Are you feeling weary? Is your soul exhausted? Pastor Jen shows us practical ways to receive true peace and rest for our souls through Jesus. Peace isn’t the absence of problems. It’s the continual awareness of God’s presence, even when our circumstances are chaotic.
Notes 📓✏️:
Luke 2:10 (NIV): “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people.”
Luke 2:10 (TLB): “I bring you the most joyful news ever announced, and it is for everyone!”
Luke 2:14 (CEV): “Praise God in heaven! Peace on earth to everyone who pleases God.”
Where is this peace?
Why does peace feel so hard to find?
“What is peace?”
The word peace is found 790 times in scripture.
These 790 scriptures can be placed in 3 different “categories”, spiritual, emotional, and relational peace.
Peace with God (spiritual)
Peace of God (emotional)
Peace with others (relational)
Romans 5:1 (AMP): “Therefore, since we have been justified – that is, acquitted of sin, declared blameless before God by faith, let us grasp the fact that we have peace with God and the joy of reconciliation with Him through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Epictetus: “While the emperor may give peace from war on land and sea, he is unable to give peace from passion, grief, and envy; he cannot give peace of heart, for which man yearns for more than even outward peace.”
Philippians 4:6-7 (AMP): “Do not be anxious or worried about anything, but in every circumstance and situation by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, continue to make your specific requests known to God. And the peace of God, that peace which reassures the heart, that peace which transcends all understanding, that peace which stands guard over your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus is yours.”
You can have peace with God and still need to learn how to live in the peace of God.
Peace with God is instant, peace of God is intentional.
Healthy relationships don’t create peace – peace creates healthier relationships.
Matthew 11:28-30 (NIV): “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”
“Rest” means – Blessed tranquility of soul.
1. Come to Jesus.
“Where do I go first to find peace?”
2. Connect with Him.
3. Commit to the process.
Learn: To increase one’s knowledge of the person teaching.
What does Jesus say right after learn from me? “I am gentle and humble in heart…”
Commitment to the process begins with consistency.
John 14:27 (NLT): “I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.”
Discussion Questions 📝❓:
- Pastor Jen identified several “peace thieves” that can rob us or our peace. Which of these resonated most with you and why?
- Why do you think Pastor Jen emphasized that peace with God must come before any other type of peace?
- In Matthew 11:28-30, Jesus talks about his yoke being easy and his burden being light. How does Pastor Jen’s explanation of the yoke metaphor help us understand what Jesus meant about sharing our burdens with Him?
- How does “learning from Jesus” differ from traditional learning, and why is this distinction important?