Life in the Spirit 10 – Fruit of the Spirit – Peace (Part 1)
Life In The Spirit Series (Lesson 10)
Fruit of the Spirit – Peace (Part 1)
Read: Galatians 5:16-25
In this series, we will focus primarily on Life in the Spirit from Galatians 5. In our previous lesson, we learnt about the 2nd Fruit of the Spirit – Joy – and that Joy is a having a Faith. Today, we begin our study on the 3rd Fruit of the Spirit - Peace: -
The peace that is produced by a life led by the Holy Spirit comes in 3 dimensions. There is peace ‘with’ God, the peace ‘of’ God and peace with others.
Let’s start with Peace ‘with’ God?
At the start of Romans 5, the Apostle Paul tells us “Therefore, 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” (Rom 5:1-2).
When we put our trust in Jesus, who died for our sins, then we know that we come into a right relationship with God, which gives us peace. Peace with God means peace of heart and conscience, the absence of guilt and fear. We no longer need to be anxious about God’s verdict on us. In Christ we are declared to be among the righteous, those who belong to God’s family. And it is all because of God’s grace.
That is a wonderful thing. For unless we are at peace with God through faith, the Spirit of God is not at work in our lives. But once our relationship with God is settled, then the Spirit of God pours his new life into our lives and that life of God begins to bear fruit. This is the peace we have with God, and this is basis and most important foundation of our peace. Amen!
But the peace that God gives is not just peace with God, but also the Peace ‘of’ God which means a peace of mind, and a freedom from anxiety and panic. Jesus told us NOT to be worried but to trust our Heavenly Father, and His words describe a quality of peace that reflects the presence of God’s Spirit:
Matthew 6:25-34 tells us: “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?
And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, “What shall we eat?” or “What shall we drink?” or “What shall we wear?” …..your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”
And Paul also tells us “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, 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 minds in Christ Jesus” (Phil 4:6-7).
This “joy” is not just a “happy-go-lucky” attitude. Rather it is a firm trust in God and a steady refusal to give in to anxieties. It is an act of will, in which we choose not to worry, but to pray and trust God.
In our world—the world of daily work and busyness—can we have peace there? Can we have peace in the midst of all the stresses and challenges of life in the workplace or home? - The answer is “Yes we can!”
Why? Because God can be trusted. Therefore we can be at peace.
In fact, it is exactly where it matters most! For a life that is filled with this kind of peace is a powerful witness and testimony to others about God. When others see the peace of God we have in our life thru every situation and season of our life, we will stand out and get noticed. People will be curious and want to know what is the source of peace we have in our life!
They will want to know “How can you have this inner peace even when going thru the toughest time of your life? How can you find joy that is not gained by alcohol, sex or money? How can you have joy that is not gained ONLY from having success, popularity, wealth? How can you have the kind of joy that is not affected by anxiety, fear, cynicism and negativity? What is this source of joy, peace and hope that you have?”
They will see and they will be curious and they will want to know, and then we can take the opportunity to tell them it is JESUS! He is our source and our Saviour! And in so doing, we become witnesses and messengers of Jesus Christ to others. Cultivating the fruit of the Spirit, is therefore not about giving us a good image, but about making Christ visible and making the gospel attractive. Amen!
Reflection/discussion:
In what ways do you think your own life displays peace as the fruit of the Spirit – do you have “peace with God” as well as “the peace of God”? In what ways do you need to pray for this to be more true than it is now?