Super Umpire Pt 2 Series

Chico Alliance Church

“Super Umpire Pt 2”

Supplementary Notes

Revised Definition of Peace

Peace is the inner calm confidence resulting from a resounding realization that God works everything together for His glorious purpose and our ultimate good.

Peace is the calm confidence that everything has a purpose and will, in the eternal scheme of things, be OK! Whether it has to do with other people, God, circumstances, difficulties, family, health, personal struggles or God, we can enjoy the peace, that calm confidence and resounding realization that through Christ everything will be used to serve God’s eter-nal purpose. Peace results from the realization that the God who exists in the eternal NOW will work all things in time and space together for his glorious purpose and the ultimate good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose. It is this peace that has been the experience of multitudes throughout history. On the basis of God’s wonderful work in us and through us and our supernatural union with Christ’s death and resurrection and our citizenship in the new kingdom, Paul urges us to live the new kingdom life.

God instructs His people to continually let the peace of Christ rule, arbitrate or umpire in their hearts. The core concept of God’s peace is not the absence of struggle but a sense of completeness or wholeness or calm even in the midst of struggle. Peace emerges from the realization that because of the person, power and purpose of Christ, I have nothing to prove to anyone and nothing of eternal consequence to loose to anyone. As a child of the ever present King, I can be confident that, in spite of everything, He really does work ALL things together for His eternal purposes and my ultimate good. Peace comes as I entrust the welfare of my soul into the everlasting arms of the one who sees all, knows all and accom-plishes everything He sets out to do. The things He sets to do are good and for our good and His glory and His pleasure. When He is pleased and His glory accomplished, we find our deepest fulfillment and ultimate pleasure.

Peace becomes an issue then of who I trust with the welfare of my soul.

Is God good? Are his purposes good? Will he be there? Will he really take care of the deepest longings of my soul? If God is the object of my trust there is peace. If I, someone or something else becomes the object of my trust, there is anxiety and inner turmoil. When we rest in the arms of our loving Heaven Father we can experience a peace in every aspect of life that goes beyond all human explanation.

Paul instructs us to let this peace of Christ, this calm confidence in the person and purposes of God to be the decision making authority in our heart. When the heart is confused due to circumstances or other people or the conflicting screams of the flesh, each one must allow the inner calm confidence in the eternal purpose and loving character of God to determine the thoughts and actions in the heart.

Application

Someone hurts you by their words or actions. The event initiates a series of emotions and thoughts within the soul. Who dictates the eventual response out of our heart? Will I con-tinue to love? Will I retaliate? Will I forgive? Will I go silent? Will I withdraw? Will I move toward? Will I confront? Will I seek think about their good? Will I bless or curse? Will I pray or pout? Will I give thanks or complain? These are all options bouncing around in the soul like a debate. Paul instructs us to allow the peace of Christ to umpire the soul. Let the peace of Christ be the determining factor that dictates the activity in the soul.

How does it work?

If I am settled as to who cares for my soul I am free to hear God’s direction rather than launch out into a course of action or thinking intended to promote or protect me rather than serve others.

When Christ’s peace rules the heart…

When Christ’s peace is allowed to determine the activity within the soul…

When Christ’s peace is allowed to umpire the conflicting signals within the soul…

Then the resident life of Christ indwelling the spirit is released into and flows out of the soul to touch and connect with others in ways that reflect the connection with in the Trini-ty. What we need in the body of Christ are those who drink deeply from the wells of His love and flow meaningfully into the lives of others encouraging them to drink as deeply. When the peace of Christ rules the soul that resident life of Christ, though sometimes hid-den in the spirit, is allowed to flow into the heart for others to see and be drawn to the source of life. Paul commands the body of Christ to submit to the arbitration and control of the super ump, the peace of Christ.