Pastor Aaron Cordeiro
May 26, 2013 - W1321

It’s a joy to be with you today and I am excited to be here.

I want to share with us something of a matter of our heart. God is into your heart and your life and your future matters to Him. I want to talk about a treasure that if we are willing to deposit into our hearts, it will be the guardian of our heart. And although you may be in a situation, a circumstance that you have no idea what’s going, on this guardian will guard your heart.

Today I want to talk about gaining and gleaning a treasure called peace. And then I want to shift gears and tell you how we can deposit treasures into our hearts that will render us as people of peace with God, with one another, and with ourselves.

Let’s see what God thinks about our hearts:

“The Lord does not look the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance but the Lord looks at the heart.” (1 Samuel 16:7)

Similarly the Bible says, “He said to them, ‘You are the ones who justify yourselves in the eyes of others, but God knows your hearts.’” (Luke 16:15)

“Forgive and act; deal with everyone to all they do, since you know their hearts (for you alone know every human heart).”(1 Kings 8:39)

Without a doubt God knows our hearts.

What treasure do we want to have today? The Bible says:

“Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful.” (Col. 3:15)

Today I want to share a message that could possibly change your life forever. If we can grab a hold of something called peace your lives will never be the same.

We could always use peace. Listen to what some famous people had to say about peace:

Martin Luther said that true peace is not merely the absence of tension, it is the presence of justice and we know justice as the concept involving the fair, moral, and impartial treatment of all persons simply being at peace with one another.

Mother Teresa said it this way: “Peace begins with a smile.”

John Lennon said, “You may say I’m a dreamer but I’m not the only one; someday you’ll join us and the world will live as one.”

And Gandhi said, “An eye for an eye will only make the whole world blind.”

Attaining peace is not simply coming to a place to be left alone. Consequently there are healthy ways and unhealthy ways of attaining peace. For example drinking too much alcohol as a way to find peace is unhealthy.

Being at peace has very little to do with being idle but has everything to do with how you  conduct yourself.

The peace of God will affect every area of your lives whether it is your marriage, your children, your career, or your friends. In fact, wherever you go you should bring with you the prince of peace. For they don’t need to see us but they need to see Jesus.

The Hebrews had a word for peace and it was Shalom. It not only meant peace, but it meant completeness or wholeness. In addition, you are in full wholeness or rightness with God and one another. Shalom also meant hello and goodbye. Furthermore, the word Shalom was actually two words in one: Pay and full. So if your debt was paid in full you would enter into much peace.

Most Americans today have a lot of debt in credit cards, mortgages, and loans. But did you also know that there is a spiritual debt or an unrest or uneasiness in our soul? That’s because we are not experiencing that true shalom or peace. So how do you find it?

The Bible speaks of Jesus as the Prince of Peace. The very reason why He came was to bring something called peace.

“I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart for I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)

There are many things in this world today that is vying for your heart such as greed, lust, fear, angst, anxiety, and anger. But peace guards it from hostile takeovers of the flesh. Remember, being at peace has very little to do with being idle, but has everything to do with how you conduct yourself.

I want to speak a little about something that everyone here could use a little bit more of and why Paul wrote the book of Thessalonians.

A.    Author:  Paul, Silas, Timothy
B. Date: 51 AD
C. Audience: Thessalonians Church 
D. Purpose: Encourage new converts as they face trials.
E. Theme: Eschatology: The end or second coming of Christ. 

Paul faced many struggles as he traveled throughout the cities in and around Macedonia. But when Paul heard about the good news about the Thessalonians church he found new peace; and as a result, wrote a letter to the Thessalonians encouraging them to grow even stronger in their health and stability of the church.

So Paul wrote, “But we request of you, brethren, that you appreciate those
who diligently labor among you, and have charge over you
in the Lord and give you instruction, and that you esteem
them very highly in love because of their work. Live in
peace with one another. We urge you, brethren, admonish
the unruly, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be
patient with everyone.” (1 Thess. 5:12-14 NASB)

Treasures of the Heart:

Five Things that God wants us to deposit in our hearts so that we can have peace:

1. Appreciate. Take the time to know someone.

In Greek the word appreciate means to know that person.

The Bible says that God searches our hearts and He knows us.

“O Lord, You have searched me and You know me.”
(Ps.139:1) 

You can have a lot of different things that would guard your heart. But if our Lord searches us and He knows us, even though He sees our faults, mistakes, and weaknesses, and yet He still loves us and gave up His life for us - I would want someone like that guarding my heart.

2.  Esteem________: Have the __courage  to ____honor_________.

Esteem is to honor and respect because you have the courage to embark on a journey to truly know that person and hold an opinion in high regard and in love.

For example, in Deut. 5:16 it says, “Honor your father and your mother, as the Lord your God has commanded you, so that you may live long and that it may go well with you in the land the Lord your God is giving you.”

“Love each other with genuine affection, and take
delight in honoring each other.” (Rom. 12:10)

3.  Admonish________: _love______ enough to correct_______.

We warn other people because we love them.

The Bible says, “But exhort one another every day, as long as it is
called ‘today’, that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.” (Heb. 3:13)

4.  Encourage____________: Remove _rush______, and have eyes for the __timid________.

Watch someone and keep them close so that when we see a heart that is timid, or weak, or faint, we can encourage them. Moreover,

“Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.” (Eph.4:29)

5.  Help__________: Use your strength______________________ to build up.

Assist in supplying what is needed to those who are weak.

6.  Patience______: ____everyone else_________.

Paul says to be patient with them all.

“And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful.” (Col. 3:15) 

The word thankful means to be full. And because we are full of peace of God then we are people that are thankful that wherever we go we will be that gatekeepers of peace in Jesus Christ.

Questions:

1.  What treasure do we want today?

2.  How do we find peace?

3. Why did Paul write the book of Thessalonians?

4.  What are the five things that God wants us to deposit into our hearts so that we can have peace?

5.  What areas of your life will it affect if you have peace?