Adapted from aMelvin Newland sermon

http://www.sermoncentral.com/print_friendly.asp?ContributorID=&SermonID=1

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It is interesting, when you’re traveling, to visit other churches & observe how they do some things differently than the way we’re

used to doing them. For example, there are a lot of different ways congregations close

their morning worship service.

After the sermon & invitation, many congregations have a closing prayer & then the service is over. But there are churches

that have added some interesting variations.

Some add a closing chorus sung by the choir or the entire congregation like we do.

Others have everyone turn & greet their fellow worshippers, asking God’s blessings upon them before the service is considered

over & the people are free to leave.

Others are much more formal in their closing. After the benediction the choir & leaders of the congregation, led by the

minister, form a procession & go down the center aisle to the entryway before the rest

of the congregation is dismissed.One saved the Lord’s Supper for the finale

of the service.

Now why do I mention this?One minister has a unique way of closing

his morning worship service. Every Sunday he closed his service in exactly the same

way.Following the prayer, he walks alone down

the center aisle & quotes the words of aloud to the

congregation.

Let the peace of Christ be in control in your heart (for you were in fact called as one

body to this peace), and be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching

and exhorting one another with all wisdom, singing psalms, hymns, and

spiritual songs, all with grace in your hearts to God. And whatever you do in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord

Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

NET

Over & over again he has been repeating these words every Sunday to his people –

why? Well, let’s let him answer that question:

―I repeat these words each week to remind us that our sole source of authority in life is this book! We are to live by its teachings...‖(Mark Adams, Redlands Baptist Ch, Rockville, MD)

I agree. So let’s look more carefully at what this passage of Scripture is teaching.

It begins with the Apostle Paul telling us, ―Let the peace of Christ be in control in

your heart…‖ Notice the words ―be in control.‖ In the original Greek it is an athletic term that was applied to the officials of the games. We would call them ―umpires‖ or

―referees‖ today. They were the ones who controlled the action on the field of play.

And Paul is telling us that ―the peace of Christ‖ is to umpire or referee our hearts.

His peace is to have the final say, the final word on any matter.

―Let the peace of Christ rule…‖ NIV

If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all

people. NET

But who or what does actually rule in our hearts? If you let worry have its way – there

will be no peace. If you let complaining & criticizing control – there will be no peace. If

you let guilt grip you – there will be no peace. If you let anger or bitterness or

hatred or revenge or fear rule – there will be no peace!

For many years Argentina & Chile had been on the verge of war with each other over a boundary dispute. Finally they realized the

horror & futility of a war between their countries & they agreed to a peaceful solution. To commemorate this peace

agreement, in 1904 they melted down some of their cannons & used the metal to fashion

a large statue of Christ on the mountain boundary between the two countries.

Christ is also the redeemer of our lives. Jesus told us in NET I have told

you these things so that in me you may have peace. In the world you have trouble and suffering, but take courage — I have

conquered the world.‖Again He said, in NET "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you; I do not give it to you as the world does. Do not let your hearts be distressed or lacking in

courage.

Jesus also said, NET "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called

the children of God.

And Scripture tells us that we promote peace by putting the needs of others ahead of our own. We promote peace by forgiving

those who have sinned against us, & by seeking forgiveness from those we have

sinned against.

Here’s one married woman’s prayer.

―Lord, I pray for:Wisdom - to understand my man; Love - to

forgive him;Patience - for his moods.

Lord, I don’t pray for strength, because if I had strength, I’d beat him to death. Amen.‖

(Adapted from Russell Brownworth,Sermon Central)

We promote peace by praying for people & with them. We promote peace by refusing to gossip & grumble, which Scripture calls

sin. We promote peace by seeking the good in people & praising them for it.

You make that choice & God will change your life. Let Jesus rule in your life & His peace will rule in your heart, your words,

your relationships, & your attitudes.

So heed these words of Paul, ―Let the peace of Christ be in control in your heart (for you were in fact called as one body to

this peace), and be thankful.‖

LET THE WORD OF CHRISTDWELL IN YOU RICHLY

Next, Paul says Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and exhorting

one another with all wisdom, singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, all with

grace in your hearts to God.

―Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly…‖ Let it visit? No! Let it be a guest in your

heart? No! To ―dwell in you‖ means to let the Word of Christ move in & take up

residency in you. If you do, then His Word will remodel your life, remake your

priorities, reshape your thinking, & replace your old life with His new life for all eternity!

Someone wrote, ―This Book is the mind of God, the state of man, the way of

salvation, the doom of sinners, & the happiness of believers. Its doctrines are

holy, its precepts are binding; its histories are true…

It contains light to direct you, food to support you, & comfort to cheer you. It is

the traveler’s map, the pilot’s compass, the soldier’s sword, & the Christian’s character.

Christ is its grand subject, our good its purpose, & the glory of God its end.

It should fill the memory, rule the heart, & guide the feet.

Follow its precepts & it will lead you to Calvary, to the empty tomb, to a resurrected

life in Christ; & yes, to glory itself for all eternity.

(Adapted from Troy Borst, Sermon Central)

So when it comes to the Word of Christ –Love it! Learn it! Live it! Get into His Word

so that His Word can get into you.

NET For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any

double-edged sword, piercing even to the point of dividing soul from spirit, and joints from marrow; it is able to judge the desires

and thoughts of the heart.

Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path. NIV

Paul Powell writes, "Many say the Bible is old fashioned. Well, so is the sun, but

without it men grope in darkness. So is the air, but without it men gasp & die. So is water, but without it men go mad. In the

midst of the complexities of life, don’t forget the Holy Bible. Believe it, read it, & heed it.

It holds the key to life.―(Mark Adams, Redlands Baptist Ch, Rockville, MD)

NET Then Jesus spoke out again, "I am the light of the world. The one

who follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."This is not a dead, lifeless truth that we

profess! It is alive & vital! It dispels doubts, fears & difficulties. Then we can

truly sing with gratitude in our hearts because we know that we have been

blessed way beyond what we deserve.

IN WHATEVER I DO,I WILL SEEK TO PRAISE HIM

And whatever you do in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord

Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Therefore, in whatever I do I will seek to praise Him!

The apostle Paul is a perfect example of this. Listen to his words in

NET I have been crucified with Christ, and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in

me. So the life I now live in the body, I live because of the faithfulness of the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for

me.Who lives in you? And in me?

Who do people see when they look at us?

The story is told of Gordon Maxwell, missionary to India, that when he

asked a Hindu scholar to teach him the language, the Hindu replied: ―No, Sahib, I will not teach you my language. You would

make me a Christian.‖Maxwell replied, ―You misunderstand me. I

am simply asking you to teach me your language.‖

Again the Hindu responded, ―No, Sahib, I will not teach you. No man can live with you

& not become a Christian.‖Wow! What a testimony his life was!

(Steve Shepherd, Sermon Central)―And whatever you do in word or deed, do it

all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.‖

It is amazing what an attitude of gratitude can do for you, & in you!

Giving thanks will change your perspective & your priorities. Instead of looking for the bad – you’ll be looking for the good. You’ll count your blessings, & not your burdens.

You’ll be grateful for what you have – & less greedy for what you don’t have. You’ll be

hope-filled & not help-less. But sadly, there are many people whose lives are not like

that at all!

The story is told of two old friends who bumped into each other on the street. One of them looked miserable, almost on the

verge of tears. His friend asked, ―What has the world done to you, Old Friend?‖ The sad fellow said, ―Let me tell you. Three

weeks ago my uncle died & left me $40,000.‖ ―Congratulations, that’s a lot of

money!‖

―Then 2 weeks ago, a cousin I never even knew died & left me $85,000 free & clear.‖ ―Well, it sounds like you have really been

blessed!‖ ―You don’t understand,‖ he interrupted. ―Last week my great aunt died & I inherited a quarter of a million dollars

more.‖ Now the friend was really confused. ―Then why do you look so glum?‖ The sad fellow

sighed,―This week – nothing.‖

(Jeff Simms-sermoncentral.com)

In Jesus Christ we have so much for which to be thankful!

Do you remember this children’s chorus? It’s bubbling, it’s bubbling,it’s bubbling in my soul.

There’s singing, & laughing,since Jesus made me whole.

Folks don’t understand it,nor can I keep it quiet.

It’s bubbling, bubbling, bubbling, bubbling, bub

bling day & night!

I want to tell you one more story. It is a rather long one, but I think you will

appreciate it. It’s about something that happened at a truck stop, & told by the

owner of the restaurant there. She says; I try not to be biased, but I had my doubts

about hiring Stevie. His placement counselor assured me that he would be a good, reliable busboy. But I had never had a mentally handicapped employee & wasn’t

sure I wanted one.

I wasn’t sure how my customers would react to Stevie. He was short, a little dumpy

with the smooth facial features & thick-tongued speech of Down syndrome.

I knew some people would be uncomfortable around Stevie so I closely

watched him for the first few weeks. I shouldn’t have worried.

After the first week, Stevie had my staff wrapped around his stubby little fingers, &

within a month my truck regulars had adopted him as their official truck stop

mascot. After that, I really didn’t care what anyone else thought of him. He was a 21-year-old, eager to laugh & eager to please,

but fierce in his attention to his duties. Every salt & pepper shaker was exactly in its place, not a bread crumb or coffee spill was visible when Stevie got done with the

table.

Our only problem was convincing him to wait to clean a table until after the

customers were finished. He would hover in the background, shifting his weight from one foot to the other, scanning the dining

room until a table was empty. Then he would scurry to the empty table & carefully

bus the dishes onto his cart & wipe the table with a practiced flourish of his rag. He took pride in doing his job exactly right, &

you had to love how hard he tried to please every person he met.

Over time, we learned that he lived with his mother, a widow who was disabled. They lived on their Social Security benefits in public housing two miles from the truck

stop. Money was tight, & what I paid him was probably the difference between them being able to live together & Stevie being

sent to a group home.

That’s why the restaurant was a gloomy place last August, the first morning in three years that Stevie missed work. He was at the Hospital getting a new valve put in his

heart. A ripple of excitement ran through the staff later that morning when word came that he

was out of surgery, in recovery, & doing fine. Frannie, my head waitress, let out a

whoop & did a little dance in the aisle when she heard the good news.

Dan, one of our regular trucker customers, stared at the sight of this 50-

year-old grandmother doing a victory shimmy beside his table. He grinned.

―OK, Frannie, what was that all about?‖ he asked. ―We just got word that Stevie is out of surgery & going to be okay,‖ she replied. ―I was wondering where he was,‖ Dan said. ―I had a new joke to tell him. What was the

surgery about?‖

Frannie quickly told Dan & the other two drivers sitting at his booth about Stevie’s

surgery & then sighed. ―Yeah, I’m glad he is going to be ok,‖ she said, ―but I don’t know how he & his mom are going to handle all the bills. From what I hear, they’re barely

getting by as it is.‖ Dan nodded thoughtfully, & Frannie hurried off to wait on

the rest of her tables.

I hadn’t had time to round up a busboy to replace Stevie & really didn’t want to

replace him, so the girls were busing their own tables. After the morning rush, Franniewalked into my office. She had a couple of paper napkins in her hand & a funny look

on her face. ―What’s up?‖ I asked.

―I didn’t get to clear off that table where Dan & his friends were sitting before Pete & Tony came in & sat down there,‖ she

said, ―But when I did, I found this folded & tucked under a coffee cup.‖

She handed the napkin to me, & when I opened it three $20 bills fell onto my desk. On the outside of the napkin, in big, bold

letters, was printed ―Something For Stevie.‖

―Pete asked me what that was all about, so I told him about Stevie & his mom. Pete looked at Tony & Tony looked at Pete, &

they ended up giving me this.‖ She handed me another napkin that had ―Something For

Stevie‖ scrawled on it, too. Two $50 bills were tucked within its folds. Frannie looked at me with wet, shiny eyes, shook her head

& said simply ―Truckers.‖

That was three months ago. Today is Thanksgiving, the first day Stevie is supposed to be back to work. His

placement worker said he’s been counting the days until the doctor said he could

work, & it didn’t matter at all that it was a holiday. In fact, he had called 10 times in the past week, making sure we knew he

was coming, fearful that we had forgotten him, or that his job was in jeopardy.

I arranged to have his mother bring him to work, met them in the parking lot & invited

them both to celebrate his day back. Stevie was thinner & paler, but couldn’t stop

grinning as he pushed through the doors & headed for the back room where his apron

& bus cart were waiting.

―Hold up there, Stevie, not so fast,‖ I said. ―Work can wait for a minute. To celebrate you coming back, breakfast for you & your mother is on me.‖ I led them toward a large corner booth at the rear of the room. I could

feel & hear the rest of the staff following behind. Glancing over my shoulder, I saw booth after booth of grinning truckers join

the procession.

We stopped in front of the big table. Its surface was covered with coffee

cups, saucers & plates, all sitting slightly crooked on dozens of folded paper napkins. ―First thing you have to do, Stevie, is clean

up this mess,‖ I said. Stevie looked at me, & then at his mother, then pulled out one of the napkins. It had ―Something for Stevie‖

printed on the outside. As he picked it up, three $20 bills fell onto the table.

Stevie stared at the money, then at all the napkins peeking from beneath the

tableware, each with his name printed or scrawled on it. I turned to his mother.

―There’s nearly $10,000 in cash & checks on that table, all from truckers & trucking

companies that heard about your problems. Happy Thanksgiving.‖

Well, it got real noisy about that time, with everybody hollering & shouting, & there were a few tears, as well. But you know what’s funny? While everybody else was

busy shaking hands & hugging each other, Stevie, with a big, big smile on his

face, was busy clearing all the cups & dishes from the table. Best worker I ever

hired....(Adapted from Brien Sims, Sermon Central)

Let the peace of Christ be in control in your heart (for you were in fact called as one

body to this peace), and be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching

and exhorting one another with all wisdom, singing psalms, hymns, and

spiritual songs, all with grace in your hearts to God. And whatever you do in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord

Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

NET