Peace in Conflict

Mike Hosey, An Elder

True peace is not the absence of conflict, turmoil or noise. 

Not really.

When we define peace that way, we are defining it the same way the world defines it. While such noiseless peace does exist, it is of greatly inferior quality to true spiritual peace.  In fact, true spiritual peace is best defined in the midst of conflict, turmoil, and the noise of the world.

I can remember riding the bus home from school each day as a kid in Houston, Texas.  Then, just as now, a bus ride of sweaty, active preteen and teenage boys was not quiet. It was a loud, usually obnoxious and rude, rolling example of barely contained chaos and conflict. But in the midst of that chaos, I could read a novel without looking up at the flying spitballs, or reacting to the unkind words, the dirty jokes, or the profanity. My focus was on the novel.  The story would be so good that I would be lost in it. I was at peace.

On the other hand, I can remember later in life studying for college classes in quiet rooms with beautiful and serene views, but my internal state was in such conflict that I could not focus on learning the material.  I was not at peace.

In John, Chapters 14-16, Jesus tells His followers about all kinds of trouble they are going to face.  The world is going to hate them, they are going to have tribulation, there is going to be conflict, difficulty, weeping and sorrow. He tells them that the world will rejoice while they are in a state of sorrow.

But in that passage, a number of times, He curiously also tells them that He leaves them His peace (John 14:27).  At the end of John 16, He tells them that they are going to be scattered, and that they are going to leave Him, but that He won’t be alone, because God will be with Him. He then says to them, “I have told you these things so that you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart, “I have overcome the world.”(John 16:33)

A true peace is manifested when we realize that Jesus has beaten the world that is trying to beat us, and that we will overcome it just like He did, because of what He has already done.

Knowing What It Really Means to Lose Your Marbles

SERMON SERIES: Losing Your Marbles

Mike Hosey, An Elder

If you want to know what it really means to lose your marbles, pay close attention to the words of Jesus in John 15:1-11.

In that passage, Jesus argues that He is a vine, and that God is a vineyard keeper.  Further, He states that God prunes the branches along that vine when they don’t produce fruit, and then throws them into the fire to be burned.  However, those branches that do abide in the vine, well, they produce much fruit. They don’t even have to try. It’s just automatic. Interestingly, Jesus points out that the production of much fruit is proof that those branches are connected to Him (John 15:8 ESV).  In contrast, those that don’t produce fruit aren’t really connected at all. This leads to at least two significant questions: What does it mean to abide in Jesus? And what does it mean to produce fruit?  

Well, abiding means to remain as one, or to endure.  So abiding in the vine of Jesus means to remain at one with Him, or to endure with Him. It means that we should strive to make sure that our lives are in agreement with His way of doing things. 

Producing fruit means bearing spiritual traits.  These traits (or fruits) are found in Galatians 5:22-23. They are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, and self-control.  When you are not abiding in Christ, you can lose these fruits.  And when you lose these fruits, it only follows that you are going to lose your marbles as well. Just imagine how the goodness of your world would collapse as each of these traits disappeared!

So how do you abide in Christ and keep from losing your fruits (and your marbles).  Well, one thing you can do is follow God’s lead.  Anything in your life that doesn’t produce Christ-like fruit, prune it out of your life and throw it on the burn pile!

And the next thing you can do is what Jesus instructs in John 15:10. Keep His commandments. The two greatest commandments are to love God with everything, and your neighbor as yourself (Mark 12:30-31).  When you’ve done those things, your marbles will be secure and your joy full (John 15:11).

Are YOU Like a Live Oak, or Like a Water Oak?

Mike Hosey, An Elder

If you’ve lived in Florida very long, you are probably familiar with the Water Oak.  They’re everywhere around here.  And they can be beautiful trees that provide both shade and habitat.  They grow up very tall, and then outward with wide, green canopies.   They have the appearance of strength.

It’s also likely that you have noticed that these same trees fall over onto someone’s house, or across some road somewhere every time a strong storm comes through. Their appearance conceals their frailty.

This is because their root systems are shallow, and prone to rot and damage.  Once they reach their maximum height, the first strong winds can knock them over like a domino. Both droughts and floods kill them easily. They may look strong, but their roots actually make them weak.

But unless it is a very strong storm, like a tornado, or a very significant hurricane, you rarely see toppled Live Oaks.  They have broad, strong, root systems that anchor them to the ground, resist the rot-effects of flooding, and gather nutrients, even during periods of drought.

In Jeremiah 17:7-8, the bible compares a person who places his trust in God to a tree that has strong roots growing toward streams of water.  That tree is always green, always strong, and always produces fruit.  Psalm 1:3 paints the very same picture.

In contrast, Jeremiah 17:5-6, and Psalm 1:4 teach that men who associate with the Godless, or put trust in their own strength, are like shrubs in a desert, or like worthless chaff that the wind easily blows away.

When we let distractions, fears, emotions, feelings, situations and circumstances dictate how we behave, or when we think we can handle the world without God, then our root systems become a bit like that Water Oak’s, and we are prone to fall across the road, or onto someone’s house.  But when we place real faith and trust in what God has promised, and who He is, then our root systems become broad, strong, and productive, like the Live Oaks.  And we can withstand even terrible storms!