Search The Scriptures: September 9, 2001
HOW TO HAVE PEACE OF MIND
INTRODUCTION:
A. Good morning ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to another edition of Search the
Scriptures. I am J.R. Bronger and on behalf of the Danville church of Christ that brings you
this program, I invite you to join with us for the next few minutes as we study the word of God.
Search the Scriptures is undertaking the awesome task of restoring original Christianity in the
hearts and minds of men and women who, like you, are discouraged with all the confusion and
division of modern denominationalism. My friends, the religious world does not have to be
fragmented into the warring factions we see around us today. There is a better way. We can have
the unity and the oneness enjoyed by the church in the first century. We can restore original
Christianity. After all Paul said in 1 Cor. 1:10 now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of
our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among
you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.
B. My friends, if you have any questions or comments, or if you would just like to browse our
web site, you can do so at www.danvillechurchofchrist.org. We would love to hear from you,
especially if you have a subject or a text you would like to have discussed on Search the
Scriptures. Also, if you hear a sermon on Search the Scriptures that you would like to have,
either on cassette tape or CD, just let us know because we will be happy to give it to you
absolutely free of charge. Just write to us or call us and let us know which sermon you would
like. If you order a lesson, please do so by the date the study aired.
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C. I want to begin mentioning a special series of gospel meetings we will be having at the
Danville church of Christ the week of Sept. 23-28. That’s just two weeks from today. I will
have the privilege of being the speaker for that series of studies. This will give me a chance to
meet you in person. If you are a regular listener to Search the Scriptures, but we haven’t met,
then this will provide us an excellent opportunity to do so. So, mark your calendars for Sept. 23-
28 a gospel meeting with the Danville church of Christ. We will observe our regular times on
Sunday morning; a special 2:30 PM singing with worship immediately following at 3:30 PM.
and 7:00 P.M. the rest of the week.
D. Now, let’s begin our study for this morning. Peter wrote in 2 Pet. 1:4 that God has given to
us exceedingly great and precious promises. One great and precious promise is revealed by the
apostle Paul in Phil. 4:6-7, when he said be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer
and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace
of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ
Jesus. Ladies and gentlemen, the book of God tells us that Christians receive, from God, peace
of mind, a peace that Paul says, surpasses all human comprehension or understanding. But
how many believers truly has this peace of mind? An old song made the statement years ago
that not one man in ten had a satisfied mind. There can be no denying this is still true. There are
not many people who enjoy peace of mind. Regardless of what one’s style or quality of life is, it
seems more and more people are dispirited, downhearted and depressed. There are only a few
who savor the belief that they are able to cope with life. Hundreds of thousands of men and
women have been robbed of their peace of mind, never knowing the reality of this precious
promise of God. The evidence of this collective and individual unhappiness is all around us. Just
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consider all the social unrest in this country and throughout the world. Regardless of how much
money our government pours into social programs, there is more social unrest and unhappiness
today in this country than ever before. Minimum wages are today what many craftsmen made for
their work a few years ago, yet workers still are discontent and want more. My friends, we need
to understand neither money, jobs, nor recreation will provide a solution to the internal
discontentment felt by many today, because these do not provide peace of mind. Also, alcohol
and drug abuse are on a steady incline. More and more are turning to the bottle or the needle or
the prescription drug to help them through each day. Many people cannot face the day without
some sort of chemical, altering them so they can cope. All alcohol or drugs do, is deaden our
senses, they do not give anyone peace of mind. However, there is an alternative to a drug
induced high, my friends, you can have a contentment of mind the world cannot understand. As
you know, hardly a day goes by that we do not hear of someone committing suicide, because
pressures were more then they could bear. Recently, the nation watched as a distraught young
woman tried to end her life in Seattle while disgruntled motorists screamed for her to jump to her
death. Frankly, I’m not sure who - in that situation - were the most melancholy, the woman or
the idiots who told her to jump. There is more psychological counseling being done today than in
the history of civilization. Preachers have stopped preaching in favor of becoming counselors.
Churches have become religious shelters providing some sort of relief for all the unhappiness
and discontentment in society. Families are turning out unhappy and frustrated children by the
boxcar loads. And I would not be surprised to learn that you have spent many a restless night
yourself, because of the things that were disturbing you. Ladies and gentlemen, I, no doubt,
could cite many more examples like these to illustrate that many do not have the precious
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promise of a peaceful mind, but I won’t. The peace of mind that surpasses human understanding
is not bottled, and you cannot buy it in the neighborhood tavern or package liquor store. And, it
isn’t produced by a pharmaceutical company. Therefore, it is not an elixir that one takes three
times a day. Neither is it found in living an undisciplined life. A life lived without control is a
life out of control. If you are searching for happiness in what you do, each day means that you
will have to do more and more. Each week you will be forced to engage in more bizarre
activities in order to find the fulfillment you are craving. This will result in a wasted life, with
dreams unrealized, and total regret. You, like Lot, the biblical character of old, will examine
your life and be vexed, because you never experienced the peace you sought. My friends, this
peace of mind is found only in Christ Jesus. Jesus said in Jn. 14:27, peace I leave with you, my
peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled,
neither let it be afraid. You can only find true peace of mind in true Christianity. This is not
some emotionally driven, nominal - going to church kind of religion. As a matter of fact there are
as many frustrated and unhappy church goers as there are non-church goers. This may be
because many have just enough religion to make them miserable instead of making them happy.
My friends, you can have this peace of mind I know you desire, by applying the teaching of
Christ. By living as God prescribes that you live in his word. By being a genuine, sincerely
devoted and committed child of God. This peace that surpasses human understanding is not an
emotional experience achieved by hearing sermons designed to give us emotional stability. This
peace is not attainable by sitting in groups giving and hearing testimonies crediting God with
filling their hearts with peace and gladness. Evidence of this peace of mind is not antidotal. That
is, we do not receive this peace of mind by offering as proofs feelings we might have or moods
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we might attain. Instead, the peace of mind that surpasses all human comprehension comes only
after we conform our lives to the teaching of scripture. In our study this morning, I will show
you from the bible how this peace of mind is realized, but first it’s necessary for us to consider
what there is that robs us of our peace of mind. I believe we can safely catagorize four things
that snatch away our peace of mind.
I. The first is just plain, old-fashioned guilt. That is, many people live daily with an
overwhelming sense or feeling of guilt. There are countless thousands of people who have
feelings of guilt that seems to convict them of some great wrongdoing. A feeling that they cannot
understand. Often they seek solutions from those who, themselves, do not understand these
feelings of guilt. Many seek out counselors to help them cope with these feeling of guilt and
these counselors advise them to just begin thinking positively and feeling good about
themselves. But, let me ask you, do you know why people feel guilty? It is because people are
guilty. All people, including you and me, are guilty of sin before God. Paul expresses it this way
in Rom. 3:10. As it is written: There is none righteous, no, not one. Then later in the same
chapter he writes in Rom. 3:23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Don’t you
see, my friends, those feelings of guilt are real, because we are guilty of sin? And, so long as we
are burdened with the guilt of our sin, we will never find peace of mind. You can never find
peace of mind while trying to suppress or hide or deny this guilt. Isaiah wrote in Isa. 48:22 there
is no peace, says the Lord, for the wicked. Ladies and gentlemen, let me tell you candidly that
these humanistic, atheistic or even the so-called Christian counselors, who are steeped in the
Freudian concept of solving human emotional problems do not understand that you do not get rid
of the feelings of guilt by suppressing them or denying them or by blaming others for them.
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When we repress these feelings, they are still there. When we shift the blame to our parents, or a
husband, or a wife or to some other person, this doesn’t bring about peace of mind. To the
contrary, such action often rips us apart emotionally. David said, when he was dealing with sin
in his life, in Psa. 32:3 when I kept silent, my bones grew old through my groaning all the day
long. My friends, let’s be perfectly honest, there are many professing Christians who have no
peace of mind; they are unhappy, frustrated and emotional wrecks, because they have kept back
a corner of their life to serve some sin, or some habit, and they have not completely surrendered
their entire life to Christ. They bear the burden of hypocrisy, and they find no peace. These
unhappy believers blame everyone and everything for their despondency. Yet, the reason they
have no peace of mind is because they are not living their lives according to the bible. They bear
the burden of guilt. The guilt of hypocrisy! Also, like guilt, fear robs us of our peace of mind.
We live during a time when we are overwhelmed with fear. The fear mongers have succeeded in
scaring us to death about any number of things. Adults and children alike fear damaging the
environment, or destroying the ozone. We are afraid that we will deplete the world of its natural
sources of energy. Despite being the world’s only remaining so-called superpower, many men
and women fear nuclear energy and war. We fear growing old, and many are afraid of financial
ruin, we are afraid that Social Security will run out. Many people stumble through life afraid of,
heights, enclosures, germs, the dark, and the unknown. I suppose next to love, fear just might be
the strongest of all human emotions. From a child’s fear of falling to the elderly’s fear of
rejection, boys and girls and men and women live lives of dread and fear. There is so much to
fear that we have given it a clinical name. It’s now called a phobia, but it is fear just the same.
Today people are medicated out of their phobias, and they are sedated out of their panic attacks.
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Yet, somewhere in our minds we are still afraid. All the medications and the therapies we receive
fail to bring about true and lasting peace. Many still fear developing a terminal illness, lingering
helpless for years and then dying in pain. The bible says that this fear of death is an enslavement
that robs us of our peace of mind. There are those according to Heb. 2:15 who through fear of
death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. And in addition to guilt and fear, another thief
invading our mind, and robbing us of peace is doubt. Doubt or dubiousness or skepticism is the
hallmark of an unhappy and troubled man or woman. An uncertain or doubtful person has no
internal stability. James says in Jas. 1:8 that a double minded man, unstable in all his ways.
Ladies and gentlemen, those living in the fog of doubt cannot enjoy peace of mind. In a crisis
they have nothing on which they may fasten themselves. They panic, and throw up their hands,
their heart races. They fall apart in an emergency Whenever they are called upon to made
decisions, a doubtful person becomes hysterical. These type people are uncertain about the
future, and consequently they are unable to formulate any worthwhile goals. They simply drift
through life blowing with every changing wind. In religious matters, the doubtful man or woman
lives an unhappy life. These are the people who constantly doubt they are saved, they doubt that
they can ever understand the bible, they doubt that they can do anything productive for the Lord.
They doubt that Christ will truly be there for them. They doubt the sincerity of other believers.
My friends, indecision will rob anyone of peace of mind. But, let’s add to guilt, fear and doubt -
worry as something robbing us of our peace of mind. Worry just might be the greatest reason
people do not enjoy peace of mind. Just consider what anxiety does. Doctors know that worry
literally destroys one’s health. There is truth to the statement about someone “worrying himself
to death.” Hypertension, among many other health problems, can be linked to anxiety and stress.
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In addition to high blood pressure worry destroys one’s disposition. If you are a worrier, then it
makes you miserable to be around. Worry, not only makes you unhappy, but anyone around you
becomes unhappy as well. Furthermore, worry is a direct violation of the word of God. Paul
writes in Phil. 4:6 that Christians are to be anxious for nothing. Therefore, my friends, like it or
not, worry is a sin. But, also, did you realize that it is absolutely pointless to worry? That is, it
does one no good at all to worry. Worry accomplishes absolutely nothing. What is it that most
people spend their time worrying about? I guess you could divide most people’s worry into one
of four groupings. One, many people spend time worrying about the future. That is, what the
future holds for them, let’s say, in the area of health or finances or some such thing. Yet, Jesus
said in Matt. 6:34 therefore do not worry about tomorrow. Then, two, others worry about the
past. That is, they worry about things already done, and that cannot be undone. “Oh, if only . . .”
has become the mantra sung by many anxiety laden man or woman, as he or she frets over the
past. My friends, we should consider the words of Paul here. He writes in Phil. 3:13 but one
thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things
which are ahead. Truthfully, yesterday’s gone and we can’t recall it. But, then there are those
who spend their time worrying about the present. And, frankly, my friends, worrying about the
present does as much good as worrying about the past. Now, ask yourself, what problem, or what
crisis, or what need has worry helped to supply? The answer is none! This is precisely why Jesus
said in Matt. 6:31 therefore do not worry, saying, what shall we eat? or what shall we drink?
or what shall we wear? Also, let’s not leave out money. Many people [believers and nonbelievers
alike] worry about money. Not because they lack the essentials of life, but because they
are not sure how they can make the payments on the two new cars, or the wide screen TV, or the
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$16,000 charge card’s debt covering the vacation to Europe. The lives of many people seem to
consist of “buy now, worry later.” But, worry will not solve one problem, and it will not pay one
bill. If you doubt this, just take all your bills, lay them on the kitchen table, get your husband or
wife, and all the kids, invite the neighbors. Then all gather around the table, and spend the night
holding hands, crying and worrying about those bills. Do this all night, and then when the day
dawns, see how many of those bills were paid as a result of your worrying. All that will happen
is that you will be robbed of your peace of mind, and a night’s sleep.
II. Now, let’s ask: What is the solution? How can we have the peace of God that surpasses
human comprehension? How might we secure the promise of Christ in Jn. 14:27 that says peace
I leave with you, my peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you? Now, if you
have been listening this morning then you know I already stated that the solution is a genuine,
unadulterated application of Christianity in your life. If you want to have peace of mind, then
you must employ a sincere obedient faith in God. And, then you must develop a fervent
prayer life. Finally, you must begin to work diligently for the Lord. You do these, then you
will find that you have secured the peace of mind that God has promised in his word. Let me say
this again. Peace of mind is not the result of soul-stirring “lift me to the mountain top”
motivational preaching. And, peace of mind does not come wrapped in a bottle or a package.
Peace of mind does not come after paying $300 per hour to lie on a therapist’s couch. The peace
of mind the bible talks about comes only by living the life God intends for the Christian to live.
A life of obedient faith in, persistent prayer to and diligent work for the Lord. Now, let’s first
give our attention to faith. The bible says in Rom. 5:1 therefore, having been justified by faith,
we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. When we are justified by faith, we
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have peace with God, the bible tells us. But this is not an inactive faith. That is, justification and
peace do not come from faith alone. The faith that saves and brings peace of mind is an obedient
faith. The book of Romans is a book of faith, but the first time faith is mentioned in the book it is
in connection with obedience. Rom. 1:5 says, through whom we have received grace and
apostleship for obedience to the faith among all nations for his name. My friends, faith that
will not move one to obey the gospel is no faith at all. James wrote in Jas. 2:17 thus also faith
by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. That is, if one claims to have faith in Christ, but he
or she has not obeyed him, then that person does not even believe what he or she claims to
believe. That faith is dead! And dead faith will not bring anyone peace of mind. For example,
Saul of Tarsus was a most miserable man after he encountered the Lord on the road to
Damascus. After being afflicted with blindness he was led into the city where he neither ate nor
drank for three days. Then when the preacher, Ananias, said to him in Acts 22:16 and now why
are you waiting? Arise and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the
Lord. He received forgiveness and peace from God. And, ladies and gentlemen, this is true of all
who turn to Christ with an obedient faith. When we have our sins washed away, God pardons us
of all our sins. He promises in Heb. 8:12 for I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and
their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more. And as Jesus said in, Matt. 11:28
come to me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Remember, my
friends, faith, an obedient not a dead faith, will wipe out those things robbing us of our peace of
mind. Those feelings of guilt will be removed, because we are no longer guilty. Our sin, the
reason for our guilt, has been forgiven. John writes in 1 Jn. 1:9 if we confess our sins, he is
faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. My friends,
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the only way to unburden yourself of the feeling of guilt is to be pardoned by God, this is
possible only through obedient faith. Anything less will not give you this peace. Also, faith
wipes out fear. Heb. 13:5 says, let your conduct be without covetousness, and be content with
such things as you have. For he himself has said, I will never leave you nor forsake you. As
obedient, faithful, Christians we have the promise and the assurance that Christ is always there to
help us. He is our port in the time of storm, and he is our shelter when all about us is in turmoil
No matter what we face we have the certainty that Jesus will see us through it. Jesus will,
according to Heb. 2:15, release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject
to bondage. Whenever we come to the end of this brief life on this earth, and it’s time to move
into eternity, we have nothing to fear, our faith will see us through whatever lies ahead. The
bible promises in Psa. 23:4 yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will
fear no evil; for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. But, also, ladies
and gentlemen, faith will wipe away the doubt that spoils our peace of mind. Faith will enable us
to keep our mind upon the Lord who controls tomorrow, and whatever tomorrow may bring.
When Peter asked to come to the Lord, walking upon the water, all was well until he became
double minded and took his eye off Christ. Beginning to sink he became afraid and he cried out
for Jesus to save him. Matt. 14:31 says, and immediately Jesus stretched out his hand and
caught him, and said to him, O you of little faith, why did you doubt? When your faith anchors
you in Christ, then you have no room for doubt. Along with the apostle Paul in 2 Tim. 1:12 you
can say, I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that he is able
to keep what I have committed to him until that day. Because of your obedient faith, your life
now has direction, you know who you are, a Christian, and why you are here, to serve God, and
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you know where you are going, to heaven. You will no longer be tossed about, not knowing
what the future holds. You will have the peace that passes all understanding, because you know
him, and serve him who knows what the future holds. Also, an obedient faith in Christ will wipe
away all worry. Jesus makes it plain that when we spend time worrying about anything it is
because we lack faith. He said in Matt. 6:30 now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which
today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of
little faith? If we could just trust in the Lord, and surrender ourselves endlessly then we would
see the cobwebs of unhappiness and discontentments vanish. Worry and faith cannot occupy the
same mind. Also, my friends, we must add to our faith a persistent prayer life. Paul said in
Phil. 4:6 be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with
thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. Turn things over to the Lord. Whatever
is troubling to you pray about them. If it’s not worth praying about then it’s not worth worrying
about. And if we pray about it, then we need not worry about it. You will be surprised how
prayer brings about the peace that surpasses human understanding. And, finally, if you want to
know this peace of mind, get up and begin to work for the Lord. Paul said to the Corinthians in
1 Cor. 5:58 therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the
work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord. I believe that you will
find those who are the most miserable are those who are the most inactive in the cause of God.
The happiest people are the busiest people. Decide that you are going to be active in the work of
God, and when you do, then you will not have time to be unhappy.
CONCLUSION:
A. Ladies and gentlemen, peace of mind can only be found in Christ Jesus. I trust that you have
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this peace, but if not I encourage you to surrender your life to the Lord. Obey him in baptism
today and serve him faithfully as his word directs each of us to do. And, if I, or the Danville
church of Christ, can be of any help to you, please let us know.
B. With this I must close for today. I trust that you will prayerfully consider these matters
involving the promise of Christ pertaining to the believer’s peace of mind. Now, be sure to stay
tuned for some important closing announcements. Also, please join us next Sunday morning at
7:00 as we once again Search the Scriptures. Until then, for the Danville church of Christ,
this is J.R. Bronger saying goodbye for now.