Finding Peace and Patience
Notes
Transcript
Awana Lesson
March 13th
Peace and Patience
Intro
Introduce myself
Patients are people who might be sick, and so they go to the doctor for help. And while you are there, you might get hungry and eat some peas.
So we are going to talk about peas and patients today.
Is that not right?
Ask: What is peace?
Ask: What is patience?
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.
Peace and patience are “fruit.”
The Tree.
Jesus is the trunk, we are the branches.
5 I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.
Story
Going on walks and looking for sticks.
Ask: Imagine that while you were admiring the stick you found… it started to bud. Then over time as it sat on your front porch, it grew apples. You might ask, “how in the world is it doing that?”
Now, is that possible? We have two options, we say it was magic, or we would say that somehow it was connected to a tree. Because branches can’t do that on their own.
16 Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in every way. The Lord be with you all.
Story on Peace - A Bible Illustration
There once lived a very wealthy man who was willing to pay a small fortune to the artist who could best illustrate the presence of peace. Several artists brought paintings of sunsets and quiet meadows, but the man did not accept any of these. One day as he was walking through looking at the most recent attempts, two paintings captured his attention.
One was a painting of a beautiful calm lake surrounded by lush green mountains. The water seemed as still as glass and wispy white clouds danced in the bright blue of the sky. Next to this painting was another with vast differences. It was also a picture of a lake surrounded by mountains, but the strong winds had whipped the lake into a tempest and the dark clouds hovered about the rugged mountain landscape ready to release a downpour of torrential rains.
The audience standing about watched with anticipation to see which one the man might choose to depict the story of peace. All were shocked when he did not choose the first, but instead chose the second. How could such a stormy scene tell a story of peace?
The rich man explained. The first painting was beautiful and peaceful, but it didn’t tell the truth of where peace can be found. Anyone could feel peaceful upon a crystal-clear lake with white clouds drifting across the sky and barely a breeze blowing across the water.
Then he pointed out something in the second painting which everyone else had overlooked. If you peered closely into the mountains of the second, there was a waterfall, and tucked into a crevice of that mountain near the waterfall was a small nest on which a mother bird sat upon tiny blue eggs.
The man spoke. “This second painting is a picture of true, perfect peace because it is within the storms of life we find real peace tucked into the side of God knowing His presence will guard and protect us even in the midst of this world’s storms.”
Application
How do we become patient and have peace?
Prayer!
Long prayers vs popcorn prayers
Power Of Prayer. (POP)
Sometimes we need to pray about a lot of things, and sometimes we need to pray a quick popcorn prayer. Just a POP. “
God, help me be patient.” POP.
“Jesus, I feel afraid. Help me be at peace.” POP.
“Jesus, I feel nervous. Help me be at peace.” POP.
“God, My brother or sister is annoying me… help me be patient.” POP.