“I Rest Beneath the Almighty’s shade, My griefs expire, My troubles cease; The Lord, on Whom My Soul is Stayed, Will keep me still in Perfect Peace.” Charles Wesley.

In John 16, Jesus is preparing the disciples for what’s to come. “I’m going to be leaving, you won’t see me for a while, but you will see me again!  You are going to weep, morn and grieve…when I leave. But when I return you will be FILLED with GREAT JOY!!! NO ONE will be able to ROB YOU of this GREAT JOY.” This is likened to a “PREGNANCY” which is painful just before the birth.

A life apart from Christ is a life apart from peace

John 16:33 (NLT): “I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows (tribulations). But take heart, because I have overcome the world.”  A Tribulum is a wooden threshing sledge. When a farmer gathers the harvest and separates the grain from the straw, he crushes or grinds it. Isaiah 21 likened “The Troubles of Being Apart From God” as being on the threshing floor. An experienced farmer knows how to separate the harvest (Isaiah 28).

Troubles are Not the Absence of Peace

Being Troubled Is the Absence of Peace!

No God, No Peace. Romans 8:6 (NLT): “So letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace.” 

Someone once said that “Peace brings with it so many positive emotions that it is worth aiming for in all circumstances.” 1 Corinthians 14:33 (NLT): “For God is not a God of disorder but of peace.” 

The peace of God is only for those who have made peace with God

Know God, Know Peace. Job 22:21 (NLT): “Submit to God, and you will have peace; then things will go well for you.” In God, In Perfect Peace. Isaiah 26:3 (NLT): “You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you!”

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Rev. Bryan A. Tomes 

Crossroads Community Church 

www.crossroadsconnects.com