Fruit of the Spirit: Peace
Fruit of the Spirit • Sermon • Submitted
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Introduction
Introduction
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
This passage identifies the fruit of the Spirit. It shows nine attributes of that which comes from the Spirit of God to help those that are believers live a Christ-like life. These nine attributes of the fruit of the Spirit are divided up into three subsets. The first three, love, joy and peace are focused on the attitude of the believer towards God. The second set, patience, kindness, and goodness are focused on the attitude of the believer towards others. The third set, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control are focused on the attitude of the believer towards self. I firmly believe that our world is in such a mess today because there is an absence of this fruit being lived out among Christians. It is time for us to be bold and courageous exemplifying this fruit in our families, our communities, our nation and world.
The first attribute of this fruit is love. Love comes first. Love comes forth. Love comes forever. Without love, none of the other aspects we will talk about will even exist. It becomes a matter of priority of the heart. The second attribute is joy. Joy comes from being overwhelmed with love. It is the ripple effect of a life full of love. Expressing love and a life full of joy leads to a life of peace. The three go hand in hand. Love, joy and peace are all attributes we can have that will make us more Christ-like and empower us to be more effective in building up the Kingdom of God. Let’s look more at what it means to have peace. We will look at peace defined, peace determined, peace designated, and finally peace distributed.
Peace Defined
Peace Defined
Peace comes from the Greek word eirene. It means to be one, a state of rest, and quietness. It is an exemption from the rage and havoc of war. It is harmony and concord. Peace is everything for the person’s highest good. From a biblical standpoint, it is the way that leads to salvation. It is the tranquil state of a soul assured of its salvation through Christ. The Bible also calls peace a fruit of righteousness.
The fruit of righteousness will be peace;
the effect of righteousness will be quietness and confidence forever.
God declared to bring peace on earth with the arrival of Jesus.
“Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.”
God wanted to reconcile the world to Him.
The opposite of peace is chaos. It is the sowing of discord. This is contrary to the design and will of God. In face, sowing of discord is called in God’s word an abomination.
A false witness who speaks lies,
And one who sows discord among brethren.
Peace is designed by God and an attribute we should hold near and dear to our hearts.
Peace Designed (Peace of God)
Peace Designed (Peace of God)
Matthew Henry defined the peace of God as “the comfortable sense of our reconciliation to God and interest in His favor, and the hope of the heavenly blessedness, and enjoyment of God hereafter.” Perhaps pointing to scripture will help us better understand the design of the peace of God.
One verse in our Bible uses the phrase, the peace of God. It is found in Philippians 4:7.
And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
The peace of God transcends all understanding. It is beyond our greatest comprehension, which is in line with Ephesians 3:20.
Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us,
It is understanding that an attribute from God like peace would transcend all understanding because He is able to do immeasurably more than we can ask or imagine.
The peace of God comes from the heart of God. It is described as perfect in Isaiah 26:3.
You will keep in perfect peace
him whose mind is steadfast,
because he trusts in you.
God’s design for peace is to be perfect. If it is designed to be perfect, its demonstration will be perfect as well. Take a closer look at not only the peace of God, but the peace from God.
Peace Demonstrated (Peace from God)
Peace Demonstrated (Peace from God)
God has demonstrated many places and functions for His peace. The Bible tells us the peace from God will be with us.
The God of peace be with you all. Amen.
The God of peace will crush satan under our feet.
The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet.
The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.
The Bible says that the peace from God will be a place in which we can live.
Finally, brothers, good-by. Aim for perfection, listen to my appeal, be of one mind, live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you.
God’s peace will be with us if we practice the things of God.
Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.
We learn from 1 Thessalonians 5:23 that God Himself personally sanctifies us completely. This tells me that God takes care of the work Himself. What a demonstration of how Mighty God is and how He cares for us!
Another demonstration is described in Hebrews 13:20-21.
May the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
Through peace, God raised Jesus from the dead in order that we may be equipped to work for His glory. As He works through us, we in turn become distributors of His peace.
Peace Distributed (Peace for God)
Peace Distributed (Peace for God)
When we as Christians become distributors of God’s peace, we are living out Romans 14:19:
Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification.
It is important to remember that accepting Jesus as our personal Lord and Savior is a free gift for which we do not have to do anything. However, with the free gift we are also given an opportunity to do and be out of the overflow of accepting salvation. Our lives should be so changed that we do things like making every effort to do what leads to peace and mutual edification.
As we do this, peace marks us in many ways. First, we are given peace with God.
Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
We are also given peace in the home.
But if the unbeliever leaves, let him do so. A believing man or woman is not bound in such circumstances; God has called us to live in peace.
We are given peace in the church.
For God is not a God of disorder but of peace.
As in all the congregations of the saints,
Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.
We are given peace in the world.
If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.
We are even given peace between races.
For he himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, by abolishing in his flesh the law with its commandments and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new man out of the two, thus making peace, and in this one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility. He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.
The two is referring to Jews and Gentiles. The same thing could be said about other races. The peace of God has been distributed to each of us to break down barriers. This is for all people.
So what happens when we become distributors of peace?
First and foremost, we are in the will of God. We are doing what we are designed to be and do. Psalm 25:13 in the King James Version says:
His soul shall dwell at ease;
And his seed shall inherit the earth.
A peaceful life means that our soul will dwell at ease.
We will also be strengthened and blessed with peace.
The Lord gives strength to his people;
the Lord blesses his people with peace.
Being a people of peace will help us bear affliction. That great passage in Ephesians 6 tells us of the strength of the spiritual armor we are able to put on to battle the devil’s schemes. In Ephesians 6:15, we learn of the “feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.”
This means that peace will help us step over the roughest ground containing all these sharp things. We will be able to walk over the things of this world that would otherwise make us weary and run without fainting. Charles Spurgeon said, “I can do all things when my soul is at peace with God.”
Peace also gives us boldness to approach the throne of grace. Because of peace with God, we are reconciled. We can offer prayers in the Name of Peace. We are one with God and He is one with us.
What a beautiful attribute this is of the fruit of the Spirit!
Just like the other attributes however, we can become people that do not experience peace. Here are a few things to watch out for:
Sometimes the temptations we face become greater than what we think peace could be. We have remember the power and truth of God’s word in order to conquer this.
Sometimes we become ignorant to peace. We try to do religion instead of being in a relationship with Jesus. Our most important relationship should be the one we have with Jesus. We have to remember that he has given us peace as a gift.
Another area that could rob us from our peace is sin. We have to be in control of our minds and beware of what sin does to us.
The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace;
Flee the evil desires of youth, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.
Maybe St. Francis of Assisi got it right after all around the 12th century when he was credited with the following words:
The Prayer of St. Francis
The Prayer of St. Francis
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace,
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is doubt, faith;
Where there is dispair, hope;
Where there is darkness, light;
Where there is sadness, joy;
O Divine Master,
Grant that I may not so much seek
To be consoled as to console;
To be understood as to understand;
To be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive;
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
And it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.
My invitation to you today would be that you become an instrument of Peace. On a day when we honor our fathers, what would happen if our fathers honored God by becoming instruments of His peace?
Don’t you think it is time?