Go a little deeper
Pastor Keith Kirkpatrick opens by calling peace God's gift to the world—one most people never receive because the world keeps offering counterfeits. He notes Scripture uses the word peace nearly 400 times and argues every heart is made for it, while describing a world full of worry, anxiety, conflict, depression, disease and economic uncertainty. The marketplace tries to sell peace and self-improvement tries to earn it, but he insists peace is found in only one place: Jesus Christ.
The core teaching rests on Jesus' words in John 14:27 and John 16:33. Jesus gives peace, but not as the world gives it, and he tells his followers not to let their hearts be troubled or afraid—which, Pastor Keith notes, implies there is plenty to be troubled about. Peace here is not the absence of trouble but a confidence in who God is. He ties belief to behavior: what you trust shapes what you do, and anxiety is described as a kind of absence of faith. The fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5 includes peace, so peace is God's presence in a person, not a circumstance.
The message then walks through Luke 2 and Isaiah 9, retelling the nativity with attention to the shepherds—described as low-status, mistrusted outcasts—to whom the angel announces good news of great joy for all people, and the title Prince of Peace. Practical application comes from Philippians 4:6–7, where prayer with thanksgiving is presented as the way to exchange anxiety for a peace that guards the heart, and from Mark 4, where Jesus sleeps in the storm and then speaks peace to the wind and sea. Pastor Keith also refers personally to discouragement he has walked through in recent years and turns the focus to Jesus, then closes with Ephesians 2 on peace with God through Christ and an invitation to respond.
Take this with you
Peace is found in Jesus, not in the world's substitutes
Pastor Keith grounds this in John 14:27, where Jesus distinguishes his peace from the peace the world gives. The message names counterfeits—pornography, cannabis, luxury and wealth—as substitutes that cannot deliver what only Christ offers, and insists peace is found in Jesus himself, who gives the very essence of who he is.
Peace coexists with trouble
From John 16:33, the message emphasizes that Jesus never promises a trouble-free life. He says that in the world his followers will have tribulation and then tells them to take heart because he has overcome the world. Peace, in this framing, is a deep confidence in God's character while circumstances remain difficult, not the absence of conflict.
Belief shapes behavior
Reading Jesus' command in John 14:1 not to let hearts be troubled but to believe in God and in him, Pastor Keith argues that what you trust determines what you do. Anxiety and worry are presented as evidence of an absence of faith, and the cure is believing God as God—trust in the person of Jesus and the Spirit he gives, not a vague optimism.
Prayer is the exchange counter
From Philippians 4:6–7, the way not to be anxious is to pray with thanksgiving, and the resulting peace stands guard over heart and mind like a garrison. Pastor Keith notes that medication and counseling are not wrong, but there is a peace Jesus gives that nothing else can replicate.
The Christmas story is for outcasts
In Luke 2:8–14 the angel announced good news of great joy to shepherds—described as unclean, untrusted second-class citizens—showing that the gospel is for all people, not the religious elite. Isaiah 9:6–7 supplies the title Prince of Peace, anchoring the message in who Jesus is rather than the audience's worthiness.
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you know God has given each of us a gift Our God has given the world a gift that most people will never actually use in fact most of the world will go after a counterfeit of the very gift that God has given us and the gift I'm referring to today is peace everyone say peace peace you know the Bible uses the word peace nearly 400 times peace must be important to the Lord God must have something to say about peace it's what this world needs in this world that we live in
right now this world is full of worry anxiety all kinds of chaos confusion we live in a world of war and see seems to be the absence of Peace we live in a world of depression we live in a world of disease we live in a world of economic uncertainty we live in a world of increasing inflation we live in a world of uncertainty and of all these things in this world the one thing every heart yearns for We Are Made for PE peace politicians want to legislate peace I don't buy it in a world of
consumerism the marketplace wants you to buy peace don't do it don't do it in a world where where we think if we're healthy enough if we look good enough if I get enough likes I'm going to eventually get the very thing that I yearn for which is peace but I'm here to tell you it's found in only one place and that is Jesus Christ and the reason that we can find peace in Jesus is because of who he is and when you believe in Jesus he gives you the very essence of who he is which is peace your beliefs will shape your behavior if you don't believe God as God you won't do what God asked you to do the more you have a reverence and an
awe for who God is the more you'll actually obey God not because it's easy or even you want to but because you just believe God as God your beliefs shape your behavior that's the truth Jesus in John 14: 27 gives us this promise he says peace I leave with you my peace I give to you there is no greater giver than God he says I'm leaving you with peace I'm not I'm not going to hide it from you I'm actually going to give you the very thing that you want in your life my peace I give to you now he clarifies not not as the world gives do I give to you Jesus clarifies there is a counterfeit peace in this world are you tracking
with me your heart is going to long for peace and the world's going to offer you one peace Jesus is saying I'm offering you another Peace but not the peace like the world and then he clarifies let not your hearts be true troubled neither let them be afraid Jesus does not say you will have a life free of trouble he says you have a life that can be filled with peace despite trouble Jesus would never say let not your hearts be troubled unless you have something to be troubled about Jesus would never tell you not to be afraid unless you have something to be afraid of and that could be a whole list of things things you could you could have a long list of things you could be worried
of afraid of things that ought to give you trouble but Jesus said I'm going to give you peace despite the trouble that you might find yourself in you see the first verse of the same chapter Jesus put it this way he said let not your hearts be troubled you have much in your life that ought to trouble you but Jesus instructs you he commands you he gives you just this educational lesson that you don't need to act like the world you don't need to live like what your heart is telling you to do let not your hearts be troubled then he tells you how not to be troubled he says believe in God believe also in me we have one God and three persons the
Father the Son and the Holy Spirit one God three persons not three Gods one God three persons perfectly unified now Jesus says the cure to your troubles is belief now I'm not talking believe like a Hobby Lobby plaque you buy at Christmas it's not believe like Santa Claus is there if a muster up a a believe in this fantasy no Jesus is saying what you trust in what you hope in what you surrender to what you put your faith in will dictate what you do with your life so a person that's full of trouble and anxiety and worry has the absence of Faith what you believe shapes your behavior so the cure to your troubles in
your mind and in your heart all comes down to Jesus now Jesus is not someone that just says this he's putting this into practice he is facing the cross if anyone ought to be troubled in their life it should be Jesus if there's anyone that should be freaked out full of anxiety worried if there's anyone that should wake up with depression it ought to be Jesus he's coming to the conclusion of his 33 years on Earth he's a man on Mission he's headed to Jerusalem to die on the cross for the sins of mankind and all the things that he thinks about he's thinking about you I want you to have peace I want you to have what I offer a few chapters later in John chapter 16:33 here's the promise from Jesus I
have said these things to you that in me everyone say in me me in me so this is where you find peace in Jesus you may have peace peace is found in Jesus not by attending church not by following enough rules not not through rituals or religion in me Jesus says you may have peace in the world Jesus says you will have tribulation but take heart that phrase could be translated have courage I have overcome the world in his greatest hour of suffering Jesus is concerned that when you face suffering what are you going to do with your life you could have tribulation you
could have anxiety you could fill your life with chaos but Jesus said I have said all these things to you that instead of anxiety you might exchange that for peace this is really important that you understand this though that piece is not something contrived that piece is not based on your circumstances in fact Jesus is implying your circumstances are filled with tribulations and trials one translation says troubles in this world you will have trouble but if you read the promise of Jesus he has overcome the world he is the great Overcomer that when you wonder if you're going to get through this you've got to go back to Jesus he defeated death he defeated the
devil there's nothing he can't do but while you're in this world there is a prince of this world namely Satan Jesus calls him a thief he wants to steal kill destroy what does he want to steal peace he wants you to think that you can find peace somewhere else but I'll tell you the real Shalom that is the perfect peace of God can only be found in Jesus the whole world will offer a counterfeit peace pornography will not give you peace yet the world goes after this cannabis cannot give you peace so many you will think this will help me
sleep I'll tell you luxury will not let you live in peace if I just had enough money if I just had the right house if I if I just had enough stuff and then you see that that's not enough you know the richest men in the world get divorced if it was money that gives you peace those ought to be the marriages with the most peace they could afford the best counselors they can go on the best vacations luxury is not the way that you live in peace and then we put our hope in politicians maybe they'll be able to to negotiate peace somewhere somehow and we don't get on our knees and find peace in the very place in
which God wants to give us Jesus says in me you may have peace how can you have peace in Jesus by believing in Jesus he gives you himself the person of the Holy Spirit In Jesus you have the spirit of Jesus you'll either take God at his word or you won't in Galatians chapter 5 there's two options live by flesh or live by the spirit the flesh is who you are without Jesus now if you live by the flesh you're going to get the fruit of the flesh I don't need to go into the details of the fruit of the flesh but it's stinky it's horrible it's rotten fruit you don't believe me just look back on your life when you didn't live for Jesus you'll end up in a place you don't want to be but in Jesus the fruit of the
spirit Galatians 52 522 in Jesus the fruit of the spirit is love joy peace just stop right there something starts coming out of you that you you couldn't have on your own but God actually puts it in you and through you it's the manifestation of who he is in me you will have peace because it's the very presence of God I would like to go back to the Christmas story if you if you have a Bible go to Luke Chapter 2 in the Christmas story Luke Chapter 2 Luke's a doctor he writes about the story of Jesus now now we have a challenge here in our hearts for so many of us when you think about the Christmas story it conjures up all types of nostalgic
memories when you think about the Christmas story you think about Charlie Brown's Christmas uh uh pageant or maybe you you think about going to a Christmas play where there's these cute kids there's Mary and Joseph and then of course you've got to have the three wise men and the Shepherds and they're just dressed so cute and then you've got these cute little kids dressed like angels and and they're so cute we conjure up the Nativity Story as some nostalgic memory there are times that you need to read the Bible and just ask God to do like a control alt delete like let's just start over let's just let's reset this let's try to understand what was actually happening let's immerse ourselves in the story let's see the scriptures with fresh eyes let's look at the revelation of what actually happened
and in Luke Chapter 2 he tells us on that night that Jesus was born when God Almighty left his throne and became a child we're told in Luke chap 2:8 let's just start there in that same region where Jesus was born in that same region there were shepherds out in the field keeping their watch over their flock by night can we just pause in the story for just a moment have you heard that before I can just see the nativity scene maybe you have that in your home you've got the nativity scene and there's a Shepherd there with a staff and a little sheep have you seen that before I need you to erase that out of your mind let's just pause for just a moment I need you to understand who Shepherds
were at the time of this writing Shepherds were lowly people they were second class citizens Shepherds were untrusted they would not be used in a court of law because they were so untrustworthy they were considered ceremonially unclean so you would not want to touch a Shepherd or be near a Shepherd they not only smelled bad but their fingernails were so dirty and they had calluses on their hands that's what Luke says in chapter 2:8 in this region where Jesus was born there were s some second class social outcasts why in the world does Luke include this in the birth of Jesus God Almighty all powerful Eternal all
knowing is coming to this world as a child and by the way there were some stinky Shepherds out in the field what were they doing they were not having a church service they were not praising God they were not praying what were they doing watching their flock at night if there was ever a time that a wolf was going to come or some bear or some other animal it's going to be at night so someone's got to stay up and watch them someone's got to stay up and fend off the enemy someone's got to stay up and wash these sheep that could wander off here it is in the middle of the night in the middle of their lives this is a metaphoric picture of some of you are in the middle of your night some of you are at the moment wondering what's happening with me you're you're just going about your business maybe you feel overlooked maybe you feel like what
am I doing with my time and with my life that's where Luke says Jesus was born that's whom he says in Luke chap 2 look at verse 9 and an angel an angel of the Lord appeared to them and the glory of the Lord Shone around them now just stop for a moment an angel the glory of God not a cute little kid with wings this is the glory of God God the awe the Splendor the might the Majesty The Wonder of the god that is Holy Holy Holy the god that can speak and he speaks
creation into existence the one that no one can figure out this Angel comes as a messenger of the glory the shakina glory of God and look at verse n it says and those Shepherds those manly men those guys with muscles and calluses on their hands those guys that have been outside every night that have killed bears and cougars one Angel shows up and it says they were filled with great fear that should remind you of the glory of God if if you see God accurately for who he is it ought to fill you with fear why
because of who you are your presence in front of a holy God wretched sinner okay if I just would put myself in the place of the Shepherds for a moment a social outcast in the eyes of a perfect holy God if I come in the presence of that holy God I'm going to freak out cuz this God knows what I did last night okay maybe for these Shepherds a few hours ago what they drank what they smoked what they were talking about in that moment all that matters is whoa I just came into the presence of a
holy God they're filled with fear what does the angel do verse 10 and the angel said to them fear not I'll tell you this is the most most common commandment in all the scriptures from the beginning to the end fear not when you come in the presence of an all glorious all powerful God you ought to freak out but the invitation to God is don't worry I love you do not be afraid fear not I love that God does not say go get your life right then you can be in my presence instead he says fear not you have something to worry about you have something to be afraid of but in this moment God reminds us no matter where you are fear not please receive that promise today some of us are freaking out it's time for you to hear the promise of God fear not the angel declares for behold I bring you good
news of great joy that will be for some people got three people tracking with me in the scriptures right now just seeing if anyone's asleep this is good news which gospel means what good news this is a gospel this is a good new news of great joy this is not a a Debbie Downer message this is a message of great joy not for some people y'all this is not for the Frozen chosen this is not for the holy huddle this is not for those religious people that go to church this is for who all people when we say a journey There's Hope for everyone because the message of Jesus is he came to bring good news and great joy for all people this is for all people so when God decides to come to this Earth he
sends an angel to the worst of the worst the Shepherds to say this is not a message for the religious Elite of the world this is not for the people and power this is a message for all people this is good news for all people this is great joy for all people look at verse 11 for unto you where do you find that gospel the good news of great joy for unto you was born this day in the city of David look at this child a savior who is Christ the word Christ means Messiah the anointed one of God that's what Christ means it's a Greek form of Messiah who is the savior who is Christ the lord I don't know about you but that's a lot of pressure to put on a baby it's not very often that we look at a baby say this baby will be the Savior the anointed the only chosen one of
God that's a lot of pressure one of our pastors Pastor Noah and his wife Hannah Hannah had her child on Sunday night one week ago today can you imagine just being like man your child is going to be the Savior the Messiah the Christ the only one that will come do what God has promised they weren't freaking out about that they were mostly worried about a name what are we going to name a human that will be identified with this the rest of their life in this case this child will be a savior the Christ is born who brings good news of great joy now look at verse 12 this will be a sign for you you will find a baby a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and line in a Manger verse 13 and
suddenly you think one Angel would freak you out and suddenly you go from the glory of God from glory to glory and suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the Heavenly hosts praying praising God and saying now that word host means Army when you read that in the scriptures that we have the Lord of hosts that means we have the Lord of armies he's the the which armies angels armies all of a sudden there's an army of angels praising God saying could you imagine this one Angel filled with the glory of God I imagine their spectacularly wonderful huge glory to God verse 14 glory to God in the highest and H on
Earth peace among those with whom he is pleased peace because of the glory of God coming to this Earth on Earth there'll be peace among those whom he has pleased another translation says on Those whom his favor rests that when you believe in Jesus you're going to receive peace it's not going to be the absence of conflict in this world it's going to be a confidence of who God is look at verse 14 one more time on Earth peace when you trust in the Lord When You Believe In Jesus when you put your faith in Jesus we are told there's peace that's why Jesus came to this
earth not to leave us the same not so that we would live the way that we want to live but to offer us the very thing that we need Isaiah the prophet said some 700 years before Jesus was was born who this Christ would be he said this for to us a child is born to us a son is given once again stop and and read the scriptures critically for a moment have you ever heard someone have a child and say well that's our child that child is given to us no that's not the way it works when someone has a child that's someone else's child but there will be one child that's given for us no who will he be well the government shall be upon his shoulder that's a lot of pressure on a
baby and his name shall be wonderful counselor that's a lot of pressure Mighty God when's the last time you saw a baby that was mighty God that's Jesus 100% God 100% man Everlasting father and say it with me Prince of Peace this is who Jesus is Jesus is is the Prince of Peace how can he offer you peace because of who he is verse 7 says of the increase of his government and the of Peace there will be no end how could there be no end of Peace it's because it's who Jesus is he's Eternal and when you believe in him he gives you the very thing that you need so what stops us from this piece
you the question today is where is your relationship with Jesus how is your faith in Jesus do you trust in Jesus are there any areas of your life where you are experiencing something other than peace and if so we come back to the conclusion that it's through Jesus and in Jesus that I find this peace Isaiah wrote it this way in chapter 26:3 you keep him perfect in peace those whose mind is stayed on you because he trusts in you your peace is directly related to your trust in Jesus if you have a relationship ship with Jesus and there's an absence of peace that means I need to start trusting in Jesus more let me give you some practical regarding the promises of scripture Philippians 4: 6 and 7 the bible says really clear do not be
anxious about what anything that promise seems a little outlandish well you don't know my life I've got plenty to be anxious about well the Bible says do not be anxious about anything so how can you not be anxious about anything I'm glad you asked because you have to keep reading the Bible do not be anxious about anything but in what everything by prayer and supplication with Thanksgiving so the only way not to be anxious is to pray and it's not just any prayer it's a prayer of surrender and a prayer of Thanksgiving to God and when you pray here's what it says in verse 7 and the peace of God which surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus this is a peace that just does not make
sense you can write many books about this piece but it will not make sense because this piece is found in Jesus it surpasses understanding you cannot pop a pill to get this peace you cannot go to a counselor to find this piece which by the way nothing's wrong with medication nothing's wrong with counseling we all need a counselor but there is a peace that Jesus can bring in which no one else can give you that which he alone can give in fact there's a military term here he will guard your hearts and your minds in Jesus now I need you to consider this in Philippi there were all sorts of Roman soldiers strong men with armor and a sword and Paul Likens the peace of God to a guarding your heart like that of a military term why would he say that
that's because there's an enemy coming into your heart there's an enemy that wants wants to steal that peace and replace it with none other than anxiety how do you have anxiety that's what the enemy wants for you anxiety causes all sorts of issues health issues disease issues relationship issues God does not want you to have anxiety do not be anxious about anything but everything by prayer and supplication with Thanksgiving let your request be made known to God and the peace of God this is where Jesus comes in he guards your heart that when the Devil Comes he's going to protect your heart and he's going to protect your mind and Jesus that means I have to constantly keep coming back to Jesus all
that I am Jesus when we say it's all about Jesus we mean it's all about Jesus not on Sundays but on Mondays and Tuesdays and Wednesdays and Thursdays and Fridays and Saturdays and then you start Sundays again because we need Jesus every moment because there is a Temptation that I'm going to give into the world the way that the world is trying to find peace that's why Paul writes in Romans 12:2 do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewal of your mind the only way you're going to know what God's perfect will is for your life is if you're being transformed by Jesus but if you're thinking like the world I will tell you right now the world is not going after Jesus the world is not trying to find
peace in Jesus so if you conform yourself to the world then you will find an answer other than Jesus and I want to warn you right now that's a counterfeit piece it's a fake it's a fraud that's exactly who the devil is he's a counterfeit he wants to look like Jesus but he can't give you Jesus John 14:27 let's look at it again peace Jesus says I leave with you my peace I give to you not as the world gives do I give to you notice what Jesus says not as the world gives I want to tell you a story Jesus was in a boat with his disciples and on one particular night there was a huge storm a giant storm you know what Jesus was doing in the storm
sleeping I need you to get this picture in your mind of Jesus sleeping some would misunderstand it but that sleep represents the perfect peace of God that in the middle of a storm Jesus does not conformed to the storm are you tracking with me in the middle of a storm Jesus does not conform to those around him are you tracking with me because in the middle of a storm it's easy to do what other people are doing freak out when you have waves let's read the story Mark 4:37 and a great wind storm arose and the waves were breaking into the boat so that the boat was already filling there's something to be freaking out about I know you got this in your life but he was in the stern that's Jesus asleep on the cushion and they woke Jesus up and said teacher do you not care we are perishing
many of us have prayed that prayer in our lives Jesus do you not care about my life do you not care about this relationship do you not care about my kids do you not care about my finances do you not care that this world is so broken and messed up do you not see what's happening I want you to notice what Jesus did Jesus awoke he rebuked the wind and said to the Sea peace be still and the wind ceased and there was a great calm and Jesus said to them why are you so afraid have you still no faith and they were filled with great fear and they said to one another who then is this that even the wind and the Sea obey him I want to point out two things in that story the first is this that fear is associated with faith the more fear you have the less
Faith you have there's an association that you will actually take God at his word for who he is despite what's happening in your life at this point these guys have experienced Miracles they they saw Jesus touch a leper and his skin was healed they saw a blind man start to see they saw Miracles and that still didn't help them in a storm so don't think that your last miracle is going to get you through your next storm but you got to consider who do you have in your life you've got Jesus so are you going to conform to the chaos around you or are you going to say my faith is greater than what I'm going through I've seen it before I've got to believe it again the second thing I want you to see here is that peace is directly related to obedience the disciples noted that the reason things were calm is that the wind and the Sea
obeyed Jesus now what was his commandment peace be still therefore if there's no peace there's a Disobedience imagine Jesus said peace be still and the storm got stronger that would be a Disobedience a Defiance to the word of Jesus therefore in our lives if I don't have peace I'm not taking Jesus at his word I've given you the promise of Jesus word in John 14:27 my peace I give to you John 16:33 in me you will have peace therefore if I have chaos and I'm in a storm somewhere in my life I have to look at my obedience directly related in my heart and my mind to Jesus are you tracking with me so we come back to the words of Paul do not be anxious about anything but in everything by prayer
supplication with Thanksgiving what is prayer it is communion with God it is talking to God listening to God it's being one with God you don't have to have the right words they don't need to be eloquent words in fact Jesus said I would just love it if you just meet me in the closet you don't need to repeat special words it doesn't need to be a church it just needs to be real in your heart we live in a world full of contradictions where religion's trying to offer something only Jesus can give entertainment is trying to offer something only Jesus can give taxes and turmoil we've got a whole world full of chaos and it's time for us to decide do I want to be more like Jesus or more more like the people around me I want to receive the promise of Jesus peace be still I want to invite the band up here and I want to
just I want to get really serious with you in your heart for just a moment because listen I'm a preacher I'm a pastor I started a church nearly 14 years ago you would think that a preacher would have it figured out when it comes to the word of God but I've come to a conclusion over the last four years you know over the pandemic my heart started to fall apart because the preachers I looked up to were falling left and right to sin I I would come home and I would start crying with my wife that that man that I loved was sleeping with other women how I just didn't understand it but it's the same problem that I had when I was a kid when my dad walked out on me when I was just a child I didn't understand it when you go to the word of God it's no no longer about other people or
anyone else in the world it's all about Jesus that is not cliche here because in your world if there's the absence of peace I have to tell you a preacher is not going to solve your problem the church isn't going to solve your problem you need a real savior which according to that angel that spoke to those Shepherds is why Jesus came into the world he came to be your Messiah not a preacher not the church Jesus Jesus and so there's two people today there's the one that has yet to believe in Jesus and if that's you today I want to give you a great invitation see when it comes to Jesus he never says go get your life right first then you can follow me then you can put your faith in me here's what the Bible says in Romans 5:1 therefore since we've been justified by faith we have peace
with God through our Lord Jesus Christ where does peace come from faith when you put your faith in Jesus here's the promise of Jesus he forgives you of all your sins once and for all how can he forgive you of all your sins Ephesians chapter 2 the writer explains it this way Ephesians 2:13 but now in Christ Jesus you who were once far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ so if you feel far from God the reason Jesus died on the cross was for you to have a right relationship with Jesus his blood covers all your sins which means now you have direct access to God despite being a sinner he forgives you of your sins so that you could be near to God for he himself verse 14 Jesus himself is our
peace who made us both one and has broken down the wall in his flesh dividing the wall of his hostility it's like there was a wall between you and God Jesus comes and breaks it down and says here get to God here's how by abolishing the law verse 15 of The Commandments expressed in the ordinances that he might create any himself one new man in place of the two so making peace let me just paraphrase this you don't have to follow all the rules to get to God verse 16 and Jesus did more than that that he might reconcile both that he might reconcile us both to God and one body through the cross thereby killing the hostility you are not an enemy of God and he came and preached verse 17 he came and preached peace to
those who are far off and PE peace to those who are near I hope you can see this today the whole point of Jesus was to make sure that you can have peace with God in this world you will have tribulation but take heart I have overcome the world Jesus said so instead of tribulation I could be going through the greatest chaos and still have a deep conviction in my heart I have peace last week we talked about hope how hope is the active conviction that despair will not have the final word if I hope in Jesus I know that what I'm going through is not the end of the story I want to share one last verse With You Paul he concludes the Romans and I love this visual I hope you'll get
this in your head he says and the peace of God just say the peace of God the peace of God I don't know what you think about Jesus but get this the peace of God the Prince of Peace will soon Crush Satan under your feet all the chaos the confusion the anxiety the worry all that you think is out of control the storms of life are under your feet in Jesus and the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you you're a child of God you're highly favored you're pleased God looks at you he loves you you're a child of God by believing him it changes everything and everything you have full Authority in Jesus it's under you because of the grace of Jesus I want to ask you today if you've never done that and you want a relationship with Jesus
I'm going to ask you to be bold and courageous because if you want to enter into a relationship with Jesus it's not just today it's forever more it takes courage but when you believe in Jesus you receed this great gift Called Peace he exchanges your anxiety with his righteousness he loves you he wants you to keep growing in this relationship I'm going to ask right now if ask you and you want to put your faith in Jesus you want to surrender your heart to Jesus I'm going to ask with All Eyes Wide Open if that's you would you just stand to your feet and say yes I'm going to believe in Jesus I want to surrender to Jesus I want to put my faith in Jesus without any pressure from any other person just you and your heart if your heart is beating saying you know you need to take this serious today's your day is there anybody who wants to stand to your feet say yes I want to put my faith in Jesus that's me doesn't
matter how young you are how old you are doesn't matter where you've been been or what you've done you could throw off what you did yesterday right now between you and Jesus would you stand to your feet it's going to require courage but I tell you it's worth [Music] it I believe there's someone here today you came to church but you weren't expecting it come on brother praise God Amen receive the gift that God has given you God has been begging and waiting for you to receive this great gift is there anyone else that wants to say right now I want peace [Music] today receive it in the name of Jesus but you got to take the action you've got to be
obedient without obedience there's chaos anyone else I'm going to ask that we all stand to our feet and I want to pray with our brother and for anyone else even those watching online that want to make this decision for the first time I'm going to just I'm going to say a simple prayer I'm going to ask that you repeat it after me saying these words will not save you it's a matter of the heart that God sees in your life if if you want to believe in Jesus and you want to receive his peace would you just pray with me out loud let's say this together Lord Jesus I receive your peace I Repent of my sins forgive me Lord help me to follow you and be led by the spirit for in you
I find peace in Jesus name amen and amen and amen praise be to God well friends I want to invite the prayer team to come to the front of the platform right now if you need prayer for anything we're going to sing one last song I want to just ask that you don't rush out of here it'll be a short song but this is a chance to remember where is my peace found in Jesus and all the chaos and the confusion of this world now is the time to receive if you need prayer for anything if it's a health issue a relationship with you or maybe just a heart issue whatever that is there's nothing too small nor too great that God can't do it just come forward and receive prayer from this team
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Peace Is Not the Absence of Trouble
Pastor Keith contrasts the world's counterfeit peace with the peace Jesus gives, noting that Jesus tells his followers not to let their hearts be troubled precisely because there is much to be troubled about. Peace is presented as a confidence in God's character while trouble continues, not a life without storms.
John 14:27 · John 16:33
- Where in your life have you been expecting peace to mean the absence of difficulty? How does that expectation differ from what the message describes?
- What is the difference between the world's peace and the peace Jesus offers, as Pastor Keith frames it?
- What would it look like to have a deep confidence in God while your circumstances remain hard?
Belief Shapes Behavior
From Jesus' command in John 14:1 to believe in God and in him, the message argues that what you trust determines what you do, and that anxiety can signal an absence of faith. The remedy is not a vague positive outlook but taking God at his word, trusting in Jesus specifically. He also notes that peace is part of the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5, so it flows from God's presence rather than from circumstances.
John 14:1 · Galatians 5:22
- How have your beliefs about God shaped your behavior in a recent stressful situation?
- Pastor Keith says the cure to troubles is belief. What does genuine belief in Jesus look like in practice, beyond simply saying you believe?
- Where might you be trusting something other than Jesus—such as health, money, or approval—to give you peace?
The Shepherds and the Gospel for Everyone
Walking through Luke 2, Pastor Keith emphasizes that the angel appeared to shepherds—low-status, mistrusted, ceremonially unclean outcasts. The announcement of good news and great joy for all people was made to them, underscoring that the gospel is for all people and not the religious elite. He also applies the scene to listeners who feel overlooked in the middle of their own night.
Luke 2:8 · Luke 2:10 · Luke 2:11
- Why does it matter that the angel announced Jesus' birth to shepherds rather than to religious leaders?
- How does the angel's announcement of joyful good news for all people challenge any tendency to sort people into insiders and outsiders?
- Pastor Keith applies the shepherds' nighttime watch to listeners who feel overlooked—where might you feel that way, and how does the announcement to the shepherds speak to it?
The Prince of Peace and Trust
Drawing on Isaiah 9, Pastor Keith identifies Jesus as the Prince of Peace whose government and peace have no end. From Isaiah 26:3, peace is tied directly to trust, and Pastor Keith asks the listeners to examine whether an absence of peace reveals a lack of trust in Jesus.
Isaiah 9:6 · Isaiah 9:7 · Isaiah 26:3
- What does it mean practically to have your mind fixed on God when life is noisy?
- Pastor Keith connects a mind stayed on God with peace because it trusts him. How does that connection land with you?
- How does the title Prince of Peace deepen your understanding of who Jesus is?
Prayer and Peace in the Storm
Pastor Keith applies Philippians 4:6–7, presenting prayer with thanksgiving as the way to replace anxiety with a peace that guards the heart and mind like a military garrison. Then, retelling Mark 4, Jesus calms the storm, and Pastor Keith links fear with weak faith and peace with obedience.
Philippians 4:6 · Philippians 4:7 · Mark 4:37
- What would praying with thanksgiving actually look like when you are in the middle of a storm?
- Pastor Keith connects peace with obedience. How do you respond to that connection—is it helpful, challenging, or both?
- The disciples had seen miracles yet still feared. Why is faith in the present storm not guaranteed by past experiences?
Answers from this recording
Start a conversation.
What does this message say the difference is between the world's peace and the peace Jesus gives?+
Pastor Keith draws the contrast from John 14:27, where Jesus says his peace is not given as the world gives. The world's versions—purchased peace, or peace through health, approval, and possessions—are called counterfeits that cannot deliver. Jesus' peace is the very essence of who he is, given to those who believe. It is not the absence of trouble but a confidence in God despite trouble, and it is described from Galatians 5:22 as fruit that flows from the Spirit's presence rather than from circumstances.
Why does the message spend so much time on the shepherds in Luke 2?+
Pastor Keith wants listeners to see the shepherds as first-century social outcasts—described as unclean, untrusted, and unfit for testimony in court—rather than the cute figures of a nativity set. That the angel announced good news of great joy to these shepherds shows the gospel is for all people, not the religious elite. It also speaks to anyone who feels overlooked or in the middle of their own long night.
How does the message suggest a person should handle anxiety?+
From Philippians 4:6–7, Pastor Keith says the way not to be anxious is to pray—specifically with surrender and thanksgiving. Such prayer is described as communion with God, conversational and unpolished, needing no special words. The promised result is a peace that surpasses understanding and guards the heart and mind like a military garrison against an enemy who wants to replace peace with anxiety. Pastor Keith explicitly says medication and counseling are not wrong, while insisting there is a peace only Jesus gives.
What does the story of Jesus calming the storm teach about faith and peace?+
Pastor Keith retells Mark 4, noting that Jesus slept through the storm—an image of perfect peace—while the disciples panicked. After he spoke peace to the wind and sea, he asked why they were afraid and had no faith. Pastor Keith draws two points: fear is associated with a lack of faith, and peace is related to obedience, since even the wind and sea obeyed Jesus' word. He cautions that past miracles do not guarantee present trust.
What invitation does the message give to someone who has never trusted Jesus?+
Near the close, Pastor Keith invites anyone who has not believed to respond, stressing that Jesus does not require people to clean up their lives first. Using Romans 5:1 and Ephesians 2, he explains that peace with God comes through faith in Christ, whose blood brings those who were far off near and breaks down the dividing wall. The invitation is framed as an ongoing relationship rather than a one-time ritual, and a prayer of repentance and surrender follows.
