THE FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT IS PEACE—GALATIANS 5:22-26;
ISAIAH 26:1-6; AND JOHN 14:22-31
What does peace mean to you? What comes to your mind when you read or hear the word? All of us can picture the five finalists in the Miss America Pageant being asked their final question which might be phrased something like this, “What is your greatest desire?” We would expect at least one contestant to say, “To have lasting peace on earth.”
Certainly one concept of peace is freedom from war, but basically peace refers to relationships, harmonious relationships between people; yes, between nations; and personal, spiritual peace with God. That third relationship is the most important one of all: “The Fruit of the Spirit is Peace.”
Ultimate peace is spiritual peace, inward peace, “the peace of God which surpasses all understanding.” Paul shares a tremendous promise with us in Philippians 4:7, “And the peace of God which transcends all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” The Fruit of the Spirit is Peace, the peace of God. It transcends all understanding. It is beyond our comprehension, beyond what we are able to grasp. It can not be explained psychologically or philosophically, but when you have it, you know it is real. What is this peace, and how can you and I have it?
Throughout the Old and New Testaments God keeps promising His People the “peace that surpasses all understanding." Such peace is found only in His Son Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace. Jesus Himself promises us that peace in John 14:17, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”
First of all, Jesus is the Source and Giver of “The peace that transcends all understanding.” He says, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you.” One meaning of the word “leave” in our Gospel text is “to leave behind at death.” Remember when Jesus spoke these words, it was on the night before His crucifixion. He promised His disciples, “I leave you my peace.” We all want to leave our loved ones something when we die. We might say that in this instance Jesus was leaving His legacy with His disciples; He was giving them, and us, our spiritual inheritance, the gift of His peace, and this gift of is for the present moment. We don’t have to wait until eternity to receive it. It is ours right now. It is for this very moment. That’s the sense of the original text. It’s as if Jesus were to use the phrase of the hymn writer, “I leave you My peace, I give you My peace, ‘for the facing of this hour’” [--Harry Emerson Fosdick, “God of Grace and God of Glory”].
Paul says such peace transcends all understanding, and Jesus says it is not the peace the world gives. Miss America wants freedom from war-- that’s the peace of the world, cessation of hostilities in Afghanistan and Iraq, freedom from the fear of terrorism, freedom from violent crime., but Jesus assures us that His peace is freedom from a troubled and a fearful heart: “Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” The peace of Jesus, the peace that the world can not comprehend, “The Fruit of the Spirit” is a freedom from the fear of what might happen in the future and a freedom in the midst of present dangers, evil, or pain. Jesus says, “Let not your heart be troubled.” A troubled heart is feeling fear over something that may or may not happen. We might name this fear “worry.” Then He goes on to say, “neither let it be afraid.” Here is a second kind of fear: anxiety felt in the presence of current danger, evil, or pain that is real. Jesus is saying, “Trust Me! It’s useless to worry about something over which you have no control, don’t worry over something that may or may not happen, and don’t be anxious and fearful even in the presence of current danger, evil, or pain."
How can we have such peace and such courage? What was the very first “Fruit of the Spirit we explored two weeks ago? It was the Fruit of Love. We saw that love is the governing “Fruit of the Spirit.” All the other fruit overflow from love. John shares a fantastic promise in I John 4:18, “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.” I can have peace in times of real danger, evil, or pain; I don’t have to be troubled about what may or may not happen tomorrow because God’s perfect love drives out the spirit of fear. This is the “Peace that surpasses understanding, the peace the world can not give, the Fruit of the Spirit.”
Catherine Marshall in Touching the Heart of God shares this story: “My friend Marge had an experience aboard a plane bound for Cleveland, waiting for takeoff. As she settled into her seat, Marge noticed a strange phenomenon. On one side of the airplane a sunset suffused the entire sky with glorious color. But out of the window next to her seat, all Marge could see was a sky dark and threatening, with no sign of the sunset.
“As the plane’s engines began to roar, a gentle Voice spoke within her: ‘You have noticed the windows. Your life too, will contain some happy, beautiful times, but also some dark shadows. Here’s a lesson I want to teach you to save you much heartache and allow you to ‘Abide in Me’ with continual peace and joy. You see, it doesn’t matter which window you look through; this plane is still going to Cleveland. So it is in your life. You have a choice. You can dwell on the gloomy picture. Or you can focus on the bright things and leave the dark, ominous situations to Me. I alone can handle them anyway. And the final destination is not influenced by what you see or feel along the way. Learn this, act on it, and you will be released, able to experience the “peace that transcends all understanding”
[--Catherine Marshall in “Touching the Heart of God.” Christianity Today,
Vol. 39, no. 6.].
Isaiah 26:3 has a wonderful promise for all true disciples of Jesus:
“Those of steadfast mind You keep
in peace—
in peace because they trust in You” [NRSV].
God keeps the believer in a state of peace—through sorrow, sickness, pain, danger, and evil, whatever our lot may be. The secret to such keeping, sustaining peace is twofold—(1.) a steadfast mind and (2.) trust in Jesus. The word steadfast is the key. It has two basic meanings: (1.) “to lean upon” and (2.) “to support.” To keep our peace, we must “lean on Jesus for our support.” We can live in peace, as John Stallings testifies in his song, “Learning to Lean on Jesus”:
Learning to lean, learning to lean,
I’m learning to lean on Jesus.
Finding more power than I’d ever dreamed,
I’m learning to lean on Jesus”
[--John Stallings, “Learning to Lean,” 1976, Heart Warming Music.].
Our peace remains steadfast through all the hardships, trials, and tribulations of life as we lean on and look to Jesus. Corrie Ten Boom express it so well, “I looked on Jesus and the dove of peace entered my heart. I looked at the dove of peace; and lo . . . off he went” [--Corrie Ten Boom in “Each New Day.” Christianity Today, Vol. 35, no. 2.].
Finally, unconfessed sin will rob you of your peace. “The Fruit of the Spirit Is The Peace of Jesus,” and comes by grace through faith in Him. His peace is incompatible with sin. Unconfessed sin and the Peace of Jesus can not coexist in the same heart. Both Isaiah and Jeremiah preach this truth. Isaiah 57:21 proclaims, “‘There is no peace,’ says my God, ‘For the wicked.’” God Himself speaks in Jeremiah 6:14-15:
“They dress the wound of My people
As though it were not serious,
‘Peace, peace, they say,
When there is no peace.
“‘Are they ashamed of their
loathsome conduct?
No, they have no shame at
All;
They do not even know how
To blush.
So they will fall among the fallen;
They will be brought down
When I punish them,’
Says the Lord.’”
J. C. Ryle in “Foundations of Faith” brings the point home that sin will rob us of our peace: “Without justification it is impossible to have real peace. Conscience forbids it. Sin is a mountain between anyone and God, and must be taken away. The sense of guilt lies heavy on the heart and must be removed. Unpardoned sin will murder peace. True Christians know this well. Their peace arises from a consciousness of their sins being forgiven, and their guilt being put away. . . . They have peace with God, because they are justified” [--J. C. Ryle in “Foundations of Faith.” Christianity Today, Vol. 35, no. 8.]. Has some unconfessed sin robbed you of His peace that surpasses all understanding? When you repent, God forgives, and peace is restored.
“The Fruit of the Spirit is Peace.” The Source of that peace is Jesus. True peace is spiritual, inward, it is “The peace of God which transcends all understanding.” It will sustain you “when sorrows like sea billows roll.” It will keep you going “whatever your lot,” because He will teach you to say, “It Is Well with My Soul.” Jesus is here to give you that peace today or to restore it if sin has stolen it from you. Reach out and accept His peace. He is ready to give it to you; all you have to do is to trust Him.
