Fruit of the Spirit - Peace

Good morning & Welcome!

We continue this morning in our series on the Holy Spirit. We have been discussing the Fruit of the Spirit and are working through each one individually. We find ourselves in...

Galatians 5:22–23 NLT

But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!

What’s interesting about these virtues is there order. In Billy Graham’s book on the Holy Spirit, he suggests that for purposes of study you can look at the words and divide them into 3 clusters:

Love, Joy, Peace - make up the first cluster and speak of our Godward relationship

Patience, Kindness, Goodness - make up the second cluster and mainly speak of our relationship with other people

Faithfulness, Gentleness, & Self-control - are especially seen in our attitudes and actions of our inner self

Interesting how the Holy Spirit works! It’s interesting that God is a god of order!

Our text for this morning could be a familiar text for many of you. In fact, it’s been a text that I have frequented several times over the past few weeks. And in my opinion, it’s the perfect passage of scripture for today’s virtue - PEACE. So please turn in your Bibles to the 23rd Psalm.

Background behind David writing this Psalm seems to be during the rebellion of his son Absalom. Imagine one of your closest loved ones turning on you and leading a rebellion against you and your well-being.

Or how about this - How many months has it been since you’ve felt like things were calm? When’s the last time you felt good about the direction things were going? When’s the last time you turned on a news outlet or listened to the radio and you turned it off and your heartbeat & blood pressure actually went down?

We are living in crazy times. So many things don’t even make sense. I honestly wonder sometimes how far things can go? I wonder what my kids are going to deal with in 5, 10, 20 years. It’s hard to imagine. Thoughts like that can cause anxiety, and yet we are told to be anxious for nothing (Don’t worry about anything). This world needs Godly examples; Godly models; People who in the face of chaos have this overwhelming peace about them. (Sky divers who’s parachute doesn’t open) #1. Thing they can do is stay calm! ;-)

How do we do that?

Psalm 23:1–6 (NLT)

1The Lord is my shepherd; I have all that I need.

David, as is fitting, begins with the Lord. Everything begins with Him. He should be put first in everything. His rightful place is at the start of anything. He is the alpha & omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end. There is no one else but our God!

He is not simply “the Lord”, but here he is “my shepherd.” “My” reveals a relationship. There’s a connection. We have spent time together. We are not simply acquaintances, we are friends; we have experience together.

David describes the Lord as “my Shepherd.” One commentator wrote that this description is the most comprehensive and intimate metaphor used throughout all the Psalms, which usually prefers to use the word ‘king’, ‘deliverer’, ‘rock’, ‘shield’. The Shepherd lives with the flock and is everything to it: guide, physician, & protector.

“I have all I need.” “I shall not want.” I lack nothing. Let me ask you a question. Can you think of anything you need? I can think of about 10 things right now that I need. Well…maybe they are things I want. But the point is, how often do you find yourself calm and quiet enough to say, “It doesn’t get any better than this!” Except vacation time!

2He lets me rest in green meadows; he leads me beside peaceful streams.

The Shepherd understands the flock and what it needs. And so He takes the necessary steps to care for them, even when they don’t even know or understand all that He is doing.

The NIV translation says, “He makes me...” Sometimes the sheep wander off and need “help” with what to do. Sometimes in our lives we need “help” from the Shepherd with what we should do.

The picture in my mind is this lush landscape of rolling hills filled with green pastures and colorful wildflowers. Ample room for the flock to be able to rest, to graze, and be refreshed from a long day. A cool breeze blowing across the plain; A slow trickling, refreshing stream running alongside where they are resting. It’s not a wide & deep river that will need to be traversed. But it’s one that only brings comfort and healing.

3He renews my strength. He guides me along right paths, bringing honor to his name.

He refreshes my soul. He restores my soul. Through the rest; through the calmness; through the peacefulness; through his leading; through his guidance; through his provision; through his presence; through his protection - the Shepherd renews.

There may not be anything more helpful during these restless times than a renewed and refreshed soul.

4Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me.

“When”, not if, we walk through the darkest valleys. Some translations say, “the valley of the shadow of death.” Some say there are only two things in this life that are certain - taxes and death. Unless Jesus comes back before our time, we all will experience physical death. Many of us have experienced the pain of losing someone close to us.

There’s a shift here in the position of the Shepherd. He seems to move from leading to being close BESIDE. When we are in our darkest of valley, companionship is needed. The presence of people (family & friends) is so very good. But the Shepherd is more than simply a companion during this time. He is protector and guide.

4Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me.

The rod (a short thick stick worn at the belt) and staff (to walk with, and to round up the flock) were the shepherds weapon for defense and tool to control the sheep.

Staff could be used for rest. It was something that you could lean on. For us today, the staff serves as a symbol that we too can find rest when we lean on the Lord. When we lean into Him, He’ll lean into us. He is both the shepherd and the staff supplying all the rest we need when we lean on Him.

The staff also can be used as a guide. Verses 2 & 3 say that the Shepherd leads me & guides me. The staff leads us to places where we can find peace amid the chaos in our lives. The staff also leads us on the paths where we should be to help us make better choices and find more peace in our lives.

The rod here represents how God protects us from predators - in this case, the evil one.

5You prepare a feast for me in the presence of my enemies. You honor me by anointing my head with oil. My cup overflows with blessings.

Even in the midst of tragedy we can be assured of triumph! Though we walk through the darkest valley, we can be confident that our Lord is preparing for us a feast - in the presence of our enemies. He’s not saying they are even gone yet, but while still in their presence we can be assured of victory!

6Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will live in the house of the Lord forever.

It’s as if God’s goodness and love are chasing us around. Like there’s no way to escape them - they are pursuing us.

Peace is not escape from troubles

Peace is not the absence of chaos

Peace is not everything is fine and dandy like Christmas candy

Peace is beyond our circumstances

Peace is found in a relationship with the Good Shepherd!

Peace is produced in yielded lives to the Holy Spirit

How do we experience peace?

Philippians 4:6–7 (NLT)

6Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.

7Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.

The Message translation says it like this, “Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life.”

We give him our fear; He gives us His courage

We give him our doubts; He give us His confidence

We give him our pain; He gives us His perseverance

We give him our tears; He gives us His joy

We give him our mess; He gives us His peace

What do you need to trade in this morning?

The Lord bless you and keep you;

The Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you;

The Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace!