And my message tonight is going
to take the form of a lecture. I want you, if you will, if you
have a pencil and paper, I'm going to move methodically and
slowly through the message in speaking to you on this subject.
The things that promote peace. The things that promote peace.
And I'd like to read two passages of Scripture, the first of which
is found in Psalm 133. Psalm 133. The Psalm of David. And the sweet
psalmist of Israel writes, under the inspiration of God's Holy
Spirit, Behold, how good, how good, and how pleasant it is
for brethren to dwell together, even together, in unity. It's like the precious ointment
upon the head that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron's beard
that went down to the skirts of his garments, as the dew of
Hermon And as the dew that descended upon the mountains of Zion, for
there the Lord commanded the blessing, even life forevermore. Now if you'll turn with me to
the book of Romans, the fourteenth chapter. The fourteenth chapter
of Romans, verse nineteen. Paul is our writer here, same
Holy Spirit. is inspiring him also to write
these words, Romans 14, 19. Let us, therefore, follow after
the things which promote or make for peace, and things wherewith
one may edify another. Let us, therefore, follow after
the things which promote peace. Now next to knowing the Redeemer,
Paul said, O that I may know Him. That's the supreme goal
and objective of every believer, to know Christ. There's no greater
blessing next to knowing Christ. There's no greater blessing than
to have peace, the peace of God, both in us and about us, to walk
and to live in peace. And I'm thinking of three critical
areas tonight where this peace is most important. The first
of which, of course, is the heart. There's no way for me to have
peace with you if I'm not at peace with God. Peace in the
heart. Secondly, peace in the home. That's the second area we're
going to deal with. And then thirdly, peace in the
church, in the assembly. Now, true peace, this is the
introduction, point number one under the introduction. True
peace in the heart, peace in my heart. I'm not talking about
particularly peace with myself. I'm talking about peace with
God. True peace in the heart comes through saving faith in
the Lord Jesus Christ. Paul said in Romans 5.1, therefore,
being justified by faith, we have, we have, this is a present
possession, just like brethren, now are you sons of God, we have
peace with God. The war with heaven is over.
Christ has died. Chapter 8 of Romans, the whole
8th chapter of Romans is a chapter of assurance, a chapter of confidence,
a chapter of comfort. And why not rest? There is therefore
now no condemnation to them there in Christ. What shall we say
to these things? If God be for us, who can be
against us? Who can lay anything to the charge
of God's elect? It is God that justifies. Who
is he that condemneth? It is Christ that dies. Yea,
rather, is risen again. who is even at the right hand
of God, who also maketh intercession for us, who can separate us from
the love of God. That's peace. That's peace. Turn to Colossians chapter 1.
In the first chapter of Colossians, beginning with verse 19, listen
to these words. Colossians 1, 19. For it pleased
the Father that in Christ should all fullness dwell, and having
made peace, having made peace through the blood of His cross
by Him to reconcile all things unto Himself. By Him, I say,
whether they be things in heaven or things in the earth, and you
that were at one time alienated and enemies in your mind by your
wicked work, yet now hath He reconciled." So we have peace
in our hearts. the peace that passeth understanding. Secondly, peace in the home. Peace in the home. I'm talking
about between the husband and wife, between parents and children,
and children and parents, or guests in the home. Anyone who
lives in a particular family or home situation, peace in the
home. like peace in the heart flows
from the same principle, the same principle. Believers, God's
children living together under the same root as children of
God in Christ Jesus ought to enjoy peace, tranquility and
harmony. It's exactly right. Just as I
have peace in my heart with God, I'm not quarreling with God.
Why should I quarrel with you? I'm not in an argument with God.
The war is over. Christ is the Prince of Peace
and he has brought peace. I have no quarrel with God. Now
God has no quarrel with me. Why should God quarrel with himself?
Why should those in whom the Spirit of God live, if they both
have the Spirit of God, why should they be divided? God's not divided.
So peace in the home flows from the same principle. And where
there's no peace in the home between a husband and wife who
both claim to be believers, one of them is unsafe. Is that too
hard? But it's so. The Spirit of God
will not quarrel with the Spirit of God. God is not divided. And where the Spirit of God dwells,
there's not only liberty, but there's peace. He's the Prince
of Peace. And when the Prince of Peace
comes and dwells within us, He'll promote peace. Redemption. Redemption
is not a mental agreement with Bible truth. That's not redemption. Redemption is not just moral
behavior corrected, but redemption is inward grace that produces
outward graciousness. That's the truth. I want to show
you a scripture. This is one of the most powerful
scriptures. I only read a part of it a while ago in Romans 14.
I'm coming back and read the rest of it now. Romans chapter
14, beginning with verse 17. Romans
14, 17. Now listen. For the kingdom of
God, the very kingdom of God, the kingdom over which He is
Lord of lords and King of kings, is not meat and drink, ceremony
and ritual. The kingdom of God is righteousness
and what? And peace. And what? Joy in the
Holy Ghost. That's the kingdom of God. My
kingdom, he said, is not of this world. My kingdom is a kingdom
of righteousness, a kingdom of peace, and a kingdom of joy.
That's my kingdom. And that thing called redemption
is not just coming down to the church and believing the doctrines
of grace, and going home and fighting over financial difficulties. This thing of redemption is not
going down to the church and saying, I believe Jesus died,
was buried and rose again, and then coming home and battling
over every little insignificant detail of daily living. Regeneration
and redemption is a real act of God, a work of God, and a
creation of grace in the heart that produces graciousness in
the life, and peace, and joy, and tranquility. And that does,
and it will. And then thirdly, peace in the
Church, I'm talking about true peace, true peace in the Church
can only be enjoyed, it flows from the same principle. It can
only be enjoyed in a church which preaches the gospel of Christ,
who is the Prince of Peace. That's the only church. You say,
well, churches have no peace. They don't preach Christ. They
never will have any peace. They never will have any peace.
You say, every church is divided. Always will be. The only church
that can enjoy peace is the church where the Prince of Peace is
honored. where the Prince of Peace is the head, where the
Prince of Peace has the priority, where the Prince of Peace has
the preeminence. That's right, Bill, there can
be no peace. You just forget it. The only church in which
true peace can be enjoyed is that church which preaches the
gospel of Christ, loves the gospel of Christ, and where the pastor
and the people have enjoyed and experienced the gospel of Christ. Nearly every epistle begins this
way. Just go back to the book of Romans
and watch how Paul begins nearly every one of his epistles. In
Romans chapter 1, it says this. In Romans, let's go to 1 Corinthians
chapter 1. 1 Corinthians chapter 1 says,
verse 3, Grace be unto you and peace from God our Father and
from the Lord Jesus Christ. I think 2 Corinthians begins
the same way. 2 Corinthians 2, grace be unto
you and peace. Who's the source of peace? God
our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. And then I'm sure in
Galatians, he begins Galatians with the same statement. In Galatians chapter 1, there
it is in verse 3. Grace be to you and peace from
God the Father and from our Lord Jesus Christ. What I'm saying
is this. Peace in the church. can only
be enjoyed where the Prince of Peace reigns, where He reigns
in all of His redemptive glory, where He reigns in all of His
redemptive ways recognized and honored. God says, I'll honor
those who honor myself. Now, did anybody find the scripture
that I blew? All right, it's there, though,
nevertheless. It's in I or II Timothy, and the verses are 13
and 14, I feel sure. We'll just find it later. We'll
find it later. Let's go on to this. Here's the,
under the introduction, the second general head. This peace in the
heart and the home and the church, this peace I'm talking about,
is not merely an outward show of friendliness. Now, don't misunderstand. This peace in the home and peace
in the church and peace in the heart It's just not an outward
show of friendliness. There are a lot of friendly people
in the world. There are a lot of friendly atheists. There are
a lot of friendly pagans. There are a lot of friendly heathens.
You can go down to the Yucatan in Mexico and there are friendly
people. They may never have heard the gospel, but they can show
friendliness. And this peace is not just an outward show of
benevolence. There are unsaved unbelievers
who are benevolent. The Pharisees stood in the temple
and said, I give alms to feed the poor. So I'm not talking
about just benevolence. You say, I'm good to my family.
That doesn't mean you're at peace with God. Because even unsaved
people are benevolent. And then it's not just courtesy.
Not just courtesy. This true inward peace, now watch,
number one, here's three things under this second heading. This
true inward peace is an inward rest and a quietness of spirit. It's a rest and a quietness of
spirit which draws its strength and stability from a union with
Christ. That's where it gets it. Where
does this man get his peace and rest and quietness of spirit
in the face of many difficulties Where does he get it? From Christ.
Paul said, I'm crucified with Christ, in Galatians 2.20, nevertheless
I live. Yet not I. It's not I that live
it, it's Christ that lives in me. And so this peace I'm talking
about in the heart, and this peace that manifests itself between
believers in a home and among people in a church, is a true
inward rest. of ceasing from our labors and
coming to just sit down in Christ. Just to lie down upon His lap
and put our head like John upon His breast and rest. Quietness. And it draws its strength and
stability from that living union with Him. Let me read you a verse
over here in John 14, verse 29. John 14, verse 29. Now listen
to this. And now I have told you before
it come to pass. I've told you before it come
to pass. Let's go back to verse 27. Peace I leave with you. My
peace I give unto you. Whose peace? My peace. Not as
the world giveth give I unto you. The world can't give any
lasting peace. Let not your heart be troubled,
neither let it be afraid. You've heard how I said I'd go
away and come again unto you. If you loved me, you would rejoice,
because I said, I'll go to my Father, and my Father is greater
than I. And now I've told you before it come to pass, that
when it comes to pass, you might believe. I've prepared you for
these things. I've prepared you for these things.
Now when they come to pass, don't be surprised. Find your rest
and strength in Christ. Whatever it is that comes to
pass. Whatever it is that comes your way, I told you I'll give
you peace. I'll never leave you. I'll never
forsake you. And when this comes to pass, you remember I told
you that it would. And you can find in me your strength
and stability. John Newton wrote it this way.
I'm talking about that union with Christ which supplies us
with the strength and the comfort and the stability to give us
a rest and a peace. Listen, His name yields the richest
perfume, and sweeter than music, His voice, His presence disperses
my gloom, and makes all within me rejoice. I should, were He
always thus nigh, have nothing to wish or to fear. Have nothing to wish, because
He supplies every need, nor to fear, because he'll hedge me
about and protect me from every enemy. I have nothing to wish
or to fear. No mortal so happy as I, my summers would last all
the year." What is this peace, secondly? It is a true peace
that does not depend on circumstances or environment. It does not depend. on the outward things of the
world and the flesh, but this peace depends solely on the promises
and providences of the Lord. Do you follow what I'm saying? This true peace, I'll give it
to you again, it does not depend, it does not depend on environment
or circumstances. It just doesn't depend on those
things. Not this peace. It doesn't come from without,
it comes from within. He said, Out of your belly shall
flow rivers of living water. Out of your belly. And it doesn't
depend on the world, the outward things of the world in the flesh.
This peace depends solely on the promises and providences
of our Lord. He said over in Philippians 4,
listen to Paul, now this is important right here, Philippians chapter
4. Listen to Paul. Philippians 4 beginning with
verse 10. But he said, and he was in prison
when he wrote this, he said in verse 10, But I rejoiced in the
Lord greatly, that now at the last your care of me hath flourished
again, when you were also careful but you lacked opportunity before.
Now listen, not that I speak in respect of want, for I have
learned in whatsoever state I am to be content. I know, I know
both how to be obese, to do without, to be poor, to be in need, to
be hated, and I know how to abound. I know what it is to have every
need met and everybody speaking. Everywhere and in all things
I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound
and to suffer need, but I can do all things as long as things
go my way. I can do all things as long as
the environment is right and the circumstances are right.
I can do all things as long as the needs are met. I can do all
things through Christ who strengthens me. This peace and this rest,
it comes from within. It is first an inward rest and
an inward quietness which draws its strength and stability from
the living union with Christ. And it is a true peace. It does
not depend on environment and circumstances. It does not rest
upon outward things of the world and the flesh. It depends solely
on the promises of God and the good providence of the Lord.
Thirdly, now listen carefully, this peace is a true peace which promotes
peace in others. It does. If you have peace in
your heart, peace will be promoted where you are. where you are. Now, I've known people whose
very presence in a situation will stir it up. If you know
folks like that, their very presence just brings out the worst in
people, their personalities. They have a way of promoting
discord. They have a way by a look or a word or an attitude or a
spirit of stirring up strife. making the waters rough. Just
they're very present. When they walk in the room, they
just have a way of stirring things up, keeping things going, keeping
an argument, no trouble. I know preachers like that. They have a way of bringing out
the worst in people. But the Scripture says, blessed
are the peacemakers. That man who has a spirit of
peace and of joy and of rest, he's at peace with himself, And
usually he'll have a calming and peaceful effect on other
people. I've known preachers to get together
and just quarrel and argue over the least little thing. You know
why? They're men who are not at peace. They're not at peace. They're on the defensive. They
cause strife. They stir up strife, discord,
and trouble. I know deacon boards that almost
have their boxing gloves on when they open the door of the church
and walk in to a meeting. There are men who do not have
peace. And a man who has true peace
in his heart, he'll promote peace wherever he goes. He'll have
an effect of rest and quietness and calming people down if we're at peace with ourselves.
And generally, the quarreling and arguments that go on in different
places is because people are unhappy with themselves and dissatisfied
with themselves and not at peace with God, and therefore they
cause the strife and the discord. So let me briefly give you now,
in the third section of this message, nine ways to promote
peace. I'll give them briefly. Peace
in the home and peace in the church, assuming now that we
have peace with God. No man can be an ambassador of
peace who has not experienced the peace of Christ. And I'll
tell you nine ways to promote this peace, and I'll try to dwell
just a minute or two on each one. Number one, love one another. Love one another. Our Lord said
in John 13, 34, a new commandment I give unto you, that you love
one another, as I have loved you, as I have loved you. As long as we love Christ and
seek His glory, we cannot love each other too much. You cannot
love each other too much. I'm not worried about people
loving each other too much. It's the other thing that we
have a problem with. Well, if I say, you don't want to love
your wife too much, I'm not worried about that. If you love her as
you love yourself, huh, know what it says? Then you won't
love her too much. If we would promote peace, let
us be examples of love, striving to excel, striving to excel in
acts of kindness, sympathy, and affection. I ran upon this years
ago and I'm going to repeat it. Our churches today, I'm talking
about the general run of churches, are plagued with people who are
striving to be the best. They want to see who can preach
the best, or sing the best, or have the largest class, or attend
the most services without missing, or win the most converts, always
trying to be the best, or bring the most people to the service.
We're always having contests to excel in these areas, don't
we? Contests. You've been in those things.
Wouldn't it be wonderful if we'd strive to see who could love
the most? Let's have a contest and see who can love the most.
You think about that. Let's see who can forgive the
most, the most times. Let's see who can show the most
gracious spirit, the kindest attitude. That'd be a good contest,
wouldn't it? You want to promote peace? The
first way to do it, just flat out love each other. Secondly,
if you want to promote peace, Beware of a spirit of debate. A spirit of debate and argument. In 2 Timothy 2, let me show you
a scripture here. 2 Timothy 2, verse 23. Let's avoid a spirit. We don't
have it here. I've never detected it. Let's
don't have it. A spirit of debate and argument. It says in 2 Timothy 2, Verse
23, knowing the homeless don't have any home. But foolish, verse
23, and unlearned questions avoid, knowing that they do gender strive. Foolish questions, unlearned
questions. The servant of the Lord must not strive. We must
not seek to prove our points and always be right, but be gentle. Gentle unto all and apt to teach
and patient. in meekness of instructing those
that oppose themselves. I'm not in favor of peace at
any price. Now, believe me, I'm not in favor
of peace that compromises the truth of the gospel. But I'm
telling you this, most debates and arguments originate not from
a defense of the gospel at all. I don't believe so. I don't believe
most contention and most strife and most argument has anything
to do with the grand and glorious essential truths of the gospel.
Because I believe if they did, we'd get together. Or you had
to just turn to the Scripture. But I think most debates and
arguments originate in personal pride and vain glory. I really do. I believe that's
where most of it originates. I think most of the time when
we fall out with someone, whether it be a preacher or a church
member or a friend or a husband or a wife, it's not contending
for the faith. It's being contentious in the
faith. And it's born of personal pride and born of personal vainglory
and striving for personal recognition. I'll tell you this, you can win the argument and
lose a good friend. You surely can. You can win an
argument, I mean win it hands down, and lose a very good friend. Thirdly, to follow things that
promote peace. Thirdly, avoid a spirit of jealousy. A spirit of jealousy. The Song
of Solomon, chapter 8, verse 6, says this, Love is as strong
as death. Jealousy is as cruel and hard
as the grave. That's hard, isn't it? That's
dark, that's cruel. is as cruel and hard as the grave. Jealousy is not true love. Jealousy
is self-love. It's self-love. When we're jealous
of someone else, it's not true love, it's self-love. And jealousy
breeds suspicion. And it breeds doubt. And jealousy
drives away friends. It even drives away those of
whom we're jealous. Did you know that? If you have
a pet cat or a pet rabbit, you want him to scratch you, squeeze
him. Just hold him too tight and he'll kick the fire out of
you. And that's the same thing with people. When you become
possessive, when you become jealous and you stifle and suffocate
that person with your self-love, you'll drive them away from you.
That's exactly right. And I know homes that are so
divided over jealousy. Where'd you go? Who'd you talk
to? Where were you for lunch? Well, how come you're 15 minutes
late? And it breeds hate. It destroys happiness. Jealousy
destroys happiness and drives away true friends. Oh, I love
this person, but I can't stand their possessiveness. See what
I'm saying? Jealousy reveals this too. It reveals a dissatisfaction
with God's providence. A dissatisfaction with who I
am and where I am and what I am. Because everybody has his place.
I hear people saying, well, somebody took somebody's place. Ain't
nobody ever took somebody else's place. Never have. They have their own place. And
where we have trouble is assuming such a thing is so. I have four
children, five grandchildren. None of them could take the other's
place. I love each of them, each one. You follow what I'm saying?
And each has his distinctive place and personality and character
and his love as such. And there's no need for them
to be jealous of one another. Jealousy reveals an evil opinion
of other people and a high opinion of myself. And jealousy could
never be allowed in heaven. It could never be allowed in
heaven. You know why? Because there, all the glory
belongs to Christ. You're not going to have any
person. Your glory is going to be reflected
glory. It's going to be His glory. You're
going to bask in the sunshine of His glory. And if you can't
do that here, you won't be able to do it there. Jealousy could never be allowed
in heaven where the theme is, the first is last, and the last
is first. And jealousy can't cope with
that. Jealousy has to be first. And God's not going to let us.
And then fourthly, things that promote peace, beware of envy. Turn to 1 Corinthians 13. 1 Corinthians
13, verse 4. Listen to this. 1 Corinthians
13, verse 4. Love suffereth long, and is kind. Love envieth not. It envieth not. Now listen to
me. The members of a home and the members of a church and in
a place of business, each one has different gifts and talents.
Some are older, some are younger. Some are wiser, some are not
as wise. One is blessed materially more
than the other. In a church, a man has more grace
than another man. He has more authority than another
man. He has more possessions than
another man. He has more talent than another man. We're going
to have this all of our lives. And there's not to be envy in
the body of Christ. Back one page to 1 Corinthians
12, and listen to the scripture here. 1 Corinthians 12, verse
11. And he's talking about the gifts
that God gives to His children, to members of the church. Verse
11 of 1 Corinthians 12. But all these worketh that one
and selfsame Spirit, His message, His ministry, His task, dividing
to every man severally as He will. Look at verse 18. God, but now hath God set the
members, every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased
him. And I'll tell you, when I exhibit
a spirit of envy against one whom God hath gifted, God hath
blessed, and one in whose hand God has put authority, or whatever,
or possessions, or entrusted with great wealth, And I tell
you what I'm doing, I'm questioning God's providence. I'm really
sitting in judgment on God. Isn't that right? When I'm judging another, I'm
judging his father, because he made him what he is. And in the
fifth place, now watch this, things that promote peace, do
not meddle, do not meddle, M-E-D-D-L-E, meddle, in the domestic personal
and family affairs of other people. You want to promote peace? Don't
meddle. That goes for you parents who have married children. I've
got married children here tonight, two families of married children.
What they do in their homes and with their children, none of
my business. Absolutely none of my business. And when I take
it upon myself to do what you say, that's my daughter. That's
that man's wife, who that is. But that's my son. That's that
woman's husband, who that is. And when they got married, they
left home. It ain't none of your business
what they did. That's exactly right. That's their home. And
you'll never promote peace meddling in the affairs of other families.
Let me tell you this. I know different people have
different ways of handling their affairs. Different people have
different ways of spending their money. Not my business to tell
them how to spend their money. Different people have different
ways of raising their children. I raised mine. I didn't call
my father-in-law and mother-in-law and ask them what they thought
either. Nor did I call my mother and father. Nor did I call the
preacher. They raise their children like
they want to, and they run their homes like they want to, and
there's a grave temptation for us to be critical of how they
do it. and discuss how they do it among
ourselves, and that's not in our business. Now, you don't
promote peace by meddling in the domestic and personal and
family affairs of other people. Just leave them like they are.
Let them take care of their business. That's good advice now. That's
good advice. The best advice I can give you
is a home is a home is a home. And you don't put two of them
together. Somebody said there ain't no kitchen in the world
big enough for two women. It may be right in the same state. And it may be so. But that's
good advice now if you want peace in the home and tranquility and
rest. Don't meddle. And don't discuss
it now. Don't discuss it. I tell you,
all of us, if we have so many failures, we got no right to
try to tell everybody else how to take care of their home. and
their children. Isn't that right? We've made a mess of what God
entrusted us. I've known people who had two
or three divorces and tried to tell married people how to get
along. That's right. They got all the
answers. If they didn't have any of the
answers, they wouldn't be in the mess they're in. It's exactly right. We always want to counsel somebody
else. I'm tired of counseling. The best counsel in the world
I know is look to Christ. Lay hold upon Christ. Love Him.
Believe on Him. Rest in Him. Then in the sixth
place, guard, you say, you preaching down to us? No, sir, I'm down
there with you, I'm just standing here. Number six, guard against
a touchy temper. I want to read you one of the
cutest things I've ever got hold of. You know, this is not it
now, this I'm leading up to. Scripture says love is not easily
provoked. It's not easily provoked. And
I'll tell you, it's awful tiresome. I've known some blessed, sweet
women that had to do this. My mother had to do it all the
time. To promote peace, they have to walk around on eggshells,
keep from offending somebody. Don't upset your father. Don't
say anything to your father. It'll upset him. You have to
tiptoe around and be careful not to offend. You have to just
be careful how you speak to him or you'll make him mad. What
you say to him or you'll make him mad. You present to them,
you make them mad. Just touch it. Just like a hair
trigger on a shotgun, you know. Just touch it, pow, it goes off.
Ranting and raving, throwing things. But I'll tell you what
this fellow said one time. For every trifling thing to take
offense shows either great pride or very little sense. You like
that? That's good. for every little
trifling thing to take offense shows either great pride or very
little sense. I think it's a combination of
both. Let's don't be so touchy. Let's don't be so touchy, because
it makes everybody miserable. It doesn't promote peace. It
just makes folks miserable. It makes them miserable. And
then seventh, in the seventh place, I put down my scripture
here, Proverbs 17. Turn over there with me. Here's
the seventh point. Learn to keep a confidence. Learn
to keep a confidence. Can people confide in you and
be totally comfortable that you can keep that confidence? Proverbs
17, 9 says this. Listen. Proverbs 17, 9 says,
He that covereth a transgression seeketh love. He seeketh love,
that is, to promote love and peace. But he that repeateth
a matter, separateth very frames. You know what our great problem
is? Most of us can keep a confidence in the main. In the main, we
can keep it. A confidence. Here, a person
has shared with you a confidence, has shared with you a burden,
or a problem, conflict in their hearts or homes or somewhere.
And in the main we can keep it. But we usually choose to share
it with a close friend. With a close friend, either wife
or husband or some other close friend. And it so happens that
that person has a close friend. And then he shares it with a
close friend and she shares it with a close friend and she shares
it with a close friend, pretty soon you've told the whole world.
You see what I'm saying? To promote peace, we've got to
learn to keep a confidence. You know, somebody wrote one
time this thing about being critical and gossiping and telling things
that's true or untrue, but here's three doors through which it
ought to pass. When I feel impressed to tell something, the first
thing I ought to find out if it's true. That's the first thing. Is it true? Absolutely, undeniably,
unquestionably, at the voice of two or three witnesses, true.
That's what Scripture says. Let every word be established
by two or three witnesses. Is it true? Secondly, is it kind? Is it kind? And thirdly, if it
gets by those two, is it necessary? Is it just heartbound necessary
for me to tell you? All right, in the eighth place,
in the eighth place, how to promote peace, promoting the things that
promote peace. Strive to heal differences with
others. Let's heal them. Not only differences
between ourselves and others, but differences between others.
Blessed are the peacemakers. It's great to be a peacemaker.
I used to have a friend. He's dead now. But when he fell out with someone,
fell out of sorts with someone, he wanted me to fall out with
him too. Are you like that or do you know
folks like that? If he fell out with someone,
he wanted me to. His idea was this, I couldn't
be his friend and that man's friend if they weren't friends. Well, that's not good. That's
not good at all. Let us resolve, actually, to
be angry with no one. To keep a conflict going with
no one. Listen to Ephesians 4. Turn over
there just a moment. Ephesians chapter 4. I don't
know whether you've had any struggle or problem with that, that spirit
of if a fellow falls out with somebody
and you're his friend, you've got to fall out too. And what
happens? Here are two people and they
fall out. And they have a common friend. And this one comes over
here and tells that and how bad he is. And then this one comes
over here and tells that and how bad he is. What they're wanting
is sympathy and approval. You see, misery loves company. And you're just not satisfied
until they make this person fall out with that one too. And now
we're both against them. And we're really making miserable.
Blessed are the peacemakers. Ephesians 4 verse 26. Listen. Be angry. Nobody can avoid being
angry occasionally. with a righteous indignation,
and sin not, but don't let the sun go down on your wrath." Now,
I think that's saying this. You say, I've got to hurry and
get over this before nightfall. I believe what the Lord is saying
there is this. Just don't have any prolonged
anger. Don't you think, Cecil? Any prolonged
anger. Drop it. Prolonged anger. That doesn't mean at six o'clock
every evening I have ceased to be upset. It just means don't
get a hold of you and keep on gnawing. Keep on, keep on, keep
on. It might take more than one day
to get over it. And if you try to cease by sundown,
you become a Pharisee. And you set bounds for God. Now don't get silly. Don't get
taken up with things like that. Don't let the sun go down on
your ass. Can't be mad after dark. Be glad daylight saving time
has come, so I'll have two hours more of anger. That means just don't have prolonged,
don't have a prolonged discord. And then here's the last one,
and this will sum it all up. Be ready always quickly to forgive. Be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted,
forgiving one another as God for Christ's sake forgave you.
Now let me say this. Because we're human, all of these
other rules are going to be broken. I've given you eight, and we're
going to break that one up. That's exactly right. Number one was
love. Our love's not perfect. Number
two, we are going to get into arguments. Might even get into
one tonight. But we are, aren't we, Bill?
We're going to get into arguments. No question about that. Number three, we're
going to experience jealousy. We're going to experience envy.
We're not free from that now. If we already had the new man
put on, totally, and the old man put off, Paul wouldn't have
told us to put it on, put it off. We're going to get jealous,
we're going to envy, we're going to meddle. That's it, we're going
to meddle now. That's a fact. As sure as you're
sitting there, you're going to meddle. And we're going to get
angry. And we're going to say things
we shouldn't say. And we're going to have division. But what are
we going to do? Well, peace can always be promoted
and assured if we're able, even in the face of these things,
to forgive. I mean to genuinely, truthfully
forgive. The fact that we need forgiveness
ought to lead us to forgive. The very fact that right now
I need forgiveness, where in the world, needing forgiveness
as badly as I do from God, divine forgiveness, what would keep
me from forgiving? He said forgive others. that
I have forgiven you." And he said, don't ask God to forgive
you if you can't forgive others. Isn't that what he said? Now
listen, another may preach for me, another may pray for me,
another may study for me, but no man can forgive my enemy but
I myself. I'm the only one who can. Tom,
you can preach for me. and pray for me and study for
me. But one thing you can't do, you can't subdue the anger in
my heart. I have to do that. That's my
task. Only one in the world who can
do it. I've got a job nobody else can do. Nobody. And then I read this one time,
you may say, I shall never forgive that person.
John Wesley wrote this. In fact, Governor or General
Oglethorpe said this to John Wesley. He said, I'll never forgive. To which Wesley replied, then
for your sake, I hope you never sin. That's a good reply, isn't it?
And someone else said, forgiveness is not only something I owe to
others, But a forgiving spirit is something I owe myself. I
do myself great wrong to hold a grudge. I'm not hurting that
person against whom I'm holding a grudge. He can ignore me. He
can flat ignore me. But I can't ignore me. And I'm
the one I'm hurting. I owe it to myself to learn how
to forgive. And then last of all, someone
said this. Well, I can forgive, but I can't forget. Now, my friends,
that's another way of saying, I will not forget. Forgive. To say, I can forgive, but I
won't forget, is to say, I will not forgive. That's what that
says. Because true forgiveness is like a paid and counseled
note that's torn in two and burned so that it'll never be shown
again. That's true forgiveness. Take the note and tear it in
two, and then set it on fire. There's no evidence. It'll never
be brought up again. That's what God did with our
sins. He said, I'll remember their sins no more. Why? Because He put them away. He
cancelled them. I hope that's helpful. It is
to me. 2 Thessalonians 3, 16, Now the Lord of peace himself
give you peace always by all means, the Lord be with you all."
That's the reason I said that was so precious. The Lord Himself. Wouldn't that make a good scripture
to sign your letters with or your cards? Now, the Lord of
Peace Himself give you peace always, by all means, the Lord
be with you all. I think it was His good providence
for me to say that last, don't you? I really do.