Fruit of the Spirit

Pray: Heavenly father thank you for allowing me this opportunity to speak to each boy and girl here today! Thank you for giving us a school where we can come and speak about you and learn about you without fear of getting into trouble. Lord use me this morning to speak truth about your perfect words from the Bible. Allow these words to be yours and not my own. Father, calm my nerves and open the hearts and minds of the boys and girls here to hear what you want them to hear.

It is in your precious name that I pray, Amen.

Christian Standard Bible (Chapter 5)22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control. The law is not against such things.

Mr. Nate has mentioned that you have been talking through the fruit of the spirit this year.

This morning I have the pleasure to speak about peace. Some of us might know what peace means and some of us might not have any idea.

The word peace is used over 264 times in the Bible depending on the version of the Bible that you used.

When a word is used over and over again, the author is trying to communicate the importance of this word within the text.

Peace

I want to begin this morning by defining peace before we take our Bibles and look at one of the places in scripture that Jesus uses the word peace.

What is peace?

not fighting or being hurt

relationship of love and loyalty

Complete or made right

What is peace?

Peace can be defined as not fighting (wars) or being hurt by someone else.

We are at peace, everything in our lives is the way it should be.

Story about my daughters:

Peace can also mean the relationship of loving and loyalty (faithful)

This can be a horizontal relationship

two friends at school

Siblings at home

This can also be a vertical relationship

A relationship with God

When we are at peace with one another we are complete (everything is going the best it can)

It is taking something that is broken and putting it together.

Transition:

When I was younger, I vividly remember a trip that I took to fairway with my mom.

While we were driving there, my mom kept telling me directions, but if we are begin honest, I wasn’t listening very well.

We got to the store and we went inside.

We began going down each isle and getting things off the shelf.

I remember getting distracted by the candy section, and when I turned around my mom was gone.

I started to get afraid and I started running down the isles because my mom wasn’t there.

After a few minutes I found her in a different isle, but I remember her telling me…

This is why I gave you those directions before we got into the grocery store. That way you wouldn’t be afraid and you would know what to do if I wasn’t there with you.

This morning I want to start by reading just one verse from God’s word.

Turn with me John 16:33 and following along!

Christian Standard Bible (Chapter 16)

33 I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace. You will have suffering in this world. Be courageous! I have conquered the world.”

Background information

Jesus is speaking to his disciples

Jesus will be leaving them soon

Disciples are afraid

Lets zoom out and look at the big picture of what is going on and then we will put this verse under the microscope and learn about peace from it!

To understand this verse, we need to put it into the rest of the story.

Jesus is speaking with his disciples and telling them that He will be leaving soon.

Going into heaven to be with God

Jesus gives a set of directions to help them prepare and not be afraid when he leaves

Jesus knows that his disciples could get hurt or even die because they are doing what God wants them to do.

In the Scripture we see:

In Christ they have peace

Disciples will suffer

Now lets go back and break apart John 16:33 and make sense of it.

The part of the verse that says, in me you will have peace, Jesus is saying that even though He is going away.The disciples can still have peace because their faith is in Christ.

Jesus also tells his disciples that they will suffer or have trouble in the world. We know this is true because of sin that entered the world back in Genesis.

Why do I need peace?

We are all sinners!

What I am really asking is why do you need God.

Transition: Imagine there is a brick wall before you and me. For that wall to be effective or stay standing upright, we need to have our wall be complete or at peace with nothing missing.

Now if I were to take a peace of the wall out, the wall would fall or not be as strong to withstand things hitting it.

This wall represents the lives of each individual in this room. We have a life without Christ where our lives face challenges and do not have peace. That is because of the sin in the world.

However, God sent Jesus to the earth to live a sinless life, die on the cross and raise three days later. This big event created peace between us and God.

Colossians 1:20 “by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.”

When we put our faith in Christ as Lord and saviour of our lives we are made complete or whole.

In other words, we are at peace with God.

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

Please understand that I am not saying that if we have faith in Christ our lives on this earth will be easy.

Jesus tells his disciples that they will face troubles, but when they face those troubles they can go back to having peace and their wall will continue to stand.

The same is for you and me. When you put your faith in Jesus you will stand firm and have peace even during the storms of your life because you are a child of God.

John 14:27 ““Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Don’t let your heart be troubled or fearful.”

Challenge: Live at peace in your life and create peace for all to see. 2 Thessalonians 3:16 “May the Lord of peace himself give you peace always in every way. The Lord be with all of you.”

lets pray!