The Fruit of the Spirit
Part 4 – Peace
Rev. Bruce A. Shields
First Baptist Church Tawas City Michigan
www.TawasBaptist.org
WELCOME
We are continuing our Series on Fruits of the Holy Spirit.
We’ve already spoke about what it means to be filled or covered with the Holy Spirit. And we’ve also talked about two of the fruits, which were Love and Joy.
Today I want to speak about peace.
In a time where peace seams foreign to most of us, we are promised 2 things in the Bible that can sometimes seem contrary to each other, but actually co-exist.
First of all, we are promised that in these end times, the time we live in now, there will be wars, and rumors of wars. There will be little peace, and the media will compound this with its endless reporting of everything vile which takes place in the world around us.
We are already bombarded with endless images of death, destruction, violence, and the like.
And our lives are full of business, with endless tasks, events and things to do on top of that.
But at the same time, the scriptures also promise peace?
How can the scriptures promise a world so full of chaos in these end times, yet also promise us peace?
But it does.
We will look at what the world around us offers, and what Jesus Himself promises us and find how these two promises in the scriptures are not contrary to each other, but how Christ gives us peace because of the world’s chaos.
SCRIPTURE READING
John 14:27 – Jesus Speaking
“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.”
PRAYER FOR THE HOLY SPIRIT AND UNDERSTANDING
INTRODUCTION
Jesus, speaking these words to the disciples after the resurrection, had just told the disciples about the Holy Spirit.
He told them that if they loved Him, they would obey His commands, and the Father in heaven would give them a comforter.
This comforter, the Spirit of Truth, the Holy Spirit, the world cannot receive.
But to the believer, the Spirit shall dwell with him, and in him.
Jesus promised the disciples that He would not leave them helpless, but that He would come to them in the person of the Holy Spirit.
This Holy Spirit which dwells with us, and in us, is what makes us Christians.
The gifts and the fruits are evidence of our mended relationship with our Father in Heaven, which happened through receiving the breath of New Life from Christ when we received Salvation.
Jesus says in verse 27 to the disciples, “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give unto you.”
One peace Jesus leaves with the disciples.
This peace stays, although Christ may leave.
But the other peace He has to give to the disciples.
The Spiritual Fruit of Peace spoken of here in the scripture, is really two-fold.
You see, there is the “Peace with God” that all believers have.
This is what Jesus leaves with those who have accepted Christ, like He left with the disciples here.
And then there is the “Peace of God” which Jesus speaks of, that has to be given to those by Jesus Christ.
If this peace of God comes from Jesus, then it makes perfect sense that the further away from Jesus we are, the less of His peace, this peace of God, we experience in our lives?
Peace with God – Was Left with the disciples
Peace with God, which is the “Peace I leave with you”, is the result of our Salvation experienced by faith.
Man outside of Jesus Christ knows nothing of peace in relationship with God, because his sin is always before him and he knows he is accountable before God at the judgment.
This knowledge of sin and judgment is the conscience and conviction of the Holy Spirit which directs us to repent and ask for forgiveness.
It is through this correcting from the Holy Spirit that draws mans soul to convert.
This underlying, nagging fear, robs man of peace with God all through his life, unless he repent and accept Jesus Christ.
When this individual does take Jesus Christ at His word and invites Him into his life as Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ not only comes in to the New Convert as He promised to do (Revelation 3:20) but He immediately cleanses all sin (1 John 1:7, 9).
Revelation 3:20 Jesus offers Himself to ALL
“Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.”
1 John 1:7, 9 Jesus cleanses ALL who come to Him
“But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.”
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”
You think you can’t be forgiven? Think again.
We can pick up our Bible and read of many who have been forgiven.
Murder, forgiven.
Adultery, forgiven.
Disobedience to the Lord, forgiven.
Fornication, forgiven.
Any sin your corrupted flesh can scheme up, can be forgiven, if you confess it to the Lord, and repent (or stop doing it).
The only unforgivable sin is blasphemy of the Holy Spirit.
You think you can’t be righteous? Yes, you can!
You can put on the righteousness of Christ!
Purified by His blood!
When this realization of God’s forgiveness of our sins really grips our hearts, we find we are at peace with God.
I think we can all remember the day we first believed, and the spiritual weight of impending judgment that was lifted from us, the day Christ took our burden, and made our yoke light.
My name is written in the Lamb’s book of life.
I will not have to face judgment because I surrendered to His love and sacrifice.
I am forgiven.
Romans 5:1
“Therefore, being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
This Peace with God is the sanctifying peace that all believers receive with Salvation.
But Jesus did not stop there!
God is a God of abundance.
Jesus Himself said, “I came so that you may have life more abundant!”
He is a God who gives us MORE than we need just to get by!
He continued by saying, “My Peace I give unto you.”
This is the Peace of God – Given to the Disciples
The peace of God is an antidote, if you will, to worry and stress and fear of what may happen in the world around us.
And this peace is not automatically possessed by Christians as our peace with God is.
Because of Salvation, we have made peace with God and do not have to face His wrath on judgment day.
But the peace of God is a Spiritual Fruit.
These Spiritual Fruits come from the Holy Spirit, and they are likened to fruits because they need cultivation, and as we talked about last week, pruning by the Holy Spirit, so that these fruits will mature to their fullness in our lives.
The “peace of God” is untroubled in the face of difficult circumstances.
This is illustrated by the Lord Jesus who was sound asleep in the lower part of the ship while the twelve disciples were frightened beyond rationality.
Can you relate? I can.
I remember once about 13 years ago, a friend had invited me to take an antique boat that had been stored for a couple decades out for a ride on Lake Huron.
I agreed a little reluctantly, not knowing anything about boating.
Little did I know, neither did he.
We launched early the next morning.
We had just reached a point on the Lake where land was not visible from any direction and it was quite a wonderful day out.
As we were enjoying our journey, I realized that my foot felt wet.
I looked down and noticed some water and upon searching the floor of the boat I saw a hatch that I had not noticed before, bouncing a little.
I opened the hatch and realized that the entire bottom of the boat had filled with water, and it appeared to be filling quite rapidly.
Now, I can swim, but there was no where to swim to.
We did not have a radio because this boat was very old, and the only flotation device on board was an old waterlogged seat pad.
We immediately turned the sluggish boat around and headed back.
Water is very heavy, about 8 pounds per gallon.
I don’t know how many gallons we had taken on, but it was a lot!
And the more water we took on, the slower the boat moved toward the still invisible shoreline.
Now my first reaction wasn’t to take a nap and trust God.
No, I reacted like most who follow their flesh and immediately started envisioning my watery death.
Now I wasn’t saved at the time, but for some reason I felt an urgency to get to know this God I heard about, and I commenced to pray.
As they saying goes, there are no atheists in the foxhole during time of war.
My fear was at about a 12 on the “Oh Crud!” scale, and I was sure we were not going to make it back to the dock.
I had visions filling my head of having to swim for hours to try and reach shore, or drowning.
No visions of actually being rescued though.
That’s not usually how our human minds operate.
By the time we returned to the dock, the water had just begun coming over the sides of the boat.
Apparently, for some reason, boats are made with a hole in the bottom of them. Before you go out on the water, you need to plug the hole with a rubber stopper.
I can imagine the fear the disciples had that night during the storm in their antique boat.
No life jackets, or flare guns in the dark of night and storm.
No Coast Guard or National Guard to rescue them.
Twelve very afraid men, and one with the Peace of God, who was sleeping, our Lord.
The ratio of twelve to one is very clearly evident among Christians today.
It seems that when life’s sea becomes turbulent through the raging winds of circumstance, twelve Christians will fret and fume and worry and stress, while only one will have enough peace in his heart to trust God to take care of him in those very same circumstances.
The twelve will be prone to worry all night, which further complicates their emotional, physical and spiritual life, while the one who “believes God” will get a good night’s sleep, awaken refreshed and be available for God’s use the next day.
Circumstances should never reduce our peace.
This goes for the other two Spiritual Fruits we’ve talked about, Love and Joy.
In fact, when circumstances worsen, our peace is designed to strengthen, if we stay focused on God.
We should look to God for peace; only He is consistent.
Peace, “not as the world gives,” the scripture reading says.
Jesus is giving something new here.
He’s not trying to replicate something that can be obtained somewhere else.
This Peace is from Him alone!
The peace of the world is temporary.
Jesus is always here with us, in the person of the Holy Spirit. The Spiritual Fruit of Peace always obtainable through the Holy Spirit.
Peace of the world is only on the surface.
The peace of God is not affected by outside circumstances because it resides within us, although it can be observed by our behavior in situations.
Peace of the world is sometimes not peace at all.
In Revelation there is a promise that in the last days, one will come in the guise of peace.
He will speak eloquent words that will draw men to him.
He will make promises of peace, and make contracts with warring factions to put a seeming end to wars and conflicts.
He will present himself as, the Prince of Peace.
But this title belongs to Christ alone.
Peace of God can only be found in God.
Just becoming a Christian does not spare us from the difficult circumstances in life.
In fact, I sometimes think that difficulties increase, as we become closer to God, powers and evil forces trying to keep us from communion with our Lord.
However, the Holy Spirit’s presence in our lives can supply us with one of life’s greatest treasures: “The Peace of God,” in spite of any outward circumstances.
The Apostle Paul had this in mind when he wrote the words Philippians.
Philippians 4:6-7
“Be anxious (or worry) for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication (to ask for humbly or earnestly) with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”
An untroubled, unworried, peaceful individual facing circumstances of life possesses a peace “which passeth all understanding.”
That is the peace of God which the Holy Spirit longs to give every believer.
Are you troubled today?
Are you worried?
Perhaps you are placing more faith in your worry, troubles and fear than you are in God’s ability to handle any and all situations.
Where should your faith lie?
Should your faith be in the “what if’s” and “what about’s” in life, or should your faith be in the power of our almighty God who orchestrates where each drop of dew shall form in the early morning?
Perhaps you are losing peace because of the damage that has happened to the church from the storms and rains?
Or the Pastoral search or the what if’s of what our future at the First Baptist Church holds?
Let us not put our faith in things of this world, and lean on a God who loves us and is working with us, in us and among us.
Who is mightier than the Lord our God?
The rain that falls? The wind that blows? The vote which may be cast by a mans hand?
Who is our God?
Are we yet still slaves to circumstance and trivial events in the scope of eternity?
Or do we serve a mighty Lord who holds this very congregation within His very heart and hand?
The first three Spiritual Fruits are Love, Joy and Peace.
These Godly emotions will contrast and defeat certain fruits of our flesh, such as cruelty, anger, indifference, pessimism, gloom and criticism.
Let’s agree together that our Lord is mighty, and in control.
Let’s agree that this church is God’s church.
Let’s pray that God continues His work with us, in us and among us.
This church will stand regardless of the situation, as long as God is in control.
The day God removes His hand from this congregation, the doors will shut, and this building will be no more.
Let us remind ourselves of Revelation and the letter Christ sent to the end time churches.
Only Christ can remove this light from its lamp stand.
Whom do we fear?
CLOSING
Philippians 4:6-7
“Be anxious (or worry) for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication (to ask for humbly or earnestly) with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”
