Fruit of the Spirit

Peace

Introduction: Is peace promised, and if so, how do we get it? One of the fruits of the Spirit, something that is produced by living a lie led by the Spirit, is peace. So, there must be a way that we can attain and have peace in this world. We are certainly in very unpeaceful times. 

When we think of peace, we often think of world peace. No wars, no fighting, no arguing, complete agreement. This is a peace that is not promised by God. Instead, godly peace brings a comfort, that while beyond our comprehension, it liberates us from the worry and anxiety of life. Peace is not the absence, though, of trouble, fear, or worry. Peace is the way we overcome trouble, fear, and worry. There are two things I want to relay to all of us this evening regarding peace.

Peace is something we have internally because God promised it to us.

When we find our peace, we need to become peacemakers. 

Peace is something that we have internally because God promised it to us.

I referenced the book about Joy by my friend Drake Jenkins last week where he says that joy is a choice over circumstance. I believe the same can apply to this concept of peace. We can have inner peace because it is promised by God. At the beginning of our sort of quarantine I preached a lesson from Psalm 3 titled Praying in the Midst of our Fears. I said that having fear, anxiety, or worry is not the issue. But living in these things, or allowing fear and worry to control your life is the problem. Instead, we are to cast our anxieties and give our fears and worries to Jesus. He will help us carry them and relieve us of the burden. He will bring us peace even in the midst of the storm. This reminds me of a story we hear about Jesus in Mark 4.

Mark 4:35–41 ESV

On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, “Let us go across to the other side.” And leaving the crowd, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. And other boats were with him. And a great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already filling. But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion. And they woke him and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. He said to them, “Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?” And they were filled with great fear and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?”

The disciples had no reason to be afraid. They were going to a place where Jesus wanted to go. And since God-in-the-flesh was right there with them in the boat, there was nothing that would keep them from getting there. But they panicked. 

Scripture says, “Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, ‘Peace, be still!’ And the wind ceased and there was a great calm.” I love how Jesus, at the height of the storm, told the winds and waves to be Quiet and Still! But it was actually the disciples who were panicked who needed to hear this. Although the text says Jesus rebuked the wind and waves, I like to think He said those words out loud so His disciples would hear as well. 

The psalmist says in 46:10, “Be still, and know that I am God.” If Jesus can calm the storms outside, then we can have faith that he can calm the storms inside us! 

Scripture defines peace as an inward calm that God produces in us through prayer and an awareness of His presence. Peace is trusting God in our circumstances, instead of panicking. 

Philippians 4:6–7 ESV

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.

Peace is of and from God, and while it surpasses our understanding, it is attainable through utter and total devotion and reliance upon Him. If we find ourselves without peace, we may want to check out trust in God. 

When we find our peace, we need to become peacemakers.

Jesus says in Matthew 5:9, “Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called sons of God.” I want to be called a son of God, don’t you? We talked about being a peacemaker a few weeks ago when we talked about Lot and Abraham. We looked at many qualities of peacemakers. While we need to be people who strive to be at peace with our fellow man (Romans 12:18), we also need to be peacemakers in the sense that we share with the world the peace that is found in God. 

Colossians 3:15 says we are to, “let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful.” Peace from God equals calm and unity. Jesus says in John 14:27 as he is getting ready to be handed over to be crucified, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.” 

As we have so often said, we are to be imitators of Christ (1 Corinthians 11:1; Ephesians 5:1) which means if Jesus leave peace, we must leave peace to. The greatest gift we can give someone is to teach them the gospel message! You and I both know that in this message there is great hope, comfort, and peace! 

Conclusion:

As we begin to find peace in our lives and share that with others, I hope these four prayers, which are not original to me, will be of great value to you:

Pray to Hide Yourself in God: Psalm 32:7, “You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance.”

Pray to Quiet Your Heart: Psalm 131:2, “Surely I have stilled and quieted my soul; like a weaned child with his mother, like a weaned child is my soul within me.”

Pray to Stop Your Worry: Philippians 4:6-7, “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 understand, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

Pray to Remember God’s Protection: Isaiah 43:1-3a, “But now thus says the Lord, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: ‘Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.”

Peace and stillness are impossible without God’s presence and His Word in your life. When I am most impulsive, erratic, angry, bitter, harsh, and unpeaceful is when I respond to difficult situations in my life emotionally instead of spiritually. A preacher friend of mine on Facebook, Jacob Rutledge, shared a post the other day that I believe goes along with this topic, “A perpetual state of being offended isn’t a fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22-23).” This, someone later commented, is what is called being bitter. When we react based upon emotion instead of spiritual calm our reactions will be negative. I am sorry for having done this. It does not provide inner peace, and it certainly is not the way of a peacemaker. For your homework this week, pray those four prayers every day. It nothing else, pray the Scriptures themselves! Interject your name and seek peace from God. And when you battle or and find that peace, go and give a little peace to the world!