Theme: Fruit of the Spirit

Devotion: John 14:27

Title: The fruit of the Holy Spirit: Peace

Introduction:
Good morning everyone, before we begin let us have a word of prayer…
As we continue our theme on the fruit of the spirit, we are still being thoroughly
reminded of our own dependence on God, and on our relationship with Him. The fruit of the
spirit is not just an arbitrary list of good virtues given to us to just ponder or dream about, but
the word of God tells us that these things are real, and that they can be made manifest in our
lives. When we read and meditate upon the fruit of the spirit, we are reminded that this is not
just wishful thinking, but a reality in the life of a Christian. Today, the word of God will speak to
us about the fruit of the spirit, and our focus would be on peace. The title of our message for
today is The fruit of the Holy Spirit: Peace

Exposition: One of the fruits of the spirit listed in Galatians 5:22 is peace. The bible tells us the
importance of peace especially since its source is found in God, and that our relationship with
God produces the peace of God in our lives.

Proposition: Brothers and sisters in the Lord, real peace in our lives is only found in the saving
relationship a person has with Jesus Christ. In Jesus, there is true and lasting peace.

Peace is one of the things most sought out things in the world. Even in our modern time
today, peace is one of the highest valued virtues. We can find many kinds of different methods
that are used to bring about peace: movements for peace, different groups and organizations
for peace, peace protests, and all sorts of charities for peace. We understand this kind of desire
for peace ourselves because we can see what is going on in the world the moment you turn on
the television or when you see the headlines on the newspaper. Wars and conflicts in different
parts of the world, terrorism attacks all around, shootings and killings in schools and public
places. It is all too common nowadays for people to experience stress, tension, depression,
panic attacks, or even a nervous breakdown. No wonder that many are searching for that sense
of calm, tranquility, and peace that is almost always associated with scenes from a travel
brochure. People try to escape to a peaceful getaway or activity, but all of them know that at
the end of the vacation, it is back to reality. The peace from the world is temporary, but the
bible teaches us about a peace that is permanent, a peace that is worthwhile, and a peace that
is of great value. If you who are here today is looking for real peace in your life, then listen very
carefully to the word of God today.

Interrogative: What does the bible say about peace?

I. The peace we have with God

 First of all, real peace does not come from anywhere else in the world: it has its source
in God. That is the first mistake anyone can make in regards to finding peace. Finding peace
outside of God is at best temporary and fleeting. All of us can give truth to this claim. But
before we even come to experiencing the peace from God, we must remember that first, we
need to be at peace WITH God.

A. All people are born into war – Rom.3:10-18; Eph.2:1-3; Rom.1:18

Actually if we are to be totally accurate, even before we are born, we are at war.
We have heard of the many horrors of people being born during a time of great calamity
or warfare. But the war that I am talking about is not one of this world, but of war with
God. Ever since the fall of man in the Garden of Eden, all of mankind is living in rebellion
against God because of sin. And every one of us, whoever we are, where ever we may
have come from, are living against the will of God. We reject God and everything that
comes from Him. This might be unbelievable to some, but the bible itself gives us the
truth: Eph.2:1-3. While we read in Rom.3:10-18 that not one of us is exempted from this
fact. No matter how hard we try to deny it in ourselves, not one of us sought out God,
and instead did what was evil in His sight. It comes as no surprise that a righteous and
holy God would pour out His anger towards all who are living opposed to Him. Rom.1:18
we were happy in our own lives filled with all kinds of sin and rebellion, and no one
desired to seek God. The sad part is, even if we did try to seek God, we could not, for
God was far away from us. He is Holy, while we were sinful.

B. Peace came because of Jesus Christ – Rom.5:1; Col.1:20-22;

But because of the grace and mercy of God, God made a way for all of us to
become reconciled to Him. All of this was made possible because of His great love.
(another topic we have discussed in great detail last week) because of His love, He sent
His son to become our salvation. Jesus Christ came into the world, He died on the cross
for our sins, and after 3 days He rose from the dead. So anyone who comes to Jesus
Christ in faith receives salvation, no longer is he/she subject to the wrath of God, but
now receives the free gift of life. Jesus Christ made a way for man to be reconciled to
God, and to end all hostilities. Rom.5:1 no longer are we enemies of God, now that we
have received peace because of what Jesus Christ has done. Col.1:20-22 we should be
mindful that this peace came at such a high price: it cost Jesus Christ His own life for us
to be given life. Without the sacrifice on the cross of Calvary there would be no peace.
Without Jesus Christ, we have no peace. No peace with God, and no peace within of
ourselves.

C. Peace continues through the Holy Spirit – Rom.8:6; 1Cor.2:12-14

And now, to those who have faith in Jesus Christ and surrendered their life to
Him as Lord and Savior, they have received the Holy Spirit. Peace, real peace is now
made possible because of the work of God. The fruit of the spirit in the life of a true
child of God is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness,
and self-control. We could never have imagined these things as possible in a fallen and
evil world like ours. Many of us lived in hopelessness, thinking that what we are seeing
 is all that there is. But now that the spirit of God is in us. He is alive in us, guiding us,
helping us, keeping us, and protecting us, peace is made possible in our lives. Rom.8:6
we are no longer just confined to the old way of living in the flesh that always resulted
in death. Now, we can live in the spirit, and bring about the abundant life Jesus
promised. Peace in our lives is only possible if we have peace with God. A person who
does not have a personal relationship with God will never know peace. 1Cor.2:12-14

Application:
Again, we are reminded of the first step toward finding peace, real, lasting peace in our
lives: and that is having peace WITH God first. We never sought out God, we never wanted
peace with God, if not for Jesus Christ’s intervention, many of us would have died never having
tasted this wonderful gift of God. But Jesus Christ came down to earth, and through His death
on the cross, we knew forgiveness. For the first time in our life, we knew peace through Jesus.
Now we understand fully why He is called the prince of peace. Isa.9:6

II. The peace of God in the life of the Christian

It does not end there. Now that we have peace WITH God, we have access to the peace
OF God. The word peace as defined by the word of God means more than just the external
ideas of calm and tranquility, which is how we normally would define it. Biblically it carries the
meaning of harmony, security, soundness, wellness, blessing, and sometimes even prosperity. It
signifies not just the peace from the outside, but also the peace that is within. Again, its roots of
this peace comes from the peace we have with God.

A. Different from the peace that the world offers – Jn.14:27

Before His departure from the world, peace was one of the important things
Jesus promised His disciples. Jn.14:27 Jesus made it clear at once that the peace that He
was giving His disciples was not like the peace that the world could give. In the world,
peace is almost always conveys the idea of the absence of conflict, turmoil, and trouble.
That is why peace is almost always picturesque in its description. A babbling brook, with
flowers all around, wind blowing in your hair while all you can hear are birds chirping.
But once you experience or even remember your trouble, the beautiful picture is
shattered. Don’t get me wrong, all of us want and appreciate that kind of peace which is
calm and tranquil, but it doesn’t meet our desire of permanent or lasting peace. The
peace of the world at best gives us an escape, and that is why it is no wonder that more
and more people are enticed to different kinds of abuse. Getting drunk with alcohol,
getting high on drugs, getting that feeling of excitement from gambling, all give people a
temporary escape from the everyday downers of life. And yet there is no satisfaction.
No lasting happiness. No peace within. At the end of the day, you wake up, feeling
worse for what you did, yet you repeat the cycle because it gives you “peace”. Just as it
was with the religious leaders in the time of Jeremiah: Jer.6:14 declaring peace to the
people, when in reality, none was to be found. People want to live in ignorance, to give
the appearance of having peace, but this peace is just dependent on temporary things
that will pass.
 B. We are given perfect peace – Phil.4:6-7; Acts16:25; Heb.13:5
That is why the peace of God is unlike any other peace that we are able to
obtain from this world. We are given real peace, lasting peace, in other words, God has
given us through His son, perfect peace. This is the peace that Paul mentions in Phil.4:6-
7 he says that instead of letting worry and anxiety reign in our hearts, we should instead
entrust everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving to God. The result
would be “the peace of God which surpasses all understanding will guard our hearts and
minds in Christ Jesus” this is the kind of peace that God gives us. A peace that cannot be
sometimes explained in human words or wisdom, but experienced by a true Christian.
This is peace that is unmoved and unfading, because it is found in the person of Jesus
Christ himself. That is why peace is possible in the Christian life even when you are in
the middle of turmoil or trouble. It was this peace that Paul and Silas experienced while
they were in a dark and damp prison cell, all the while sing praises and hymns to God.
Acts 16:25 it is the peace that is manifested by Jesus Christ while he was asleep on the
boat in the middle of the storm. It is peace that we have because we know that God will
take care of us, no matter how big of a problem, how great of a trouble we are facing.
Heb.13:5

C. Experienced by trusting in God – Phil.4:11-13; Isa.26:3-4;

Why then are some Christians not experiencing this kind of peace? Maybe you
are asking the same question. Christians might have peace with God the moment you
received Jesus Christ as your Lord and savior, but to experience the peace of God
moment by moment, we need to continually and daily trust God in all of our
circumstances. We have peace the moment we realize that God is in control of our lives.
He knows what is best for us and that He cares for us. What then should a believer
worry about? Can you think of anything that is outside the reach of God? Can you think
of any human problem that God cannot solve? If He could solve the problem of sin, if He
has already given Jesus Christ for our salvation, is there anything else he cannot do? A
Christian will lack peace if He/she does not trust in God. This is not what God intended.
God wants us to have His peace, all we need to do is trust in Him at all times. Isa.26:3-4
If you are a Christian and you lack peace, it just means that you lack trust in God.
Trusting God is not just an emotion. It is an active conviction, seen in how you live, and
how you make your decisions. As Paul said in Phil.4:11-13 Paul never depended on His
own skill, ability or willpower, he always trusted in God alone.

Application:
Peace is made possible because of Jesus Christ, and He gives all Christians perfect
peace. We experience peace daily if we entrust to God everything in our life. Trust in God not
just in one part of your life. Make it a point to surrender daily to Him, as you grow in your
relationship with Jesus. If you do, you can rest easy and sleep soundly not because of the
absence of trouble, but because you know that the presence of God is with you, no matter the
situation.

III. The result of peace in our lives

 Lastly, we take a look at some important reminders about the result of peace in the life
of a believer.

A. God’s peace brings conflict – Matt.10:34-39; James4:4; Jn.15:18-19

Ironically, God’s peace in our lives brings conflict. Jesus Himself tells us this in
Matt.10:34-39 after reading, we see what this means. Jesus does bring peace to men.
He is called the prince of peace in Isa.9:6 but peace with God means war against those
who would reject God. Even though God has offered peace to all people. There are
some who would rather reject this peace, and continue to live in rebellion against God.
James reminds us: James4:4 it just follow that the opposite is applicable: those who are
friends with God are automatically declared enemies of the world. Sometimes I hear this
complaint: (buti pa nung di ako kristianyo. Bat ganun, kung kelan ako naging anak ng
diyos dun pa ako nahirapan at nagkaproblema) and this is exactly the reason. Before you
were buddies with the world. Do what they do, speak what they speak, think how they
think. But now that you are a Christian, you learn what God’s will is for you, and the
world is thoroughly opposed to all of it. We are hearing this today to remind us of this
fact, so that we are not surprised when the world suddenly attacks us or rejects us. But
we have encouragement from Jesus: Jn.15:18-19

B. We are called peacemakers – 2Cor.5:18-20

At the same time, again, ironically, in a world that would readily hate us, despise
us , and mock us,(as they did with Jesus) we are called to be peacemakers. Not in the
physical sense, but in the spiritual sense. All of us received the gospel of peace from
someone else. Think about that. You are here because God used someone else to bring
to you the good news. And he/she became a believer because God use another person
to bring the gospel to them… and so on. As children of God, we now receive the same
ministry: Paul calls it the ministry of reconciliation: 2Cor.5:18-20 we bring peace to
people not just on the physical level, not peace within the family, peace in relationships,
or peace between enemies, but all Christians are called to bring peace between people
and God. We are called ambassadors of God, because we represent Him who sends us
to the world. We bring the gospel of peace between God and man. The same way God
used someone else to bring you to His kingdom, so we ourselves will be used by God for
other people to be reconciled to Him.

C. We are to live in peace with all – Heb.12:14; Rom.12:18; 1Pet.3:14-17

Lastly, we as Christians are to live peaceably in our lives. Heb.12:14 Rom.12:18
There are only two groups of people that we will encounter in the world: Those who are
in Christ and are saved, and those who are outside of Christ, and are not saved. Believer
and unbeliever. But the word of God reminds us that our lives should be a testimony for
all, so we are to live in peace with all. This does not mean compromising our belief or
compromising in sin, this just means to live in such a way that our lives would be a good
testimony to believers and unbelievers alike. (I remember na narinig ko dati ito sa tatay
ko: Pag nalaman ng ibang tao na kristiano ka, masaya sila at kampante dahil alam nila na
magiging maayos ka sa iyong pamumuhay. Sa trabaho man, sa community man. Hindi
 ikaw ang panggagalingan ng sakit ng ulo nila, hindi ikaw ang magsisimula ng gulo. Kaya
nga kahit sa camp malinis tayo, bakit? Kasi alam ng mga tao na mga kristiano tayo, at
makikita nila na meron tayong kaayusan at kalinisan. May magandang patotoo tayo sa
lahat na tao, na hindi tayo abusado at burara, kahit sa simpleng paggamit lang sa lugar.)
Now even if we were to desire peace, and live in peace, those who are opposed to God
will always eventually be opposed to us. Peter reminds us: 1Pet.3:14-17

Application:
Again, do not expect the peace of God to be just like our picture of escape. Peace with
God is actively doing our part in the family of God and in the world. Peace with God will bring us
into conflict with people. But we already have the bible as our guide, so we won’t be lost. We
are to bring peace between man and God, and we are called to live out our lives in peace with
other people.

Conclusion:
For my conclusion, brothers and sisters in the Lord, peace is something all people desire.
But true, lasting peace cannot be found in the world. There are some forms of peace that we
may gain from the world, but at the end of the day, it leaves us wanting, discontented, and
unfulfilled. Perfect peace only comes from God. the peace that God gives is only obtained by
having peace with God through Jesus first. As Christians, if we want to experience daily peace,
we only need to do one thing: we have to trust in God. Do we really trust God? 100%? Because
that is the only way for us to live with the Peace that surpasses all understanding. The peace of
God is not the absence of trouble, but it is the quietness and stillness of our soul even when we
are in the middle of a storm. Let us allow the peace of God rule in our hearts daily no matter
what circumstances we are facing. The Lord is faithful and true, we can trust in His word and
promise: Jn.14:27 Jn.16:33