Scripture Matters Podcast — S2E9 — Peace Matters

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He sits there with his head buried in his hands.
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He cannot remember the last time he even spoke to God.
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There are papers scattered across the kitchen table right in front of him.
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A performance improvement plan from work, a final notice of payment, past due, a notice of disciplinary action from school.
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And another one that hits him harder than any of the others.
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Impending foreclosure.
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Trouble at work, trouble at home, bills he just cannot ignore conversations that he does not know how to fix.
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His mind is in constant turmoil, and rest feels like nothing more than an illusion.
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Noise, noise, and even more noise.
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He longs for just one moment of quiet.
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Calmness.
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Peace.
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You know, we usually imagine peace as what life feels like when all of our troubles finally vanish away.
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But what if peace can exist before any of those papers disappear from the table?
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What if peace is possible even while that old storm is raging?
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That is the conversation we want to have today because Peace Matters.
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Right here on the Scripture Matters Podcast.
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You've tuned in to the Scripture Matters Podcast, produced and published in cooperation with the Waters Road Church of Christ.
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Looking for a church home in the Houston area that lovingly stands upon God's Word?
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Waters Road is the place where you belong.
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If you need more information about the Waters Road Church of Christ, check out their website at www.wrc.org.
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We'd like to thank each of you who helped make this podcast possible, especially the prayerful support of our wives and families.
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And now, good folks, let's get back to another episode of the Scripture Matters Podcast.
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Good afternoon.
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It's time again for another episode of the Scripture Matters Podcast.
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If this is indeed your first time joining us, I'm Jonathan Sanford.
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I'm blessed to serve as the pulpit minister for the good folks of the Waters Road Church of Christ.
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And just across this screen from me, right here, is a man who is certainly too sweet to be sour.
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Yeah, right.
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And I'm Cliff Thompson.
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I serve within the eldership of the Waters Road Church of Christ.
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And if you join our church family in person or online each Wednesday night, I'm currently leading a comprehensive verse-by-verse study of the book of Revelation.
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All right.
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Well, with that in mind, it's time to begin.
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And let us say, as always, we are indeed delighted that on this Friday afternoon you've chosen to spend your time right here with us.
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And because this is truly a conversation, if something we discussed today raises a question, challenges you, or leaves you wanting to know more, folks, we'd be honored to hear from you.
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That's right.
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And while you have a moment, please take this time to leave a comment, like today's episode, follow or subscribe, and especially take a moment to share this link with someone else.
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Yeah, that may seem like a small thing, folks, but by sharing this episode, you'll help carry a biblical conversation beyond the audience that would normally find us on their own.
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Now, last Friday in season two, episode number eight, worship matters, we ended with these words that God deserves more than my leftovers, my convenience, and my preferences.
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The privilege of worship may be ours, but the glory ultimately belongs to God.
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And when we finished that conversation last week, we came to a conclusion that left no room for doubt.
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Folks, worship matters.
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Amen.
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And today's conversation shifts towards something that everyone desires, but many people struggle to find.
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We're talking about peace.
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And maybe the place to begin today is by asking what kind of peace scripture says we need first.
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All right, with that in mind, folks, strap in.
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It's gonna be a fun ride.
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Jonathan, when most people hear the word peace, what tends to come to their mind?
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Maybe it's a quiet home, uh a healthy relationship, financial security, or maybe simply a day without problems.
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You know, brother, all that sounds good to me.
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I'd take that in a heartbeat.
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But the reality is someone can have all of those things and still be missing the most important peace, P-E-A-C-E, of all.
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And Jonathan, that's where scripture takes the conversation deeper.
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We usually define peace by what is happening around us, but the Bible begins with our relationship with God.
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And that, brother, changes the question.
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It certainly does.
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Instead of only asking, why doesn't my life feel peaceful?
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Maybe I need to ask, Am I at peace with God?
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You know, Jonathan, Isaiah 59, verse 2 helps us understand why that matters.
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Isaiah says, our iniquities have separated us from God.
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So humanity's deepest peace problem is not first our circumstances.
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No, it is our sinfulness.
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And good folks, listen, you can put someone in the quietest room imaginable, and that problem is still going to be present with them in that room.
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A peaceful life and peace with God are two entirely different things.
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Yeah, take us directly to Romans chapter 5 and verse 1, where Paul writes, Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have, and there's that word, peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
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Yeah, and that phrase really reaches out and grabs me.
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That phrase, peace with God.
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Paul isn't talking here about a peaceful mood.
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He's talking about a relationship that has been made right.
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Whoa, there, Jonathan, for just a moment.
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Now, somebody listening may hear justified by faith and wonder exactly what Paul means by that.
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Yeah, I think that's a fair question.
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To be justified is to be declared right with God.
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And biblical faith is more than simply agreeing with facts about Jesus, it trusts him enough to respond to him.
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And based upon scriptures, faith is not merely intellectual agreement, but neither are we saying human beings somehow earn salvation through good works.
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No, grace provides what I could never provide for myself.
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Christ provides the sacrifice.
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Faith is my trusting response to what God has done.
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And that distinction matters, Jonathan, because somebody can genuinely feel spiritually secure while never having actually dealt with the separation that sin has created.
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Yeah, and I think that's the danger of letting feelings become our measuring stick.
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You know, I can feel right and still be absolutely 100% wrong.
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Yes.
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Inner calm is not proof that everything in my life is spiritually okay.
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So biblically, peace cannot simply mean the absence of trouble.
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A Christian may be completely reconciled to God while they could be living through an incredibly difficult season.
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Yeah, and I think we need to establish that right here and right now for everybody that's a part of today's episode.
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Peace with God is not a promise of peaceful life.
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And that's important, Jonathan, because Christians still face sickness, they still face financial difficulties, grief, conflicts, disappointment, and all of the other realities of living in this world.
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Exactly.
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You can walk straight out of a doctor's office and have peace with God and have some very terrible news come your way.
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The difference here is you're facing that trouble with God, not separated from God.
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Jonathan, Colossians chapter 1 and verse 20 makes the reason for that peace even more powerful.
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Paul says, God made peace through Christ, having made peace through the blood of his cross.
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And now the word peace gets heavy here, my brother.
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Yeah.
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Because Paul says the peace between sinful man and a holy God came through blood.
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And the price of that peace was certainly not paid by us.
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No, it certainly was not.
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It was paid one and only by the blood of Jesus Christ.
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He didn't simply come to this earth to give us some advice about living a calmer life.
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No, he came to give his life to reconcile us to God.
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Which means we cannot talk about peace with God very long before we find ourselves standing at the foot of that cross.
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And I think that uh may be the very bit of irony about what we're saying here.
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The cross, if you think about it, it looks anything but peaceful.
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That's true.
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Yet Paul says God made peace through the shed blood of Christ there on that cross.
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That really gives peace with God a much deeper meaning than simply saying, I feel forgiven.
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Absolutely.
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Peace isn't me convincing myself that everything is okay.
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It is a broken relationship with God being reconciled through Jesus Christ.
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And because Christ died for the world, the way of reconciliation has been had been opened to us.
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But scripture still calls men and women to respond to that gospel, Jonathan.
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Right.
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The cross doesn't mean that automatically everyone who lives in this world is just automatically reconciled with God, regardless of their response or lack thereof.
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Grace opens a door that we could never open, yet faith still has to respond.
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And there is a very practical side to this, Jonathan.
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Sometimes we invest enormous energy trying to fix every horizontal problem in our life while ignoring the vertical relationship altogether.
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Yeah, everybody out there, I think, will agree with what I'm about to say.
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We want peace at home, we want peace at work, we want peace at church, and we should desire those things, but none of those can ever substitute for peace with God.
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So vertical peace really does have to come first, not because every other problem suddenly disappears, but because our relationship with God becomes the foundation from which we face those problems.
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No, that's it.
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Uh, you think about it.
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Circumstances change, people change, our emotions change all the time.
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Life can change from one little phone call, right?
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Yes, yes.
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Here's the reality of Christ does not change.
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Then perhaps one of the most important questions a person can ask is not simply, why don't I have more peace?
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But have I made my relationship with God right?
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Good folks, you can believe what you want to believe, but I'm gonna tell you right there what Cliff has just said is right where I would begin.
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Before we talk about peace around us or peace within us, have I been reconciled to God through Jesus Christ?
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That's a question you better ask yourself.
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That's right.
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Romans 5 1 tells us where the peace is found.
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We have peace where?
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With God.
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How?
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Through our Lord Jesus Christ.
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And let's make sure, folks, know Colossians chapter 1 tells us what that peace cost.
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It cost the blood of Jesus Christ on that cross.
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That's right, folks.
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Begin at the cross, begin with Christ, listen to his word, believe his gospel, and respond to him with the obedient faith that God requires.
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Because then peace becomes more than something I'm trying to feel.
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No, it becomes a relationship that I actually have.
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And Cliff, you think about it, that ought to affect how I deal with everybody around me.
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Jonathan, shouldn't this idea of peace towards God reach outwardly towards others as well?
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I mean, once we truly have peace with God, what about having peace with our spouses, uh, our family, our friends, our neighbors, and even the people we work with every day?
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Absolutely.
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If Christ is shaping me, if he's truly molding my life, it ought to show up in how I handle people when things really aren't that easy.
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Well, Jonathan, let's talk about our spouses for just a moment.
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Why do you think peace is so important in a marriage?
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Oh, because marriage, oh wow, it puts two imperfect people together in very close quarters.
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It really does.
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Disagreements are coming.
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Uh, the question is whether we can disagree with love, humility, patience, and respect.
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So having peace in marriage doesn't mean never having an argument.
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Pardon my Alabama twang is about to come out here, but that ain't gonna happen, okay?
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Um, sometimes peace means listening instead of interrupting, forgiving instead of keeping account, and saying I'm sorry, instead of insisting on winning.
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And Jonathan, that same principle carries into our families as well, doesn't it?
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Oh, I think it does.
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Family may be where peace gets tested the hardest in many cases, because the people closest to us, Cliff, they know exactly where our buttons are and they're not afraid to push them sometimes, right?
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Anybody can talk about patience until somebody who knows you well tests your patience.
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Yeah, Jonathan.
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If we carry this thought even forward, we have to look outside of the family.
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What about our friend, Jonathan?
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Yeah, a good friend should be somebody with whom we can be honest without being cruel.
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And sometimes peace really begins with asking this question: Did I understand, truly understand what you meant?
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Jonathan, that can be very difficult because sometimes little things can become big things.
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And many times that can happen very quickly.
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Oh, it surely can.
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And you think about it, one harsh word.
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Sending text messages, man, they can be interpreted the whole wrong way.
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Yes.
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One text message read with the wrong tone, um, one assumption, and wow, suddenly people who care about each other are barely speaking any longer.
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Well, Jonathan, some of them might not be our friends, so to speak, but I would gather we believe that our coworkers are where many people experience conflicts every week and where peace is absolutely needed.
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Yeah, no question about it.
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Different personalities and expectations can test anybody's patience.
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So, Jonathan, I know we've talked about this before.
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You know me asking you the hard questions, but here's another one for you.
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If someone at work is difficult, what about that passage over there in Romans chapter 12, verse 18?
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As much as it depends on you, what does that look like, sir?
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Hey, yeah, just just wait because, brother, your turn is she's a coming, okay?
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I know, I know.
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That's why I'm having to get them while I can.
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Well, I mean, really, let's think about it.
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I start with the one person in that conflict that I can control.
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Okay.
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Me.
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Okay.
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Am I respectful?
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Am I gossiping?
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Am I feeding this problem?
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Again, as much as it depends on who?
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You, right?
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That makes me examine my part before ever beginning to diagnose theirs.
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Jonathan, that's a lot of questions.
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And those questions are very challenging because it's much easier to identify what someone else is doing wrong rather than looking at what I could be doing wrong.
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Yeah, because if you think about it, being a peacemaker is going to require you to look into the mirror before you ever begin to point that finger.
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And that's really the heart of Romans chapter 12 and verse 18.
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If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men.
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Yeah, you think about it.
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God does not make Cliff Thompson responsible for controlling the other person, but He does make us responsible for our own conduct.
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So, Jonathan, whether we're sitting across the table from our spouses, talking with our children, visiting with a friend, standing beside a neighbor, or working next to a co-worker.
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Jonathan, we're representing Christ.
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Yeah, and that's both the challenge and a great opportunity.
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Every relationship gives us another chance to show what Christ-like peace really looks like.
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Then maybe we should stop asking why can't everybody just get along and start asking a more personal question.
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Yeah, uh, here it is.
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What can I do to make peace more possible here?
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Because, Jonathan, peace isn't something we should demand from everyone else, is it?
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No, it's something that we all have to make a pursuit of.
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But even while pursuing peace with others, the reality is there can still be this war that is going on right inside my own head.
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Jonathan, the battles that take place inside of us, the worries, the fears, the stress, and the anxious thoughts that no one else may ever see.
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That is the one place that for many Jonathan, peace is nowhere to be found.
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And a Christian can be right with God and still have these moments where fear and stress or anxiety just feels all too real.
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And that is important clarification to make, Jonathan.
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Personal peace does not mean that Christians never worry or experience difficult emotions.
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Exactly.
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We still face sickness, financial concerns, family problems, grief, disappointment, and plenty of uncertainty.
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Peace is not sitting around pretending that those things are imaginary.
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So, Jonathan, where does personal peace come from when life becomes overwhelming?
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Well, I can't help but think of Paul's words in Philippians chapter four, in verses six and seven, which gives us a very clear answer here.
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It says, Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your request be made known to God.
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Something to Really notice in that verse, Jonathan.
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Paul does not say pretend nothing is wrong.
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No, he actually tells us to bring what is wrong to God.
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I think the word everything deserves careful attention here, too, Jonathan.
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Yeah, because he's not saying, hey, just bring the big spiritual stuff.
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No, Paul says, in everything.
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And then comes the promise in verse 7.
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And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Jesus Christ.
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And that's the part I want us to just pump the brakes for a moment, slow down with for just a moment here.
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The circumstance may not immediately change, but the peace of God can guard us while we are attempting to walk through it.
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So, like we discussed in our prayer matters episode, prayer doesn't necessarily mean God will immediately remove that problem.
00:23:01.920 --> 00:23:06.480
No, and we spent um basically a whole episode there two weeks ago.
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And if you haven't watched that, this is a great opportunity to go back and see what we're talking about here.
00:23:12.079 --> 00:23:18.319
So I don't want to simply just repeat it for you, but here is the fresh point.
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Okay.
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The answer may not have arrived yet, but God's peace can.
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That word guard, Jonathan, creates a complete vivid picture in my mind.
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It does mine as well.
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God's peace can stand watch over our heart and our mind so that fear does not take complete control.
00:23:43.920 --> 00:23:47.920
And Jonathan Paul connects that prayer to Thanksgiving.
00:23:48.240 --> 00:23:52.480
But why do you believe that gratitude is a part of this?
00:23:52.799 --> 00:23:59.839
I believe it's a part of this because gratitude changes what has the center of my attention.
00:24:00.160 --> 00:24:00.480
Okay.
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It reminds me that the problem that is in front of me right now is not bigger than the God who has carried me thus far.
00:24:10.559 --> 00:24:14.799
So that gratitude helps shift our focus off the problem.
00:24:15.039 --> 00:24:15.440
Exactly.
00:24:15.599 --> 00:24:23.920
Not by denying that the problem exists, but by refusing to allow the problem to become the biggest thing in the room.
00:24:24.240 --> 00:24:40.400
That connects beautifully with another passage, Jonathan, that I've been thinking about, and that's Isaiah 26, verse 3, which says, You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on you because he trusts in you.
00:24:40.640 --> 00:24:51.839
Yeah, what I like about that verse, Cliff, is that it connects peace with where the mind is fixed and whom our heart truly trusts.
00:24:52.160 --> 00:24:58.240
So personal peace is significantly shaped by what we allow our minds to dwell on.
00:24:58.400 --> 00:24:59.279
Oh, absolutely.
00:24:59.519 --> 00:25:00.160
Think about it.
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If my mind rehearses everything that could possibly go wrong all day, the reality is fear is eventually going to become bigger and feel bigger than my faith.
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Yeah, and Isaiah tells us the answer is keeping our mind stayed on God.
00:25:20.400 --> 00:25:22.319
Yeah, I've always loved that word there.
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And keeping um the mind back to his character, his promises, his wisdom, his faithfulness.
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And hey, please don't forget his word.
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And Jonathan, let's be totally honest with the folks out there.
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That's much easier to say than to do.
00:25:40.960 --> 00:25:42.160
Oh, absolutely.
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Some mornings my mind can write the 10 worst case scenarios possible before I ever even finish that first cup of coffee.
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I feel you, brother.
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I mean, I can be three conversations and two disasters ahead before anything has actually even happened.
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And that's why, Cliff, our peace truly has to be cultivated.
00:26:06.640 --> 00:26:11.440
So developing personal peace requires spiritual discipline, Jonathan.
00:26:11.680 --> 00:26:12.240
It does.
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Pray instead of rehearsing your worries.
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Trust instead of assuming the worst.
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And remind yourself what is true when fear tries to write your story.
00:26:26.319 --> 00:26:32.480
Oh, I remember what you said about when we pray about something and the worry returns five minutes later.
00:26:33.279 --> 00:26:34.720
Yeah, pray again.
00:26:35.279 --> 00:26:35.759
Yeah.
00:26:36.079 --> 00:26:44.559
Sometimes I have to give that same concern, whatever it may be, back to God more than once, twice, three times or more.
00:26:44.880 --> 00:26:54.880
I think that is genuinely encouraging because many Christians feel a measure of guilt when they continue to struggle with a concern, even after they have prayed about it.
00:26:55.039 --> 00:27:00.240
Yeah, and they should not just automatically conclude in that moment that their faith has failed.
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That's not true.
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Sometimes faith is reminding yourself again of what you already know is true.
00:27:08.079 --> 00:27:12.640
So the question is not really, will I ever have another anxious thought?
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No, the the better question is this, good folks what will I do in that moment where that anxious thought arrives?
00:27:21.440 --> 00:27:25.680
That means personal peace is not passive either, Jonathan.
00:27:25.920 --> 00:27:26.480
Exactly.
00:27:26.720 --> 00:27:36.079
Personal peace is cultivated through prayer, thanksgiving, trust, and a mind that is anchored in what God has said.
00:27:36.319 --> 00:27:39.119
And what about the things we simply cannot control?
00:27:39.440 --> 00:27:44.000
Well, those are often the things that we most need to surrender to God.
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Okay.
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I control my choices and my responses, but I cannot control tomorrow.
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Trying to control tomorrow can quietly destroy today's peace, too.
00:27:54.960 --> 00:27:57.440
Oh, that's worth remembering right there, my brethren.
00:27:57.599 --> 00:28:05.440
We can spend today's emotional energy worrying about a tomorrow that is not even arrived yet.
00:28:05.839 --> 00:28:09.119
Isaiah tells us where our minds need to be instead.
00:28:09.359 --> 00:28:12.559
Yeah, there's that word stayed on God.
00:28:12.880 --> 00:28:15.920
Jonathan, let's bring these two passages together.
00:28:17.119 --> 00:28:22.640
Philippians tells us to take our worries to God through prayer and thanksgiving.
00:28:22.880 --> 00:28:31.440
And Isaiah that we mentioned early tells us to keep our minds anchored, stayed on God because we trust Him.
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That is a powerful way to understand personal peace, Jonathan.
00:28:35.519 --> 00:28:38.079
Peace is not having every answer, good folks.
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Please know that.
00:28:39.119 --> 00:28:44.079
Sometimes it's simply trusting the one who does have all the answers.
00:28:44.319 --> 00:28:48.720
So when anxiety comes knocking, what's the Christian response?
00:28:48.960 --> 00:28:51.440
Cliff, I'll say it a hundred times to you.
00:28:51.599 --> 00:28:52.400
Here it is.
00:28:52.640 --> 00:28:59.839
Pray, give it to God, thank him, and turn your mind back toward his promises.
00:29:00.079 --> 00:29:04.000
And that will take us right back to that man at that kitchen table.
00:29:04.240 --> 00:29:06.240
Yeah, think about him for a moment.
00:29:06.480 --> 00:29:10.960
The performance improvement plan may still be sitting on that table.
00:29:11.039 --> 00:29:15.200
The overdue bill may still be sitting on that table.
00:29:15.519 --> 00:29:19.839
The foreclosure notice may very well be sitting on that table.
00:29:20.079 --> 00:29:25.759
Peace does not require every paper to disappear before he ever wakes up.
00:29:26.000 --> 00:29:29.759
So peace does not mean life finally stopped being hard.
00:29:30.000 --> 00:29:40.240
No, he can be reconciled to God and choose how he responds to the people around him and give God ultimately what he cannot control.
00:29:40.640 --> 00:29:46.799
Then maybe the question is not simply, when will my life finally calm down?
00:29:46.960 --> 00:29:47.759
Oh, exactly.
00:29:47.839 --> 00:29:48.799
I mean, think about it.
00:29:48.880 --> 00:29:56.000
If I have to wait until nothing's wrong before I have peace, I may wait my entire life away.
00:29:56.240 --> 00:29:57.039
That's true.
00:29:57.359 --> 00:30:03.200
Biblical peace is Christ in the middle of my noisy life.
00:30:03.519 --> 00:30:13.599
The noise may still be very real, but it no longer gets me to tell me where my security can and cannot come from.
00:30:13.920 --> 00:30:18.480
Peace with God, peace with others, and peace within.
00:30:18.880 --> 00:30:23.599
And none of that promises, good folks, that tomorrow is going to be easy.
00:30:23.839 --> 00:30:34.319
But it does mean I do not have to face tomorrow, separated from God, fighting everybody around me, and ruled ultimately by fear.
00:30:34.559 --> 00:30:38.240
That is why, folks, peace matters.
00:30:39.920 --> 00:30:41.680
Amen, good folks.
00:30:43.680 --> 00:30:44.480
I mean, wow.
00:30:44.640 --> 00:30:46.000
Thank you for joining us for this.
00:30:46.079 --> 00:30:47.839
What a conversation of the day.
00:30:48.000 --> 00:30:59.759
And we hope that this conversation has met you where you are living right now, and that you will share this conversation with somebody else who you think needs this same reminder.
00:31:00.240 --> 00:31:11.839
Folks, copy the link, post it on your social media, text it to maybe a friend, or pass it along to someone who could use this conversation right now.
00:31:12.079 --> 00:31:20.240
And like we said earlier here today, follow, subscribe so that you continue with us throughout this journey of season two.
00:31:20.480 --> 00:31:28.960
Yeah, and next week we move into a subject that many people overlook, and to be honest with you, that others simply do not even fully understand.
00:31:29.200 --> 00:31:37.599
Yeah, we're gonna uh uh take a moment to ask a question or two that may cause you to look at your life a little bit differently.
00:31:38.720 --> 00:31:45.279
Was what just happened to you and your life, was it just a big old coincidence?
00:31:46.000 --> 00:31:49.359
Or was it the providence of God?
00:31:49.680 --> 00:31:55.200
Oh, I can't wait because next week's conversation is called Providence Matters.
00:31:55.359 --> 00:31:58.960
And we hope every one of you good folks will join us at that time.
00:31:59.200 --> 00:31:59.759
We sure do.
00:31:59.920 --> 00:32:03.039
Until then, once again, my name is Jonathan Sanford.
00:32:03.200 --> 00:32:07.519
And I'm Cliff Thompson, reminding each one of you out there to stay focused.
00:32:07.839 --> 00:32:09.440
Folks, stay grounded.
00:32:09.680 --> 00:32:14.880
And remember, as always, my good folks, Scripture Matters.
00:32:15.119 --> 00:32:16.640
Goodbye, everybody.
00:32:16.960 --> 00:32:21.519
Thanks for spending part of your day with us on the Scripture Matters Podcast.
00:32:21.680 --> 00:32:25.680
We'll be back with a new conversation every Friday at 3:30 p.m.
00:32:26.000 --> 00:32:30.000
on YouTube, Facebook, and all major podcast platforms.
00:32:30.720 --> 00:32:35.279
Until then, may the word guide you and your week and as always.
00:32:35.519 --> 00:32:38.240
Remember Scripture Matters.