Are you struggling with something today? Do you need the peace of God? This message offers advice to get peace in the midst of stress, anxiety, or sorrow; plus the key to remembering the grace and love of God.

Today we are looking towards the grace of God that brings peace to your heart and life. No matter the situation let the peace of God, the promise of God, the presence of God calm your heart and mind. Allow the grace of God and the truth of God’s word to breath peace to your soul.

Peace for Today and Peace for All Eternity

We have been looking at grace for several weeks now. Today I hope that you come to know that the grace of God speaks peace to the believer’s heart and mind. Peace now and forever.

In many of his letters, the Apostle Paul begins to address his readers with grace and peace. In Romans 5:1-2 Paul also writes that we can have peace with God:

“Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God” (Romans 5:1-2, NIV).

Peace can be defined as being an abiding sense of security, comfort, and assurance. Peace with God is settled peace, in other words, the person is no longer at odds with God Almighty. The believer is in Christ and spiritually reconciled with God.

“For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!” (Romans 5:10).

Grace and peace are both from God. We can have the peace of God and peace with God because of the grace of God. Grace is defined as the unmerited favor of God, an undeserving gift of God. Grace is not earned. Grace is free. Grace is kindness shown to an undeserving individual. God’s grace is an expression of God’s love and favor towards an individual as well as to the nation and the world. God’s grace is the source of your salvation, grace through faith, not of yourself, it is a gift from God. Grace is the source of your forgiveness and relationship with God and strength from God Almighty. However, God’s grace is also the reason you can have peace both now and in the future. Peace with God.

Last week we noted that grace and mercy are different. God’s grace is God bestowing his favor towards you that is undeserved, where mercy is withholding from you the punishment for sin you deserved. In other words, God’s mercy is withholding what we deserve, where grace extends God's love and blessing that we do not deserve.

We have seen how the grace of God can be clearly seen in a time of difficulty and pain. If you feel you are surrounded by trouble and there is no way out, look to the Lord. His grace is sufficient in every situation. Jesus told the Apostle Paul: "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness” (Corinthians 12:9). Grab ahold of that promise for yourself. God’s grace is sufficient in every situation.

Allow the truth of God’s word to speak true peace to you today. True peace with God for all eternity. Allow the promise of God that he will never leave or forsake you to speak peace to your heart and mind today and always, as you trust him with all your heart.

Moses spoke into Joshua's life and reassured him that the Lord will be with him and never leave him.

‘Then Moses summoned Joshua and said to him in the presence of all Israel, “Be strong and courageous, for you must go with this people into the land that the Lord swore to their ancestors to give them, and you must divide it among them as their inheritance. 8 The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”’ (Deuteronomy 31:7-8).

Then after Moses’ death, the Lord speaks to Joshua the same promise.

“No one will be able to stand against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Joshua 1:5).

Proverbs 3:3 gives us the key I believe to your remembering the grace and love of God. Proverbs 3:3 may also give us the key to having the peace of God. The key is to have the truth of God's word written on your heart.

“Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart” (Proverbs 3:3).

Today we are looking towards the grace of God that brings peace to your heart and life. No matter the situation let the peace of God, the promise of God, the presence of God calm your heart and mind. Know this: that one day, every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father (Philippians 2:11).

Also understand that demons recognize Jesus’ authority.

‘“What do you want with us, Son of God?” they shouted. “Have you come here to torture us before the appointed time?”’ (Matthew 8:29).

With the truth of God in your heart, be strong and courageous. Let the peace of God guard your heart and mind.

“And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:7).

Often when something looks impossible the peace of God might seem elusive, distant, or nonexistent at times. Peace with God is settled peace, having been reconciled with God in Christ. The peace of God is the result of peace with God. A peace that transcends all understanding. You may think that peace of God or with God can never happen. But remember Luke 1:37: nothing is impossible with God.

In Genesis 18 we find the story of Abraham and Sarah. God promises Abraham that Sarah would have a son. God's promise of a son in Sarah's mind seemed impossible and hard to believe because of her old age. I can only assume that if you were Abraham or Sarah, you might think it was impossible also. It will be some 25 years before Abraham and Sarah have a child of their own. You might remember that Abraham and Sarah tried to help God. Abraham and Hagar have a child, but this child was not the child that God promised Abraham and Sarah would have.

What seemed impossible in the natural is possible with God. The same is true today and in your situation. Only believe!

You might think, “but that’s an Old Testament story. What about something more current?” In John 11 you will find the story of Lazarus. Both Mary and Martha believed Jesus to be the Son of God but could not grasp the idea of their brother being raised from the dead. Understand, Lazarus died and his body lay in the tomb for four days. Sarah laughed when she heard that she would have a child at her age and for the next 25 years the thought of having a son became more improbable in their hearts and minds. But, with God, you can have peace knowing that what God promises, it will happen in his timing. Only trust him and believe.

Mary and Martha did not laugh, when Jesus asked that they roll away the stone from the entrance of the tomb. They knew physical death as being final. In their grief they were spiritually blind to what Jesus was about to do. They were ignorant or spiritually unable to believe that the impossible was possible. In their minds the current physical reality did not leave room for God to make possible the physically impossible. Rather they tell Jesus it will be a bad odor (John 11:39) and “if only you had been here, my brother would not have died” (John 11:32).

Friends: God is not limited to how we view things in the natural. God does not work according to our timing. His timing is perfect. His will is perfect. His plan is perfect. By his grace he will accomplish all he says he will do. Let the knowledge of that truth speak peace to your heart, mind, and soul today. We serve a God who is all powerful, all knowing and ever present. He is the alpha and the omega. The beginning and the end. He spoke the world into existence out of nothing. He raised Lazarus from the dead. He parted the Red Sea. He provided both water and manna in the desert for the Israelites. He delivered the Israelites out from the bondage of Egypt by his mighty hand. He went before the Israelites in battle and brought them victory.

Church, when God shows up, miracles happen by the grace of God.

When we call on the name of the Lord, he hears us. When we pray according to his will, nothing is impossible. Knowing this, we are still often surprised and caught off guard as God steps into our situation and does the impossible.

You may be thinking “that was then this is now.” You may say, “but pastor you do not know what I have done or how I have acted at times. You do not know what I am going through.” You’re right. But God does. He loves you with an everlasting love.

His grace is sufficient. Allow the grace of God and the truth of God’s word to breath peace to your soul. Allow his grace to reassure you in both the good and bad situations.

As Abraham traveled to and through the promised land, Abraham built several altars and called on the name of the Lord.

‘The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you. 2 “I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”

4 So Abram went, as the Lord had told him; and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he set out from Harran. 5 He took his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot, all the possessions they had accumulated and the people they had acquired in Harran, and they set out for the land of Canaan, and they arrived there.

6 Abram traveled through the land as far as the site of the great tree of Moreh at Shechem. At that time the Canaanites were in the land. 7 The Lord appeared to Abram and said, “To your offspring I will give this land.” So he built an altar there to the Lord, who had appeared to him. 8 From there he went on toward the hills east of Bethel and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. There he built an altar to the Lord and called on the name of the Lord. 9 Then Abram set out and continued toward the Negev’ (Genesis 12:1-9).

Abraham, after building these altars, travels to Egypt and, in fear of his life, he devises a plan to save himself by claiming he and Sarah are brother and sister. Pharaoh takes Sarah for himself but is warned by God to not touch Sarah and sends Abraham and all his company, safely away. In the next chapter, Chapter 13, we find Abraham returns to the altar he built at Bethel and worships the Lord. Abraham later builds another altar at the great trees of Mamre in Hebron. Each of these places will become important places in Israel’s history. The altars that Abraham built were special and a place he worshiped God Almighty. The altars and times of worshiping God will be remembered by Abraham because these were places where God met Abraham. Places where the grace of God was made real to Abraham.

When trouble comes your way or you find yourself drifting spiritually from the Lord it is a good habit to return to the place where God’s grace moved mightily in your life.

To this day I remember several times where God moved mightily in my life. They were times at the end of a service at the altar. They were times where God removed doubt and spoke peace into my heart. Times of asking the Lord to forgive me, times of seeking his direction, times of his assurance that things will be ok. Each altar time is a faith-building time. A time where the grace of God was made real to me time and again.

Maybe you have had the same kind of experience. There are precious moments where the Lord speaks peace and joy into troubled hearts and lives. Moments that we need to be reminded of and cherish. Times we give thanks to God Almighty. A time of worshiping the Lord and being thankful for his presence. A place we should return to often and call out to the Lord in our time of need. A place to remember regarding the goodness and grace of God. A place where the grace of God speaks peace to our souls.

When Abraham returned to Bethel from Egypt, Abraham went back to the altar he had built earlier and called on the name of the Lord. Abraham returned to the last place he had worshiped the Lord before traveling down to Egypt. It is also the place he returns to as he continues his journey toward the promised land.

Abraham, in building an altar, was declaring his worship of God Almighty before a people and land that was far from God. Abraham, in returning to the altar, was renewing and confirming his faith in God to be steadfast.

The enemy of your soul will whisper in your consciousness that you don’t need to go to the altar. You don’t need to pray. You don’t need to go to church. You do not need to confess your sin or repent daily. All that may be true but at the same time why not pray, why not go to church, why not search your heart, and confess sin? We may not always have an opportunity to spend time in worship and prayer.

The thief that was crucified alongside of Jesus didn’t have time to pray long or go to church and yet he confessed his faith in a manner that Jesus told him you will be with me in paradise (Luke 23:43).

The enemy of your soul doesn’t want you to have a relationship with Jesus. He wants you to turn your back to God. The enemy of your soul knows about the grace of God, and he doesn’t want you hear about it or experience it. Because when you do, you will know the truth and the truth of God will set you free. Faith will come alive and you will experience the love, grace, mercy, forgiveness and peace of God that passes all understanding.

Know that it is at the altar where we submit, confess, and worship the Lord. It is at the altar that we gain spiritual strength. It is also where we find the peace of God because of his presence in our lives.

You are building a spiritual alter when you:

• stop and pray to God Almighty;

• pray and call on the name of the Lord;

• seek his presence and spend time in the word of God and pray.

It is at this spiritual altar and the times of you being in God’s presence that become the place to return to when anxiety or the cares of the world grip your heart and mind. Simply find a place where you can get alone with the Lord and allow his presence to speak peace to your heart and soul. Remember his goodness and grace of God in times past. Remember his faithfulness and the promises of God. Choose to stand firm in faith and on the promises of God and you will never be disappointed. Wait upon the Lord and he will renew your strength.

“but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint” (Isaiah 40:31).

There are many examples of needing to wait on the Lord:

• Abraham trusted God and yet Abraham needed to learn to wait upon the Lord. Remember it was 25 years before the promise of God came true regarding the promise that Sarah would have a son.

• David was anointed by Sanuel to be king, however it was years later that he became king.

• God spoke to Joseph in a dream, but it was years before the dream came to pass.

• God told Noah to build an ark in a desert, but it was years before the flood.

• Job loved and worshiped God and yet he experienced loss and physical sickness.

It is the between years that each one of these people experienced pain, sorrow, and suffering.

You may experience trying times just as these people did but know, by the grace of God, he will fulfill his promise to you, as he fulfills every promise he makes.

Understanding the truth of God will bring peace to your heart and soul if you will believe. True and eternal peace with God is possible. Build spiritual altars around the times that God has moved both in your heart and in your troubled situations. These altars are spiritual markers to remind you of God’s presence in both the past and they can inspire you to believe in his presence even if you cannot see it.

“By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. 9 By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. 10 For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God. 11 And by faith even Sarah, who was past childbearing age, was enabled to bear children because she considered him faithful who had made the promise” (Hebrews 11:8-11).

What can we do today as we journey through this life?

• Love the Lord with all our hearts.

• Have faith in Jesus as Lord and Savior.

• Look forward to eternity with Christ in glory.

• Build spiritual altars and worship the Lord.

• Remember the times of God’s faithfulness and promised fulfilled.

Know that in the journey of life with Christ there may be pain and suffering at times, but victory and true peace is just ahead.

In times of hardship, altar times are a time of refreshing, and renewing. Choose today to build spiritual altar times. Like Abraham, return to the spiritual altars you have built. Times of worshiping the Lord. Times of praising God Almighty. Times of simply being in his presence and where the grace and peace of God rules in your heart no matter what lies ahead in life.

It was in the Lord’s timing that Isaac, Abraham and Sarah’s son, is born.

‘Now the Lord was gracious to Sarah as he had said, and the Lord did for Sarah what he had promised. 2 Sarah became pregnant and bore a son to Abraham in his old age, at the very time God had promised him.

6 Sarah said, “God has brought me laughter, and everyone who hears about this will laugh with me.” 7 And she added, “Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? Yet I have borne him a son in his old age”’ (Gen 21:1-2, 6-7).

Sarah’s response was to give the glory to God. It is God who fulfilled his promise. It is God who filled Sarah’s heart with laughter. It is God’s grace that brought peace to Sarah’s troubled heart.

Get peace in this life and true peace for all eternity when you place your faith in Jesus as your Lord and Savior.

Have you experienced the grace of God? Have you experienced peace with God and the peace of God? Call out to him, worship him and give him glory. Revisit those spiritual altars you have developed over the years and learn to rest in the presence and peace of God. Peace in times of stress, anxiety and sorrow.

Do you want to experience the grace and peace of God today and for all eternity? Call out to him in prayer.

The promise of John 3:16 is real: "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

This promise is God’s grace being extended to you. Embrace it, believe it, accept it. The grace of God makes possible peace with God and the peace of God in every situation and for all eternity for those who believe and place their faith in Jesus.

Suggested Praise and Worship

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