The Fruit of the Spirit is Peace

Galatians 5:22-23

Introduction:

A. [On the basis of the computation in the Moscow Gazette, Gustave Valbert in
his day could report that "From the year 1496 B.C. to A.D. 1861 in 3358 years
there were 227 years of peace & 3,130 years of war, or 13 years of war to every
year of peace.

- Within the last three centuries, there have been 286 wars in Europe.

- He added that from the year 1500 B.C. to A.D. 1860 more than 8000 treaties
of peace, meant to remain in force forever, were concluded.

- The average time they remained in force was two years."]

- Jeremiah told us about those in his day who cried "'Peace, peace,' ...when
there is no peace" (6:14) — & we find it is no different today, nor will it ever
be.

B. If we believe that peace is the absence of war then we will never experience
peace.

- If we believe as the ancient Greek philosophers did, that peace is the removal
of pain, the elimination of desire, & the killing of emotion, then we will never
know peace.

C. So if peace is not the absence of war, or the removal of pain, or a warm

feeling that we get inside, then what is it?

- When Paul tells us in Galatians that the fruit of the Spirit is peace, what is he
talking about?

- Let's take some time to answer that question today.

Transition: 1st, if we are to understand how peace can be an integral part of our
lives we need to know:

1. THE GOD OF PEACE

- (Phil 4:7) And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will
guard your hearts & your minds in Christ Jesus.

(Phil 4:9) Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in
me--put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.

- We have here two descriptive phrases that should be of great interest to us —

"the peace of God" & "the God of peace".

A. Let's begin w/the 2nd one, "The God of peace"

- This description occurs 7 times in the New Testament & appears to be Paul's
favorite title for God — "the God of peace".

1. This description of God leads us to Him as the source of our peace.

- If He is the "God of peace" then to Him I must go if I am to acquire peace in

my own life.

- In Job 22:21, Eliphaz said, "Submit to God & be at peace with him"

- Paul wrote the Ephesians (2:14) concerning Christ, "For he himself is our
peace"

- God is the source of our peace, & if we want to have peace in our lives we can
get it from no one except Him.

2. This title also tells us that God is the substance of peace

- He not only distributes peace to us, God Himself is at peace.

B. But what about this other phrase, "the peace of God"?

- This is telling us that God wants to share His peace w/us.

- Which leads us to our next area of understanding.

2. THE GIFT OF PEACE

- As Jesus met w/His disciples He was teaching them about the Holy Spirit
whom would be sent after He left the earth.
- And while Jesus was speaking He gave this promise found in John 14, (John
14:27a) " Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you."

A. We need to understand that the peace of God is a gift.

- It is not something we earn, it is something that God has chosen to give to us.

- We are not worthy of it, we simply receive it gratefully from God's loving
hand.

- Jesus told His disciples He was leaving the earth, but His peace would remain.

- In other words, although Jesus would no longer be physically present, His

peace would always be available.

B. But how does Jesus give us His peace?

- He gives it to us when we accept Him as our Lord & Savior.

- Rom. 5:1 tells us, "Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we
have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ"

- When we come to Jesus in faith, He not only saves us from our sins &
promises us eternal life, He also gives us His peace.

- Jesus not only wants us to be in a relationship w/Him, He wants us to have

what He has — He wants us to experience the peace that He Himself enjoys.

Transition: And that leads us to our 3rd area of understanding: What is it like to
have the fruit of the Spirit that is peace?

3. THE PRESENCE OF PEACE

- In the 2nd half of the verse we just considered Jesus informs us of what it is
like for the ones who have the presence of His peace in their lives:

- John 14:27b "I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be
troubled & do not be afraid."

- The verse we considered earlier goes along w/Jesus' words: (Phil. 4:7), "And
the peace of God which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts &
your minds in Christ Jesus."
A. [Several years ago a submarine was being tested & had to remain submerged
for many hours.

- When it returned to the harbor, the captain was asked, "How did the terrible
storm last night affect you?"

- The officer looked at him in surprise & exclaimed, "Storm? We didn't even
know there was one!"

- The sub had been so far beneath the surface that it had reached the area
known to sailors as "the cushion of the sea."

- Although the ocean may be whipped into huge waves by high winds, the
waters below are never stirred.]

B. The Christian's mind will be protected against the distracting waves of

worry, & trouble, & fear, if it is resting completely in the good providence of
God.

- There, sheltered by His grace & encouraged by His Holy Spirit, the believer
can find the perfect tranquility that only Christ can provide.

- Notice that Jesus contrasts what He gives w/what the world gives.

- He says "I do not give to you as the world gives".

- And He goes on to say, "Do not let your hearts be troubled & do not be
afraid."

- The obvious implication is that even though Jesus does not give trouble or
fear, the world certainly does.

- But if we have the presence of Christ's peace, the troubles & fears the world
hands to us will not distract us from the contentment we have in Christ.

- As the Philippians passage teaches us, God will guard our hearts & our minds.

- How will He do this? By giving us His peace that tells us that no matter what
is going on in the world, or in our lives, we are still content in knowing that we
have salvation in Jesus Christ.

C. The presence of peace does not mean the absence of all problems.
- You remember the chorus of angels at Jesus' birth of "Peace on earth"?

- Were they claiming there would never be any more sickness, dying, or pain?

- No — they were praising God for the fact that w/the birth of the Messiah,
Jesus Christ, there would be inner peace for all who come to Him in faith.

D. And God promises us in Phil. 4:7 that His job is to guard our hearts & our
minds w/His peace.

- I hope that is as reassuring to you as it is to me.

Transition: The last area we will consider is the toughest one:

4. THE PRACTICE OF PEACE

A. It is one thing to experience the presence of peace, knowing that God is in

control and that we have salvation in Jesus.

- It is quite another to practice peace w/those around us.

- Paul writes to the Colossian church, "Let the peace of Christ rule in your
hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace."

-Not only are we to experience this peace individually, but we are to experience
it as a church.

[ Once, a young daughter was working so diligently at her homework that her
father became curious & asked her what she was doing.

- "I'm writing a report on the condition of the world & how to bring peace," she
replied.

- "Isn't that a pretty big order for a young girl?" her father asked.

- "Oh, no," she answered, "& don't worry. There are three of us in the class
working on it!"]

- She was a bit of an idealist — but perhaps she is setting a good example for
the church.

B. There will be peace in the church when we individually experience the inner
peace of Christ & allow that peace to flow into the body.
- Now I could talk about church fights & failures that I know of, but that will
not help us today.

- What we need to focus on is the great strength that is derived from practicing
the peace of Christ w/one another.

- The church that finds itself drawing on the inner strength of Christ in unison
is the indestructible church.

- If you find yourself content in Christ, & I find myself content in Christ, and
we allow that contentment to spread, there will be no room for bickering, or
inner turmoil, for we will be focused corporately on the person of Christ &
what He has done & is doing through us.

C. [The emperor Diocletian set up a stone pillar on which was inscribed these
words: For Having Exterminated The Name Christian From the Earth.

- If he could see that monument today, how embarrassed he would be.

- Another Roman leader made a coffin, symbolizing his intention "to bury the
Galilean" by killing His followers.

- He soon learned that he could not put the Master in it.

- He finally surrendered his heart to the Savior, realizing that the corporate
body of Christ and its living Head, the Lord Jesus, cannot be destroyed by the
onslaught of mortal men.

- The history of the church has been represented by the Waldensians in a

picture of an anvil with many worn-out hammers lying all around it.

- Beneath this scene are the words: One Anvil -- Many Hammers.]

- Organized religion may fail; but the living organism composed of all born-
again believers will stand forever.

- God is calling out of this world a people for His name who will dwell with
Him throughout eternity.

- And they are the people who practice the presence of Christ's peace in their
lives

Conclusion:
- Many of you will remember during the hippie movement many were wearing
"peace signs" on their T-shirts, & jewelry, others were making a peace sign
w/their hand.

- This is a fad that has come back in the last couple of years.

- Again, we see the peace signs and the proclamations of "peace".

- And although we hear the words and see the signs we do not see any real
peace.

- Because the only peace this world has to offer is a false peace.

- But in Jesus Christ we have true peace, the peace of contentment, of

assurance.

- And the peace of knowing that no matter what is going on in the world, we
still have Jesus Christ & a personal relationship w/Him.