Peace

INTRODUCTION

Galatians 5:22–23 “But the fruit of the Spirit is….love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.”

Can someone tell me what the fruit of the Spirit Are?

They are spiritual gifts that come from the Holy Spirit and shape our character

How do we get the fruit of the Spirit?

We get them when we get saved

We ripen them when we walk in the Spirit

What is the opposite of walking in the Spirit?

Carrying out the desires of the flesh

Which are?

immorality

sorcery

Impurity

sensuality (lustful pleasures)

Dissensions

Quarreling

Tonight we are going to talk about peace

Oxford dictionary defines peace as: “freedom from disturbances”

This may not sound like a characteristic of many of our lives.

In fact today it seems like we live in a world of chaos.

Chaos on the road, chaos in the home, and sometimes chaos in the church.

So what does it mean to have “peace” as the fruit of the Spirit?

Peace first and foremost comes from God

OT: Numbers 6:24–26 “The Lord bless you, and keep you; The Lord make His face shine on you, And be gracious to you; The Lord lift up His countenance on you, And give you peace.’”

NT: John 14:27 ““Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you.”

God is the giver of peace.

If we want peace in our lives then we will not find it in a vacation, or a bottle, or a relationship; we will only find it in God

1) WE HAVE PEACE WITH GOD

Romans 5:1 “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Justification

to be acquitted

be pronounced and treated as righteous

What we were before justification

John 3:36 ““He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.””

Romans 5:10 (NIV) “For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!”

How are we justified?

“Therefore, having been justified by faith”

⇒ Faith is the plan of salvation

Faith involves repentance + trust

It comes when we truly believe God in such a way that we do what he says regardless of the consequences

Romans 4:3 “For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.””

What does it mean to have peace with God?

We are no longer under His wrath

We are no longer awaiting the final judgement

We no longer carry the burden of our sins

We are in a right relationship with God

Discussion question

Can describe a difference in your life before and after faith?

2) THE WAY OF PEACE

Luke 1:79 “To shine upon those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death, To guide our feet into the way of peace.””

Romans 3:17 “And the path of peace they have not known.””

The peace that comes from God is a different way of life

It is a Spirit led life

It is a belief and trust in the sovereignty of God

Bruce Barton said this peace is, “An inner quietness and trust in God’s sovereignty and justice, even in the face of adverse circumstances.

The fruit of the Spirit (peace) allows us freedom from worry and anxiety

Words from Jesus

Matthew 6:25–33 ““For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? “Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they? “And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life? “And why are you worried about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin, yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. “But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith! Do not worry then, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear for clothing?’ “For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”

The way of peace is a settled, confident, trust in God that He will do exactly what he said he would do in these verses

He will feed us

He will clothe us

He will provide all of our needs

All we have to do is seek Him first

The way of peace also manifests in contentment

If we truly believe God is in control and has the best for us, we accept the outcomes of circumstances that are beyond our control

jobs

relationships

the size or location of our homes

hardships

being in the pit like Joseph

The way of peace is to trust God is whatever season God brings us into

Seek to praise Him in all good things regardless of the circumstance

It is about glorifying God no matter what we face, because we trust in His goodness and sovereignty

3) THE PEACE WE GIVE

Romans 12:18 “If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men.”

What does it mean to be at peace with people?

It does not mean that we must always agree people

It is wrong to agree with a false conception or belief for the sake of “keeping the peace”

Adrain Rogers said, “It is better to be divided by truth than to be united in error. It is better to speak the truth that hurts and then heals, than falsehood that comforts and then kills.”

Peace does not mean the absence of enemies

John 15:18–19 ““If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you. “If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you.”

Jesus is the Prince of peace and the world hung him on the cross

It does mean that we should not be argumentative and intentionally try to cause divisions

We should not be a quarrelsome people

We should not a people who want to fight

We should not be a people who stir up trouble

Arguing with someone about the gospel is rarely if ever effective

If someone is quarrelsome then leave them alone

Matthew 7:6 ““Do not give what is holy to dogs, and do not throw your pearls before swine, or they will trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces.”

But there are times when this is not possible if we are to stand for the truth of the gospel!

This is why Paul says, “If possible”

It is Impossible to stand for truth and be at peace with everyone, but we should try our best to do so

How can we be peaceful when we have been wronged?

Trust that God will make every wrong right

Romans 12:19–21 “Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. “But if your enemy is hungry, feed him, and if he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” “Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. “But if your enemy is hungry, feed him, and if he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”

Places where Peace should be lived out

“If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone” (Rom 12:18).

“God has called us to live in peace” (1 Cor 7:15, in the context of marriage)

“God is not a God of disorder but of peace” (1 Cor 14:33, in the context of our services of worship).

“Strive for full restoration, encourage one another, be of one mind, live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you” (2 Cor 13:11, in the context of church divisions).

“Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace” (Eph 4:3).

“Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace” (Col 3:15).

How to live this out?

Be quick to apologize

Avoid things that we know will upset others

Be quick to resolve any conflicts

Allow others to have their way (at times)

Avoid gossip