"A Life of Peace" 7-13-25
Overview
A Life of Peace
Proverbs 10:24-25 declares: "What the wicked dread will come upon them, but the desire of the righteous will be granted. When the tempest passes, the wicked are no more, but the righteous are established forever." When we hear those words, we instinctively ask which group we belong to. Honest reflection reveals the answer is both. By nature, we are born in the image of fallen Adam, inheriting his sin. By the work of the Spirit, we are reborn and recreated in the image of God. This side of heaven, the Christian lives in that tension—simultaneously sinner and saint.
Scripture shows what happens when sinful people take matters into their own hands out of fear. After the flood, God commanded Noah's descendants to be fruitful, multiply, and fill the earth Genesis 9. Instead, fearing they would be scattered, the people gathered at Babel to build a tower and make a name for themselves Genesis 11. The very thing they dreaded came upon them—the Lord scattered them anyway. Centuries later, the religious leaders feared losing their power if people followed Jesus of Nazareth, so they handed Him over to be crucified. They thought they had won when He breathed His last. But what the wicked dread came upon them: on the third day the tomb was empty, and Christ's victory has been proclaimed ever since. Whenever we try to build the tower of our own lives—trusting ourselves, glorifying ourselves, willing our own way against God's will—we find ourselves struggling, and in that struggle there is no peace.
The desire of the righteous is the petition Jesus taught us to pray: "Thy will be done." God's will may not always align with what we want, and we will not grasp its full breadth this side of heaven, but His will is good, and He wills for you a life of peace. As Paul writes, "It is to peace that God has called you" 1 Corinthians 7:15. This peace does not depend on calm circumstances. Broken relationships, mounting bills, devastating diagnoses, even floods that take life and property—storms come. But the storms of this life are temporary; "when the tempest passes, the wicked are no more, but the righteous are established forever." Christ has established you forever in His blood.
On the night before facing the storm of God's wrath for the sin of the world, Jesus told His disciples, "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid" John 14:27. When Peter confessed Jesus as the Christ, our Lord said this is the confession on which He builds His church Matthew 16:16-18—and it is the foundation on which you build your life. Life storms are for a moment; life in the Lord is for eternity. So as you go forth this week and face the storms that will come, remember: you are called to a life of peace. That peace has been paid for at the cross, sealed in the Holy Spirit, and delivered to you in the body and blood of our Lord. Christ loves you, Christ forgives you, and Christ has called you to a life of peace.
Transcript
If you would please open your Bibles to Proverbs 10, Proverbs 10. 3s
This is in the Old Testament. 10s
If you're using a Pue edition of the Bible, you can find this on page 556, Proverbs 10, 11s
verses 24 and 25. 19s
Every time that I prepare for a sermon, I pray. 26s
I pray before I'm preparing it, I pray while preparing it, I pray as I walk out here 31s
to preach a sermon. 38s
And the prayer is always the same. 40s
Lord, let your people hear what you would have them hear. 42s
Lord, let me speak the words that you would have your people hear. 47s
It's the same prayer every time. 54s
And as I was preparing for this sermon this week, I kept finding myself coming back to peace. 57s
You see, there are a lot of struggles, a lot of storms that we are facing. 66s
These days, storms in our personal lives, storms that are of a natural disaster. 71s
We just had storms of floods ripping through and tragic loss of life and property in the 78s
Hill Country of Texas. 85s
And so as I was preparing, I kept thinking about peace and considering the life to which we are 87s
called, we are called to a life of peace. 94s
And then we come to the verses that we have today. 97s
Look with me, please, beginning at verse 24. 101s
What the wicked dread will come upon them, but the desire of the righteous will be granted. 104s
When the tempest passes, the wicked are no more, but the righteous are established forever. 110s
And I wonder how, how, how, how, how can this be a matter of peace? 116s
And when I hear those, those verses, when we read those together, we can't help but ask, 122s
who are we in those verses? Who are we in those verses? And we ask ourselves, 129s
ask ourselves, who do we want to be? Because we want to be the righteous in this, we don't want to be 135s
the wicked and yet we look around our lives and we see the storms and we think, 144s
or the wicked. 149s
We're the wicked. Because my life isn't all together, I don't have everything, how I think it should be, 152s
or want it to be. And so certainly, I must be part of the wicked. But you see, I've not yet met a person, 160s
not one single person who has it all together, not one. And this includes myself, not a single 170s
person have I met, who is without sin. And this includes myself, not a single person who has it all 179s
together, who is without sin, who has no storm or tempest in their life. 188s
So are we all the wicked? Are we all the wicked? Well, yes, yes, we are. You see, we were born 196s
with a nature of sin. We were born in the image of Adam that is an image of man, an image of sin. 208s
And yet, are we righteous? And the answer is yes, you see, we are reborn in the spirit born 219s
and recreated in the image of God. And so this is what we struggle with, this side of heaven, 228s
as a Christian people, we struggle with this, this simultaneously sinner and saint. We struggle 236s
with the wicked and the righteousness that is part of ourselves. In the days of Noah, there were 245s
wicked. wicked people. And it was only wicked. In chapter 6 of Genesis, we read the Lord saw that 257s
wickedness of humankind was great in the earth. And that every inclination of the thoughts of 265s
their hearts was only evil continually. Only evil continually, those were wicked, wicked people. 273s
And the Lord found Noah and found him to be a righteous man. And so the Lord, as you know, 283s
called Noah to build the arch he and his sons and their wives were all spared from the flood. 289s
But the Lord lamented of the creation and he wiped the rest of the creation out, save Noah, his family, 297s
and some animals. They were all wiped out. And then when the floods happened in the 305s
boys and their wives were to go forth, God gave them the same command that he gave to Adam and Eve. 318s
He said, be fruitful and multiply. Going about the earth, he told them to go forth, 325s
be fruitful and multiply. There is a problem. There was a problem because sin was still in creation. 335s
You see, even Noah had been created in the image of his father, Seth, who was created in the 348s
image of his father, Adam. And so sin was still in creation. And what the wicked dread will come 357s
upon them, we read in verse 24. So Noah was saved. He was spared. His family was saved. 369s
They were told to go forth to be fruitful to multiply. But sin was still in creation. And so 378s
so the people that had the command of the Lord, they didn't follow the command of the Lord. 386s
And we get the tower of Babel in Genesis chapter 11. We read now the whole earth. 392s
Had one language and the same words. And as they migrated from the east, they came upon a 397s
plane in the land of China and settled there. And they said to one another, come. Let us make bricks 403s
and burn them thoroughly. And they had brick for stone and bitumen for mortar. Then they said, come. 409s
Let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens and let us make a name for 416s
ourselves. Otherwise, we shall be scattered abroad the face of the whole earth. You see in their sin, 423s
they didn't want to be fruitful and multiply. They wanted to stay together. They didn't want to 434s
follow the Lord's command. And so they took matters into their own hands. And they decided to 440s
build a city for themselves with a tower reaching to the heavens. And they were going to make 446s
a name for themselves. But what the wicked dread will come upon them. They dreaded being scattered. 453s
They dreaded being apart from one another. And so they build this tower. They build this city. But the 465s
Lord, it says the Lord came down to see the city and the tower which the mortals had built. 471s
And the Lord said, look, they are one people and they have all one language and this is only the 477s
beginning of what they will do. Nothing that they proposed to do will now be impossible for them. 484s
Come. Let us go down and confuse their language there so that they will not understand one another's 492s
speech. So the Lord scattered them abroad from there over the face of all the earth and they left 497s
off building the city. Therefore it was called Babel because they're the Lord confused the language 506s
of all the earth and from there the Lord scattered them abroad over the face of all the earth. 512s
They took matters into their own hands and they wanted to make things according to their will, 523s
according to how they wanted but the Lord will not be thwarted. The Lord had commanded go forth, 531s
be fruitful and multiply and they didn't go forth. And they feared being scattered and yet 540s
the very thing they feared was exactly what the Lord had in mind and it was his will for their 548s
lives and so he scattered them. In our sin we are tempted to take matters into our own hands. 557s
We are tempted to build our own towers. We are tempted to make our lives of it what we see, 566s
fit or want to see in our lives. But what the wicked dread will come upon them. But the desire 575s
of the righteous will be granted. The desire of the righteous will be granted. Well what is the desire? 585s
What is the desire of the righteous? What is the desire of one who is righteous? Who is right with God? 595s
In the Lord's prayer we have a petition. The petition thy will be done. 605s
As we pray that prayer we are not praying my will be done. Thy will be done. Does that mean that 613s
God's will is always lined up with what we want? No. Does it mean that we'll understand the full 622s
extent and breadth of God's will for our lives? No. But we pray. We pray that God's will would be 630s
done because God's will is perfect. God's will is good and God wills for you a life of peace. 642s
And when we take matters into our own hands, when we try to build the tower of our lives, 655s
making a name for ourselves to trust in ourselves, to glorify ourselves, we find that we are in that 662s
struggle, that struggle against the will of God perhaps. And in that struggle, there is no peace. 677s
God has called you to a life of peace. In first Corinthians, Paul under the inspiration of 690s
a Holy Spirit says, it is to peace that God has called you. Paul was writing to the Corinthians, 696s
but this is a message. This is a word from God to you to every disciple through the ages. God 703s
is calling you to a life of peace. How do we find peace? How do we find peace in the midst of the 709s
saint, center struggle? How do we find peace in the midst of the storms that are swirling around us? 725s
How do we find peace? When we have broken relationships in our lives, how do we find peace? When we have 732s
the storm of bills that are stacking up, how do we find peace when there are floods? 743s
That take life and property. How do we find peace with a difficult devastating diagnosis? 751s
And yet God has called you to a life of peace. What the wicked dread will come upon them, 767s
but the desire of the righteous will be granted. In the tower of Babylon, the wicked acted in fear. 776s
They acted taking their their matters into their own hands out of fear, 785s
of scattering, out of fear of what might come or might be, though it was the command and the will of 791s
God for their lives. But they were not the only ones to take matters into their own hands. They were 801s
not the only ones to take matters into their own hands out of fear centuries later. In the second 809s
temple period of Judaism, there was a man who a lot of people took notice of, a man that they 818s
turned to who was healing and teaching with authority unlike the scribes and the Pharisees. There was a man 829s
who had a word who could cure and heal like no other. And the question was, is this man 838s
the Messiah? And those in the Jewish leadership feared that people might come to 850s
to follow Jesus of Nazareth and believe that he indeed was the sent Messiah. 862s
And so they took matters into their own hands. And they called for his execution and not just 870s
any execution they called for his crucifixion. They didn't want to lose their power, they didn't want 877s
to lose their position, they didn't want to lose their place. And they turned him over 886s
for fear of people following Jesus of Nazareth. And Jesus went to that cross. 898s
And he was nailed to the cross and he was mocked and he was spit upon and the Jewish leaders 912s
watched him die. He took his last breath and gave up his spirit and they thought, we won. 922s
And the devil thought he had won. 933s
Jesus of Nazareth was dead. But what the wicked dread will come upon them. 940s
You see those disciples of Jesus, they went to the tomb three days after his death. 950s
And they went looking to care for the body. And when they opened the tomb, 957s
there were just the rapings and angels proclaiming that Jesus of Nazareth was not dead, 963s
that he was alive. And they understood the devil had no victory Christ, Christ has the victory. 974s
Jesus Christ entered into creation fully God, fully man, truly God, truly man, entered into 986s
creation, lived the righteous life that you and I can never live. And he went to the cross. 995s
Surrendering his life, surrendering his righteousness so that he could take the wrath of God, 1004s
the punishment for your sin, for my sin, the punishment for every time that we try to take matters into 1013s
our own hands and he took matters of our sin into his hands. 1020s
And from the day of his resurrection and the week after his resurrection and the month and the 1036s
and the centuries after his resurrection, every time his name is proclaimed, there are 1046s
new believers. There are those who hear of Jesus of Nazareth and know that he is indeed the Messiah, 1057s
the one sent for the forgiveness of our sin. 1065s
What the wicked dread will come upon them, but the desire of the righteous will be granted. 1071s
And so what the wicked had dreaded came true. It came upon them that Jesus Christ had victory. 1083s
Jesus of Nazareth has had victory over your sin, over my sin, over the sin of all the world, 1094s
of all time and all ages. In verse 25 it says, when the tempest passes, the wicked are no more, but the 1101s
righteous are established forever. The righteous are established forever. You see Jesus Christ. 1110s
Jesus Christ established it. His authority established his victory forever. He has made you 1120s
righteous in his blood forever. And so the way that we find that we have a life of peace is that 1129s
as we pass through the storms, the storms, this side of heaven are temporary. When the tempest 1138s
passes, the wicked are no more. The things of this world, they are for a moment. 1147s
They happen and they move on. They are no more and yet the righteousness in which we stand 1157s
upon Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, that is eternal. That is the foundation on which we 1167s
stand. Jesus Christ facing the storm of all storms, facing the wrath of God, the punishment for the 1177s
sin of all the world of all the time as he was entering to take that on. He told his disciples, 1186s
peace I leave you. My peace I give you. I do not give you as the world gives, do not 1197s
let your hearts be troubled and do not let them be afraid. We have a life of peace, even in the 1204s
midst of the storms because it is a life that is built on the righteousness that we have been 1215s
given by God that has been given to us through the blood of Christ. When Peter confesses that 1224s
Christ is the Messiah, Jesus says this, this is the confession on which I will build my church 1238s
and the confession that you are right with God through Jesus Christ, that is what you build your 1247s
life on. And we know that as we build our lives on the confession of Jesus Christ, we know 1255s
that we seek His will. We know that this sight of heaven we will have the struggle, we will have 1262s
storms. But as we go through the storms, we walk with peace because we walk with Christ and he 1271s
has already had victory over every storm. He has already suffered for every storm. 1280s
That we face. Life storms, life storms are for a moment. But life in the Lord is for eternity. 1292s
So as you go forth this week, as you go forth and you face the storms that will come 1311s
and people ask you about their own storms that will be there. Remember, you are called 1321s
to a life of peace. That life of peace has been paid for, that life of peace has been 1337s
sealed for you in the Holy Spirit, that life of peace is delivered to you as you hold out your hands 1350s
to receive the body and blood of our Lord and Savior. 1357s
Have peace because your life is built on Christ. As I prayed in preparation, 1367s
I prayed Lord, let your word go forth. What you would have your people here, let them here. 1382s
So here, this, my brothers and sisters, here this and no it. Christ loves you, Christ forgives you 1390s
and Christ has called you to a life of peace. 1405s