Peace With God Series

INTRODUCTION

• SLIDE #1

• When you think of the word “peace”, what comes to mind? Do you think of tranquil settings, that relaxing day in the hammock in the back yard under the shade tree? Do you think if the kids being at a babysitter for a few hours?

• Maybe peace for you is being out on the lake fishing?

• The dictionary defines peace as follows:

 Freedom from war, mental calm, law and order, state of harmony

• How many of us would love to experience these things in our lives?

• There are different places and relationships in which we seek peace. There is peace between countries; there is peace at home, and peace on the job, just to name a few.

• There is one relationship in which being at peace will determine more than if we are going to end up sleeping on the couch. There is one relationship in which it benefits us tremendously to be at peace.

• If we are not in a peaceful relationship with our creator, we will struggle with experiencing true peace in other areas of our lives.

• There are a multitude of people who are not experiencing peace in their lives because they are at war with God.

• Last week we learned that God deemed that all things are reconciled to Himself through Jesus.

• We are told in Colossians 1:20 that God made peace with us through the shed blood of Jesus.

• I do not think that many people realize how important it is for us to be at peace with God. Many more do not realize they are not at peace with God because they consider themselves to be good people.

• As we look at Colossians 1:21-23 today, we are going to learn some things about the issue of being at peace with God.

• SLIDE #2

• READ Colossians 1:21-23

• SLIDE #3

SERMON

I. WHY WE NEED PEACE. (21)

• The first thing we need to understand is that we have a definite need for peace with God.

• It is so easy to take God for granted because we do not see Him or speak to Him as we do other people. Think how easy it is to take your relationship with your spouse or children for granted, and you can see and speak with them.

• When you are dealing with the invisible God, it makes it easy to neglect our relationship with Him.

• In our text we are given three reasons as to why we need to be at peace with God. These three reasons are shared universally by all of us.

• When we look at these reasons on the surface, some would object saying that they did not apply in their case. As we look at these three reasons as to why we need to be brought back into a peace-relationship with God, I hope we will realize how important being at peace with God is for us.

• SLIDE #4

1. We were formerly alienated.

• Before we give our lives to Jesus, we are alienated from God. This means that we are separated from or estranged from Him.

• It is like being separated from someone we were married to. We start off with a good relationship, and then something happens to destroy the relationship.

• In our relationship with God, our sin is the one we cheat on God with.

• SLIDE #5

• It is spelled out for us in Ephesians 2:1-5.

• READ Ephesians 2:1-5

• Until you are immersed into Christ you are still alienated from God. In verse 20, we are told that the blood of Jesus is where we find our peace with God.

• Until you put on Christ, you are alienated from Him, the relationship is one of being separated from Him.

• SLIDE #6

• Galatians 3:27 (NASB) 27For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.

• The second reason we NEED to re-establish peace with God is:

• SLIDE #7

2. Our minds were hostile toward God.

• When we think if this point, how many of us would readily admit that before we came to Christ, that our minds were hostile toward God?

• What this is saying is that we were strangers to god’s ways of thinking and as a result of that, we lead a life of sin.

• What you think and what you believe is important because thoughts lead to actions.

• This hostility can manifest itself in outright rebellion against God to the subtle ways we ignored God in our everyday lives.

• Wrong theology leads to wrong living. If you do not believe me, look at the Muslim extremists; look at the cults that have ruined the lives of many.