The Giver of a Better Peace | Pastor Daniel Batarseh | Maranatha Shabiba 2023 Conference | Friday

Father, we turn our eyes to you again tonight, and our prayer is simple. Your servant Paul told the Thessalonians that our gospel came to you not only in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction. And Lord, from the bottom of our hearts, we pray that what happened among the Thessalonians would be our portion tonight. We ask that you would do it by your spirit. Let your presence come and touch us and renew us, heal us, convict us, save some.

Only you can do that. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Amen. Meet me in your Bibles in first Kings chapter four.

First Kings chapter four beginning in verse 24. First Kings four verse 24 to 25. And speaking of Solomon, the Holy Spirit says, for he had dominion over all the region West Of The Euphrates from Tifsah to Gaza, over all the kings West Of The Euphrates. And he had peace on all sides around him. And Judah and Israel lived in safety from Dan even to Beersheba, every man under his vine and under his fig tree, all the days of Solomon.

Solomon's name simply means peace. It derives from the Hebrew word shalom. And it was a very fitting name because peace was a factor that distinguished Solomon's reign in comparison to all the other kings of Israel. Solomon had something very special about him. He did not fight wars like his father David did.

Actually, he didn't know any wars at all. There was an unusual tranquility, there was an unusual alliance and serenity with Solomon as he took over as the leader of the people of God. And as we just read in summary of this verse, this man was able to maintain decades, years upon years of harmony, civilly and internationally. That's impressive. That's significant.

And we see here that there is no other king following Solomon who was ever able to replicate such peace in the land. And not only do we get a summary that there was safety among the people of Israel from border to border, that's what we read here. We also realized that there was something that each person who was under his establishment, what they enjoyed because of Solomon's leadership. It's this interesting phrase. You you read it with me.

It says, every man under his vine, in verse 25, and under his fig tree. Men and women did not have to hide in their homes. They did not have to be worried about any siege or any attack from outside. They were able to liberally be in their own personal gardens and enjoy the fruit and the shade found therein. And this was not just a one time commentary about what Solomon was able to provide to the people of Israel.

This became a proverbial expression. A proverbial expression that would describe enjoyment and rest and peace. And more significantly, it actually became a prophetic hope. A prophetic hope for the future generations of the people of God. And so even the prophets borrowed that first Kings four twenty five statement to give the people something to look forward to.

So when the son of David, the promised son of David who would rule and reign forever and ever, they would long for that even more. They would have a scene of what they could expect. Here's proof of that. When you go to the prophet Micah in chapter four of Micah in verse three and four, this is a prophecy about Jesus Christ, not in his first advent, but when he returns. Jesus Christ is coming back.

Understand that. The Lord Jesus Christ will return on this planet. And when he returns on this planet, he will plant his feet on the Mount Of Olives, and when he does so, he will also establish his throne in Jerusalem. In Jerusalem, and he will rule and reign the nations for one thousand years. And so this is what we are looking forward to.

We're not merely looking for for Christ to take us up, we're looking forward to Christ coming down. And when he comes down, he is going to prove to all the governments, all the nations, all the peoples, for all generations that there's no king like him. And so here's a glimpse of that in the Old Testament of the second advent of Christ of what you and I are expecting, and I'm among those who believe that he's coming very soon. Here it is in Micah four three to four. I hope we have it ready.

More importantly, have it ready in your bible. He shall judge between many peoples, and shall decide for strong nations afar off. And they shall beat their swords into plowshares. Meaning, they're gonna turn their weapons into farming equipment. There's gonna be no war when he comes.

And their spears into pruning hooks. Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war. And can you imagine a period of hundreds upon hundreds of years where no war will happen? Look at the next verse. But they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree, and no one shall make them afraid for the mouth of the Lord of hosts has spoken.

So you see the prophet by the spirit borrows the language of first Kings, and he uses it for a future reality to come. And what we're told here about the Messiah is that he will settle disputes among the leaders of the world. And there will be a peace unlike any other time. And every single person will enjoy personal prosperity and security unmatched. Oh, here's the just Micah, here's Zechariah in Zechariah three ten.

Zechariah, another prophet near the end of your Old Testament, we're told something in one simple verse that echoes what Micah is saying, that echoes what Solomon was saying. In that day, what day? When Christ comes. When he comes in that day, declares the Lord of hosts, every one of you will invite his neighbor to come under his vine and under his fig tree. And so this became as an expression of anticipation, an expression of a desired daily reality, that there will be mutual trust, that there will be a corporate harmony, that there would be the sense of security and love among people.

No crime, no fear, no bad news. It'll just be this, everyone having their own little personal utopia, and that being the experience, whether you look west, east, north, or south. Oh, come Lord Jesus. Come Lord Jesus. But you know what's fascinating is when you have this Old Testament background, it perhaps may add something.

This is just a little nugget for you to enjoy, I hope. That it adds something perhaps to a a very specific moment in the early phases of Jesus' ministry when he was recruiting his disciples. So let me show you that. If you want to turn with me to John chapter one, and look here in John chapter one verse 45. John the Baptist is telling people, behold the lamb of God.

He's here. He's in our midst. And now Jesus is beginning to draw his followers, namely his 12 that he wants to train to be apostles, and here's one of them, Philip. Philip found Nathaniel and said to him, we have found him. We have found him of whom Moses in the law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.

So he friends his he finds his friend Nathaniel. We we we found him, the one that's been promised. He's here. And look at the response of his friend in verse 46. We are told here, Nathaniel said to him, can anything good come out of Nazareth?

Philip said to him I love Philip's neighbor. Come and see. I'm not gonna hear argue with you. Come and see. Nathaniel was praised.

If you know the story, you know that he was praised by Jesus himself of being someone who had no deception in him. There is no guile in him. There is no trickery in him. What you see is what you got. And in in a simplicity of heart, he spoke his mind.

And you get proof of that right here. What good can come out of Nazareth? So this is not somebody who's two faced. This is somebody who was transparent, somebody that you can trust, somebody that you didn't have to second guess concerning who he was in terms of his character. And we praise Nathaniel for that.

Jesus prays and we praise and we long to emulate what Jesus prays, but unfortunately, many people have limited Nathaniel to that virtue alone. You know what we see here about Nathaniel? You know what I at least see here? Nathaniel was not just simply hearted. He was not just a person who was open.

Nathaniel was a strong, serious seeker of God. I'll tell you why. Because Philip, when he came to the knowledge of Jesus Christ being the Messiah, he goes to Nathaniel. Now you know this, when you have some good news, when you have something that you learned, you tend to go to people, and you tend to make the phone call to those who will value what you have to say. Right?

I hope you're not those who just tell people anything, and they just, you know, they just trample on whatever you have to say, especially if it's spiritual things. So we have an idea here that Nathaniel was somebody who knew about the Messiah, somebody that just not only knew about the Messiah, but longed for the Messiah. He was a he was somebody who longed for the Messiah. And and Philip knew to go to him. He knew that Nathaniel would appreciate this news.

That's that's a wonderful thing. And Jesus confirms, I believe, something further. It it it just solidifies that truth about Nathaniel. Look what Christ says about it when finally Nathaniel meets Jesus face to face in verse 47. We read here what happens.

Jesus saw Nathaniel coming toward him and said of him, behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit. Israel, that's an interesting word that's not often used in the New Testament, by the way. The word Israelite is not often used in the gospel accounts. But look what Nathaniel says right after. Nathaniel said to him, how do you know me?

Jesus answered him, before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you. Now light bulb maybe went off. Right? Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you. I saw you.

Now many people have concluded from the story that what Jesus did was showcase his omniscience to demonstrate to Nathaniel, doubting Nathaniel that he is indeed the Messiah. His nature is indeed more than human. He is divine. And that is true. He does showcase his all knowing power.

But out of all the details that Jesus Christ highlighted about Nathaniel, out of all the things he could have said, the one thing that he underscores is, I saw you sitting underneath that fig tree. I saw you sitting underneath that fig tree. Why is that even significant? Why is that important? Why was Nathaniel sitting underneath that fig tree?

Well, the scriptures doesn't explicitly tell us. But when you look at Christ giving him this, Nathaniel answers in a certain way. In a moment, I'm gonna show you that, but it makes you wonder concerning Nathaniel about his his knowledge of the prophets. It makes you wonder if Nathaniel being a strong seeker is much stronger than you and I thought. Philip not just only found a friend who was who was aware of the Messiah and his potential to arrive at any time even in his lifetime.

There was something about here, in this moment, revealing the depth of his faith. During Solomon's reign, what are we told? That people were sitting underneath their vine and their fig trees. Concerning the messiah to come, what are we told that they are going to enjoy the same when the son of David arrives? What is Nathaniel doing sit sitting underneath a fig tree?

There's no liberty here. There's no peace. You have Roman oppression. You have spiritual corruption that has been unchallenged concerning man's greed and their man made tradition. So to for for for this man to sit beneath or underneath a fig tree doesn't reflect accurately the environment that he is in.

You might disagree with me, but I I think there's something here. I think that what Nathanael is doing at this very spot was not lounging around mindlessly. I'm persuaded that Nathaniel here is contemplating and meditating of what it would be like if the Messiah came to clean up this mess. Here he's underneath this fig tree, and Jesus is not just revealing, I know where you are physically. Jesus is revealing, I know what's in your heart.

I know what's in your heart. Here is a man here that's an Israelite daydreaming perhaps about the kingdom to come. Could it be? Could it be? You're saying, I don't know.

Well, look at Nathaniel's answer in verse 49 that might indicate Nathaniel answered him, Rabbi, you are the son of God. You are what? The king of Israel. You're the king. You're the king.

Perhaps in that moment that as Jesus was interacting with Nathaniel, there was something deeper going on. There was there was an awareness that Christ revealed about Nathaniel that awoke something in him. And if this is true, if what I'm presenting to you is a possibility, then what a glorious truth it is. Jesus Christ doesn't just know where you're sitting. Jesus Christ knows what's occupying in your heart.

He knows what you yearn for. He knows what you desire. He knows your ambitions. He knows what your affections are set on. And when they are set on him, he takes note of it.

He's aware of it. And that makes me excited to know that those aches of the soul, those prayers for Christ to be known, to be real, to come again, he's fully, fully aware of that, and that blesses me. I hope it blesses you. But we haven't we haven't accomplished our goal here, because if Jesus is greater than Solomon, which what we're trying to accomplish and discover here, then what more does he have to offer if the prophecies of the Messiah to come in his rule are echoing what Solomon was able to give. So Solomon was able to give people the ability to sit underneath their vines and their fig trees, and here is Jesus who is going to do the same when he comes and rules and reigns forever and ever.

That's wonderful. But what I want to propose to you today is that Jesus Christ, this morning you heard, is building a greater temple. Additionally, Jesus Christ offers a better peace than Solomon. And that's what I want to persuade you in. The peace that Christ is able to offer surpasses whatever Solomon was able to give during those forty years.

And the peace that Jesus is able to give, you don't have to wait when he rules and reigns for a thousand years. You just have to let him rule your heart today. Christ being king is not a future reality. Christ is king right now, And you either have him as your king or you're your enemy and his enemy. That's all it is.

There's no neutrality. There's no in between. And I pray today that every person here would bow the knee to King Jesus. That's what my prayer and my desires. You're gonna hear the gospel tonight.

You're gonna hear the gospel tonight, and even if there's one person in here who has not made Jesus Christ king, you have an opportunity to do so in these very dark and trying times. But let's talk about the peace of Jesus. You heard the summary verse in first Kings, I would open the service, the summary verse that from border to border there was peace in the land, and there was security that every Israelite was able to enjoy. Is there a summary verse about the peace that king Jesus can offer? And I propose to you there is.

Here's a summary verse, at least one among many, that communicates what Christ can do with peace. It's in second Thessalonians three sixteen, turn those bibles there and highlight it, and never forget it. Second Thessalonians chapter three verse 16, we are told what the Lord of peace can do. Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace, look at the quality of this peace, at all times in every way. The Lord be with you all.

What kind of peace does Jesus Christ give? It's all encompassing. What kind of peace does Jesus Christ give? It's unending. That is the peace that Jesus Christ gives.

And And this is what Paul is saying to these believers. God is able to secure in your soul an emotional, mental, spiritual serenity. Check this out. I know it sounds too good to be true, but it is true. Every second of every season that you walk through.

That's not exaggeration. I'm just reading the Bible. I'm just giving you the verse. What does at all times in every way mean? Is this poetic license, or is this true promise?

I choose the latter at all times in every way, and it is extremely fitting that Paul would write this promise, though it is applicable to all, he wrote this promise particularly to the Thessalonians. Again, you want revelation in the Bible? Ask one simple question. Why? Ask it a lot.

Why? Why? Why? Why? Why?

And and things will come. So here's my question. Why them? Why them? And guess what?

You have the answers. Are you at second Thessalonians? No? Yes? Yes?

You were there? Okay. Second Thessalonians, go there with me. Go to chapter one. Let's do this quickly here.

Second Thessalonians one four. There was something happening in every single chapter of second second Thessalonians. There's three small chapters. Here's chapter one verse four. Here's what the church is going through.

Therefore, we ourselves boast about you in the churches of God for your steadfastness and faith in all your persecutions, and in the afflictions that you are enduring. Number one, the church of this group of believers was enduring suffering outside. They were enduring persecution. They were enduring challenges, threats, and verse five tells us that they are suffering because of these persecution. Something that we're not very familiar with.

Suffering is not when you don't have a strong WiFi signal. Okay? That's not suffering. That's suffering for Christians in America mostly. That's not what we're talking about.

Real suffering. Like go to jail suffering for believing in Jesus Christ. Being stoned kind of suffering. Being separated from your family because you claim to believe in this Messiah that challenges all these other pantheons of God's. That's the kind of suffering.

But you go to chapter two and you read something in verse one and two. The suffering doesn't end there as, that's enough, but no, there's even more. Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to him, we ask you brothers not to be quickly shaken in mind or alarmed either by a spirit or spoken word or a letter seeming to be from us to the effect that the day of the Lord has come. So now you have another degree of suffering. Not just people persecuting from the outside, but false teachers who are creeping inside.

And they are harassing these pure hearted believers, trying to convince them this faulty view of the last days, that the Lord has already come, and they're there, and they miss out on the return of the Lord, and they are shaken. They're shaken in mind. They're disturbed from within because false teaching can do that. It can rob you of your peace. There's a lot of people today who have no peace in their salvation because of false teaching.

There are a lot of people today who are tormented, who have had all the joy sucked out of their walk with the Lord because of false teaching. And so you have here spiritual suffering. You have a spiritual suffering where these people, these poor Christians who who have been raised up by Paul are now being are being harassed. You think that's enough? You think that's enough?

You have persecution from outside? You have false teachers coming inside? Chapter three. You go to chapter three and you read verse 11, and what do you read here? Second Thessalonians three eleven.

Here's what we're told. For we here, Paul says, that some among you walk in idleness. Idleness is to cease from any useful activity. That's what it means to be an idle person. Among you, walk in idleness, not busy at work, but busybodies.

When people are not busy with good work, they become busybodies. You know what a busybody is? Sounds weird. Right? Busybody?

It means to meddle in other people's affairs. Does it happen in churches or no? Happens a lot. Come Lord Jesus, happens too much. Busy bodies.

One person said it cleverly, Gossip is the fruit of idleness. But you know what I discovered? There's even busy people who still gossip. That's that's like an extra evil. It's like, if if if if fruitfulness is supposed to occupy you so you don't have time to do things that you're not supposed to do, how is it that you're so busy and you still are doing this stuff?

That's like a that's like a grace to be so evil. I just don't understand it. Walk in idleness, but busy at work. Not busy at work, but busy bodies. So not only do you have false teachers, you have troublemakers in the church among Christians.

Slandering and talking. Did you see what you're doing? And now there's issues within the church, and the pastors have to sit down with everybody and figure out what's going that kind of stuff. So let's let's bring it all together. You have persecution.

You have suffering. You have false teachers. You have people who are Christians who are creating problems in the church. From all sides, problems outside, problems inside, spiritual suffering, social suffering, relational suffering, suffering. You're swimming in suffering, Thessalonians.

And how does Paul sign off on the letter? Now may God deliver you from every single affliction, and may you never know any kind of pain ever it doesn't write that. What does he say? Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way. You see how context makes everything so beautiful?

After all the problems that they're enduring, Paul says, I'm praying and asking not that these things would go away, but that you would stand firm and that you would know a stability and an unshakable confidence in the goodness of God despite these challenging circumstances that are washing over you like a raging current. That's the kind of peace that Jesus gives. Why is it better than the peace that Solomon gives? Because as much as sitting underneath your vine and fig tree is a wonderful proverbial expression of a national time of enjoyment and prosperity, it is only produced and only possible through what Solomon was able to do. What did Solomon do?

He was a political genius. That kind of thing was only because the economics were in their favor. It was surface level. But the moment those things disappeared, that reality of sitting underneath the vine tree was no longer a reality. It was stripped from them.

The peace that Christ gives is not dependent on those things. It's a reality despisal, whether they are reality or not. And I know I know that sounds like Christianese. We all know that. Right?

I I know that this is very familiar to us, but peace at all times in every way? That's our inheritance when Christ is king. That's what he bestows upon his subjects, his servants, his friends, his children. I want it. I don't wanna just quote it in a sermon.

I don't wanna just give it to his counseling because I want it for myself. And Paul here is not giving wishful thinking here. He he's giving even more than just a theological truth. He is giving a truth from personal testimony. Paul was something else.

Would you agree with me? And as great as Paul was, Christ towers over him. It's a great study to see how Christ even makes Paul look small, as a big of a giant as he was. But still Paul, arguably the greatest Christian who ever lived. This man, every time I read the book of Acts, I feel small.

I feel small. Especially when you come near the end of the book of Acts, I mean, this guy gets battered and bruised, tossed, and thrown, and you don't get a peep out of him. You don't you you you can't squeeze murmuring out of the guy no matter how much he's crushed. Nothing. And as I was preparing this thinking, like, Paul is writing here from experience.

Yes. By the spirit primarily. More importantly, this is supernatural divine revelation. But Paul can say, I know what it's like to have peace at all times in every way. Paul's a real person.

Let me give you one example. Among many, many portraits of how this man was absolutely dominated by this kind of peace. In Acts 28, Paul gets stranded on an island. Not with his friends, but with a bunch of strangers who were prisoners on their way to Rome. Paul was numbered among these prisoners.

The false Jews there who were giving accusation concerning Paul brought him to the point where he wanted to appeal to Caesar concerning his case. And so, they put him on a ship and they they launch him over there to Rome and and there was a detour. Storm breaks out, a horrific storm. There was darkness for several days and eventually the ship was steered off course and they crash and they land on an island called Malta. And here's Paul drenched, drained, exhausted.

And in Acts 28 verse two, this is what you read between Paul and those 200 and something prisoners showing up on the shore, and the native people here showed us unusual kindness, for they kindled a fire and welcomed us all because it had begun to rain and was cold. So just imagine. Pause. It's okay to imagine it. Here's Paul.

You were just flipped over into the ocean. You found your way over to this random bank, and now it's raining and it's cold. Raining and cold. That's enough for people not to go to church on Sunday. It's raining and it's cold.

Right? Here's Paul. He's on an island. He's already soaked, and he's soaked on top of it. What does Paul do?

Look at this in verse three. When Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks, Paul, what are you doing? And put them on the fire. Here you have a man, after all he went through, and he still wants to serve. He already proved this point that he, though he wasn't the official captain, was really the captain of that ship.

If you read that account, he's giving directions. Like I told you guys, you guys were wrong. Now that this is why we're in this mess. You didn't listen to me earlier. So Paul Paul had already won the admiration of many of these people, and here's this man who's now on this island, and out of all the people, Paul is highlighted for his humble service.

He looks around and he finds these sticks, hopefully they're dry so that he can feed the fire, and as he is picking up these sticks, camouflage in the bunch is a viper came out because of the heat and fastened on his hand. K. This has gotta be the breaking point. This has to be the breaking point. Right?

You've been to trial after trial. You were in chains. You had people saying false things about you. You were beaten and bruised. You're put on a ship.

You're sent over with a bunch of prisoners. You endured a time where people did not even eat because it was so horrific. There was no sunlight. There was no guidance. Imagine imagine being in the middle of the ocean with no sense of direction.

After all of that, here now they come into this random island. Paul wants to go to Rome. He wants to preach the gospel to Caesar and all those officials, and here he is now on an unfamiliar terrain with random people, a bunch of criminals, and he still wants to do good. He still wants to reflect selfless sacrifice, and as he's doing it, a snake plunges its its venom into his hand. What do you do when you suffer when you're doing good?

Notice, the viper didn't attack anybody else. Just Paul. Just Paul. Out of all the hundreds of people that that viper could have lacked, it had to be the most righteous man on that island. Serving God does not exempt you from suffering.

Serving God does not exempt you not just from one time suffering, but from perpetual consistent challenges and trials. I don't know what kind of Christianity you bought into, but get back to the biblical Christianity and understand that Paul said in Acts 14 that through many tribulations, we must enter the kingdom of God. Many tribulations, not some. So Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks. He he put them on the fire.

Viper came out because of the heat and fastened on his hand. And now this man has a dangling snake on his hand. What do you expect him to do? Well, let's read on and see what happens in verse four. When the native people saw the creature hanging from his hand just imagine that sight.

Clothes ripped up, skin shriveled up from the salt water. It's cold, it's raining. Here's Paul with a snake dangling from his hand. They said to one another, no doubt this man is a murderer. Though he has escaped from the sea, justice has not allowed him to live.

So here's how they interpret it. Perhaps the native people learned very early on that all these men that just showed up on our island were in fact criminals. Perhaps the Roman leaders who were governing that ship told them, you know, we got a bunch of criminals here. So they understood who they're dealing with here. And so Paul was a nice guy, nice enough to help out, but they understood because of the snake dangling from his hand, oh, yeah.

He must surely be a murderer. He must surely be a criminal. And they had this understanding of divine retribution. You do evil, evil comes to you. And that's how many people believe and understand how life works even in the relationship with God.

Do good, only good will come. Do bad, bad things happen. That's Job's friends theology. That's the whole problem with Job's friends. Job, the only reason why you're suffering to this extent is because you have sinned.

Cough it up and repent. Cough it up. You can't be suffering like this if you're a true follower of God. You must have done something along the way. Just admit it and we can move on and God will bless you.

Job's like, you're not getting it. I've walked to my conscience and my knowledge. I've walked right with him. So it's this faulty view, this skewed view of how God allows things to happen into our lives. And these these native people had no different theology than Job's friends and many even, unfortunately, today.

But let me let me stop here and and just make this point. They were wrong in how they interpreted this event in Paul's life, but were they entirely wrong? No doubt this man is a murderer. Was Paul a murderer? He was a murderer.

He was a murderer. He approved of the death of Stephen. He ripped families apart who named the name of Christ. They weren't wrong in their assessment of who Paul was in his past. Where they were wrong is that though Paul was a murderer, he was a forgiven murderer.

That's the difference. And when you are a forgiven sinner, this concept and this illusion of karma is destroyed by the blood of Jesus Christ. It doesn't apply to you. So yes, he is a murderer, but he's a forgiven murderer. Big difference.

And look how Paul, look how Paul responds in verse five. It's so amazing to see this man in one civil verse. He, however, shook off the creature into the fire and suffered no harm. He just took it off. So it comes on his hand.

Why he's a murderer. Look, justice has come after him. And here's Paul. He shook it off into the fire and just went on to feed the flames with the sticks again. No fist with snake hanging off of it raised up to heaven.

No enough is enough God. How much more do I need to sacrifice for you and this is what I have to this is my portion, this is my plot. I'm a man. How much can I endure? I'm over this.

I'm gonna sit right there on the end of the island and when you're ready to make this thing work out for me, I'm ready to serve you. None of that. He shook off the snake, and revival broke out on that island. What was his secret? How does a man able to absorb so much and yet remain at peace?

Would you like to know? Because there's an answer. Something happened many, many, many chapters ago in the book of Acts that anchored Paul to endure all that he would up to the end of the book of Acts. Before all of this really started, before it really took a downward spiral, Paul was in prison, and his faith was being determined, supposedly from a human standpoint, from the officials, God had already determined his destiny. And and Paul, while he's in the barracks, is waiting.

Jesus appears to him. And when Jesus appears to him, Jesus tells him something. And that is the secret to Paul's peace. That is why he can endure the storm. That is why he can endure the snakes.

That is why he can endure the slander. He can endure all of that because of Acts 23 verse 11. Acts twenty three eleven is the secret to this man's peace at all times in every way. The following night, the Lord stood by him and said, take courage, for as you have testified to the facts about me in Jerusalem, so you must testify also in Rome. You catch it?

Jesus told Paul, Paul, you're going to Rome. You're gonna go to Rome. And Paul believed the word of Jesus. So when the ship lost its course, when the snake inserted its poison in his veins, you know what I believe was going in the back of minds Paul Paul's mind? I'm going to Rome.

Jesus told me I'm going to Rome. Nothing will stop me from going to Rome. Nothing. Because Jesus said it. So here I am delayed in life.

Right? I'm in Malta when I'm supposed to be in Rome by now, but Jesus said I'm going to Rome. So I'm going to Rome. Here's this life threatening attack, but Jesus told me I'm going to I'm not dying because he says, you must testify also in Rome. I'm going there.

Oh, what would happen to our peace if we really believe the Bible? Oh, what would happen to us if we really, really believe the word of God? You'd be amazed to know how even with ministers when things get really tough, they don't believe the Bible, even the Bible that they preach week after week after week. Believe him. What did Paul say in second Thessalonians three sixteen?

That the Lord of peace himself. I'm gonna end with that. I won't go there, but let me give you another example. This is this is unplanned, but I think it's helpful. This is just another example of what happens when the Lord is in your life, when you have the Lord Jesus standing by you, though you perceive it or not.

There's an interesting story. It's one it's one of my favorite stories in the Old Testament concerning the miraculous. And where else would you go concerning the miracles of God? You can go to Moses, you can argue for that, but Elisha had just a highlight reel of miracle after miracle, even more than Elijah. Some people debate and argue that Elisha had doubled the miracles than Elijah because he asked for a double portion of Elijah's anointing.

So, Elisha, at one point in second Kings chapter six, is in a specific place, and I want you to turn there. Turn there with me in second Kings chapter six. And he's there with his servant, his unnamed servant in second Kings. And in second Kings, we read something in verse 15. When the servant of the man of God rose early in the morning and went out, behold an army with horses and chariots was all around the city.

Imagine waking up to that. And the servant said, alas my master, what shall we do? So here's the servant of Elisha and he goes, there's two of us and there's hundreds and thousands of our enemies surrounding our home. Boss, what do we do? May the Lord of peace himself give you peace in always and every time.

What does Elisha say to his servant? He says in the next verse, he said, do not be afraid. Do not be afraid for those who are with us are more than those who are with them. The servant is thinking, what are you saying? There's you and me.

What are you alluding to? And here's what true men of God do for people who can't see what they see. The next verse tells us. In verse 17, maybe we froze. You go to second king 17.

This is why you have to have a copy of God's word because technology sometimes fails you. Then Elisha prayed and said, oh Lord, please open his eyes that he may see. Please open his eyes that he may see. So the Lord opened the eyes of the young man. Older generation, pray for the younger generation.

What did Moses do for Joshua while Joshua was fighting the battles? Moses symbolizing the older generation had his hands up while the young one was fighting battles with the Amalekites. Intercede for this young It's very easy to complain about Gen Z, but we have to pray for them. Oh Lord, please open his eyes that he may see. So the Lord opened the eyes of the young man and he saw And behold, imagine this, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around, not the city, not the house.

Around two, Elisha. So just imagine, here's Elisha and from Elisha all the way expanding to the mountains were these chariots of fire. And here's this young man. Wow. It's a special story, but you know what makes it more special?

The details that we tend to overlook. Does anybody know I know we have trivia tonight, but here's another trivia question. Does anybody know the specific location by name where this miracle took place? And some are looking down at your bibles, which is smart. Go to verse 13 if you please would.

And he said, go see where he is. This is before this the the army surrounded Elisha and his servant that I may send him and seize him. It was told him, behold he is in where? Dothan. He's in Dothan.

Dothan. That is where the vision of these chariots of fire surrounded this one servant of God. Saying, what's significant about Dothan? Here's what's significant. It's only mentioned in one other place in all of the Hebrew scriptures.

Dothan is only mentioned in one other place in all of the Bible, and I'm not gonna tell you where it is. I'm gonna tell you to turn your Bible there. In Genesis 37 is where we are told at first about Dothan and this is the second and last time that Dothan is mentioned. In Genesis 37, let's begin in verse 15. Joseph was summoned by his father to go search for his brothers who were shepherds to check up on them.

So he goes to check up on them because he's told that they are in Shechem. So he arrives there and he's looking around Shechem and he can't find his brothers. He can't find his brothers. And so a man, this is one of my favorite examples of God's providence in our lives. A man, unnamed, unknown found him wandering in the fields.

And this man asked him, what are you seeking? What are you seeking? Pause there. He's gonna tell him what he's looking for and the man is gonna give him directions to his brothers. Do you realize that if this man had not asked him where his brothers were, Joseph could have avoided all that trouble?

Do you realize that everything in Joseph life, you can argue, hinged on this man? There are no accidents in the Christian life. No accidents. Not one accident. Do you know what security you live with when you realize that?

Yeah. The flat tire wasn't an accident. When the the job didn't come through and you called several different places and none of them answered back, that's not an accident. You prayerfully, even in your singleness, though it might feel like an affliction, it's not an accident. It's not an accident.

God doesn't toy around with us. He doesn't put the world into motion and from time to time see people come to know him say, you're my child now get back in there and figure it out. That's not how God works. There's not one accident in your life if you follow Jesus Christ. A man found him wandering in the fields.

And if this man had not asked him, Joseph could have went right back home and said, dad, I didn't find him. And he could have enjoyed his nice colorful robe but he would have missed the call of God. The man asked him, what are you seeking? Here's how Joseph answers, I'm seeking my brothers. He said, tell me please where they are pasturing the flock.

You must have seen him. There's there's many of them, and he gives him what he believes to be the right answer in Genesis 37 verse 17. And the man said, they have gone away for her them say, let us go to Let us go to Dothan. So Joseph went after his brothers and found them at Dothan. That's the only other place where Dothan is mentioned in the Bible.

What happens to Joseph at Dothan? He's taken by his brothers and he is thrown into a pit like a trapped animal. And after a short period of time, he's sold into slavery and you know the rest of the story. So with two instances where you see Dothan mentioned in the Bible, two things happen. In Elisha's case, in Dothan, he was ambushed by his enemies.

In Joseph's case, in Dothan, he was he was abandoned by his family. And I believe with all of my heart that this simple reference of Dothan and two situations where two different servants of God were surrounded. The same reality that Elisha enjoyed was the same protection that Joseph knew in Dothan. Elisha was surrounded by the presence of God's faithfulness and goodness. Is it any less true for Joseph in Dothan?

No. It was just as much true. He said, prove it. I can prove it. Because in Psalm one zero five verse 17, we are told he sent a man ahead of them, Joseph, to go into Egypt.

Who's he? God. You say that man gave him the directions. Yeah. But God was the one who sent him.

You're saying, but he was sold into slavery. Yeah. But God was the one who sent Joseph. You're saying, yeah. But he was thrown into a pit and and he he was made to believe that he died and his father believed that he he ceased to exist.

Yeah. But God sent Joseph. God was the master planner. And he used those agents and those actors and even the evil of jealous envious men to fulfill the will of God. To preserve the family of Jacob so that in the end, the Messiah would be able to usher in and come through the seed of father Abraham.

Joseph was just as surrounded in Dothan as Elisha was in Dothan. For the Lord was with him because when he sends you, he goes with you. And I love that story about Elisha. Because the servant's eyes open, he goes, wow. They're everywhere.

And when you continue in second Kings, you realize that those chariots of fire, they didn't really do anything. They didn't attack the armies surrounding Elisha. They they were just stationary. They were there. They seemed almost irrelevant because Elisha goes on to pray, Lord, strike them with blindness.

And he does some merciful thing leading them to a banquet instead of to their slaughter. But all Elisha and his servant needed was the knowledge of the presence of God. God didn't even directly intervene. All God did was open their eyes to the truth. There's more for us than there is against us.

That's all Elisha needed. The acknowledgement and the awareness that the Lord is here with me. He may not have but he's aware. He may not he may not turn the situation around. He may not provide a supernatural intervention, but all I need to comfort my soul is the knowledge that he's here.

He knows. He sees. That's all you need. So I end with that summary of the peace that Solomon was not able to give. Second Thessalonians three sixteen, may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in every way.

The Lord be with you all. The Lord be with you all. The The Lord be with you all. Here's what I take from this. This peace that was delivered unto you through the word of God, that level of peace is impossible without the Lord of peace.

So here's what I wanna say to you because I'm gonna speak to do to two different groups of people in closing. You can't have peace from the Lord unless you first have peace with the Lord. Do you have peace with God? Do you have a settled relationship with the Lord? You can't have peace from the Lord until you first have peace with the Lord.

Are you saved? Are you saved? Because Christ is the means by which we have peace with God. This Friday night, I wanna ask you a simple question. In your heart of hearts, down deep inside, do you know that you know that you know that you're right with God?

Do you know? I'm not asking what an evangelist in your local church or that event that you went to many years ago signed in your bible and said on this day. I'm not asking that. I'm asking, does your heart testify I have peace with God? You will not have any peace with God unless first you receive His son.

Unless first you bow your knee to the Lord Jesus Christ. I know your mom did. That's great. I know your dad did. That's wonderful.

Salvation is not a family package though. You have to make a choice at one time consciously, Jesus Christ is my Lord. Jesus Christ is my savior. Jesus Christ is the only one who can wash me and forgive me of my sins. Have you done that?

Have you with your mouth confessed that He is Lord and believed in your heart that God raised Him from the dead? Have you, whether in a meeting or in your bedroom, bowed your knee to Him and said, Lord, I surrender my life to you? Have you done that? Because if you have not done that, you will not know this peace. You will not know this peace in this life and you will surely not know peace for all of eternity.

You know, I was thinking about this the other day, and sometimes these thoughts come at night and they keep me up at night. I was thinking about eternity. Eternity. Think about it. Never ending existence.

Never ending existence. Scripture says that eternity is written on our hearts. There is desire for immorality. Right? We want to live on forever.

Every and there's there's something seriously wrong with a person when they want to cease to live. We even our body reflexes in a way. You blink. Your body protects your life because you want to continue to live on. And there is a life to come where you will never ever ever ever ever die.

Ever. And there's only two locations where that eternity will be experienced. This is I present this to you because I I I've I've had somebody tell me this many years ago, you shouldn't try to scare people to get saved. So what does Jude say? Snatch others with fear.

Snatch them. Some people need to be snatched, need to be waking up. You've been to a thousand meetings and you're still not saved, man. You've been to a thousand meetings like this, and you're still gonna get up and go about your way, and you're not even confident that you have peace with God? What's wrong with you?

How? How do you go to bed at night? How do you get up and laugh with your friends not knowing that your soul is in the hand of God? How? How?

You will enter into eternity. You will. And either you will hear from Christ, enter into the joy of your master, well done, good and faithful sir servant, or depart from me, I never knew you. And guess what? There's no second chances.

That's it. You will be sealed in a fate where there is no prayer hard enough that you can pray. There is no scream louder that you can scream. It's settled. You've heard about him.

He's been offered to you and yet you still have swatted away his salvation over and over and over again. Do you have peace with God? Have you have you settled where your soul is going to go? You've planned where you're gonna go to school, you've planned where you're gonna go on vacation, you've planned how many kids you're gonna have, you've planned where you're gonna live, you plan your business events, and you haven't thought a thought about your eternity. Not one thought, where I'm gonna go when I die.

And I'm trying to convey to you, I know it's intense now. It's okay. Intensity is good. I wanna convey to you that Christ and his love is calling for you, and he wants to save you. He's not indifferent.

He freely loves you. He's not under compulsion by the father to rescue sinners. He longs. I lay down my life. No one takes it up from me.

I lay it down. I want to lay down my life. I want to die. I want to get on that cross so that I can save sinners. I love them.

They're created in my image. I wanna rescue them and I want them to be in my bosom forever and ever. That's Jesus' heart. He wants to save you and he wants you to have peace with God. He wants you to never worry one moment after you confess Christ about where you're gonna spend eternity.

Not one moment. He wants you to ever doubt that if you stand before God, whether you will be accepted or not. He will accept you. That is how much God the father loves the son and through the son loves you. Receive Jesus Christ and realize, as my brother said earlier, that you have sinned from head to toe.

You are polluted with evil and there is only one way by which you can be washed, Cleanse every record run, every perversion that would make you blush if you shared it even with your closest friend. Even such sin, God knows about and he's willing to forgive. He's willing to forgive. The thing that embarrasses you, The thing that keeps you up at night. The thing that makes you even cringe physically because you thought, how did I go so far into that depravity?

Even such a sin, Christ is willing to forgive. He's willing to receive and wash gladly, but you have to come to him. You have to be humble. You have to be desperate. Oh, be desperate tonight.

Be desperate enough to forget anybody behind you, in front of you, beside you, and say, oh, I'm gonna even bow my knees before Christ. Say, Lord, wash me. Please forgive me. I wanna be born again. I want I need peace with God.

I need peace with God. He's willing to give it. Peace with God. And not just peace for all eternity, but peace from that moment on. Walk with God.

Like Joseph knowing that even when the most closest people to you betray you, he stands by you. Peace with God that as you're serving him, there's enemies as we're seeing rise up in America, enemies against the gospel truth. No matter how much we might be squeezed with our freedoms, no matter what's coming down the pipe, no matter what we're going to see happen to local churches, oh, there is more for us than more against us. That kind of peace is available only when the lord himself is received. I invite you today to repent of your sins and to crown Jesus Christ as lord.

To beg Him to forgive you. To ask Him and to confess that He's the only way into the Father's arms. And He'll do it tonight. You'll leave here changed. Your eyes will be opened.

I remember what it was like to be born again. Believers, do you remember when you were born again? Yes. Do you remember what it was like? Yes.

I'm gonna talk to you tomorrow about the reports that Queen Sheba heard concerning Solomon, and those reports so moved her heart. She said, I gotta find out about Solomon myself. Aren't you bothered, unbeliever, by the joy that the people you know who are Christians have that you don't have? Isn't it this you're like, I want that. Don't is is that not a part of of what a Christian does in a person's life?

We we elude that peace and that joy that should cause people to thirst because we're salt? I hope so. It can be yours. It can be yours today, tonight. You can be changed.

And even though you've heard this every single year and you've left the same, why why not tonight it be different? Now, believer, Peace. You have peace. You're his. You belong to him.

The father is yours. You're accepted in the beloved. But may the Lord of peace himself he's speaking to Christians. At all times in every way, I'm sure all of us in here can say, I I can't say that that is my Christian experience. And if we can humbly confess that before the Lord, here's what I want I'm not saying this to condemn anybody.

I'm actually saying this to excite us. No matter what our experience is, no matter what your personality is, your quirks are, the high level anxiety that you have that's abnormal in comparison to the next person, this is your inheritance in Jesus Christ. That's your that's your inheritance. That's what King Jesus gives to his servants. Something that King Solomon could not King Solomon could not calm the conscience.

King Solomon can only offer the peace as long as everything he did was in favor for the people. King Jesus, on the other hand, chapter one, chapter two, chapter three can still say, but you can be at peace. That strength, that peace that protects your joy, that keeps you anchored. How do we get that peace? How do we stay in that peace?

Well, that's whole another sermon on its own, but there's a hint from this very verse. What is Paul doing? He's praying this peace to be real in the believers' lives. Now may the Lord I'm asking the Lord to do this in you. And so I even invite you tonight, I wanna be very specific.

You're here. You've made time to be in the presence of God's people, but we're not here just to listen to lessons. We're here to meet with God. You're the temple of the Holy Spirit. What was the purpose of the temple?

For God's people and God Himself to come as close as possible to meeting with one another. And so when we're the temple of the Holy Spirit, every single time we gather, we gather despite the singing, despite the praying, despite that's all wonderful, but those are all means for one chief end and that is to meet with God. Meet with God. I wanna invite you today as a blood bought child of God to bring the matter that you don't have peace with to him. You're unsettled, you're disturbed, you're frustrated, you're angry, you have no security, you have no hope, it's keeping you up at night, it's causing arguments, it's causing friction, it's causing you to doubt, it's causing you to regret, it's causing you to kick yourself, whatever the means is, whatever the reason is, bring it to the lord tonight.

I need peace here. My marriage, lord, is killing me. I need peace in my marriage. I'm in my singleness, lord, and it's been a long time. I need peace here.

Give me peace. Even if I remain this way, give me peace. Even if my spouse doesn't change, give me peace. I'm afraid, Lord, of how to raise my children. I don't know how I'm gonna provide for them, Lord.

I'm anxious. I'm trying to be strong in front of my wife. Give me peace, Lord. Lord, I'm serving you in the ministry and there's trouble makers in the church. There's false teachers that are coming.

There are people outside that are threatening me. There are even believers causing all these issues. Lord, give me peace. Help me have this peace so that I can do what you've called me to do with joy and happiness and integrity. Give me this peace.

Will he not do it? Spurgeon said many things and he says things unlike really many other preachers can. He has the power to breathe peace into the heart, to create peace in the soul, and lull the spirit into that sweet sleep of the beloved, which is the peculiar gift of heaven. I will give you rest, said he. And he can and will do it.

He'll breathe the peace into your heart. So, really, I think everybody has a call here to answer. Non believer. Man, how many more signs do you need in our world for you to get it? We're not a random planet floating in the blackness of space.

I know there's a lot of talks about aliens. We're willing to believe that, but not Jesus. It's incredible. This is not random. God created one world to be inhabited by man.

I know they're gonna try really hard to make that a reality in Mars and on the moon or wherever they're trying to go, but God created one world to be inhabited by man. And this world is not an accident. This world is perfectly described by the word of God. Your existence, the commentary of all the chaos and the problems, all the evil, it's this book that gives the precise diagnosis and gives us the solution. Jesus Christ is real.

He's alive. He came once. He fulfilled many hundreds of prophecies. What makes you think that he's not gonna fulfill the rest of them? He's gonna.

I want you to be ready when he comes. He will. And I want you to be ready to stand before Jesus Christ of Nazareth who died, was buried, rose again, and will come back to be the ruling king forever and ever. Are you right with him? How do I get right with him?

Go to the cross. Run to the cross. Where's the cross? It's the truth of the cross. Bring your sins, bring all your burdens, and bring them to the Lord saying, Lord, the preacher said that I can bring all my sins because your word says you're willing to forgive all.

Can you forgive me? You'll be forgiven. Lord, I want you to be king of my life. I don't want you to be king when you come and I'm not ready. I want you to be king now so that when you come, I have joy.

So be king now of my life. Do that tonight. Believer, what is it in your heart that has weighed you down? It's robbing you of your testimony. It's not helping you sing.

You're even distracted now while I'm preaching because you're so overcome by a sorrow, by harassment, by a thorn. Come to the Lord tonight. I know we have a program tonight. You know what's the best program? Meeting with God.

That's the best program. It's the best program. And I just it it I can't I I I know that there's order and serve I'm all for that. Right? But there are meetings that call for response, a call for an answer.

You hear all this and to just dash it away as just, well, that was really stimulating. God, please hear me. I want the supernatural truth in my life. But this place can turn into a Nazareth real quickly. Jesus could not do many things in Nazareth.

He was he was amazed at their unbelief. You know, I read an interesting verse in first Corinthians. I'm done here. There is a place in a public meeting. There's a place in a public meeting.

Public meeting is for the corporate expression of worship, fellowship, all those things. But there is a place in the public meeting for you to talk to God alone. Can I show a scripture for that? I read this other day and it just made me glad. It's in first Corinthians fourteen twenty eight.

Look, I'm proving it to you. I'm done after this. First Corinthians 14 thank you brother. First Corinthians fourteen twenty eight. This is speaking about the gift of tongues and how that works in the church.

I'm sure you would love for us to talk about tongues right now. We're not gonna talk about tongues. But look at the principle here. But if there is no one to interpret, let each of them keep silent in church and speak to himself and to God. Let him speak to himself and to God.

The idea there is that in some moments, though it's a particular context, there is a place for you and God. You and God. I want that for you now, tonight. You and God. Don't worry about what's coming up next.

You know how this conference goes. Nobody's sleeping tonight anyway. Nobody is. Meet with God. Are you at peace with God?

Let me put it this way. Even if you're a believer Hey, hey, hey. You're faithfully walking with the Lord, but something's disturbing you. I'm not even talking about that kind of believer now. I'm talking about you believer.

You walked away from God. You're backslidden. You're icy cold. You've been here the past two days, day and a half, I lost track of it. And nothing has moved you.

Not one thing. And you're content in that place. Not one thing has wooed your heart to say, isn't the Lord amazing? You haven't even talked about God this whole time, and you're a Christian, and you're dry as a stick. Though you have justification, practically, you're not right with God.

That needs to change and let this conference be the opportunity for you to change. Here's the goodness of God. It's that I believe but help my unbelief. Here's the man with his child. Jesus says, anything's possible for those who believe.

And here's this man, just it spills out like something hit him in the gut. He was, I believe but help my unbelief. It's weird, Lord. I do believe but I kind of don't. And the Lord still heals his son.

You can come the way you are, but based on the simple invitation, you're willing to act on that little truth and God is still willing to honor your humility, And touch you and rescue you from the place that you're in right now. It's been too long, man. It's been too long. And you've gotten used to the rhythm of just going through the motions, but your soul is shriveled up. And you knew a time when there was a fire in your belly.

And there was a time where you just couldn't help but sing his praises and talk of his goodness, And those are just those are just memories now. Why? We go from glory to glory, not from boring to boring. All to say I'm not gonna give you any more scenarios. All to say is, can we meet with the Lord tonight?

Can we just say, Lord, please. I need peace. Lord, I need peace with God. Lord, I need you to do something with my heart because I know I'm not walking right with you and it's been a few months now and I know it's only gonna get worse. You need to rescue me now tonight, Lord.

Why don't we do that? And let's see what the Holy Spirit will do. Would you bow your hearts? Would you bow your heads with me? And can the musicians come and and just assist us in our attention to the Lord?

Now may the Lord of peace himself now may the Lord of peace himself, thank you, give you peace at all times and in every way, at all times and in every way. Oh, Lord, you know exactly where each of us are at. You know who doesn't have the peace of salvation. You know who doesn't have the peace of your promises. And we ask that as Paul prayed for a supernatural impartation of this all encompassing unending peace, may you breathe that peace into our hearts.

Father, we cannot force or manipulate anything. We cannot do anything for people's lives to change but we do do our best in positioning ourselves for you to touch us. And so at this time, whether we sit or kneel or stand, lift our hands or bow our heads, Lord, we just ask that you would look upon our hearts and that you would help us. Help us trust that you are a greater king and that you give a better peace than even Solomon did. For those who don't yearn for you like Nathaniel yearned for you, renew that yearning for you.

Help us know the joint security of being in right place with you. And we look to you now as we seek your face. Amen. The musicians will will play softly, not to manipulate your emotions but to assist the truths that we heard and to help us meditate. Maybe you need to pray with someone and I wanna be one of those people to pray with you and so, as I often do, I'll be standing in the back somewhere there and I'm more than willing to pray Pastor Mark who opens and who has been opening the services.

Pastor Mark also, a servant of the Lord, is willing to pray with you. You've seen him every service so you know how he looks and where he is. You can just approach him. I'm sure that's fine, Pastor Mark. He will be more than willing to.

Maybe you came with a brother, a a friend, maybe you there's a believer that you know beside. You can pray with him, but let's just seek the Lord in his in his presence as the temple of the Holy Spirit. The veil has been torn. The veil has been torn. We don't go to a building now.

You are that building. Your heart is his home. Where you are right now, you can meet with him. You can meet with the Lord just in quietness. If you need to get up for any reason, if you need to go, we're not holding you hostage.

All I ask is that you don't disturb because there's something powerful when we pray. There's something powerful when we pause and we say, God, I'm here to meet with you. Please don't interfere with that. You're gonna laugh and throw frisbees until one in the morning after this. But for now, just meet with the living God.

As they do this and as you pray, we'll we'll continue with singing in a moment, but I'm back there. Please, I know that sometimes people wanna share their hearts, but for the sake, if there's more than one person to just let's go straight to the matter and pray about it so that others can have a chance to be prayed over as well. Seek the Lord and His face. Seek His strength continually.