I. A. Our world is full of pain and suffering caused by war, murder, hatred and all kinds of evil.

Morals of our nation and our world continues to decay
Matthew 24 says that in the last day the love of many will grow cold
No respect for life, or anyone.
Terrorism, threat of war hanging over our heads,

This results much fear and uncertainty which leads to depression, helplessness, hopelessness, anxiety.

B. Everyone wants to be happy. Everything we do is ultimately a search for happiness. We search for happiness through our job, money, people and things.

II. 2 sources of joy.

A. Comes from the world and is conditional on everything going right for us. Conditional, temporary.

B. Comes from God- supernatural. It is not based on our circumstances. It is deepened by our faith in a higher power. A power that is much greater than any thing we might have to face here.

If you cannot be happy without the stuff and the people then you cannot be happy for long with it.

Things and people add to our joy but they can't be the source of our joy.

Psalm 30:5b says Weeping may endure for a night, But joy comes in the morning.

III. Everyone wants peace too.

A. External Peace or peace with man: our families, friends, neighbors, stangers, races, nations.
(Strife, fighting, spats, hurtful words or actions causes emotional pain and sometime phyisical too)

B. Internal peace - peace within ourselves:(opposite is worry, fear, anziety and turmoil)
(Peace of mind, peace in your heart, feel safe and secure, calm, at rest)

True peace only comes from the Lord.

IV. We can learn a lot about the peace of God from the Bible.

A God has many names and they reveal his character. Jehovah shalom means God our peace. God is our only source of true peace!

B. The message of God itself is message of peace and hope. God sent his son to pay the price for our sin to reconcile us to God or to make peace between us and God.

C. When Jesus was born peace and joy was announced to the earth because he is the deliverer of true peace and joy. He is the Prince of Peace.

Isa. 9:6 For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

D. Romans 14:17 says that the kingdom of God is one of righteousness, joy and peace. That is what the kingdom of God is all about. You enter into Gods kingdom right here on earth when you accept Jesus as your Lord. Righteousness peace and joy are your!

E. God fills us up with the holy Spirit who produces joy and peace in our life. It resides on the inside of us. Fruit of the spirit.

Gal. 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, We still have a free will...we have to choose to walk in these thing

F. John 1:5 says that when we walk in love our joy will be full (we will be at peace with God, man and ourself.)

G. Proverbs 12:20 When we pursue peace and councel others to do the same, we have both peace and joy.

H. 1 Thess 1:16 teaches Peace and joy comes from his word. As we read it our trust in Him grows. Trusting God we are given new hope. ! There is no hope that comes from the world. Things continue to grow worse daily...Our hope, rest peace and joy is only in Him. It grows more and more as we learn to trust Him more and more.

V. Our Part

A. Make Peace with God: Accept Jesus as our Lord

Col. 1:19 For God in all his fullness was pleased to live in Christ, 20 and by him God reconciled everything to himself. He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth by means of his blood on the cross. 21 This includes you who were once so far away from God. You were his enemies, separated from him by your evil thoughts and actions, 22 yet now he has brought you back as his friends. He has done this through his death on the cross in his own human body. As a result, he has brought you into the very presence of God, and you are holy and blameless as you stand before him without a single fault.

Romans 5:1 Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have* peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
All we have to do is ask Gods forgiveness in repentance. Invite Him to be your Lord. When we receive the God of peace we cannot help but receive inner peace.

B. Walk with God.

Develop a relationship with Him.

Read the bible, talk to God, study His ways, obey His ways, fall deeply in love with Him and you trust will be in Him not in this world and your peace and your joy will be full.

We receive peace and joy immediately when we become born-again but the better we know God and the closer we are to Him, the more peace and joy we have.

C. Make peace with man.

Romans 12:18
If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men

1 Peter 3:11 Let him turn away from evil and do good; Let him seek peace and pursue it.

Romans 13:11 b live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you.

Determine that you will not fight with anyone about anything. Seek and pursue peace with everyone.

Problems still come but Work problems out in a calm and rational way. Let Love be your guide and motivation.

You will never have inner peace until you first have peace with God and peace with man

VI. Closing:

No matter where you are right now you can get to this place of peace and joy Maybe you have never given your heart to God. Maybe you have just walked away from him.

God is a loving and kind and forgiving father. No matter where you are he wants you to turn to him.

God is a healer of situations. No circumstance that you are in is too big for God to handle. He can heal your circumstance and your heart and give you true joy and peace.