Embracing God's Peace Through Surrender and Order

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Thank you, Father, for the blessings of peace that we have through Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace. In a world that is filled and fraught with turmoil, strife, anguish, wars, bitterness, we thank you, Father, that we can know that deep, settled peace of Jesus Christ within our lives. [00:01:46]

Paul declares, for God is not the author of confusion but of peace, as it is in all the churches of the saints. Now Paul is speaking about orderliness in the church services. It is interesting that the New Testament does not give to us any special order of service. [00:05:04]

In the Church of Corinth, it would appear that things had gotten out of hand. They were abusing the gifts of tongues, as we will see tonight as we study the whole chapter. They would interrupt one another. There would sometimes be utterances and tongues with no interpretation. [00:09:51]

Paul said, look, God isn't the author of confusion. Your services are very confusing. God's not the author of confusion. He is a God of order. You can tell that by looking at the orderly universe in which we live. We realize that there is a definite form of worship in heaven. [00:12:30]

God is not the author of confusion, but many times we are the authors of the confusion in our own lives. The confusion that arises by our insisting on doing our own thing, our rebelling against the rules that God has laid down. God has told us how we ought to live. [00:15:14]

The beautiful truth is that he is not the author of confusion but of peace and that God is capable of bringing order out of chaos. We read in the very first chapter of the Bible that the earth was without form and void, but the whole first chapter is devoted to how God began to bring order out of the chaos. [00:17:35]

God's laws are contrary to my fleshly desires. God tells me I should forgive; I want revenge. I want to get even. God tells me to love my enemy; I want to hate him. God tells me to do good to those who do spiteful things to me; I want to kick him in the teeth. [00:19:04]

God is the author of peace. God wants peace, and thus he has given us the rules whereby we can live peacefully with him and with others around me. But so often we rebelled against God's law, and thus we go from one turmoil to another, one crisis to another, one conflict to another. [00:21:00]

If I follow God's law, what will be the result? I'll have peace. It takes two to tango, and in a person does fight for things, and I am kind, forgiving, it sort of brings it into it. But if I respond after my flesh, what does that do? It only increases the hostility. [00:20:13]

The choice is yours. You can live in peace if you so desire by coming to God, laying down your weapons, surrendering yourself to him, and then letting him begin to guide and direct you according to his will. [00:28:39]

When God's peace begins to reign in your heart, though that may be the fleshly response and reaction, God is able to overcome that and to help you to respond in love and in forgiveness and in peace, and thus maintaining peace with those around you. [00:29:46]

Father, how we thank you for the peace that passes human understanding that we have received through this right relationship with you, where we have ceased from our rebellion. Lord, with our hearts, we desire to obey your law and to do those things that are pleasing in your sight. [00:30:24]

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