Episode Transcript
[00:00:01] Well, good morning, brothers and sisters. If I had not had the chance to meet you yet. My name is Cameron Furches and it is truly a blessing to be on the teaching rotation as we look at the Fruit of the Spirit in the life of Jesus Christ.
[00:00:16] When you came in, you should have picked up one of these study guides. I know. It was hanging out on the table over there.
[00:00:21] This will act as our roadmap this morning and each opportunity that I have to teach our students at ubc, the fifth through eighth graders, we open with a time in prayer, and then we jump right into the context of whatever passage that we're studying. And so before we jump into kind of the meat of our time today, I want to lay out what this class is and what this class is not.
[00:00:47] So this class is about how Christ emulates and embodies to perfection the entirety of the Fruit of the Spirit.
[00:00:58] And this class is not a class solely fixated on self improvement by applying the various virtues of the Spirit.
[00:01:08] And the main idea of this class could be summarized like, the Fruit of the Spirit is not solely a list of virtues to pursue, but rather a person to behold.
[00:01:22] These fruits are found fully and perfectly in Christ Jesus.
[00:01:27] And it is the Spirit's work to unite us to Christ and conform us into his image.
[00:01:35] So simply put, we do not become more loving, more joyful, more patient by trying harder.
[00:01:43] We become more like Christ by beholding Christ.
[00:01:48] And this class is designed to help us gaze well in that just as a tree bears its fruit according to its nature, the Christian bears fruit according to union with Christ.
[00:02:02] And the goal of this class is not to solely study the virtues, but to see the Savior abide in him and be transformed by His Spirit into His likeness.
[00:02:16] And if that sounds like a lot to get into before we head to the main service, that's because it is.
[00:02:22] We could spend our entire lifetimes looking, gazing, meditating on the ways in which Christ perfectly emulates these virtues. And in the end, only to discover but a fragment of his joy of his peace, his patience and his kindness.
[00:02:41] This class is Christocentric, meaning it is centered on Christ.
[00:02:48] Last week, Nick showed us an image of a jeweler looking at a diamond, seeing all different sides of it. The various sparkles, the clarity, the cut, the carrot.
[00:02:59] I remember picking out the diamond for my wife. I remember sitting with the jeweler and examining it. I was looking for blemishes, even though I wouldn't have known any different.
[00:03:10] I looked at the way it shined.
[00:03:13] I looked at the way that it sat in the ring. And in the end, it brought me great joy.
[00:03:18] And so today and throughout this semester, we're going to be like jewelers in this class. We're going to look at the diamond of Christ, turning it to see the various virtues that he perfectly demonstrates for his children, and in turn, see ways in which we can be more like Christ.
[00:03:39] One of my wife's favorite things to do when we are in the car and it's a bright and sunny day is she likes to let the sun hit her ring and it lights up the car and it projects a beautiful kaleidoscope of white light onto the roof of our car.
[00:03:57] Brothers and sisters, we should live our lives like the beautiful kaleidoscope of white light.
[00:04:03] We should strive to rightly emulate and imitate Christ in everything that we say and do.
[00:04:11] The kaleidoscope of light is but a reflection of the source. So may our lives reflect the source of our faith, Jesus Christ.
[00:04:21] So how do we do this? Where do we begin?
[00:04:25] Before action, we must see, we must behold. And this morning we are going to dive into the peace of Christ.
[00:04:33] And peace is such an interesting concept and it's very multifaceted.
[00:04:39] It's everyone's, every person's, innate desire for peace, to strive for peace.
[00:04:45] But few know what it truly looks like.
[00:04:49] The world gives us many definitions of peace. You'll see in your handout for worldly peace. We'll see it as kind of a freedom from disturbance.
[00:04:58] It's tranquility, it's an end of war.
[00:05:03] Peace is an agreement between parties to end conflict and harmony and live in harmony.
[00:05:10] When I lived in Pakistan, there was a mutual hatred between the countries of Pakistan and the country of India.
[00:05:21] However, every day at the border, they would perform this ceremony where they would raise and lower each other's flag, celebrating together and with the intent of peace.
[00:05:34] But it only took one word or one small action from either party and peace would be shattered and conflict would reign.
[00:05:43] Man's failure to uphold peaceful agreements are rooted in our sinful nature.
[00:05:50] So how might Christ call us Christians to live?
[00:05:54] How does Christ practice perfect peace?
[00:05:57] How would we even begin to define Christian peace?
[00:06:01] Well, I believe we can define it like this.
[00:06:05] Peace is the reconciliation that Christ purchased for us at the cross, which results in a quiet conscience in unity with other Christians.
[00:06:18] And we're going to see this spelled out in Christ Himself in four sections. So kind of the way our morning is going to go, we're going to see the fruit of peace in the life of Christ.
[00:06:30] Four Ways in Christ's prophecy, Christ's preaching, Christ's practice and Christ's promise.
[00:06:39] And I grew up Baptist and I love alliteration, so that's what we're looking at.
[00:06:45] To truly understand this, we must truly understand the Gospel.
[00:06:51] Jonathan Cruz in the Character of Christ he says we must first be made right with God before our hearts can be at rest.
[00:07:01] God spoke this world into existence. He crafted us by hand, made us into his image, all in a universe that was made to worship Him.
[00:07:13] And there was true peace.
[00:07:16] It was through our sin, through our desire to be like God and know good and evil, that sin was introduced into the world.
[00:07:25] We no longer desired to worship God, but to be like him and be worshiped.
[00:07:31] We broke peace with our selfish pursuits, seeking to make a name for ourselves.
[00:07:37] The consequence for breaking this peace was punishment. Man now stood at odds against God, stood condemned.
[00:07:47] But God, being rich in mercy because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses and sins, made us alive together with Christ.
[00:08:00] How so? Well, God sent His Son, Christ Jesus to live a perfect life, to die on the cross for his people.
[00:08:08] And three days later he would rise from the grave declaring victory over death itself. And he is now a mediator between man and God.
[00:08:19] He intercedes for us so that we can come to the Father in faith in and receive perfect peace.
[00:08:27] We must repent of our sins and trust in Christ and He will make us clean. He will bring us peace.
[00:08:36] John Flavell says so. I must first be forgiven.
[00:08:41] I must first be justified or made right with God.
[00:08:46] I must first be adopted into his family and know that my forever is secure before I can feel safe about my today.
[00:08:55] When you have that kind of certainty from God the Father, you will have peace too.
[00:09:02] Peace is God's great purpose and redemption. Peace between creation and Creator.
[00:09:09] True peace cannot be known until the Prince of peace is known and received.
[00:09:16] This is why we begin our time with the Gospel.
[00:09:19] The fruit of the Spirit begins with Jesus Christ. It begins with the gospel. Ephesians 2:14. It says Christ broke down the dividing wall of hostility, becoming our peace.
[00:09:32] We come before the throne to receive peace not solely from the giver of peace, but from the embodiment of peace himself.
[00:09:42] J.C. ryle said, to be without Christ is to be without peace.
[00:09:48] Repenting and praying and Bible reading and church going and sacrament receiving and self mortification may be tried and tried in vain and yet peace must be had.
[00:10:00] There is only one thing that can give peace to the conscience, and that is the blood of Jesus Christ sprinkled on it.
[00:10:07] A clear understanding that Christ's death was an actual payment of our debt to God, and that the merit of that death is made over to man when he believes is the grand secret of inward peace.
[00:10:23] First, let's look at the fruit of peace in Christ's prophecy.
[00:10:29] We're going to be looking at two main passages to help us see this peace in Christ before Christ laid in the manger.
[00:10:36] If you will, turn with me to Isaiah 9.
[00:10:40] Isaiah 9, the book of Isaiah was written hundreds of years before Christ. And yet Isaiah the prophet prophesies the coming of Christ, the Messiah, the Savior of the world.
[00:10:53] And verse two really establishes kind of the human condition for us. You know, it talks about how the people walked in darkness and dwelt in the land of the deep.
[00:11:06] Fallen man walked in darkness. But there would be one that would come to bring light.
[00:11:13] Look with me at Isaiah 9, verses 6 through 7.
[00:11:19] For to us a child is born, to us a son is given. And the government shall be upon his shoulders.
[00:11:27] And his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
[00:11:37] Of the increases of his government and of peace there will be no end.
[00:11:45] Isaiah says that this Savior that will come will come in the form of a child.
[00:11:49] He will be born, and the government will rest on his shoulders, and he will be called the Prince of Peace in the increase of his dominion. So also his peace will reach justice, and righteousness will come forth from this child. But what is the source of this justice and this righteousness?
[00:12:10] Peace.
[00:12:12] Out of peace flows justice and mercy and righteousness.
[00:12:18] What better way to establish peace in Christ than in what was spoken of him before his birth?
[00:12:26] Isaiah says, like this is the one to come. This is the one that's going to bring back the peace that was found in the Garden of Eden.
[00:12:35] The restoration of eternal peace will come solely through the eternal Godhead, through Jesus Christ, hundreds of years before his birth. It would be foretold that the Savior of the world would come with the intention, with the purpose to bring us peace.
[00:12:54] However, this peace required payment.
[00:12:58] Turn with me also to Isaiah 53.
[00:13:01] Isaiah 53, known as the prophecy of the suffering servant, details what perfect peace would truly cost.
[00:13:11] Verses 4 through 5 of Isaiah 53 says, Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows.
[00:13:21] Yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God and afflicted.
[00:13:27] But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities upon him. Was the chastisement that brought us peace.
[00:13:39] And by his wounds we are healed.
[00:13:44] The Prince of peace would bear the iniquity of us all to make us right before God.
[00:13:51] Permanent peace could only come from a perfect Savior.
[00:13:57] It would be through one man that peace would be understood, through one man that peace would be carried out, and through one man that peace would be perfected.
[00:14:09] The payment for eternal peace was paid in the shadow of the cross, hundreds of years before the birth of Christ. Christ was prophesied to bring this peace, and he did so perfectly.
[00:14:26] Next we are going to see the fruit of peace in Christ's preaching.
[00:14:31] Journey with me to Luke 7, Luke 7:36, 50, and we're going to read all of these verses.
[00:14:39] We've traversed hundreds of years in history now and to the life of Christ in the New Testament. And we're jumping into the middle of Christ's ministry, where he's approached by a sinful woman in the home of Simon the Pharisee.
[00:14:55] Luke 7:36, 50. It says, One of the Pharisees asked him to eat with him, and he went into the Pharisee's house and reclined at table.
[00:15:06] And behold, a woman of the city who was a sinner, when she learned that he was reclining at table in the Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster flask of ointment, and standing behind him at his feet, weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears and wipe them with the hair of her head, and kissed his feet and anointed them with the ointment.
[00:15:32] Now, when the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, if this man were a prophet, he would have known who and what sort of woman this is, who is touching him, for she is a sinner.
[00:15:45] And Jesus answering, said to him, simon, I have something to say to you.
[00:15:51] And he answered, well, say it, teacher.
[00:15:54] A certain money lender had two debtors.
[00:15:57] One owed 500 denarii and the other 50.
[00:16:01] And when they could not pay, he canceled the debt of both.
[00:16:05] Now which of them will love him more?
[00:16:09] Simon answered, the one, I suppose, for whom he canceled the larger debt.
[00:16:15] And he said to him, you have judged rightly.
[00:16:19] Then, turning towards the woman, he said to Simon, do you see this woman?
[00:16:24] I entered your house.
[00:16:26] You gave me no water for my feet, but she has wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair.
[00:16:32] You gave me no kiss, but from the time I came in, she has not ceased to kiss my feet.
[00:16:40] You did not anoint my head with oil. But she has anointed my feet with ointment.
[00:16:45] Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much.
[00:16:53] But he who is forgiven little loves little. And he said to her, your sins are forgiven little, or sorry, your sins are forgiven. Then those who were at the table with him began to say among themselves, who is this who even forgives sins?
[00:17:11] And he said to the woman, your faith has saved you.
[00:17:14] Go in peace.
[00:17:18] And I love this passage because it shows us that entering into the presence of perfect peace requires a posture of humility.
[00:17:28] It requires us to approach Christ as broken vessels seeking to be made whole.
[00:17:35] How do I know this? Well, look at the posture of the woman in verse 38.
[00:17:41] She stood behind him weeping, wetting his feet with her tears, cleaned his feet with her hair, kissed his feet, anointed them with oil.
[00:17:51] We see this woman recognize that her desire to be reconciled to God could only come through Christ.
[00:18:01] She saw all her imperfections and saw her rebellion to God and desire to be made right, to be at peace with God.
[00:18:10] She knew that her time to approach the Messiah was right then and there, and it did not matter the level of inconvenience or embarrassment it would bring upon her.
[00:18:21] In this moment we see the fruit of peace in Christ's teaching.
[00:18:26] This woman emptied herself before Jesus and is criticized by the Pharisees.
[00:18:33] In this moment, Christ teaches rather than condemns.
[00:18:37] He speaks of how the money lender forgave the debt of two debtors, one owing a greater one than the other.
[00:18:44] He asked Simon, which debtor would love the money lender more? And Simon does answer rightly.
[00:18:51] And Christ goes on to show that this parable is being played out right before Simon.
[00:18:56] And then Christ looks to the woman and says, your faith has saved you. Go in peace.
[00:19:03] Christ doesn't gloss over the reality that this woman is sinful.
[00:19:08] He doesn't minimize her sin. Rather he acknowledges it. Verse 47 says, her sins are many, rather he forgives them.
[00:19:17] Christ welcomes brokenness, he does not cast it away.
[00:19:22] This is insight into his heart, that those who approach him humbly can be reconciled, can be given peace.
[00:19:32] So what saves this woman?
[00:19:35] Well, it was her faith. It wasn't her actions.
[00:19:37] It was not. When she waited to have it all altogether to be saved, she approached Christ, trusting he could forgive her sins, trusting that he could grant her peace, and that he did.
[00:19:51] Peace was found at the feet of Christ, not in the folly of the world.
[00:19:58] The woman could go away in peace because she had been reconciled to God. She had Been made right before God. Though her sins were many, she had been made white as snow Just as the hymn sings Sin had left a crimson stain he washed it white as snow.
[00:20:19] Turn with me to mark chapter four.
[00:20:23] Mark chapter four, verses 35 through 41.
[00:20:28] Nick had preached this passage not too long ago, so it should be relatively fresh in our brains. I would hope so.
[00:20:36] Mark 4, 35, 41 is the famous passage of Jesus Christ calming the storm.
[00:20:45] In these verses we are going to see the fruit of peace in Christ's practice.
[00:20:51] And Jesus, After a long day of teaching on the importance of faith, faith in the Gospel, faith in Christ, he set sail with his disciples out onto the Sea of Galilee.
[00:21:04] Read with me verses 35 through 41.
[00:21:08] On that day when evening had come, he said to them, let us go across to the other side.
[00:21:14] And leaving the crowd, they took him with them in the boat just as he was, and other boats were with him.
[00:21:21] And a great windstorm arose and the waves were breaking into the boat so that the boat was already filling.
[00:21:28] But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion.
[00:21:32] And they woke him and said to him, teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?
[00:21:38] And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, peace, be still.
[00:21:45] And the wind ceased and there was a great calm. He said to them, why are you so afraid?
[00:21:52] Have you still no faith?
[00:21:55] And they were filled with great fear and said to one another, who then is this that even the wind and the sea obey him?
[00:22:06] You see in the comfort of my bed I can sleep through just about anything.
[00:22:11] And Christ seems to practice this also, that after a long day of teaching he was fast asleep in the boat and it probably felt good to be rocked back and forth with the waves.
[00:22:24] But look at the situation from the disciples perspective.
[00:22:28] Their teacher is asleep below deck.
[00:22:31] He's not bailing out water, he's not helping, he's not listening to their cries. He is seemingly in his own little world while the disciples world is crashing under the waves.
[00:22:44] Jesus Christ, the Messiah, had peace in the current situation because the storm was his.
[00:22:53] Creation will always listen to the Creator, for his voice is the voice of peace.
[00:23:00] His voice speaks of powerful peace that creation can only bow down and obey.
[00:23:07] He is the ruler of all creation.
[00:23:12] From the character of Christ, Jonathan Cruz writes, the wind and waves were exemplifying that chaos from Genesis 1 to which God brought about his shalom or his peace.
[00:23:25] And so Jesus fittingly commands them, peace, be still.
[00:23:30] And they obey.
[00:23:32] He tells them to reflect his peaceful character.
[00:23:36] Christ knew that creation would not crash God's redemption plan.
[00:23:42] A storm would not drown Christ's desire to bring his creation to himself.
[00:23:49] The disciples were blinded by circumstance to trust in Christ.
[00:23:54] And we see this clearly in their responses, more importantly in his response to them in verse 40.
[00:24:01] And this is not a criticizing question asked by Christ, but rather a reflective one, an intentional question to bring his disciples closer to himself.
[00:24:13] Why are you so afraid?
[00:24:15] Have you still no faith?
[00:24:19] Do you doubt God's love for you? Do you really think that I would lead you into danger without bringing you out of it?
[00:24:27] Brothers and sisters, how would you respond in the boat with Christ?
[00:24:33] Better yet, how do you respond when life throws you a curveball?
[00:24:38] When the kingdom that you've built starts to crumble, when the light at the end of the tunnel actually gets further away?
[00:24:47] Our faith in Christ is directly linked to our internal peace.
[00:24:52] When we are restless and doubting the faithfulness of God, we are no different than the disciples in the boat with Christ.
[00:25:01] When we press into our Savior and trust that he will truly take care of his children, then our inner peace strengthens trust in the one who calms the storms of life. For nothing in heaven or on earth could hide you from his sight.
[00:25:21] Turn with me also to John 14.
[00:25:25] John 14, 1831.
[00:25:29] Here we're going to be looking at the fruit of peace in Christ's promise.
[00:25:34] The fruit of peace in Christ's promise. These verses are found within a section of John called the Upper Room Discourse.
[00:25:42] And this discourse refers to John 13 through 17, where I've heard it put as one of the most intimate and theologically rich sections of the New Testament.
[00:25:52] And we see Christ speaking directly to his disciples and not to a bunch of crowds. And in these verses, these teachings happen over a shared meal.
[00:26:04] Much of these teachings were preparation for when Christ would suffer at the hands of men. He would be crucified, buried, resurrected, and then ascend into heaven and then leaving the disciples on earth.
[00:26:17] So read with me. John 14, 18, 31.
[00:26:23] I will not leave you as orphans.
[00:26:26] Which we can stop right there and just see what a comfort it is to us that in those, in that verse, in those few short words, the Savior of the world, on the night that he would be betrayed, would say to his disciples, and he says to us, I will not leave you as orphans.
[00:26:47] Maybe all you needed to hear this morning was that comfort.
[00:26:52] Brothers and sisters, be at peace in knowing that Christ will never leave you.
[00:26:58] We can continue.
[00:26:59] I will not leave you as orphans. I will come to you yet A little while and the world will see me no more. But you will see me because I live. You also will live.
[00:27:12] In that day you will know that I am in my Father and you in Me. And I in you.
[00:27:18] Whoever has my commandments and keep them, he it is who loves me.
[00:27:23] It is he who loves me will be loved by my Father. And I will love him and manifest myself to him.
[00:27:30] Judas, not Iscariot, said to him, lord, how is it that you will manifest yourself to us and not to the world?
[00:27:40] Jesus answered him, if anyone loves me, he will keep my word. And my Father will love him. And we will come to him and make our home with him.
[00:27:50] Whoever does not love me does not keep my words.
[00:27:54] And the word that you hear is not mine, but the Father's who sent me.
[00:27:59] These things I have spoken to you while I am still with you.
[00:28:02] But the helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.
[00:28:14] Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you.
[00:28:22] Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.
[00:28:27] You heard me say to you, I'm going away and I will come to you. If you loved me, you would have rejoiced because I'm going to the Father. For the Father is greater than I.
[00:28:37] And now I have told you before it takes place, so that when it does take place, you may believe I will no longer talk much with you. For the ruler of this world is coming.
[00:28:49] He has no claim on me, but I do as the Father has commanded me, so that the world may know that I love the Father.
[00:28:57] Rise. Let us go from here.
[00:29:02] Christ, the Prince of peace, left his children peace in the person of the Holy Spirit.
[00:29:09] This peace, brothers and sisters, is unlike any peace that the world will give you. It is perfect peace.
[00:29:16] It is peace that surpasses all understanding. It's the indwelling peace A believer in Christ lives with an indwelling peace that the world cannot take away.
[00:29:29] The payment for this peace was paid on the cross when Christ cried. It is finished.
[00:29:36] It was a declaration that peace had been purchased by his blood, that reconciliation between man and God had been restored, that peace talks have been solidified.
[00:29:49] Take one moment and imagine this scene playing out.
[00:29:53] You're sitting down with Jesus. After years of ministry, you've seen him do the impossible. And now he says, going away. But don't worry.
[00:30:05] Though I leave you in body, I will not abandon you, for I will give you my spirit, and peace you will receive.
[00:30:13] In doing so, the Holy Spirit becomes our peace. Through Christ's sacrifice we can be reconciled to God, and thus peace is made.
[00:30:23] We can go through all the many different trials and temptations of life and have confidence because Christ gave us peace. He gave us his spirit.
[00:30:37] Restless and weary heart. Do you know that there is one who can grant you peace, discouraged and disheartened spirit? Do you know that there is one who can restore you lonely and broken soul? Do you know that there is one who is acquainted with grief because he loves you like the hymn says, are you weary, heavy laden?
[00:31:04] Come and lay your burdens down.
[00:31:07] Jesus calls you, Jesus draws you rest in him.
[00:31:12] He is gentle, he is lowly, and he delights to bring us peace.
[00:31:20] Tender shepherd, mighty Savior, rest in him in the character of Christ. It Sundays, there are two beams to a cross, the vertical beam reminding us of the peace between us and our Maker, as well as the horizontal beam, peace between us and our neighbor.
[00:31:43] And so, as his hands are stretched out across that beam, see him reaching towards us in peace, so that we would have every reason to reach out to the world in the same way.
[00:31:58] Next, we're going to transition to seeing Christ's fruit of peace in us.
[00:32:05] And this is going to play itself out in two ways, peace with God and peace with others.
[00:32:11] First, peace with God as you may remember, we spent the first part of our time on the gospel.
[00:32:19] To be at peace, we must be made at peace with God. First, receiving the gospel, being reconciled to God impacts the way we comprehend peace.
[00:32:32] If we see our relationship with God as superficial, as a simple addition to our lives, peace will act the same.
[00:32:42] Romans 5:1 says, Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our lord Jesus Christ.
[00:32:52] First, we're to be justified before God.
[00:32:56] Isaiah 26:4 says, you, God, keep him in perfect peace, who mind is stayed on you because he trusts in you.
[00:33:05] It's a call to grow in our sanctification and our relationship with God.
[00:33:11] Through every trial and every temptation, every mountain in every valley.
[00:33:16] We can trust in the Lord forever, for he is an everlasting rock. Isaiah 26 in this peace we're able to, like Romans 5, 3, 4, rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance and endurance produces character, and character produces hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God's love had been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who had been given to us.
[00:33:47] Philippians 4:6, 7 says, do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.
[00:34:00] And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.
[00:34:09] In receiving the peace that Christ offers in himself, our conscience can be at rest.
[00:34:16] Circumstances may not change, but our approach to them can be one of peace and confidence.
[00:34:24] It is through this relationship that we can approach the Father in confidence that he will hear our cries.
[00:34:32] He hears your prayers, brothers and sisters.
[00:34:35] He hears your cries. He sees your tears.
[00:34:39] Though our prayers may not produce the results that we desire, Christ promised us that we will be given peace.
[00:34:48] This week I've been reflecting on this quote from Charles Spurgeon, and it says, God loves the church with a love too deep for human imagination.
[00:34:59] He loves her with all his infinite heart.
[00:35:03] You may fear that the Lord has passed you by, but it is not so.
[00:35:08] He who counts the stars and calls them by their names is in no danger of forgetting his own children.
[00:35:16] He knows your case as thoroughly as if you were the only creature he ever made or the only saint he ever loved.
[00:35:25] Approach him and be at peace.
[00:35:32] What a comfort.
[00:35:34] Now that we have established peace with God, we can now practice peace with others. And there's two categories to this.
[00:35:46] First, peace in the body of Christ. And then second, peace with the world, with unbelievers.
[00:35:52] Colossians 3:15. Paul writes to the church of Colossae and says, let the peace of Christ rule your hearts, to which, indeed you were called in one body.
[00:36:05] Ephesians 4:1:4. Paul writes to the church of Ephesus, and he says, I urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you've been called. With all humility and gentleness and patience.
[00:36:21] Bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit and the bond of peace.
[00:36:30] Brothers and sisters, we need to press into this now more than ever.
[00:36:38] John Owen says that there is no other Christian duty urged with more earnestness or vehemence, which is just a fancy word for passion, than that of unity.
[00:36:49] There is no other Christian duty urged with more earnestness than that of unity.
[00:36:57] Peace in the body of Christ. Unity in the body of.
[00:37:01] Excuse me. Unity in the body of Christ reflects our peace and our unity with Christ. To the watching world we may differ, right? We may have conflict, and we may go through good seasons and trying seasons. But, brothers and sisters, we are one body, we under one king, Christ Jesus.
[00:37:24] What would Fayetteville say of us? GBC what would the unbelievers outside these walls say of us. If we began to break unity over trivial issues, if we strayed from reconciliation because it inconvenienced us, what does that say about our God, who abandon us but sought reconciliation at the cost of his own son?
[00:37:53] Peace is not at the cost of truth or godliness, but it can be at the cost of our own comfort, reputation, perhaps our safety.
[00:38:06] What cost are you willing to pay to ensure peace is maintained within these walls?
[00:38:13] Are you willing to reach out a hand of peace to restore a broken relationship?
[00:38:21] Are you willing to reach out to those hurting and who are wounded to offer healing?
[00:38:28] The greatest way to show the world perfect peace is to be unified with our fellow brothers and sisters.
[00:38:37] In turn, this faithful practice of peaceful living will draw the eyes and ears of the watching world.
[00:38:46] How are we to have peace in this world?
[00:38:49] We shall share of the Prince of Peace.
[00:38:52] We show the world that there is one that has overcome the world and offers perfect peace to those who receive it.
[00:39:00] In doing so, they also can receive the perfect embodiment of peace in Christ.
[00:39:07] When we practice peace, when we strive to be peacemakers, we live to demonstrate that peace of Christ through our actions, thoughts and deeds.
[00:39:19] Mankind is imperfect.
[00:39:23] We fall short, we make mistakes. We're not always happy all the time.
[00:39:29] People are hard to work with, to study with, to to live with.
[00:39:35] May our lives reflect Christ to a watching world to show that through our imperfections, Christ's peace, his perfect peace may shine through.
[00:39:46] This does not mean that the world will receive the peace that we have to offer.
[00:39:52] This peace is countercultural because it's not of this world.
[00:39:56] Peace is not often received from Christ because it goes against what the standard of society says before Christ goes to the cross. He says in John 16:33, I have said these things to you that in me you may have peace.
[00:40:15] In the world you will have tribulation.
[00:40:18] But take heart, I have overcome the world.
[00:40:23] The world will cause tribulation.
[00:40:26] The world will oppose Christ's peace because it promotes God rather than the world.
[00:40:34] Christ's peace will be rejected, for the world had already rejected Christ himself.
[00:40:41] And you will face trials for embracing and embodying the perfect peace of Christ. A fallen world will drag you down because with anxiety and stress and fear and worry. But take heart, the things of this world have been overcome by the Prince of Peace.
[00:41:00] Though trials arise, they will never rise higher than the one who sits on the throne of heaven.
[00:41:08] In the late 1800s, Horatio and Anna Spafford suffered much tragedy.
[00:41:17] Their son died suddenly of scarlet fever. And a fire burned down their neighborhood in Chicago. And not but a few years later.
[00:41:27] The wife and kids would be sent to Europe on holiday. But Horatio would stay back for business.
[00:41:35] And on that journey, he would lose all four of his daughters due to a shipwreck.
[00:41:40] But his wife would miraculously survive.
[00:41:44] And upon receiving news of this, he took the next boat to England. And one day while on the voyage, the captain would let him know that their current location was. Was where he lost his daughters.
[00:41:56] And that night he wrote the famous hymn that we sing. When peace like a river attendeth my way when sorrows like sea billows roll Whate' er my lot Thou hast taught me to say it is well it is well with my soul Spafford was able to write this hymn because he placed his hope in his confidence. His life in the hands of the Prince of Peace.
[00:42:26] For he knew, O Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight when the clouds be rolled back like a scroll the trump shall resound and the Lord shall descend and even then it is well with my soul let's pray.
