Chico Alliance Church
“Super Umpire”
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Romans 1:7
Today we explore together a common struggle from life in a fallen world.
• Turbulent relationships with people
• Feelings of confusion, anxiety, stress
• Struggles with adverse circumstances and difficulties from life in a fallen world
• Inner turmoil concerning our relationship with God
• Struggles with heath issues
• Issues of financial concern
• Family and marital turbulence
• Negative feelings concerning personal worth and competence or significance
• Concerns about the future
All of these things add up to internal turmoil and anxiety; anything but peace. Jesus, who gives us His peace, who is our peace, who made peace, who preached peace and arms us with the gospel of peace, distinctly demonstrated this peace even in the face of many of the same issues just mentioned. Because of his relationship with the Father, Christ showcased a life characterized by calm confidence resulting from a resounding realization that every-thing is designed to work out for the Father’s glory and His good.
Whether it has to do with other people, God, circumstances, family, health, personal strug-gles or God, we can experience His peace; that calm confidence as a result of a resounding realization that through Christ everything works together for God’s glory and our good.
In short, peace is the calm confidence that everything will be OK!
Peace results from the realization that all things do work together for good to those who love God and are called according to His purpose.
It is this peace that has been the experience of people throughout history and the expres-sion of the soul in song. This morning we explore that peace to which we have been called. Paul says let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts. Let the peace which Christ pictured by His life on this earth and also presents to the subjects of His eternal kingdom be granted authority to arbitrate or umpire both within your soul and between you.
Review
On the basis of God’s wonderful work in us and our supernatural identification with Christ’s death and resurrection and citizenship in the new kingdom, we are urged to live the new kingdom life.
• Hold fast to Christ
• Pursue eternal things
• Contemplate eternal things
• Deny expression to the fleshly desires
• Release the longings of your new heart
The Father has implanted His very life within the children of the new kingdom.
These new desires and passions and longings are in EVERY believer and Paul calls us to release them within the community of believers and the fallen world in which we live so His life might draw others into the kingdom.
Let the heart of the Father flow to others.
• Feel deeply
“a heart of compassion”
• Tangibly demonstrate you care
“kindness”
• Put others first
“humility”
• Approach with gentle persuasion
“gentleness”
• Guard contentious reactions
“longsuffering”
• Focus on the Gold
“forbearance”
• Pursue life-giving community
“love”
Now Paul calls us to let the peace of Christ rule, arbitrate or umpire in our hearts.
Not only are we seeing what seems to be increased rage and increased relational distress at every level of relationships, but there also appears to be an increase in the number of peo-ple experiencing severe inner turmoil, depression, anxiety, fear and worry. The Bible ad-dress distress of soul, anxiety, troubled hearts. It also provides the resources to deal with the many arenas of personal conflict. There are many issues connected to the many passag-es which address peace in the Bible. They all relate to a feelings or situations of uneasiness or unsettledness.
Uneasiness with God
Uneasiness with individuals or groups
Uneasiness with self
Uneasiness with circumstances
Spiritual attack
Physical Sickness
Financial struggle
As we indicated earlier, peace is a calm confidence based on a resounding realization that because of the person and work of God and in spite of external circumstances everything will work together to bring about God’s glory and our good. Peace is not really an 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 and nothing to loose. As a child of the ever present King I can be confident that, in spite of everything, He really does work ALL things out for His glory and our good. Peace comes as I entrust the welfare of my soul to the everlasting arms of the one who sees all, knows all and accomplish everything He sets out to do, no matter how things may appear.
Peace become an issue of who I trust to take care of me. If it is God, there is peace.
If it is me or someone else, I will experience anxiety and inner turmoil.
Peace is a core reality in the Trinity.
God is called the “God of Peace.”
Christ is referred to as the “Prince of Peace.”
The fruit of the indwelling Holy Spirit is peace.
When we rest in the arms of our loving Heaven Father we can experience peace in every aspect of life.
• Peace with God
• Peace in every circumstance
• Peace within
• Peace with others
In our present passage in Colossians, Paul focuses on the last arena, relational peace as he urges another major response to the wonderful work of Christ in our life. Paul encourages us to allow the wonderful peace of Christ to preside or rule in our hearts.
The heart is the workshop of the Holy Spirit. He resides in our spirit and works in our heart to transform it as a glorious canvas on which to portray the eternal life of Christ. It is also the place where the flesh seeks to picture it’s presence.
Thus, in the life of every Christian, we need the peace of Christ to arbitrate or rule.
We need his calmness, firm assurance in the person and purpose of God to control our re-sponses to life.
The verb action
• This is a command – imperative.
• This command calls for a continuous lifestyle action -- present tense
• This command calls for us to actually do something we do – active voice
The Verb meaning
This word is used only here in the NT and refers to the act of umpiring at the games, the act of enforcing the rules of the game. Because God transferred us into his kingdom, his community characterized by His peace, we are to allow the peace that Christ demonstrated and granted to us to keep us relating by the rules of the game.
? When Christ’s peace rules the heart…
? When Christ’s peace is allowed to determine what gets painted on the canvas of our soul…
? When Christ peace is allowed to umpire the conflicting desired and passion of the soul…
Then the resident life of Christ is released to touch others in ways that connect and trans-form. Christ’s continually resident eternal life, though sometimes hidden in the spirit, is then allowed to emerge onto the canvas of the soul for others to see and be drawn to the Artist.
Paul commands the body of Christ to submit to the arbitration and control of the super ump, the peace of Christ. In keeping with the context, Paul continues to explain the kind of vital responses which distinguishes kingdom kids. Kingdom kids allow the peace of Christ to arbitrate or umpire the conflicting forces within the soul and between people.
Since the focus of this verse centers on the role of the peace of Christ with others and with-in the body I want to focus here today and then discuss some of the other aspects of peace after Easter.
Even before that however, it feel it important to take a moment to discuss the nature of the peace of Christ. If we are to allow this umpire to rule the heart, we should get to know him.
THE PEACE OF CHRIST
This is a peace which belongs to Christ. The word peace has a broad usage throughout the Bible. The Hebrew equivalent is Shalom. The New Testament usage of this term takes on the Jewish flavor more than the Greek It has to do with wholeness, calm assurance. This is wholeness and calm assurance was demonstrate by Christ and granted by Christ.
"Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives, do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful. "You heard that I said to you, 'I go away, and I will come to you.' If you loved Me, you would have rejoiced, because I go to the Father; for the Father is greater than I. "And now I have told you before it comes to pass, that when it comes to pass, you may believe. Jn 14:27-29
"These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world." John 16:33
Jesus lived His life in this fallen world with a striking calm confidence that everything was in the hand of his loving Father and would be orchestrate by the master artist into a glorious masterpiece.
How, then, can we truly meet the situation? We can at least try to understand how Jesus met it. He also lived in a cruel world and among oppressed people, and two things are plain about his attitude. He never doubted the goodness of God because men were behaving in a vile way. He never let the problem of suffering upset his own spiritual life and he maintained his own serenity unbroken. It (his serenity) must have been severely tried. Perhaps he needed those hours when he rose a great while before day and went off to the open country, to have his serenity restored to him.-- A. HERBERT GRAY
Hunger, temptation, lack of faith in the followers, demonic harassment, upset people, threats on his life, sinful people, adverse circumstances, difficult and seemingly impossible tasks, pain, fatigue, tons to do, needy people, demanding people, hungry people, hostile people, uncertain future, painful future – Jesus met all of these things with a confident calmness and assurance in the eternal purposes of God that enabled him to focus on the eternal purpose of the moment rather than the pain of the moment. Assured of who He was and operating according to the direction and power of the Holy Spirit, Jesus lived with nothing to prove, nothing to lose. Jesus lived in peace.
It doesn’t mean He didn’t hurt or grieve or respond to life or experience deep sorrow over the actions or non-actions of people.
It doesn’t mean that He didn’t even experience deep anguish at the prospect of future al-ienation from the father because of bearing the sins of the world. His calm confidence in the father’s purpose enabled Him to entrust His very soul into the hands of a faithful crea-tor and give his life a payment for the many. Jesus granted this calm confidence to all who trust in Him.
This confidence applies to all of the areas mentioned above.
• Peace with God
• Peace in every circumstance
• Peace within
• Peace with others
PEACE WITH OTHERS
As the children of the loving heavenly Father appropriate this same calm confidence in the purpose and power of the father the source of conflict is eliminated. Whenever we focus on our plan and our agenda and our feelings, we find conflict. James clearly identifies the source of conflict among people as selfish ambition and bitter jealously.
The umpire’s rule book clearly lays out the rules of relational engagement.
God instructs us to live in peace.
"Salt is good; but if the salt becomes unsalty, with what will you make it salty again? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another." Mark 9:50 Yet if the unbelieving one (spouse) leaves, let him leave; the brother or the sister is not under bondage in such cases, but God has called us to peace. 1 Cor. 7:15 Finally, brethren, rejoice, be made complete, be comforted, be like-minded, live in peace; and the God of love and peace shall be with you. 2 Cor. 13:11 Live in peace with one another. 1 Thes. 5:13
God calls us to encourage others to live in peace.
"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. Matthew 5:9
God urges us to pursue whatever encourages peace and builds up believ-ers.
So then let us pursue the things which make for peace and the building up of one another. Rom 14:19
Now flee from youthful lusts, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart. 2 Tim. 2:22
Pursue peace with all men, and the sanctification without which no one will see the Lord. Heb 12:14
Therefore, beloved, since you look for these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, spotless and blameless, and regard the patience of our Lord to be salvation; just as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given him, wrote to you, 2 Peter 3:14-15
God urges us to preserve unity in the bond of peace
I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, entreat you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, 2with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing forbearance to one an-other in love, 3being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. Ephes. 4:1-3
God commands us to allow the Peace of Christ to rule our hearts
And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful. Col. 3:15
Reciprocal relational peace is not always possible
If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men. Romans 12:18
THE SOURCE OF PEACE
How do we appropriate this kind of calm confidence in spite of chaotic circumstances and turbulent relationships?
Remember, it is a gift granted to every believer. It is a possibility for every Christian.
This peace is a gift from Jesus
"Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives, do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.
This peace comes from the knowledge of God and encouragement of the Holy Spirit
So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria enjoyed peace, being built up; and, going on in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort (encouragement) of the Holy Spirit, it continued to in-crease. Acts 9:31
For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace, Romans 8:6
Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord; 2 Peter 1:2
Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13
The more we truly understand God and his plan and his love and his eternal presence the greater the level of peace we experience. Peace comes from knowing and believing the truth. When we try to control the soul and dictate who writes on the canvas we suffer all kinds of internal anxiety and external conflict.
We get mad at other when they fail to cooperate with our demands to contribute to our life’s picture and we don’t like what we see on the canvas. We blame others for an imper-fect picture when it was we who refused God’s rule over the picture. Only God’s pictures can satisfy the kingdom kids.
When the peace of Christ is allowed to control the painting on the canvas of our soul, the life of Christ emerges amid the attempts of the flesh, people and the circumstances of the world to mar the picture. This wonderful super umpire may even allow the most unlikely people to contribute from the rich colors of their life to add. But He must be given the freedom to control the picture.
“Continually allow the peace of Christ to rule your hearts.”
Allow the calm confidence and resounding realization that through Christ everything will work out to His glory and our good to dictate and rule the development of the life of Christ in the soul.
Remember!
• I have nothing to prove because Jesus accomplished it all for me.
• I have nothing to lose because what Jesus provides, no one can take.
This peace comes as we become absorbed with the person and purposes of God and trust in His goodness to work all things for His glory and our good.
This peace comes from knowing and believing the truth.
“These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world." John 16:33
These teachings also bring fullness of joy. John 15:11
These teachings also keep us from stumbling John 16:1
Upper Room Seminary Course Outline
• Wash one another’s feet and serve. You are blessed if you do these things.
• Love one another as Christ loved you.
• Believe in Christ and God. I prepare a better place. I will come and get you.
• Pray to the Father concerning His work
• There will be another encourager just like Jesus who will indwell you.
• Keep the word
• You are indwelt by the Trinity
• The Father operates according to a glorious eternal plan.
• The enemy could find nothing to accuse Jesus.
• The Father is greater than all.
• Jesus is the vine you are the branches the Father is the gardener.
• The Father is glorified by fruit-bearing.
• You are deeply loved by the Father just as Jesus was and is loved
• You are called the friends of Jesus
• You did not choose Him but He chose you to bear His life-giving fruit.
• You will be hated by the world because Jesus was hated by the world but you are not of the world and have been chosen and transferred out of the world.
• You will suffer some of the same things Jesus suffered.
• The Holy Spirit of truth will cone and bear witness of Jesus.
• The Holy Spirit will guide you into all truth.
• You have direct access to the Father through prayer.
• You will experience tribulation in the world but Jesus has already overcome the world.
This peace comes from the practice of the truth and the Father’s disci-pline
"The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things; and the God of peace shall be with you. Philip. 4:9
All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness. Hebrews 12:11
This peace is the result of walking by the power of the Holy Spirit.
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, Galatians 5:22
So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria enjoyed peace, being built up; and, going on in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort (encouragement) of the Holy Spirit, it continued to in-crease. Acts 9:31
the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spir-it. Rom 14:17
This peace comes through talking with God.
Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your re-quests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, shall guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philip. 4:6-7
Allowing the peace of Christ to arbitrate in our heart makes significant difference. Allow-ing calm confidence in the person and purpose of God to dictate who paints on the canvas of your soul results in greater glimpses of the final masterpiece.
APPLICATON
We will not experience peace with every person. Even in the face of seemingly irreconcil-able difference, peace can rule the heart.
In the individual there can be a calm confidence that through Christ everything will turn out for His glory and our good. It is this calm confidence that allows us to honestly explore our own heart motives. It is this calm confidence that prevents us from running ahead of God but to entrust our souls to the Faithful Creator even in the face of hurt and disap-pointment.
When two or more people allow the peace of Christ to umpire in the soul a calmness of heart emerges that deepens genuine fellowship and encourages life-changing connection. The more widespread this kind of surrender to the purposes of the kingdom in a group of people, the greater the sense of calmness and the more effective the ministry and fellow-ship and community impact.
?????Reflective questions?????
Who are we allowing to dictate what and who paints on the canvas of our soul? Does the picture look more like me than Jesus?
How does my control of the project effect my relationships?
What am I trying to prove or gain?
What am I trying to protect?
What am I afraid of losing?
What am I trusting others to do for me that only God can do?
These are all indications that I rule the soul and not the peace of Christ.
Remember…
• Because of Christ I have nothing to prove.
• Because of Christ I have all the necessary resources for life and godliness.
• Because of Christ I have nothing of eternal value to lose.
• Because of Christ all things will work together for His glory and my God.
• Through Christ I can be at peace, pursue peace, preserve peace, appropriate peace and offer peace.
Blessed are the peacemakers for these are the children of God.
Genuine trust in the God of Peace and the continual encouragement of the Holy Spirit re-sults in a calm assurance that frees us up to actually hear God’s direction and release His life-changing grace into our lives and the lives of others. Trust in man or the flesh results in both internal and external conflict.
What Can I Do Now?
• Confess trying to make life work in your own strength and trying to control the paint-ing.
• Entrust your life into the hands of a faithful creator, the God of peace.
• Let the Peace of Christ arbitrate in your life and in your relationships with people!
Let the calm confidence and resounding realization that God works everything together for His glory and our good be the ruling truth in your heart.
Only then can the conflicting drives and desires of the flesh be thwarted and the longings of the spirit find expression in the soul. Once you settle the issue of God’s goodness, the sweet fragrance of Christ, the vibrant engaging clothes of the kingdom come into view and the peace of Christ rules the heart of the individual and the group.
How could this wonderful truth effect how you relate to the various people in your life?
Your immediate family
Your extended family
Your Church family
Your Friends
Your colleagues
Your enemies
