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Location:
6425 Jefferson Rd. For
directions, click here.
Jerry
Varnado,
pastor October
27, 2002 The
Fruit
of the
Spirit
is
Love... The
Fruit
of the
Spirit
is...Joy The
Fruit
of the
Spirit
is...Peace The
Fruit
of the
Spirit
is...Patience The
Fruit
of the
Spirit
is...Kindness
and
Goodness Today,
as we continue looking at the
fruit of the Holy Spirit, I want
to talk with you about peace. And,
as Paul states in Romans 14,
joy
and peace are central to what the
Kingdom of God is all about.
Here's what he says: As
you grow and mature spiritually,
you should more and more
experience peace in your
life. Now,
if you think that's not happening
in you life, let me be sure sure
that you understand what the
Bible means by peace. If
you have a wrong idea about what
peace is, you're just going to
get frustrated seeking after
something that you're not going
to find. First,
let's talk about peace as the
dictionary defines
it:
"The
absence of hostilities; freedom
from disagreement; public
security and order." Anyone
here enjoying that kind of
peace?
Well,
I'm not! You and I live in a
fallen world with all kinds of
hostilities, quarrels, and
threats to public security. As
long as there is sin in the
world, this kind of peace will be
elusive. So
what is this peace that the Bible
talks about that God has made
provision for -- not just in
heaven but in the here and now?
For that, we need a theological
definition of peace. And here it
is: Here
is what Jesus said about this
kind of peace in John
14:27: And
again in John 16:33 The
peace of Jesus is different from
the world's peace -- and I've
summarized it on a slide. Look at
the video screens. Fear,
which most often travels with its
first cousin, anxiety, has always
been the most common thief that
steals our peace. Over
and over again Jesus asked: "Why
are you afraid?" "Why did you
doubt?" Over and over again He
said: "Don't worry!" "Do not let
your hearts be troubled!" "Do not
be afraid!" Fear
can raise its head in most any
area of life but the most common
manifestations are probably the
fear of judgment, death, failure
and rejection. The
way to victory over fear is God's
love -- receiving it by faith and
understanding something of its
magnitude. Look
at 1 John 4:16-19: God
is love. Whoever lives in love
lives in God, and God in him.
In this way, love is made
complete among us so that we
will have confidence on the
day of judgment, because in
this world we are like him.
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.
We
love because he first loved
us. Did
you know that most religion in
the world is based on fear?
People serve and worship their
concept of god because they fear
if they don't their god will harm
them in some way. What
John is saying is that true
Christian faith is totally unlike
that . It is the end of -- the
negation of -- fear. By
acknowledging that Jesus is the
Son of God and that his death on
the cross is the means of the
forgiveness of our sins, one can
enter into a relationship with
the one true God who is love.
This results in God's love living
in us and this love drives out
fear. Now
in the context of 1 John 4, is
the judgment of God -- or the
fear of that judgment. John isn't
necessarily the multitude of
other fears that beset
us. But
I believe that what he is saying
is that once we are free from the
fear of judgment, by the
experience of God's love for us,
we have established the basis
from which we can be liberated
from all other unhealthy fears.
Once the greatest fear is
conquered -- which is usually the
fear of death -- why should be
fear anything else? You
see, when we are secure in God's
love it enables us to have faith
in God's promises -- the biggest
of which is the promise of
victory over death. Look at
Hebrews 2:14-15: At
funerals I often use this quote
from Karl Barth's commentary on
Romans: "We
can say no more than if there
be salvation, it must be
salvation from death; if there
be a 'Yes', it must be such a
'Yes' as will dissolve this
last and final 'No'; if there
be a way of escape, it must
pass through this terrible
barrier by which we are all
confronted." Jesus
has destroyed death by His
resurrection from it. He went
straight into the gaping jaws of
the grave and came out the
victor. He promises that the
victory He achieved over death is
ours through faith in His shed
blood, which is the manifestation
of God's love for us. This
is why Paul can say in Romans
8:31: And
in Philippians 4:13: Friends,
in the world you and I will have
trouble. Jesus told us that --
plus we all know it all too well
from our own experience. But in
our hearts we can have peace
through God's love, by faith in
Jesus Christ. The
beginning of living in peace is
being at peace with
God. Look
with me at Romans
5:1-2: Sin,
the wall of separation between
humanity and God, which puts us
at enmity with God, has been
utterly demolished by the death
of Jesus. Now there is no
condemnation for those in Christ;
by His blood we have access to
God, fellowship and communion
with God through the Holy
Spirit. Listen
to this carefully: there is no
such thing as peace, real peace,
in this life unless we have first
found peace with God. The only
way to have peace with God is
through the forgiveness of sin
that is available to us through
faith in Jesus Christ. Then,
once you are at peace with God,
you can establish peace in other
areas of your life. Turn
with me to Romans 12:17-21.
On
the contrary: Do
not be overcome by evil, but
overcome evil with
good. He's
talking here about having peace
with others, a peace rooted in
the fact that Jesus gives us the
power to forgive. If we allow the
Holy Spirit to work in us, we can
forgive others, we can let go of
anger and bitterness, and thereby
live in peace with each other,
even our enemies. Now,
in the context of what's
happening in the world today, you
might ask: "Does that mean we
must be pacifist and not defend
ourselves?" Some people draw that
conclusion, but I don't think
they're correct. Look at verse
18: We
are to exert every reasonable
effort to live at peace with
everyone; we are not to be the
source of division or conflict.
If we do that we will have peace
in our hearts because we are free
from guilt. In
addition to peace with God and
peace with others, the Bible says
we can have peace about our
present security. In other words,
we can live in peace regarding
God's daily provision for
us. Look
at Philippians 4:6-7: God
is not only our Savior, He is
Jehovah-Jireh -- our provider.
When we place our trust in Him he
shows us how to make our way in
the world and reveals how He has
made provision for our needs --
and even many of our
wants. But
we need balance this out with
verses 11-13 of Philippians 4.
Look at that passage. This is the
Apostle Paul writing: I
have learned the secret of
being content in any and every
situation, whether well fed or
hungry, whether living in
plenty or in want. I
can do everything through him
who gives me
strength. Paul
is telling us here that God's
daily provision is always
sufficient, but it is not
necessarily always abundant.
Sometimes things can be
difficult. But we must learn the
secret of being content whatever
the situation. How?
Trust God -- and learn the truth
of verse 13: "I can do everything
through him who gives me
strength." Actually,
peace comes from trusting
God with every aspect of our
lives. I don't know how
it works, it is beyond my
understanding. I just know that
if we trust God with all of our
lives, His peace will become a
constant guard over our hearts
and minds as they rest in
Jesus. Peace
with God, peace with others,
peace about our present security
-- these are all part of the
peace that Jesus offers to us.
But there's more. We can have
peace about our eternal security.
In other words, we can be
confident that if we are in
Christ, He will carry us through
to the everlasting
kingdom. Look
at John 10:27-30: And
look at the words of Paul in
Ephesians 1:11-14: And
you also were included in
Christ when you heard the word
of truth, the gospel of your
salvation. Having believed,
you were marked in him with a
seal, the promised Holy
Spirit, who is a deposit
guaranteeing our inheritance
until the redemption of those
who are God's possession -- to
the praise of his glory.
Shalom
-- the eternal, universal
peace of God -- is the
ultimate destiny for creation,
and it will include every human
who belongs to God. The Holy
Spirit -- and the peace that He
works in your life -- is the
deposit
guaranteeing that
ultimate destiny. God wants you
to know for sure that we will be
a part of that eternal
kingdom. Not
only does God want you to know,
He wants the devil to know that
you know. He wants your children,
parents, brothers and sisters to
know that you know -- so that
when you leave this life they
will not grieve like those in the
world, who are apart from God and
without hope. There
is only one way I know of that we
can have the peace that Jesus
gives. The hymn writer, John
Sammis, said better than I
can: Episcopal
priest Terry Fullam tells the
story about preaching on the
peace that surpasses
understanding. And at close of
the service a woman approached
him and asked, "Where is this
peace. I've been coming to church
for years and I don't have
it?" Here's
what he told her -- and I believe
this was a manifestation of the
spiritual gift known as the word
of wisdom -- he said: "The peace
of God is found along the path of
God's will and purpose for you
life and no other
place." In
other words, if you aren't
submitting yourself to God's plan
and purpose for your life, you're
not going to have His
peace. Trust
and obey. Even when the
circumstances scream at a
deafening volume that there is no
God, or that He is asleep on the
job, trust and obey. And you will
know His peace. Jesus
said in John 16:33, "I have told
you these things, so that in me
you may have peace. In this world
you will have trouble. But take
heart! I have overcome the
world." The
fruit of the Spirit is. .
.peace.
Gateway
Church gathers
for worship
Sundays
at 10:30 a.m.
(Hwy. 129) in Athens,
Georgia.
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A
GATEWAY SERMON
The
fruit of the Spirit is...
peace
(Third
in a series)
Gateway
Church,
Athens GA
Sermons
in
this
series:
Love
is the
root
and
foundation
for
all
other
fruit
of the
Spirit.
It is
God's
love
that
enables
us to
live
the
Christian
life.
Joy
flows
from
being
in
God's
presence.
By the
Holy
Spirit,
the
Lord's
presence
isn't
just
with
us, it
is
within
us.
The
peace
of God
is
found
in a
particular
place:
the
path
of
God's
will
and
purpose
for
your
life.
We
must
learn
to
wait.
Not
doing
so can
lead
to
disastrous
consequences.
God's
truth
is
"wrapped"
in our
lives
for
delivery
to the
world.
Kindness
and
goodness
are
essential
elements
of the
wrapper.
The
Fruit
of the
Spirit
is...Faithfulness,
Gentleness,
and
Self-Control
Faithfulness
prospers
individuals
and
organizations;
Gentleness
resists
using
power
inappropriately;
Self-control
means
we can
overcome
behavior
that
violates
biblical
standards.
But the fruit of the Spirit is
love, joy, peace, patience,
kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
gentleness and self-control.
Against such things there is no
law.
(Galatians
5:16-23)
Just to give you a quick review,
we've established that
love
is the foundation of all the
other fruit of the
Spirit."For
the kingdom of God is not a
matter of eating and drinking,
but of righteousness, peace
and joy in the Holy Spirit,
because anyone who serves
Christ in this way is pleasing
to God and approved by
men."
Now
that's an altogether different
thing than the absence of
hostilities or
disagreements.
The
peace Jesus gives"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."
"I
have told you these things, so
that in me you may have peace.
In this world you will have
trouble. But take heart! I
have overcome the
world."
Like
joy -- that we talked about last
week -- the peace that Jesus
gives is derived from God's
presence, not the circumstances
of the world. It isn't an
external peace, but an internal
peace that results In victory
over anxiety and fear.
The fear factorAnd
so we know and rely on the
love God has for us.
Since
the children have flesh and
blood, he too shared in their
humanity so that by his death
he might destroy him who holds
the power of death -- that is,
the devil -- and free those
who all their lives were held
in slavery by their fear of
death.
"In
death the whole of our
existence is summarized and
focused; and in its
inevitability we are reminded
of the wrath, which hangs over
the man of the world and the
world of man....
If
God is for us who can be
against us?
I
can do all things through Him
who gives me strength.
Peace with GodTherefore,
since we have been justified
through faith, we have peace
with God through our Lord
Jesus Christ, through whom we
have gained access by faith
into this grace in which we
now stand. And we rejoice in
the hope of the glory of
God.
Peace with
othersDo
not repay anyone evil for
evil. Be careful to do what is
right in the eyes of
everybody. If it is possible,
as far as it depends on you,
live at peace with everyone.
Do not take revenge, my
friends, but leave room for
God's wrath, for it is
written: "It is mine to
avenge; I will repay," says
the Lord.
"If
your enemy is hungry, feed
him;
if he is thirsty, give him
something to drink.
In doing this, you will
heap burning coals on his
head."If
it is possible, as far as it
depends on you,
live at peace with
everyone.
Peace
about your present
securityDo
not be anxious about anything,
but in everything, by prayer
and petition, with
thanksgiving, present your
requests to God. And the peace
of God, which transcends all
understanding, will guard your
hearts and your minds in
Christ Jesus.
I
am not saying this because I
am in need, for I have learned
to be content whatever the
circumstances. I know what it
is to be in need, and I know
what it is to have
plenty.
Peace about your eternal
security"My
sheep listen to my voice; I
know them, and they follow me.
I give them eternal life, and
they shall never perish; no
one can snatch them out of my
hand. My Father, who has given
them to me, is greater than
all; no one can snatch them
out of my Father's hand. I and
the Father are one."
In
him we were also chosen,
having been predestined
according to the plan of him
who works out everything in
conformity with the purpose of
his will, in order that we,
who were the first to hope in
Christ, might be for the
praise of his glory.
The key to
peace"Trust
and obey, for there's no other
way to be happy in Jesus but
to trust and obey."
(2 Thessalonians
3:16).
An
audio tape of this sermon is
available
free of charge (U.S. requests
only).
Request
a tape by calling
or writing the Gateway Church
office.
Please specify tape number
021027a: The Fruit of the
Spirit is...Peace.
©
2002 Gerald R.
Varnado