Isaiah 32:17 And the work of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance for ever.
Oh my friends, it seems as though the Most High God Jehovah is pining for peace amongst His people, for I’ve been directed again today, to talk about that elusive, contrary and contentious subject. But it’s only that way because we make it so: It’s elusive cause we either don’t know where to find it, or if and when we do happen to find it, we don’t know how to keep it, and so it slips right out of our slippery grasps. And it’s contrary and contentious because we can’t agree on what it is or how to put it into practice, though everybody is busy talking about it and trying to find it. Consequently, it eludes us completely. However Friends, today’s your lucky day, (smile) for I’m here to tell you how to achieve peace. Yesterday we acknowledged that it had to come from the Lord. So the first thing is to admit the Lord into our lives, since He’s the only one with the ability to confer or ensure peace. But how do we go about getting it conferred on us? Well Isaiah tells us right there my brethren. ‘And the work of righteousness shall be peace;’ Here, he’s talking about the coming reign of the righteous king, Jesus. So Friends, after we get hooked up with God, we have to start living right; doing the things He wants us to do, then and only then will we find that elusive subject, peace, creeping into our lives. And as we mature and get better at obeying His commands, our lives will become even more peaceful and amenable. As Isaiah contends; ‘the effect of righteousness is quietness and assurance for ever.’ Wow! But that’s not all; listen to the next verse. ‘And my people shall dwell in a peaceable habitation, and in sure dwellings, and in quiet resting places.’ (Is.32:18) Yes my people, that’s what awaits us when we act righteously! And Bruh David agrees completely: ‘Great peace have they which LOVE thy law: and nothing shall offend them.’ (Ps.119:165) That’s for certain sure! When we walk with the Word in our hearts, we’re always at peace, and nothing causes us to stumble. Wise, ole Sol, gives that same advice: ‘My son, forget not my law; but let thine heart keep my commandments. For length of days, and long life, and peace, shall they add to thee.’ (Prov.3:1-2) So judging by what we’ve just said Friends, it seems obvious that peace is eluding us, as individuals, societies and nations because we’re not living righteously, not obeying the laws of the Most High God. And since we’ve agreed that’s the only way to achieve it, if we truly want to find peace, then we have to start being righteous and obedient. But yuh know what? I’ve discovered that lots of us only talk peace, but don’t really want it, because we only feel fulfilled when we’re busy, on the run, creating problems and stirring up trouble. A peaceful, quiet life of righteousness, for whatever reason, just doesn’t appeal to many of us. And I’m really sorry for those of us who think they always have to be running around aimlessly, like headless chickens. Oh my people, it’s so important that we have both individual peace of mind and peace, as opposed to war and strife. And the only, only, only way to get that, I can’t stress it enough, is by turning to the Lord and obeying His dictates; trusting Him and living right with each other. Some more testimony from great men of faith might just help drive the message home. Isaiah rightly declares; ‘Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.’ (Is.26:3) And yuh know Bruh Paul must have a say on the subject. (smile) Like he has one on every topic. ‘Let not then your good be evil spoken of. For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.’ (Rom.14:16-17) Trust Bruh Paul to tell it like it is! And Jeremiah solemnly declared: ‘We looked for peace, but no good came; and for a time of health, and behold trouble.’ (Jer.8:15) Why? ‘For the Lord our God hath put us to silence, and given us the water of gall to drink, because we have sinned against the lord.’ (Jer.8:14) Ezekiel also remonstrated with his people. ‘Destruction cometh; and they shall seek peace, and there shall be none.’ (Eze.7:25) Why? ‘Make a chain: for the land is full of bloody crimes, and the city is full of violence.’ (Eze.7:23) Oh Friends, we now have it from both sides. Peace is only available when we’re in tune with God; when we’re willing to go the extra mile to do right. I’ll close with two passages that say much about peace. ‘Nebuchadnezzar the king, unto all the people, nations, and languages that dwell in all the earth; Peace be multiplied unto you.’ (Dan.4:1) Oh Friends, a pagan king is rightly calling for peace all over the world! And then there’s James’ statement: ‘And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace.’ (James 3:18) Oh my people, it doesn’t just come naturally, we have to consciously make it happen and continue working at it, which we can only do by living right with our God and each other. If we’d been doing this all along, our world would not be in such a terrible state of violence, poverty and strife now. It’s not too late though to turn it around. So let’s all reach out our hands and hearts to our most merciful and forgiving God. Let’s repent and start living right. It’s so much nicer, and it’s the only road to peace. Much LOVE!...peace is not the destination…peace is the pathway itself…
Oh my friends, it seems as though the Most High God Jehovah is pining for peace amongst His people, for I’ve been directed again today, to talk about that elusive, contrary and contentious subject. But it’s only that way because we make it so: It’s elusive cause we either don’t know where to find it, or if and when we do happen to find it, we don’t know how to keep it, and so it slips right out of our slippery grasps. And it’s contrary and contentious because we can’t agree on what it is or how to put it into practice, though everybody is busy talking about it and trying to find it. Consequently, it eludes us completely. However Friends, today’s your lucky day, (smile) for I’m here to tell you how to achieve peace. Yesterday we acknowledged that it had to come from the Lord. So the first thing is to admit the Lord into our lives, since He’s the only one with the ability to confer or ensure peace. But how do we go about getting it conferred on us? Well Isaiah tells us right there my brethren. ‘And the work of righteousness shall be peace;’ Here, he’s talking about the coming reign of the righteous king, Jesus. So Friends, after we get hooked up with God, we have to start living right; doing the things He wants us to do, then and only then will we find that elusive subject, peace, creeping into our lives. And as we mature and get better at obeying His commands, our lives will become even more peaceful and amenable. As Isaiah contends; ‘the effect of righteousness is quietness and assurance for ever.’ Wow! But that’s not all; listen to the next verse. ‘And my people shall dwell in a peaceable habitation, and in sure dwellings, and in quiet resting places.’ (Is.32:18) Yes my people, that’s what awaits us when we act righteously! And Bruh David agrees completely: ‘Great peace have they which LOVE thy law: and nothing shall offend them.’ (Ps.119:165) That’s for certain sure! When we walk with the Word in our hearts, we’re always at peace, and nothing causes us to stumble. Wise, ole Sol, gives that same advice: ‘My son, forget not my law; but let thine heart keep my commandments. For length of days, and long life, and peace, shall they add to thee.’ (Prov.3:1-2) So judging by what we’ve just said Friends, it seems obvious that peace is eluding us, as individuals, societies and nations because we’re not living righteously, not obeying the laws of the Most High God. And since we’ve agreed that’s the only way to achieve it, if we truly want to find peace, then we have to start being righteous and obedient. But yuh know what? I’ve discovered that lots of us only talk peace, but don’t really want it, because we only feel fulfilled when we’re busy, on the run, creating problems and stirring up trouble. A peaceful, quiet life of righteousness, for whatever reason, just doesn’t appeal to many of us. And I’m really sorry for those of us who think they always have to be running around aimlessly, like headless chickens. Oh my people, it’s so important that we have both individual peace of mind and peace, as opposed to war and strife. And the only, only, only way to get that, I can’t stress it enough, is by turning to the Lord and obeying His dictates; trusting Him and living right with each other. Some more testimony from great men of faith might just help drive the message home. Isaiah rightly declares; ‘Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.’ (Is.26:3) And yuh know Bruh Paul must have a say on the subject. (smile) Like he has one on every topic. ‘Let not then your good be evil spoken of. For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.’ (Rom.14:16-17) Trust Bruh Paul to tell it like it is! And Jeremiah solemnly declared: ‘We looked for peace, but no good came; and for a time of health, and behold trouble.’ (Jer.8:15) Why? ‘For the Lord our God hath put us to silence, and given us the water of gall to drink, because we have sinned against the lord.’ (Jer.8:14) Ezekiel also remonstrated with his people. ‘Destruction cometh; and they shall seek peace, and there shall be none.’ (Eze.7:25) Why? ‘Make a chain: for the land is full of bloody crimes, and the city is full of violence.’ (Eze.7:23) Oh Friends, we now have it from both sides. Peace is only available when we’re in tune with God; when we’re willing to go the extra mile to do right. I’ll close with two passages that say much about peace. ‘Nebuchadnezzar the king, unto all the people, nations, and languages that dwell in all the earth; Peace be multiplied unto you.’ (Dan.4:1) Oh Friends, a pagan king is rightly calling for peace all over the world! And then there’s James’ statement: ‘And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace.’ (James 3:18) Oh my people, it doesn’t just come naturally, we have to consciously make it happen and continue working at it, which we can only do by living right with our God and each other. If we’d been doing this all along, our world would not be in such a terrible state of violence, poverty and strife now. It’s not too late though to turn it around. So let’s all reach out our hands and hearts to our most merciful and forgiving God. Let’s repent and start living right. It’s so much nicer, and it’s the only road to peace. Much LOVE!...peace is not the destination…peace is the pathway itself…
SCRIP-BITS 