Sunday 5 May 2013

The Peace of God


Rev Gideon Lee
Saturday Night Service at TOP

We are so glad that you can join us at our ceramah (laughs). All the money collected will go to the church.

Before we start I would like to invite auntie Fong to come share her testimony.

Auntie Fong's testimony:
"God healed my grand nephew, who had infection his kidney and the scan showed that he had only one kidney which was frightening. The kidney was swollen and his urethra is also blocked either by a stone or tissue. The blockage caused the infection. So I told Pastor and Bro Vive and SMSs was sent out for our church to pray for him. We prayed that the blockage would go.

I believed that the Lord can disintegrate the stone and clear the blockage. When the scope was done, the doctor couldn't find anything and both passageway was clear and clean. My niece asked where did it go? The doctor said he saw specks of white dots in his bladder and I believe it has disintegrated and was passed out to the bladder.

Our God is great. So I encourage you to seek the Lord if you have any problems. The Lord is good."


Just to let you know I just flew in from KL. I drove down to Klang to do my duty for the election and flew back up for the service. I am reminded I am like Joseph and Mary. Except I didn't come on a donkey and my wife is not pregnant (laughs). My wife said my son Jayden is so popular now. Everyone line up to hug and hold him. That gave me an idea. So I told my wife, here's an idea. Everyone who wants to carry him for five minutes pays RM50.00 and 10 minutes RM100.00 to go to our renovation fund. Since our renovation fund have not been active for the past couple of weeks. Just joking ya.

I am glad you are here and not at a ceramah. Tonight you will hear my ceramah but it is going to be from the word of God.

John 14:23-29
Jesus replied, “If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. 24 He who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me.
25 “All this I have spoken while still with you. 26 But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. 27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.
28 “You heard me say, ‘I am going away and I am coming back to you. ’ If you loved me, you would be glad that I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I. 29 I have told you now before it happens, so that when it does happen you will believe.


Verse 27 says "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid."

As I was preparing this message I felt that this is what the Lord wants to say to us. In the last few weeks we have heard so much of the political news. And tomorrow we are going to vote. And maybe some things we read and heard is troubling us.

But I want to say that God says my peace I give to you. He says so not let your heart be troubled. Jesus was talking to His disciples. He was telling them He is going away. And of course His disciples would be kind of afraid. They probably was thinking what is going to happen to them when He goes?

And Jesus sensed their anxiety and told them my peace I give to you. And a peace not as the world gives. And He goes on to talk about the Holy Spirit and where He is going where the Heavenly Father is and that He was coming back for them.

So tonight I want to encourage you. Tomorrow as we do our duty to vote, many of us may feel a little bit troubled. Which government is going to be next? We may have many questions on our mind.

But I want to shift your attention to what is happening. I want to shift your attention to what's in God's word. Our peace is not dependent on the government we have. Or any political party. Our peace is dependent on the prince of peace. Then nothing can change you and you have nothing to worry about.

I sometimes wish I have a magic wand and just wave at you and you can have God's peace. But I don't. I can just point you to the person that has peace everlasting.

Here we see Jesus making a very important statement in verse 27.

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

What is the defining word here. It is "not as the world gives". The world can give you a kind of peace. A peace that comes with political stability or a strong economy. But I can say that it is only temporary. It will not last. I know a general who said we will go to war to find peace. It is temporary. Jesus understood that. The disciples understood that. Just look at the history of Israel. One fight after another to find peace. Even here, they are under the Roman Empire.

Sad to say a lot of us place our hope in what we see in this world. He was trying to shift the focus of the disciples and that is what I am doing tonight. Peace not as the world give. Look to Christ.

I am not saying the peace that we have is not good. But at best it is only temporary and we should not depend on it for real peace.

Do you know what kind of peace Jesus gives? It is a peace that surpasses all understanding. A peace that comes with surrender and not strength.

How many of you remember when you gave your life to God? A peace that filled that void in you. Worldly peace, whether it is political or otherwise is only temporary.

I remember when I first gave my life to God, I had the peace of God in my heart even though there was so much trouble out there. The peace can only come when we surrender to Him. God has been so good to me. I look at my life and I see his mercy in my life.

I remember how God led my family to Penang. That kind of peace can only come from surrendering to Him. When I say surrender, I mean obedience. It will only come when you are I have total obedience to him.

I was thinking how I was going to shift from Klang to Penang. Don't know how many lorries. I had extended families, all my fish and tortoises (laughs). It was a big lorry and I didn't even thought whether the 19 footer may not be able to come into my housing area. I had to help the driver reverse in so that he don't bang my neighbour's car.

And to load the stuff was no joke. I lived in Klang all my life so I accumulated lots of rubbish. It took so long to load up. I had so many fishes. I had a 8' x 8' cement tank in my house. So I was wondering how I am going to ship them all up.

But God is so good. Came to Penang and Bro Wilbur's cell came to help us. When I first saw Bro Wilbur, this small Chinese man with his shirt nicely tucked in his shorts, before I knew it, he was up on the lorry moving things and shouting instructions (laughs).

Then another second trip to take my two 5' aquarium and many other smaller tanks. If you look at my circumstances, I'm sure your heart will be troubled. But the difference is when you have the peace of God, you will know all things will work out fine.

Tonight, are you troubled? Many people have a lot of fears. Fear of tomorrow. Fear of death. Fear of the dark. All of us have fears. But the difference is that we have Jesus in our heart. The bible did not say no fear. But it says fear not.

We need the peace of God more and more. And the peace of God can only come when we are in total surrender to God. The bible says "if you obey me."

In one of my sermons, I said you can know how well a person is by how well he follows God. You cannot follow God of you don't obey Him. Is God calling you to do something for Him? Until you obey or surrender to Him, it will be "gangu" you.

He gives you a peace not as the world gives. Whatever happens tomorrow, I pray your peace will be centered on Him. And nothing will shake you. Tomorrow do your duty and go vote. Pray before you go to vote. Tonight we want to spend some time to pray for Malaysia. Before everything happens tomorrow, let us soak our country in prayer.

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