Fruit of the Spirit #3: Peace

Fruit of the Holy Spirit: Peace.... “But the fruit of the Spirit is peace” (Gal. 5:22).

WHEN WE HAVE SALVATION IN OUR DAILY LIVES, THE RESULTS SHOULD BE PEACE, RIGHT?

Lets just say, we have received a certified letter from , HMMMMMM the American Powerball office. To what extent of effort, of research, of time would we be willing to put in to “maybe” win the Powerball? OK, so then you win, it’s confirmed, you just won 340 million dollars. Will that provide you with peace?

A. We have Peace because of our faith. Have I preached on this before?Isaiah 26:4–7 “4 Trust in the Lord always, for the Lord God is the eternal Rock. 5 He humbles the proud and brings down the arrogant city. He brings it down to the dust. 6 The poor and oppressed trample it underfoot, and the needy walk all over it. 7 But for those who are righteous, the way is not steep and rough. You are a God who does what is right, and you smooth out the path ahead of them. By living close to God, we can have peace in our heart, life, and home.

B. We will be at Peace because our sins have been forgiven. John 5:24 24 “I tell you the truth, those who listen to my message and believe in God who sent me have eternal life. They will never be condemned for their sins, but they have already passed from death into life. Since all our sins are forgiven, we do not have to be afraid to stand before God.

C. Do we receive Peace when God calls us? Of course we do because we choose to following Him. He calls us to follow Him. John 5:24 24 “I tell you the truth, those who listen to my message and believe in God who sent me have eternal life. They will never be condemned for their sins, but they have already passed from death into life. He then makes us what He wants us to be. Are we feeling any peace when we hear God calling us? I DO! The more I am in His Holy word and prayer, the more peaceful I am.

D. We are Blessed with Peace because of our Christian fellowship.—1 John 1:6–8 “6 God sent a man, John the Baptist, 7 to tell about the light so that everyone might believe because of his testimony. 8 John himself was not the light; he was simply a witness to tell about the light.” Knowing that we are cleansed from all sin, we can enjoy fellowship with other Christians.

Don’t we have a tenancy to shy away from other Christians when we are deep in sin? I am. When I was a beer and wine drinker, there certainly Christians that I avoided like the plague. We are embarrassed, ashamed, we know what we are doing is not pleasing to God. I mean a lot of drinking. We must repent, tell God we are so sorry for our sins, receive His Glorious Forgiveness and receive His peace. Halalula

WHEN WE ARE IN THE HOLY SPIRIT, WE HAVE SECURITY, PEACE, CALMNESS.......

A. Our minds are free from worry. I love this scripture in Paul’s letter to the church in Philippi....Philippians 4:6–8 “6 Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. 7 Then 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. 8 And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. He gives us peace in our hearts, souls, and minds.

There is a Bible Study right there. Read Philippians 4:6-8 every morning, what a way to start your day. AMEN!

B. Our minds are free from doubt when we trust God, so if our minds are free from doubt, this is a peaceful place.—Hebrews 11:1. We may not understand, but we trust Him in all things.

C. Our minds are free from unbelief. We please God by being “peaceful” in our daily living. In how we react, in how we talk, in the kindness in our voices.

D. Our minds are free from fear when we are searching for peace through Jesus. Fear, that we are not saved, fear that we are not forgiven, fear of most everything destroys our faith and trust in God.

WHEN YOU RECEIVED JESUS, DID YOU FEEL SATISFACTION AND PEACE IN YOU HEART?

A. Are you searching for a Peace that only comes from praising the Father. Psalm 30:9–11 9 “What will you gain if I die, if I sink into the grave? Can my dust praise you? Can it tell of your faithfulness? 10 Hear me, Lord, and have mercy on me. Help me, O Lord.” 11 You have turned my mourning into joyful dancing. You have taken away my clothes of mourning and clothed me with joy,” The Lord will give peace to those who dedicate their lives to Him.

B. Promise, Isaiah 26:2–4 “2 Open the gates to all who are righteous; allow the faithful to enter. 3 You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you! 4 Trust in the Lord always, for the Lord God is the eternal Rock.”

His strength and power keep us. Don’t we feel peace when our dear family and friends are with us, no matter what?

C.We have great Power through God. Doesn't strength come when we feel at peace? It seems like our thought process is quicker, more confident. John 16:32–33 “32 But the time is coming—indeed it’s here now—when you will be scattered, each one going his own way, leaving me alone. Yet I am not alone because the Father is with me. 33 I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.” In the world there will be trials and tribulation. However, Christ has overcome the problems of the world. He will give us peace.

D. Can you remember when you were apart from Jesus? Something tragic, something you didn’t understand, something that you failed to reach out to the Holy Spirit for understanding, wisdom, leading. Ephesians 2:13–14 “13 But now you have been united with Christ Jesus. Once you were far away from God, but now you have been brought near to him through the blood of Christ. 14 For Christ himself has brought peace to us. He united Jews and Gentiles into one people when, in his own body on the cross, he broke down the wall of hostility that separated us.”

SERENITY, a beautiful word, beautiful meaning.........”I could sure use a “serene” day. “I need some serenity in my life.......

Serene Rest sounds to me like a peaceful, calming, relaxing time doesn't it to you all? When God rules our hearts, we will have peace.

Peaceful Redemption, Colossians 1:20–21 “20 and through him God reconciled everything to himself. He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth by means of Christ’s blood on the cross. 21 This includes you who were once far away from God. You were his enemies, separated from him by your evil thoughts and actions.” Through His blood we have not only forgiveness, but peace.

C. Oh My gosh, I am so looking forward to some Godly Spiritual Relaxation—Romans 5:1–3 “1 Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us. 2 Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of undeserved privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God’s glory. 3 We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance.”

CLOSE........Colossians 3:14–16 “14 Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony. 15 And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful. 16 Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom he gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts.”

I HAVE JUST PREACHED MANY WAYS TO SEARCH AND RECEIVE PEACE IN YOU LIVES. IT’S NOW UP TO YOU TO READ THESE SCRIPTURES AND PRAY TO OUR FATHER TO SET YOU ON THE PATH TO RECEIVE HIS GLORIOUS PEACE. AMEN