Pursuing Holiness: Peace
I. Introduction
-- turn in Bibles to John 14
27. 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.
-- the story is told about a farmer who needed an extra hand to help on his farm -- several people came to apply, but one young man stood out from the others -- when the farmer asked him "What are your qualifications?" -- the young man simply replied, "I can sleep when the wind blows"
-- the farmer didn't quite understand this answer, but he needed help and it was obvious that this young man was confident in his abilities and looked like he knew his way around a farm, so he hired him -- sure enough, the young man turned out to be an outstanding employee -- but every now and then, the farmer would think about his answer and wonder what the young man had meant when he said, "I can sleep when the wind blows"
-- Autumn ended and the first cold storm of winter came late one night --The farmer panicked as almost hurricane-force winds began to blow in across the plains -- he knew that the wind and rain would damage their newly cut hay if he didn't get it covered -- he was worried about his cattle and horses and knew they needed to get secured in the barn and he worried that his equipment would be damaged if it was left out in the field
-- he went to the bunkhouse and yelled at the young man to come and help, but the boy didn't respond -- he stayed in bed and wouldn't get up, no matter what the farmer did -- finally, desperate to save his hay and animals and equipment, the farmer gave up and rushed out into the yard to do what he could and decided right then and there that he would fire the young man first thing in the morning
-- However, when the farmer reached the barn all the animals were tucked safely inside -- In fact, clean hay had already been set out for the new day and all their water buckets were filled -- all the holes in the roof had been fixed -- the tractor was secured in the shed -- and when he went to check on the hay stacked on the edge of the field, he found a tarp secured over the hay -- staked down and standing secure despite the high winds -- all of a sudden, it hit him, and he finally understood why the young man didn't rush out of bed and what he had meant when he said in his interview that he could "sleep when the wind blows"
-- this morning we're going to talk about sleeping when the wind blows -- about being so secure and confident in our Father that no matter what winds blow our way -- no matter what storms or troubles or trials roll across our lives -- we can sleep securely because we know that we are prepared -- because we know that everything is in control
-- we are continuing this morning in our sermon series on pursuing holiness by striving to capture and reflect the nine attributes of God that we call the fruit of the Spirit -- love, joy, peace, patience, goodness, kindness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control
-- so far, we have covered love and joy -- and if you missed either of those studies, I would invite you to visit my blog and you should find all of the sermons in this series there by the end of today
-- this morning, we're going to talk about peace -- about what peace is and how we can experience God's peace in our lives
II. Three Types of Peace
-- let's start by defining peace -- what is peace?
-- over the last week or so, we've heard that word a lot in our news coverages -- a lot of discussion in the media this week has been about the need for peace in Iran -- about the conflict that is raging in that country as the young people there are protesting against the presidential elections that supposedly put Ahmadinejad back in power for another four years
-- as the violence swept across Tehran and other cities in Iran, calling to mind the similar events of Tiananmen Square in Bejing, China, twenty years ago -- everyone from the talking heads on the television to our elected officials around the world called for peace and an end to the violence
-- the word, "peace," is always a favorite of those running for political office -- rarely do you hear a candidate anywhere who runs on a platform of war or violence or aggression -- but most candidates get elected because they run on a platform of peace -- I think it's safe to say that's one of the reasons why President Obama was elected over John McCain this past year in America
-- so, what is peace? -- what do we mean when we use that word? -- more importantly, how does the Bible define "peace?"
-- well, actually, there are three different meanings or types of peace in the Bible
-- the first type of peace that we see mentioned in the Bible is the same type that the media has been talking about all week -- peace as being the absence of violence -- peace as being the absence of war and hostilities -- peace among men
-- this doesn't only mean peace among nations but also peace among each other -- it means that everyone is living together in harmony without arguing or disturbance or agitation
-- this type of peace is what God promised to the people of Israel as He was bringing them into the Promised Land -- in Leviticus 26:6, God told them, "I will grant peace in the land, and you will lie down and no one will make you afraid. I will remove savage beasts from the land, and the sword will not pass through your country. " -- this is the type of peace that is referred to in the Bible when it says in Judges Chapter 3 that "the land had peace for eighty years"
-- this is peace among men -- peace among nations -- the absence of war and violence
-- this is worldly peace -- this is the only peace that the world knows -- this is the only peace that the world understands -- this is not spiritual peace, so you know that this is not the peace that we are concerned with this morning -- this is not the peace that is referred to as a fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22-23
-- the next two types of peace mentioned in the Bible are types of spiritual peace that are only known to those who receive Jesus as their Lord and Savior -- they are only known to those who are justified by the blood of Christ by asking Him to forgive them of their sins and to make them holy
-- the next type of peace that I want to talk about is peace with God -- this is the peace of the cross -- this is the peace that comes to us through the sacrificial death of Jesus in our place
-- if you would, hold your place right there in John and turn over with me real quick to Ephesians 2 and follow along as I read verses 1-3
1. As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins,
2. in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient.
3. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath.
-- here Paul tells us what we used to be like before we were saved -- before we came to know Christ -- he tells us that we were dead in our transgressions and sins -- we were willfully disobedient and hostile to the God who created us -- we followed the ways of the world and of the flesh and of Satan -- and he says that God viewed us as objects of wrath
-- down in verses 12 and 13 he tells us that we were separated from Christ -- excluded from citizenship in His kingdom -- foreigners to the covenant of the promise and without hope and without God -- he says that we were far away from God
-- in other words, we were at war with God -- you may not have thought about it in those terms, but that was what was going on -- before you came to Christ, you were actively working against God -- you were actively living against God -- you were opposing His attempts to lead you in your life
-- that's why Jesus came -- Jesus came to bring peace with God -- Jesus came to reconcile us with the Father -- to offer up His life and His righteousness in place of our own, so that for all who receive Jesus as Lord and Savior, we are no longer at war with God -- we are at peace with Him and now are heirs of the kingdom -- and made to be His sons and daughters
-- Look over at Romans 5:1-2 -- here Paul summarizes this peace with God that came through Jesus --
1. Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
2. 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.
-- because of Jesus -- because of His death on the cross in our place -- we now have peace with God -- that is the second type of peace that is mentioned in the Bible -- it is spiritual peace -- the peace of the cross -- the peace of justification and reconciliation
-- this is the peace that Paul mentions at the start of most of his epistles when he writes, "Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ" -- you have to have grace -- the grace of the cross -- before you can have peace with God
-- the third type of peace mentioned in the Bible is the peace I want you to think about this morning -- this is also a type of spiritual peace -- instead of being peace among men or peace with God, this is peace from God
-- this is the peace that we see mentioned as a fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5 -- this is the peace that lets you sleep when the wind blows -- this is internal peace -- peace that comes from within -- that develops as you pursue holiness and a life with Christ
-- let's look again at John 14:27
27. 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.
-- these words from Jesus come in the Upper Room during the Last Supper -- this was the last night that He was going to be with His disciples -- this would be the last time that they would all be together until after the resurrection
-- after Judas Iscariot had left, Jesus began to pour out His heart and His emotions to the remaining disciples -- they didn't really understand what was going on, but Jesus knew that they were about to face discouragement and doubt as the trials of that night were about to unfold
-- so here in this verse, Jesus speaks words of comfort to them -- first, He tells them that He is giving them His peace -- this is not the peace of the cross, reconciling them to the Father -- the peace Jesus is referring to here is not peace with God, but peace from God -- peace being given from Jesus directly to His disciples
-- this peace is what you see lived out in Jesus throughout the gospels -- the state of total well-being, inner harmony, and complete oneness with God -- this peace is the peace of the heart that lets you walk through troubles and trials with the assurance that God is in control -- this is the peace that comes from faith and trust in God
-- Jesus had this peace -- that's why He is called the Prince of Peace -- for instance, when the men of the synagogue in Nazareth tried to throw Jesus off the cliff after He told them that He was the fulfillment of Isaiah's messianic prophecy, we read in Luke 4:30 that Jesus simply walked through the crowd and went on His way -- there was no fear -- there was no worry -- there was no panic -- Jesus simply walked through them and continued on His journey -- He could only have done this because of the peace that was in His heart -- the peace that came from God
-- we see this in other times, as the Pharisees attacked Him -- as the crowds shouted "Crucify"
-- as the temple guards beat Him -- Jesus remained filled with an inner calm -- an inner peace -- a sense of well-being in the midst of His trials and troubles -- He trusted God -- He had confidence in God -- and that is reflected in Jesus' response to the chaos around Him
-- this is the peace that He was giving His disciples in the Upper Room -- this is the peace that God offers us through the Holy Spirit as we pursue holiness through Him
-- that's why Jesus says here, "Don't let your hearts be troubled -- don't be afraid." -- if you have this peace in your heart, then you can walk through trouble with confidence -- you don't have to worry -- you don't have to be afraid -- you can simply trust and believe in God and His promises
III. Acquiring Peace from God
-- so, how do we get this peace from God? -- how can we go through life with this state of total well-being and inner harmony and quietness regardless of what storms we face or what winds might blow against us?
-- well, as we mentioned at the start of this series, this type of peace -- peace from God -- only comes to those who have peace with God -- so, first, you have to be saved -- first, you have to receive Jesus as your Lord and Savior and ask Him to forgive you of your sins and to come into your life -- you have to believe in Jesus and trust in Him for your salvation
-- as soon as you do that, the Bible tells us that we are indwelt by the Holy Spirit -- in other words, God moves into our hearts -- and when God moves into the neighborhood, everything starts getting better
-- so, the second thing you must do is allow the Holy Spirit to work in you and through you to sanctify you and make you holy -- this means that you stay in close relationship with God by reading the Bible and praying and worshiping with other believers on a regular basis -- and, as you do so, your ability to perceive the prompting of the Spirit and your ability to express the attributes of God, including the attribute and characteristic of peace that we're talking about here, will get greater and greater
-- third, since you have been forgiven, you must live a life of forgiveness -- in other words, peace will only come when you let peace flow from you -- you can't experience the peace of God if you are constantly at war with your neighbors -- at war with your brothers and sisters -- you have to be quick to listen, slow to speak, and even quicker to respond with forgiveness and understanding
-- in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said in Matthew 5:9, "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called the sons of God." -- to experience this peace, you have to intentionally make peace with those around you through forgiveness
-- finally, we acquire this peace from God over time -- just like anyone who has ever tried a hobby or a sport will tell you, when you first start, it's very difficult -- we always hear about these piano prodigies who are able to just sit down and immediately start playing like a concert pianist -- but, for most of us, when we sit down to learn to play the piano, it's difficult -- it takes time and it takes practice to be able to play the piano competently
-- it's the same way with living out this peace from God in your life -- it takes time and practice -- when troubles come our way, our first impulse is usually to panic -- when storms blow in and disrupt our lives, we get anxious and upset -- we react with the flesh instead of the spirit
-- part of becoming holy is to learn to react with the spirit instead of the flesh -- instead of getting anxious or upset when things happen, we need to learn how to turn to God -- we need to learn to take a moment to recenter our lives on Him and what He is doing -- we need to learn to take a deep breath, to say a quick prayer, and to ask God to give us His peace and His understanding of the situation
-- over time, with practice, you'll see your capacity for inner well-being and harmony through the peace of God increase and grow
IV. Closing
-- let me close by bringing to mind again the seminal event of our lifetime -- the wind that blew in on 9-11 and that threatened our peace and our way of life
-- when the events of 9-11 began to play out, the initial reaction of the country was one of disbelief then denial then panic -- we didn't know what was going on -- we didn't know if this was the first of many attacks -- we didn't know who was behind it -- and people ran for their lives in the streets of New York and Washington
-- when the first planes hit the World Trade Center and the government realized that this was an intentional attack on our nation, the Secret Service issued an evacuation notice for the White House -- they ran through the halls telling everyone to get out -- to run away from the danger
-- Tim Goeglien was there in the White House on that day -- he worked for President Bush -- on a recent Focus on the Family broadcast, Tim talked about the panic as people rushed out of the entrances of the White House and onto Pennsylvania Avenue -- he said it was total chaos -- total panic
-- but, as he ran through the gates, he noticed small groups of Christian White House staffers who had gathered together in the middle of the street in small prayer circles -- as chaos streamed around them -- as the winds blew -- they were at peace -- they trusted God -- they turned to God -- and the peace that flowed through them by the Holy Spirit calmed the crowds around them
-- God wants us to have that same peace in our hearts -- He wants us to have the peace and inner harmony to go through this life without panic or fear -- without anxiety or disturbance by the things around us
-- it is this peace that the Spirit gives us as we seek His presence in our lives -- it is this peace that God gives us that helps us to trust Him in all situations -- even when the wind blows
-- this morning, as I close, I want to invite you to ask God to quiet your anxious hearts -- to still the waves of trouble and doubt and discouragement that might be plaguing you -- and to ask God to fill you with His peace -- the peace that passes all understanding -- the peace from God for us
-- as we go through this day and this week -- as trials and troubles continue to come upon us -- let's not lose heart but let's take time to practice this peace -- let's trust in God -- let's seek Him calming presence -- and let's learn to develop this peace in our lives as we pursue holiness in Him
-- let's pray
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