Peace That Passes All Understanding
Praise Jesus today, brothers and sisters. Today, I'm down in the city getting some work done on my car. But I wanted to take just a few moments to share some things the Lord has put on my heart. I've had allergies the last few days, just because of all the pollen in the air here in California, and because of my allergies I was up later last night, and I was just thinking and praying, and the Lord put a few thoughts on my mind and in my heart, and that is what I wanted to share. It has to do with just the peace that God gives us versus false peace that the world has to offer.
Now, something that I was considering with life, and how everyone dies, and older and younger people, is the fact that it seems that God put in all of us, especially younger people the desire to live. In other words, nobody wants to die. All of us want to live a long, healthy life. We want to be remembered for doing good things. And it seems when we're young, we just have this drive to live, not to die. But older people, when I’ve talked to people that are in their eighties or nineties or close to a hundred years old, they don't have the same desire to live. Many of them have had a people who were in their family already pass away. The older you are, you've had friends die, you've had family members die, maybe your spouse already passed away. And you get to a point in your life where you're not just old or geriatric, but you actually want to die, because you really have nothing left to live for. And it's such a sad thing to see elderly people that they're just ready to die. That I got thinking to myself, do they no longer have the desire to live because they have the peace that passes all understanding? Or is it more just a selfish reason that they want to die? And is it something that God put in them? Or is it something the flesh is bringing up in them that they want to die? Because when we're young, we want to live, and when we're old, we want to die. But is that from God, or is it of the flesh? And I think honestly, for most people, living is of the flesh, and dying is of the flesh; wanting to live is wanting to live for ourselves, and wanting to die is wanting to die for ourselves.
But with Jesus Christ, to live is to live for Him, and to die is to die for Him. So it is a different kingdom and a different mentality, a different place our heart needs to be. And if our heart really is with Jesus, He gives us the peace that passes all understanding, which is different than just being elderly and wanting to die. I think, if you have grandparents who are 80, 90, 100 years old, they may want to die, but that doesn't mean that they have the peace that passes all understanding in their hearts. They probably want to pass on from this Earth because they're in a lot of physical pain. They maybe want to die just because how sad life has become for them, and how many other people have passed away. But it's hard for me to imagine that God is the one who put it in elderly people to want to die. I remember there was an old lady in my old church years ago, and she was approaching a hundred years old, and at that time, I was going to going and talking with the senior citizens, and I just asked her some questions and just about life. And basically, what she told me is she just hopes that Jesus will take her home. She is ready to die, and she has peace with her death. And it made me wonder, even at the time, is this the peace that Jesus brings? Is this the peace that passes all understanding?
And we need to be careful that we are not receiving a false peace. And a lot of people are very at peace with living or dying for themselves, guys. They are happy and content with the things of this world. And they believe that they are safe and secure in going to heaven, because at one point of their life, they have said that they were Christians. They believe that they will just go to heaven. And this is a scary thing, because it doesn't mean that we have the real peace that passes all understanding, and that we're going to be in heaven with Jesus when we die, unless we are really surrendered to Him and living according to His Holy Spirit. Jesus said, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has, can't be my disciple. And He said that anyone who sins is a slave of sin, and most people are still living in sin. I'm not here to condemn anyone, but to encourage people to come into the light, to have the peace that really passes all understanding, not just this peace that I set a prayer long ago, “I know that I'm saved. I know I'm going to heaven.” You need to check yourself. Each of us need to check our own hearts and see, is the peace that I have in me? Is it a false security that I got from church? Is it a false security I got from false doctrines from my family and from my friends, who are giving me this false hope that I'm going to heaven when I die? Or do I genuinely have the peace that passes all understanding from Jesus Christ? Can I know that I will be in heaven when I die because I'm doing the will of my father in heaven? And that is the big crux of it all. If you are right with Jesus, you will have His peace. When we are right with Jesus Christ, He gives us the comfort of His Holy Spirit. That is why the Holy Spirit is called the comforter. He comforts His children. He loves us, and He guides us into everlasting life.
But when we're not right with the Lord, our conscience pricks us. We don't have that peace. We're scared to die. We have conflict in our minds and in our hearts. We know we're not right with God and with people. So I want to encourage you to seek after that peace that passes all understanding, to get right with Jesus, of course, say the sinners prayer, but then actually come out of sins. Following Jesus is not just about confessing that were sinners, but then it is about the action of true repentance. We will put on our robes of righteousness. We will walk in purity. We will stand on the rock of Jesus Christ if we are His children. So, I hope this encourages someone to truly repent and to find the peace that passes all understanding.
“Lord Jesus, I pray for those that want your peace, I pray that they can pass from death into life, and that they will be filled with your Holy Spirit, and no matter what happens, that they will be in your hands of grace and mercy, and that they will overcome this world in your name, and that they will push out every evil and demonic thing and just come into your presence with thanksgiving, and that they will endure to the very end of their life with you in your name I pray, Lord Jesus. Amen.
