The Healing Word

Guest (Male): The healing word ministry on one place is brought to you by the generous donations of people like you. At any time during today's message, feel free to send a prayer request or make a donation using the links provided. Now, I pray you will be blessed as Pastor Jack Morris delivers a message from the word of God that will encourage and strengthen your faith in him.

Pastor Jack Morris: Many of us are in the valley of decision. And decision can be a a valley experience, a a downtime. We want to make the right decision and we can. We make it so difficult because we we make decisions based on our thinking and the circumstances and what we know about the situation. Friend, forget all of that and say God, I walk by faith. I walk by believing, not by seeing.

Guest (Male): Welcome to the healing word, a ministry of the Largo Community Church in Bowie, Maryland. Today, Pastor Jack Morris will complete a three-part series on finding peace and will demonstrate through events in Jesus's ministry our need to maintain a close relationship and allow him to guide us through decisions and events in life. Let's go to today's message, the rule of peace.

Pastor Jack Morris: Look at verse 15. Do you have your Bibles open? Would you read verse There it is on the screen. Just read it off the screen. Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts. Now, I must confess something. The word rule comes from the original where we get the word umpire. Now, those of you who were here last week, you heard me say empire. You remember that? Oh, you remember things I don't want you to remember. After the service, there was a minister here from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. That's up my neck of the woods. And he met me out here in the line and he said, it's not empire, it's umpire.

And then he pronounced it in the Greek. Now, he's a smart man to be able to do all of that. But it's um U M, empire. But I did I did caution everybody that I'm not a into not a sports fan. I'm not into sports. And so when it comes to sports language, I could miss it sometimes. So you're just going to have to guess what I am talking about if I'm going to use a sports illustration. But let the peace of God be like an umpire in your heart, settling disputes and making final decisions.

Let the peace of God be the green light that tells you, hey, it's okay to go ahead. But if there's an amber light, you better put on the brakes, look both ways, get some good direction like the man that came up in the in the court. And the judge was about to sentence him and he looked down at him and he said, sir, don't you know what that amber light means? He said, yes, sir. It means step on it because it's going to turn red. Well, sometimes God puts up an amber light. And And we're it it's caution.

Hey, there there there's something wrong. There's something's amiss. We've got to consider. Now, in our hearts, there are many decisions to be made. In the book of Joel, chapter 4, it refers to the quote valley of decisions. Decisions can be hard and difficult because we can't predict the future and we don't know. We're just hoping To many people, it's it's a roll of the dice. We just hope we make the right decision, but we don't have to do it that way anymore because we have Jesus in our lives. Jesus is our savior, the prince of peace.

And where Jesus is, there's a green light. Now, my daughter just recently married. And she had been single for well over 30 years. Uh Karen and I have been praying that the right person would come into her life. And here God sent this nice Christian man. They came We weren't there for the wedding, but they came to our house later. And every morning, Karen and I we have prayer. We read the scripture and then we say the Lord's prayer. Normally, we get on our knees. Now, it's not necessary. I don't think God actually looks at the physical position of our bodies, but in our hearts, we need to be kneeling before the Lord, humbling ourselves.

But we knelt and he knelt. And we prayed around the circle. And when he prayed, he prayed and gave thanks to God for bringing him into this Christian family. He's a born again man. Now, my daughter and Jim, that's the husband's name, are looking for a church home where they'll both be happy. They'll We'll love the pastor. The pastor will love them. They'll love one another. They'll hear the word of God. And so Jim wrote me yesterday an email. And he said, I want you to look at the website of this particular church. Here's a sample of the pastor's preaching.

I'd like your opinion. And so this is what I wrote back. And this is what I'm going to give to you this morning, something very similar to this. I wrote back and I said, hi Jim, it's nice to hear from you and get information on North Lake Baptist Church where you and Rebecca are considering membership. I like everything about the website, the building, the pastor's sermon, all the ministries and activities of the church. And if the two of you to decide to affiliate with that church, I believe you will hear the word of God and will grow in the grace of Jesus Christ.

I encourage both of you to pray. Here it is, friend, for all of us. I encourage both of you to pray that the Lord would lead you. And I know that he will answer prayer and put peace put peace in your heart regarding the decision you should make. And that peace that transcends all understanding will grow stronger and stronger that you're getting the green light. But if you pray and there's an amber light and you pray again and there's an amber light, back away because God has something better. It might be okay to speed through that amber light and ignore it.

But you're taking your your spiritual life in your own hands and you're not allowing Jesus to be the shepherd to walk you through the path that he has for you. Many of us are in the valley of decision. And decision can be a a valley experience, a a downtime. We We want to make the right decision and we can. We make it so difficult because we we make decisions based on our thinking and are the circumstances and what we know about the situation. Friend, forget all of that and say God, I walk by faith. I walk by believing, not by seeing.

And the Lord will guide you and he'll put it the green light in your heart. He will be the umpire that will make that final decision, settle the disputes. Let Notice how it starts out. Let the peace of Christ rule it in your in your hearts. It's something that you've got to let him do. You've got to let him do it. You You pray and you let the peace come in. But if you don't pray and look to the Lord and ask him, the peace won't come in. When I was in in in Africa and doing missionary work with Pastor Charles Blair a number of years ago, Pastor Blair is in heaven now, but he had a big decision to make.

They were going to build a hospital. I think they already built it. A Bible college, an orphanage, a school. And a lot of money is involved and a lot of people involved. And here is this old gentleman 85 years old having to make these kinds of big decisions. And his door was open to his motel door was open and I walked by and I looked in and I saw him. And I walked in and he We were standing there in the middle of the floor and we were talking. And as we talked, he was trying to figure it all out.

You know, friend, sometimes you just can't figure it all out. You've got to go to that person who knows what's ahead. But he he was becoming distracted about all of the money and all of the workmanship and all the the people. And all of a sudden, I just found myself reaching over and grabbing him by the hand and pulling his hand toward me and start praying. Let the peace of God Let the peace of God You have to let it. I have to let it. You have to let it. It won't happen until you let it happen.

Isn't that what the scripture says? Verse 15, let the peace of Christ. And we prayed together. He went on to be with the Lord in heaven, but the work of God continued right on. You see, God has a plan and he wants to make that plan become a reality either now in your time or or after you go to be with him. But let the peace of God that transcends, that goes higher You You can't understand how it works. You don't have to understand. All you need to know that it works. Peace of God works.

Guest (Male): Prayer is such a vital part of our journey as Christians. It helps us keep connected to God, our source of power and peace. Through prayer, we find guidance, overcome temptation, discover our purpose, and draw closer to God by expressing our gratitude and our need for him. With the Pray Now app available at the healingword.com, you can choose a topic that speaks to what you're facing. Pray with Pastor Jack Morris and receive an uplifting message grounded in God's word and strength. Visit the healingword.com today and find the encouragement you need to walk forward in faith. Now, let's join Pastor Jack Morris for the conclusion of today 's message.

Pastor Jack Morris: In Luke 10, Jesus went to Lazarus's house and Martha and Mary. Now, Martha, no doubt, was the oldest because it says that it was her house. So the family, no doubt, left the house when they departed this life. They left it to her. She had a younger sister named Mary and a younger brother named Lazarus. He was the one that Jesus raised from the dead. But Jesus shows up one day with 12 big straping hungry men. How would you like 12 men just walk into your front yard for lunch? Now, they didn't have cell phones and didn't have refrigeration.

I don't know how she got all that food together to to feed all those people because there was Jesus, that was 13. And then there was herself and her sister and her her brother. So there was a lot of people. And that's why I'm wondering where did she get all that food without any re- refrigeration. But at any rate, she was so happy to have Jesus, she set out to make him a meal. And in the meantime, Jesus and all of the fellows went in the living room and they sat down. And the younger one Mary She was just a young girl.

She went in and sat down on the floor at Jesus's feet. She wanted to hear what Jesus said. You know, God's people want to hear what Jesus has to say because everything he has to say will bring good into our lives when we really love the word. And that means we love Jesus. He is the living word. And here Mary sat down at Jesus's feet. Well, Martha was in the kitchen trying to prepare a meal for all those great big strapping fishermen, hungry men. They And they had to walk everywhere. They really built up an appetite.

And she was doing her best. Finally, Now, sometimes Christians get a little bit bent out, you know. And she was getting a little bit bent out. And she goes into And she addressed her remarks to Jesus. And this is what she said. Jesus, don't you care? Whoa. She was bent out. I never went to the Lord Jesus in prayer and said, Lord, don't you care what's going on in my life? Don't you care what's going on in my family? Don't you care? Of course, he cares. Or she really Pooh. Don't you care? It seemed like the scripture said And here's the word that it uses in Luke chapter 10 that Martha became distracted.

Now, friend, here's what I want you to understand. You can become distracted doing something good for Jesus. But you have to do something good the way he wants it done, when he wants it done. After all, you are the temple of the Holy Spirit. Well, you know, we say Lord, I surrender all. And then we do what we want to do, when we want to do it. Friend, we we've got to know who we are in Christ, that we truly belong to the Lord. And we've got to do it his way. It's his church. You're his servant.

You're his teacher. You're his singer. You're his preacher. Get your directions from the commander in chief, the Lord Jesus. And say Lord, this is the day you have made. What do you want me to do today? Oh, I've got to get up and look at my calendar. I have it already figured out. And then we wonder what went wrong. We've got calendars without Jesus in the calendar. Martha went in and she said, Jesus, you know basically she was tired. She was worn out. She was frustrated. Maybe she didn't have enough food. But don't you care?

Jesus said what basically what he said one time at the woman at the well to the disciples when they went into the city and bought food and they came back. They wanted him to eat. They even said, come on, let's eat. He said, I have meat to eat that you know not of. I'm not going to be distracted by a lot of things. I'm going to let Jesus have first place. I'm going to let him rule in my life. I am going to let him tell me when and where and how. Friend, when you do that, the peace of God that passeth all understanding You won't be so frustrated and mixed up and physically tired all the time.

Let Jesus take over. And that's where Martha doing something good, but doing it like she felt it should be done and that Jesus would rather teach the word than to let the younger sister help out. So hey, you still with me?

Guest (Male): Yes.

Pastor Jack Morris: Oh, okay. All right. Here We We need to know how to get peace, but we also need to know how to have and keep peace. Now, I know some of you have had wonderful peace at times. And some of you haven't had wonderful peace at times. But you've got to find out what's distracting. And usually it's not something distracting you that's evil at all. It's usually you doing something good for yourself, for the family, for the church. And it it just got you just tied up. Peace. Peace. Wonderful peace coming down from the father above.

That peace is here today. Let's get back on track. To get back on track is not to speed through the amber light. And this message today is is helping us to know that there is peace in Jesus. And Martha was distracted, but Mary chose the good thing. Friend, just sit down at the feet of Jesus. Calm yourself a little bit. Notice what it said. Let the peace of God. God's not going to just jump on you and make you stop. You got to figure it out. Hey, I'm busy about many things, many good things. But I'm not sitting at the feet of Jesus.

I'm not choosing what Mary chose, the better things. Let's sit at the feet of Jesus. So now Now, look at look at chapter 3 verse 15. It said, let the peace of Christ Look at verse 16. Let the word of Christ. Hey, verse 15, let the peace of Christ. Verse 16 says, let the word of Christ. Hey, there must be some connection between the peace of Christ and the word of Christ. When you say so, but the very last two words in verse 15 says, be thankful. And be thankful. Thankful results in remembering. We've got to stop long enough to remember.

Hey, I'm saved. Do you have your spiritual birthday on the calendar? I have it in the file leaf of my Bible. The date when the Lord came into my life and I thank him daily. There There's never been anything that's happened to me in all my life. And I've lived a good life, a long life, been a good life a long time. But there that's the greatest thing. And I must stop and thank him for what he has done for me. I shall never forget. I shall always remember. And as I do, when I start giving thanks to the Lord, peace comes.

Wonderful peace. Now, I'm in the family of God. I remember it. I thank him for it. Now, I'm part of the family of the church. I thank him for it as I thank him for each one of you. And it all begins with thankfulness. Remember, friend, and as you remember, notice on the front of the the altar in remembrance of me, in remembrance of me. Can I forget what Jesus did for me? Never. God forbid that I would become so distracted that I forget to say every day of my life, thank you for saving my soul.

Thank you for the blood of Jesus that has cleansed me from all my sin. Thank you for putting my name in the book of life. Can ever I thank him enough for that? Or I want to be If I'm going to be distracted, I want to be distracted by just praising the Lord. You know, everything will work out okay if you give praise and give thanks to the Lord and remember, give thanks to God. Then give praise to him. And that wonderful peace will will come and bless you. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly.

It starts out verse 15, let the peace of Christ. Now, we go down to verse 16. Let the word of Christ dwell. Let the peace of God dwell. But if you're not careful what's going to happen to you like it happened to Martha, you're going to be doing so many wonderful good things. You're going to forget to say thank you to Jesus. How many times God has answered a prayer of mine and then I've been driving along in the car and I an hour or two later, ah, Lord, I forgot to thank you for answering that prayer.

It just slipped my mind. I was quick to ask, slow to thank. Now, Psalms, hymns, spiritual songs Psalms are the Psalms that we have here in the Bible, the New Testament. Back then, they didn't have publishing houses to publishing hymn books or or courses or to put on the on the screen. They had Psalms. Jesus and the 12 disciples in the upper room before he went into Gethsemane, they sang one of the Psalms. Put to music. They sang it. The church has always been a singing church. Jesus is a singing savior. Friend, don't miss the song service.

Sing in your car, sing in your living room, but sing with the company of the redeemed. Jesus sang with the 12, the company of the redeemed. He sang Psalms. And then he goes on and says hymns. You know, friend, I want to do what the Bible tells me to do. I want to conduct services, worship services like Jesus conducted one. He had communion. They sang a hymn. Isn't that a beautiful way to do it? And the peace of God that passeth all understanding will fill your mind and your heart. And says verse 17, and whatever you do, whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks.

There it is again. My text is verse three verses. Verse 15, verse 16, verse 17. In all three verses, thankfulness, gratitude, thankfulness. Now, I'm going to turn over quickly and I'm going to close with Revelation chapter Let me see where it is now. Revelation 14 verses two and three. Now, this is what's going to go on in heaven. And we've got to do some practicing down here. And I heard a sound from heaven like the roar of like the roar of rushing waters and like a loud peal of thunder, a sound, a roar, a rushing and like the peal of thunder.

Wow. A sound, rushing, peal, thunder. The sound I heard was like that of harpists playing on their harps. And here it is. And they sang a new song. That song sounded like a sound from heaven, like the roaring of rushing waters from heaven, like the peal of thunder. And they sang a new They sang enthusiastically. They They really put some volume into it. This is what they're going to do in heaven. Friend, we need to do a little practicing, don't you think?

Guest (Male): Giving praise and thanks to God not only benefits our spiritual lives, but also improves our attitude, outlook, and physical health. God in his love for us provides all things good, so reach out to him today and thank him for both the blessings and struggles in life, knowing that all things work together for good. Every day, the healing word reaches people with a life-changing truth of God's word, bringing hope to the hurting, peace to the anxious, and salvation to the lost. But we can't do it alone. If this ministry has blessed you, would you consider standing with us in prayer and financial support?

Your faithful partnership helps us stay on the air, expand our outreach, and continue proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ to a world in need. Please take a moment today to pray for the healing word for Pastor Jack Morris and for all those listening, many of whom are facing incredible challenges. And if you're able, make a financial gift of any size. Every donation makes a difference. Visit the healingword.com to give today. Together, let's share the healing hope of Christ with more people than ever before.