Do you constantly worry? Do you lack peace in your life? In the Bible Jesus gives us three secrets for lasting peace. These three secrets will help you to stop stressing and worrying today. Watch and listen as Pastor Mark Finley speaks and teaches from the word of God.

<p>Do you constantly worry? Do you lack peace in your life? In the Bible Jesus gives us three secrets for lasting peace. These three secrets will help you to stop stressing and worrying today. Watch and listen as Pastor Mark Finley speaks and teaches from the word of God.</p>

<p>Free sharing permitted under the Creative Commons <a rel="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/us/">BY-NC-ND 3.0 (US)</a> license.</p>

HopeLives365

Mark Finley

Stop Worrying Today with Jesus’ Secrets for Lasting Peace

Recently, Americans were surveyed and they were asked this question, what do you need to get through your day?

In other words, what can't you live without?

What do you need to get through your day?

Are you ready for America's priority?" They were given a list of things and they had to check what they needed to get through the day.

37% said, we need a cup of coffee to get through the day.

28% said, we need sweets to get through the day.

19% said, we can't get through the day without social media.

And 16% said, well, we need the Bible to get through the day.

I was rather fascinated with that survey because more than twice as many people said they need coffee to get through the day as said that they need to read the Bible to get through the day.

And I wondered, Could the neglect of God's word by the average American be 1 of the reasons there is so much lack of lasting peace and inner contentment and personal joy in our society?

Could it be that thousands are looking for peace where peace cannot be found.

Could it be that they're looking in all the wrong places to calm their troubled spirits?

Could it be that there's actually something better than a cup of coffee to get us through the day.

Now, it's rather interesting, the World Health Organization said that 20% of the world's population is depressed.

Antidepressants are selling at about $6 billion a year, about $6 billion for antidepressants.

270 million prescriptions of antidepressants were issued by physicians across this world last year.

I want to pause on that to let that really sink into you.

270 million prescriptions for antidepressants.

There are 140 million alcohol-related disorders in our world.

And in the last 45 years, suicide is up 65%.

You know, there's a really a general angst in our society.

There's this inner sense that something is not right.

There is a hopelessness in the hearts and minds of scores of people.

You know, when we lose hope in anything in life, when you lose hope, a dark despair, dark clouds of despair hang over your head.

Everything about tomorrow appears uncertain.

But hope leads us from what is to what can be.

Hope paints tomorrow in a ray of bright colors.

It lifts our spirit from the mud below to the heavens above.

You know, Anna Jacob, a writer, put it beautifully when she wrote this, the wings of hope soaring high above carry us and drive us on the wings of life.

The wings of hope drive us on the winds of life.

Shakespeare said this, the miserable have no other medicine except the medicine of hope.

You see, hope is not some vague wishy-washy longing for a better future.

Hope is not some baseless desire or uncertain expectation with no real certainty or assurance.

In the ancient scriptures, hope is a strong, confident expectation based on the unchangeable promises of God with the certainty that the thing you hope for is gonna be accomplished.

Now in his final major discourse to his disciples in John the 14th chapter, Jesus gives to us 3 amazing secrets of lasting peace.

This morning, your heart may be troubled.

This morning, there may be some worry in your heart over something.

When we discover Jesus' 3 eternal secrets of lasting peace, new peace floods into our souls, new hope boils up our spirits.

And as we're looking there in John chapter 14, I should give you a background of the 14th chapter of the book of John.

In John chapter 13, Jesus has just celebrated the Last Supper with his disciples.

And he said to those disciples in the Last Supper, 1 of you will forsake me and betray me.

He's also said to Peter, you shall deny me before the rooster crows or the cock crows 3 times.

Jesus also said that he was going to go away.

Jesus is traversing the cobblestone streets of Jerusalem.

And before he appears there, before Pilate's judgment hall, before he appears before the lash of the Roman whip and the nails and the crown of thorns.

Before that, he has something incredibly important to say to his disciples.

Peter, 1 of their leaders, is going to deny him.

Jesus is going away and they don't know where he's going.

And Jesus begins with that background in John the 14th chapter and we're looking here at verse 1.

Jesus says, let not your heart be troubled.

If it were not so, I would have told you.

But I'm going to prepare a place for you.

And if I'm going to prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you unto myself, that where there I am, there you may be also." these verses contain the first secret of lasting peace.

If I were translating it into modern English, I would say this, stop being stressed out.

That's a literal modern translation of let not your heart be troubled.

It's like Jesus is saying to them, why are you guys so stressed out?

You believe in God, you have confidence in God.

He's got this world in his hands, believe also in me." Then Jesus goes on to explain to them why they can stop worrying.

Jesus goes on to explain to them why they can stop worrying.

Jesus goes on to explain to them why they can stop being stressed out.

Jesus goes on to explain to them the first secret of lasting peace.

In my Father's house are many mansions." Now that's an interesting expression, this many mansions.

Better translated it's many abodes, many residences.

He was saying to Peter who would deny Him.

He was saying to the disciples who would forsake Him at the cross, look, no matter what the past of your life, I am going to heaven to prepare a place for you, and there's plenty of room there for you.

Never think that in heaven is only for a select few.

Never think that heaven is only for a few people who have some kind of superior holiness that they're going to make it and you are not.

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Stop Worrying Today with Jesus’ Secrets for Lasting Peace

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