Ralph Waldo Emerson >> What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.

• This series is a response to the question: How can I find peace?
• If peace flows outward, then where we began last week was the core. Now we want to draw a circle around the core. This core represents peace within ourselves. There are three places impacted by our peace with God: our identity, our reality, and our responsibility.

Our

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• Inner peace begins with

the truth (good and bad) about what God says about us.
• We all have this core set of

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that form the operating system of our lives. This operating system affects the way we view ourselves, interact with others, and move throughout the world.
• In each new century since the Enlightenment, dramatic shifts have happened that have resulted in where those truths

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. According to Russian-American sociologist Pitirim Sorokin, cultures can be understood by one of two frameworks:

// Ideational Culture: This is a culture that emphasizes spiritual, moral, and transcendent values. It focuses on the pursuit of truth, meaning, and higher ideals, often rooted in religious or philosophical frameworks.
// Sensate Culture: This culture, on the other hand, emphasizes sensory experience, materialism, and empirical knowledge. It is characterized by a focus on immediate gratification, physical comfort, and the pleasures of the senses.

• America is fully immersed in being a sensate culture, which means that we are prone to tether our identity to

beliefs. As a church, we must not fail to teach people where they can find stability:

// Genesis 1:27 >> made in His image
// Romans 3:23 >> broken by sin
// John 1:12 >> child of God by faith
// Ephesians 2:10 >> recreated in Christ Jesus for a purpose
// Ephesians 1:7 >> forgiven and redeemed
// Romans 8:1 >> Free from condemnation
// Romans 8:29-30 >> Destined for glory

Our

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• As we walk with God, we can trust His

at work in us to accomplish His plan.
• Philippians 2:12-13 | Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.
• 2 Corinthians 15:10 | But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain…

Our

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• We cultivate or disturb our own

.
• Philippians 4:4-7 | Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
• We mentioned it a few weeks ago about the beauty of God’s

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when it comes to our brains. The part of the brain that governs fear, anxiety, and worry cannot function at the same time as the part of the brain that is activated as we rejoice, express gratitude, and worship.
• Paul tells us here that our responsibility is to

// Rejoice
// Pray

• As we engage in these activities, Paul says the peace of God

our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.