Inner Peace
The sermon emphasizes the importance of achieving inner peace through a life of obedience to God's will and the crucifixion of self.
Mary Wilder Tileston preaches on the importance of letting the peace of Christ rule in our hearts, calling believers to deep-rooted faith that subdues the flesh and controls the mind, leading to the departure of guile and discord, and the presence of joy and peace within. The true repose and quiet balanced rest found in Christ's life is meant to become steadfast in His followers, not as a result of absence of trials or temptations, but through the conquest of passion, crucifixion of self, and a subdued will that aligns with God's perfect mind. This inner peace is achieved through continual growth in grace, overcoming restlessness, self-centeredness, and impatience.
Text
Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to the which also ye were called in one body; and be ye thankful.
COLOSSIANS 3:15 (R. V.)
MAY faith, deep rooted in the soul,
Subdue our flesh, our minds control;
May guile depart, and discord cease,
And all within be joy and peace.
ST. AMBROSE
THE repose, the quiet balanced rest which marks our Lord's perfected life, is intended to grow more and more steadfast in those who are truly His; not the repose of indolence, not the calm arising from absence of trial and lack of temptation, a mere accidental freedom from inward struggle or difficulty, but the repose which lives in the conquest of passion, in the crucifixion of self, in a subdued will, in the reconciliation of every thought with a perfected obedience, as the whole inner being, entranced in God, yields itself in delighted harmony with His perfect mind. Such repose is attained through the continual progress of a life of grace, as it gradually overcomes the restlessness of nature, the excitements of self, the disturbance of temper or passion, the fruitless impatience of the will.
T. T. CARTER
Peace, when "ruling" the heart and "ruling" the mind, opens in both every avenue of joy.
SARAH W.STEPHEN
Sermon Outline
- The Call to Inner Peace
- The Nature of Inner Peace
- Attaining Inner Peace
- Through a life of grace and growth
- Overcoming the restlessness of nature
- Crucifying self and its desires
Key Quotes
“Peace, when 'ruling' the heart and 'ruling' the mind, opens in both every avenue of joy.” — Mary Wilder Tileston
“May faith, deep rooted in the soul, / Subdue our flesh, our minds control;” — Mary Wilder Tileston
Application Points
- Make a conscious effort to cultivate a life of obedience to God's will.
- Recognize the difference between inner peace and indolence, and strive for the former.
- Practice gratitude and thankfulness for the gift of peace in your life.