Peace Beyond Reason
Pastor Tan Thai · Jul 14, 2012
This sermon from Philippians 4:2-9 outlines four practical steps to experiencing the peace of God that surpasses all human understanding. The story of Mrs. Johnson surviving Hurricane Katrina alone vividly illustrates this kind of peace in real life.
The sermon opens with the true story of Mrs. Johnson, a 70-year-old legally blind widow who faced Hurricane Katrina completely alone for two weeks. Despite losing all her possessions and being left behind by family and friends, she displayed a profound peace and joy that amazed disaster relief volunteers. She simply explained that God had been with her for 70 years and she had no reason to doubt Him now.
The pastor then expounds four principles from Philippians 4:2-9 for developing this kind of peace. First, there is no peace without harmony (v. 2): Paul urges Euodia and Syntyche to reconcile, not because one was right or wrong, but because the conflict itself was the problem. Many church disputes are really about power and control rather than truth or morality. Second, true peace is grown through genuine worship (v. 4): Paul distinguishes internal joy from happiness that depends on external circumstances. Joy is a state of trust and hope in God that cannot be shaken by changing circumstances, just as Paul sang praises to God even while imprisoned.
Third, there cannot be true peace where there is anxiety (v. 6): The pastor argues that anxiety is the only human emotion with no practical value, because it does not relate to present reality but only to fear of a future that has not yet happened. Anxiety is a lack of faith that leaves God out of the picture. Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount teaches that worry is a response we choose, and we can instead choose faith and trust. Fourth, peace belongs to those with disciplined minds (v. 8): Paul calls believers to direct their thoughts toward whatever is true, honorable, right, and pure. The story of Peter walking on water illustrates that when we take our eyes off Christ and focus on the wind and waves, faith wavers and we begin to sink.
The sermon concludes that Mrs. Johnson is a living illustration of all four principles. She was not in denial and had not repressed her emotions, but she was a woman who walked with God in humility and obedience and made good spiritual choices. This is the kind of peace every Christian longs for and can attain by filling the mind with the Word and ways of God.