0:00:00 - 0:00:26 God's unshakeable peace. The ideas in this presentation are discussed in the glory of God is intelligence and seek ye. This Jesus books that are both available on amazon.com and for free in PDF at upward thought.blogspot.com. In the New Testament, we read of a holy man named Steven who was preaching 0:00:25 - 0:00:51 about the Lord Jesus Christ and offended a group of people sufficient that they killed him by stoning him. And in the midst of this very painful, prolonged experience, uh Steven did not run away or complain. Instead, he called upon God and he asked the Lord to forgive these people for what they were 0:00:51 - 0:00:00 doing. And that shows a depth of purpose and meaning that exceeds what most of us have, even those of us who call ourselves Christians. So on the topic of peace, our goal ought to be to have as much peace as Steven did. And if we believe the gospel, then we have all the tools necessary to get there. 0:00:00 - 0:01:51 What we believe the gospel gives us is not always correct. The gospel of Jesus Christ doesn't free us from troubles or trials or sorrows. It does two things. It gives us the tools. We need to acquire the wisdom. We need to avoid the trials that don't benefit us. But it also gives us the strength to endure 0:01:50 - 0:02:16 the trials which do. And while wisdom is what frees us from the trials that don't benefit us. It's perspective that gives us the strength to endure those which do. Uh it's been said that it with a strong enough. Why you can endure any what the Lord said, peace, I leave with you. My peace I give unto 0:02:16 - 0:02:42 you. Not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled. Neither let it be afraid. Jesus made a distinction between his peace and the peace that the world giveth. This worldly peace depends on things that we can't control. And that's why it's guaranteed to fail. And any who has 0:02:42 - 0:03:10 leaned on worldly, peace has been provided with many examples of it. Failing this worldly peace is temporary. It's fragile and it's expensive. Surely this kind of peace is not what the Lord was talking about. His piece is much different. His piece is best based completely on trust in him. It's independent 0:03:09 - 0:03:34 of what happens outside of you. It's fully dependent on your relationship with him. He said, if you love me, you would rejoice. And although the context of this scripture does not apply here, the message there does. The point is that if we love him and if we trust him, we will rejoice because the things 0:03:33 - 0:03:59 that happen to us will have no power over us. The Lord doesn't do anything save it be for the benefit of the world. Everything he does is calculated for the greatest benefit of all people. All things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to his purpose. When things 0:03:59 - 0:04:20 happen that we struggle with or when we struggle with the idea of things that could happen, we can take solace in the fact that whatever happens only happens because it's ordained of God, it either happens because there's something that we can learn from it and therefore avoid that sort of thing in the 0:04:20 - 0:04:45 future or it happens because it's sent by loving God, who knows all things, who has all power, who sends it to us for our blessing. While the, the connection there, the the revelation of why this particular thing is a blessing might not be obvious to us in the moment or maybe even in uh in the future 0:04:45 - 0:05:08 . The fact is that we can derive great peace and strength by trusting in His promise that the things that happened to us are for our benefit. Paul said, I have not seen nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. And this is a 0:05:08 - 0:05:29 true promise. We can lean on this when times are hard when we're struggling with things. He also said, I am persuaded that neither death nor life nor angels, nor Principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other creature shall be able to separate 0:05:28 - 0:05:50 us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus, our Lord. There is nothing in this creation, nothing that can separate you from the love of God. If you trust him and you lean on Him, you can confide in Him that all things in your life are for purpose. It doesn't mean that it's God's will that they 0:05:50 - 0:06:17 stay the way they are, but it might be. And in the meantime, whatever happens by focusing your heart, mind and strength on Him and on His will, you can derive the benefit that He intends for you to have through these experiences. In Mosiah 241 we read that those that keep the commandments of God are 0:06:17 - 0:06:39 blessed in all things that they dwell in a blessed and happy state. And it's important to understand that there's a, there's a distinction between the maximal happiness we can have in this life and the kind of happiness that awaits the faithful after this life. But it, it one important part of this is 0:06:39 - 0:07:03 to real realize that there is a blessed and state happy state in this life. For those that keep the commandments of God, it's not just this life isn't just an unending series of suffering for the faithful. Uh And then after you die, you get to heaven and that's better. There are states of happiness corresponding 0:07:02 - 0:07:31 to, to both places. Uh How we can parse these things is, is to remember that the Gospel is the plan of happiness with respect to the default. So the Gospel will create happiness in the lives of all those who embrace it with respect to the default. Um We should not fool ourselves and think that by living 0:07:30 - 0:07:53 the Gospel, we will achieve heaven on earth. While it's true that the Kingdom of God is within you and you can create heaven inside of you. What happens outside of you and around you is subject to the choices of many, many other people. And in this life, uh the majority of those people will not make 0:07:53 - 0:08:18 the choices needed to create heaven. So in this life, what we have to settle for is a life that is much better than it would be without the Gospel. So given things as they really are, given reality, the gospel of Jesus Christ will give you more happiness in this life than any other option. So the gospel 0:08:17 - 0:08:40 is not a guarantee of pleasure. And there are many examples of this one. Very simple one is that when you embrace truth, the more extreme that truth is compared to where you are now. Uh the more radical disillusionment you'll experience and that almost always doesn't feel good. There are other examples 0:08:39 - 0:09:01 as well, but that should suffice for now. So the happiness we have in this life and the happiness we have hereafter these are different. Uh These are different because the happiness we have here is subject to the decisions of other people here, which will almost always be inadequate to bring about heaven 0:09:01 - 0:09:25 . But the experiences we have after this life. Um not only will we enjoy the happiness that comes from our choices inside of us, but we will be in an environment with like minded people who have made the same choices. In conclusion. I want to invite you to accept the invitations that these two scriptures 0:09:25 - 0:09:52 provide. First that if you're seeking for peace, cry unto Jesus for mercy, he is mighty to save. He has sufficient strength and knowledge and character to save anyone who will come to him and to provide peace that surpasses what the world has to offer. Secondly, I invite you to believe in Christ and 0:00:00 - 0:00:26 God's unshakeable peace. The ideas in this presentation are discussed in the glory of God is intelligence and seek ye. This Jesus books that are both available on amazon.com and for free in PDF at upward thought.blogspot.com. In the New Testament, we read of a holy man named Steven who was preaching 0:00:25 - 0:00:51 about the Lord Jesus Christ and offended a group of people sufficient that they killed him by stoning him. And in the midst of this very painful, prolonged experience, uh Steven did not run away or complain. Instead, he called upon God and he asked the Lord to forgive these people for what they were 0:00:51 - 0:00:00 doing. And that shows a depth of purpose and meaning that exceeds what most of us have, even those of us who call ourselves Christians. So on the topic of peace, our goal ought to be to have as much peace as Steven did. And if we believe the gospel, then we have all the tools necessary to get there. 0:00:00 - 0:01:51 What we believe the gospel gives us is not always correct. The gospel of Jesus Christ doesn't free us from troubles or trials or sorrows. It does two things. It gives us the tools. We need to acquire the wisdom. We need to avoid the trials that don't benefit us. But it also gives us the strength to endure 0:01:50 - 0:02:16 the trials which do. And while wisdom is what frees us from the trials that don't benefit us. It's perspective that gives us the strength to endure those which do. Uh it's been said that it with a strong enough. Why you can endure any what the Lord said, peace, I leave with you. My peace I give unto 0:02:16 - 0:02:42 you. Not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled. Neither let it be afraid. Jesus made a distinction between his peace and the peace that the world giveth. This worldly peace depends on things that we can't control. And that's why it's guaranteed to fail. And any who has 0:02:42 - 0:03:10 leaned on worldly, peace has been provided with many examples of it. Failing this worldly peace is temporary. It's fragile and it's expensive. Surely this kind of peace is not what the Lord was talking about. His piece is much different. His piece is best based completely on trust in him. It's independent 0:03:09 - 0:03:34 of what happens outside of you. It's fully dependent on your relationship with him. He said, if you love me, you would rejoice. And although the context of this scripture does not apply here, the message there does. The point is that if we love him and if we trust him, we will rejoice because the things 0:03:33 - 0:03:59 that happen to us will have no power over us. The Lord doesn't do anything save it be for the benefit of the world. Everything he does is calculated for the greatest benefit of all people. All things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to his purpose. When things 0:03:59 - 0:04:20 happen that we struggle with or when we struggle with the idea of things that could happen, we can take solace in the fact that whatever happens only happens because it's ordained of God, it either happens because there's something that we can learn from it and therefore avoid that sort of thing in the 0:04:20 - 0:04:45 future or it happens because it's sent by loving God, who knows all things, who has all power, who sends it to us for our blessing. While the, the connection there, the the revelation of why this particular thing is a blessing might not be obvious to us in the moment or maybe even in uh in the future 0:04:45 - 0:05:08 . The fact is that we can derive great peace and strength by trusting in His promise that the things that happened to us are for our benefit. Paul said, I have not seen nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. And this is a 0:05:08 - 0:05:29 true promise. We can lean on this when times are hard when we're struggling with things. He also said, I am persuaded that neither death nor life nor angels, nor Principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other creature shall be able to separate 0:05:28 - 0:05:50 us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus, our Lord. There is nothing in this creation, nothing that can separate you from the love of God. If you trust him and you lean on Him, you can confide in Him that all things in your life are for purpose. It doesn't mean that it's God's will that they 0:05:50 - 0:06:17 stay the way they are, but it might be. And in the meantime, whatever happens by focusing your heart, mind and strength on Him and on His will, you can derive the benefit that He intends for you to have through these experiences. In Mosiah 241 we read that those that keep the commandments of God are 0:06:17 - 0:06:39 blessed in all things that they dwell in a blessed and happy state. And it's important to understand that there's a, there's a distinction between the maximal happiness we can have in this life and the kind of happiness that awaits the faithful after this life. But it, it one important part of this is 0:06:39 - 0:07:03 to real realize that there is a blessed and state happy state in this life. For those that keep the commandments of God, it's not just this life isn't just an unending series of suffering for the faithful. Uh And then after you die, you get to heaven and that's better. There are states of happiness corresponding 0:07:02 - 0:07:31 to, to both places. Uh How we can parse these things is, is to remember that the Gospel is the plan of happiness with respect to the default. So the Gospel will create happiness in the lives of all those who embrace it with respect to the default. Um We should not fool ourselves and think that by living 0:07:30 - 0:07:53 the Gospel, we will achieve heaven on earth. While it's true that the Kingdom of God is within you and you can create heaven inside of you. What happens outside of you and around you is subject to the choices of many, many other people. And in this life, uh the majority of those people will not make 0:07:53 - 0:08:18 the choices needed to create heaven. So in this life, what we have to settle for is a life that is much better than it would be without the Gospel. So given things as they really are, given reality, the gospel of Jesus Christ will give you more happiness in this life than any other option. So the gospel 0:08:17 - 0:08:40 is not a guarantee of pleasure. And there are many examples of this one. Very simple one is that when you embrace truth, the more extreme that truth is compared to where you are now. Uh the more radical disillusionment you'll experience and that almost always doesn't feel good. There are other examples 0:08:39 - 0:09:01 as well, but that should suffice for now. So the happiness we have in this life and the happiness we have hereafter these are different. Uh These are different because the happiness we have here is subject to the decisions of other people here, which will almost always be inadequate to bring about heaven 0:09:01 - 0:09:25 . But the experiences we have after this life. Um not only will we enjoy the happiness that comes from our choices inside of us, but we will be in an environment with like minded people who have made the same choices. In conclusion. I want to invite you to accept the invitations that these two scriptures 0:09:25 - 0:09:52 provide. First that if you're seeking for peace, cry unto Jesus for mercy, he is mighty to save. He has sufficient strength and knowledge and character to save anyone who will come to him and to provide peace that surpasses what the world has to offer. Secondly, I invite you to believe in Christ and 0:09:52 - 0:10:14 deny him not to bow down before him and worship him with all your might, mind and strength and your whole soul. The more you turn your life over to the Lord, the more peace he can give you here and the more happiness you will have here and especially hereafter.