you have experienced the strife, you don’t realize always the value of a quiet habitation.

Isa 9:6  For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

Isa 9:7  Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.

Of the increase of His government and peace:  it appears here that God wants our peace to grow.  This message is for me too.  There are times when I don’t have full peace, I can get a hold of God and say, “According to the scriptures you have an increase of peace for me.”

Thank God that we have access to that greater peace as the saints of God.

Rom 14:17  For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.

Peace is a part of the kingdom.  The kingdom is not meat and drink but righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.

Remember in Revelations chapter six of the white horse, red horse, and black horse?  The red horse is a spirit of unbelief; it is come to take peace from us.  One of the ways that he works is in accusations.  There are other ways but one of the earmarks of his work is that it works to take peace.

Rom 15:13  Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.

The God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing.  There are times when you will be in a storm.   We have been around the saints and around God long enough to know that we can trust God.  In the midst of the storm, if we will believe God and trust God that He will see us through, it will help to bring peace.

We can truly trust God.  God will see us through.

Mat 14:22  And straightway Jesus constrained his disciples to get into a ship, and to go before him unto the other side, while he sent the multitudes away.

Mat 14:23  And when he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain apart to pray: and when the evening was come, he was there alone.

Mat 14:24  But the ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves: for the wind was contrary.

Mat 14:25  And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea.

Mat 14:26  And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear.

Mat 14:27  But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid.

Such words of comfort to them!

Mat 14:28  And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water.

Mat 14:29  And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus.

Mat 14:30  But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me.

Mat 14:31  And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?

Mat 14:32  And when they were come into the ship, the wind ceased.

“Oh you of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?”  It is easy to find fault with someone else.  How many times have we found ourselves in a situation like this?

It was God’s will that they go to the other side.  He constrained them.  We sometimes think “What did I do wrong to get into this place?”  Maybe you didn’t do anything wrong.  Jesus is the one that constrained them.

Just because you have a bad situation doesn’t mean that you did something wrong.  Just because you have hard places it doesn’t mean that you did something wrong.

Jesus departed to pray.  It doesn’t say what He was praying, but my thought was that Jesus was praying for them because He knew that they were going to be in a storm

Rom 8:26  Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.

Rom 8:27  And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.

Isn’t it good how we as the saints of God have the Spirit making intercession for us?  In the same chapter down further it talks of Jesus making intercession for us too.

Rom 8:34  Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.

Rom 8:28  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.

We can claim this when we have a trial coming our way.  The Spirit and Jesus are making intercession for you, and that all things work together for good to them that love God.

It is so wonderful to have God working for us.

Matt 14 the ship was in the midst of the sea and they were tossed with waves.

Mar 6:48  And he saw them toiling in rowing; for the wind was contrary unto them: and about the fourth watch of the night he cometh unto them, walking upon the sea, and would have passed by them.

They were toiling and rowing, in our human, we try to get something done without God.  It is so much better to trust Him.

Joh 6:19  So when they had rowed about five and twenty or thirty furlongs, they see Jesus walking on the sea, and drawing nigh unto the ship: and they were afraid.

This is 2.5 to 3 miles.  Can you imagine, in a boat, to row two and a half to three miles?  Four times around the track is a mile at the football field.  They rowed a distance of 10 or 12 times around the track. 

There are times that we are like that too.  There are times that we spend trying to struggle in our own self.

Matt 14 in the forth watch of the night, at 3 to 6 am.  I don’t know at what time they got in the boat to row to the other side, but it was 3 to 6 in the morning when Jesus came toward them.  It was in the darkest of the night when Jesus came through for them. 

When the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were troubled.  I wonder how many times the Spirit of God tries to work through a testimony or devotional or scripture to try to work with us and we are troubled, we are afraid to take a hold of it. 

We can have any of the promises, they are for us.

Psa 107:25  For he commandeth, and raiseth the stormy wind, which lifteth up the waves thereof.

Psa 107:26  They mount up to the heaven, they go down again to the depths: their soul is melted because of trouble.

Psa 107:27  They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man, and are at their wits' end.

Psa 107:28  Then they cry unto the LORD in their trouble, and he bringeth them out of their distresses.

Psa 107:29  He maketh the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still.

Psa 107:30  Then are they glad because they be quiet; so he bringeth them unto their desired haven.

Psa 107:31  Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!

Psa 107:32  Let them exalt him also in the congregation of the people, and praise him in the assembly of the elders.

They are at their wit’s end.  “I don’t know what to do in this situation.”  We can cry to God and He will bring us out. 

He makes the storm a calm, (there is the peace), so that the waves are still.  If we can just trust God then even when the storms are going on it will bring a peace to us. 

Then are they quiet, see the peace there?

He brings them to the desired haven. 

Sister Beryl gave me a poem when I want through that hard time.  I like poems.  This is what stuck out to me in that poem:

Our prayer to God is, “Lord, help me to be all you would have me to be.  Bring me forth as pure gold, Lord help me to become more like you.”  Then the storms came.  It is helping us to get to that desired haven.

Oh that men would praise the Lord for His goodness.  Isn’t it wonderful to have a good God?

Php 4:6  Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.

This tells us to not worry about a situation but to pray.

Php 4:7  And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

If we will just trust God in the storm, we have access to God.  We can have access to God.  The sinner cannot have access to God. There may be an isolated situation where they cry out to God and He has mercy.  According to the scripture God doesn’t hear the prayer of the sinner.  But we have access to God.

In psalms 103 it speaks of the benefits.  This is one of the benefits; we can have access to God.

Php 4:8  Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

Pray, trust, peace, and channel our thoughts even toward God and His promises.  This will help us with our peace. 

When we channel our thoughts, when the enemy comes to get you to worry and fret if we get a hold of ourselves and say, “This thing is combating against me, here is God, here is this true thing and that true thing, and this other true thing, I have reason to be encouraged.”  There is a part that we have to do.

1Co 7:15  But if the unbelieving depart, let him depart. A brother or a sister is not under bondage in such cases: but God hath called us to peace.

It is God’s will that we have peace.

2Th 3:16  Now the Lord of peace himself give you peace always by all means. The Lord be with you all.

It doesn’t say sometimes, but always. 

Psa 29:11  The LORD will give strength unto his people; the LORD will bless his people with peace.

The Lord will bless His people with peace

Pro 3:1  My son, forget not my law; but let thine heart keep my commandments:

Pro 3:2  For length of days, and long life, and peace, shall they add to thee.

By keeping God’s Word peace shall be added to thee.

Joh 20:19  Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you.

Joh 20:20  And when he had so said, he shewed unto them his hands and his side. Then were the disciples glad, when they saw the Lord.

Joh 20:21  Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you.

Joh 20:22  And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost:

Joh 20:23  Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained.

It was a troubling time for the people of God back then.  The doors were shut where they were assembled for fear of the Jews.  They may have felt in danger of their lives.

Jesus may have shown his hands and side to confirm it was Him.  I was meditating and wondered if he was trying to help them to see, “Look disciples, my brethren, this is what they did to me but God brought me through.”  God will bring us through.

We are so blessed.  In a time of fear and turmoil, Jesus told them, “Peace be unto you.”  We have such a wonderful thing in having God.

Isa 26:3  Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.

If we have our mind and our senses firm on the promises of God...  It is easy for our minds to get away from us.  To have our mind on Him, on the promises of God, and on the faithfulness of God, to have our mind on the actions of God to work on our behalf, if we have our mind on God and what He can and will do for us it will help us to have peace.

Because he trusts in thee.