The Lack of Peace / The Advent of Peace / The Victory of Peace / The Stewardship of Peace / The Practice of Peace
THE LACK OF PEACE
The ever present reality of restlessness
Restlessness = Things are not as they are supposed to be…
Because each of us begins this life with things not right between us and our creator
We are: Alienated…Separated…Estranged from God because of Sin
What do I mean by SIN? Sin is our proud self-centered rebellion against God’s ways
Our condition of un-resolved, un-forgiven, un-redeemed sin… lacks Peace
Tension & Stress result from the lack of peace [moments of fleeting peace]
Our enemy is trying to make everyone believe that peace does not exist
He wants you to chase ‘Stuff’: New job, new car, new phone, new house, vacations…
And while you chase what the world values, you will find NO Peace!
The Apostle Paul summed up the condition of mankind quoting O.T texts…
“There is none righteous, not even one; There is none who understands, There is none who seeks for God; All have turned aside, together they have become useless; There is none who does good, There is not even one.” “Their throat is an open grave, With their tongues they keep deceiving,” “The poison of asps is under their lips”; “Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness”; “Their feet are swift to shed blood, Destruction and misery are in their paths, And the path of peace they have not known.” “There is no fear of God before their eyes.” Romans 3:10b-18
But we can have peace, God given peace
THE ADVENT OF PEACE
The Declaration of God’s Messengers: Luke 2 11-14 NASB
…for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.”
The coming of the Christ Child was the arrival in our world of the source of Peace!
God was going to give those who He bestows His grace upon…Peace!
Peace, Jesus, arrived and then 33 years later He laid down His life for His Church
THE VICTORY OF PEACE
The Essentials of Christ’s Victory of Peace:
- Prophetic, Miraculous and humble birth
- Perfect, sinless life: the demonstration of how everything is supposed to be
- Sacrificial death to pay for all of our rebellion and willful separation
- His resurrection is the victory over sin, unrest & stress: The Victory of Peace
For God in all His fullness was pleased to live in Christ, and through Him God reconciled everything to Himself. He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth by means of Christ’s blood on the cross. ~ Colossians 1:19-20 NLT
- He did it as one of us
- The resurrection of Christ, the won the battle over sin & death
- He made things as they are supposed to be, between us and God
THE STEWARDSHIP OF PEACE
Temples of the Holy Spirit = Place of Peace
The peace Christ gives to His ‘Blood Bought’ Church is a gift that requires proper use
That peace comes from the indwelling Holy Spirit Who comes to live in all who surrender their lives to Jesus the Christ
“These things I have spoken to you while abiding with you. But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you. Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.” ~ Jesus Christ @ John 14:25-27 NASB 1995
The ways of The Spirit are not the ways of this world
You cannot experience the Peace of Christ while living by the rules of this world
You cannot experience the Peace of Christ focused on yourself and your stuff
STEWARDSHIP = Great care & proper use of
Do you not know that you are a temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? If any man destroys the temple of God, God will destroy him, for the temple of God is holy, and that is what you are. Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you thinks that he is wise in this age, he must become foolish, so that he may become wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness before God. ~ 1 Corinthians 3:16-19a NASB 1995
Grace & Peace are a package deal…a bundle!
17 of the 27 New Testament books proclaim this truth to Body of Christ
If you have been given God’s Grace of Eternal life, you also have been given PEACE
The question is: What are you going to do with God’s peace?
You can Squander it OR You can Steward it
God gives us this opportunity for Peace, but we have to intentionally live for it
The author & perfecter of Shalom CHRIST!
Treat it with respect and value it…fully embrace it and maximize it… it takes practice
THE PRACTICE OF PEACE
Application portion of this message:
Wisdom is the path to peace…Humility is the path to wisdom
Peace begins in humility, just like to baby Jesus in that cave He was born it
In that ‘Spirit Given’ humility we turn over control of our day to day to The Holy Spirit
You cannot chase the things of this world and experience True Peace [Shalom]
There is no middle ground!
For those who live according to the flesh have set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit have set their minds on the things of the Spirit. To set the mind on the flesh leads to death, but to set the mind on the Spirit brings life and peace, because the mind set on the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to the law of God; in fact, it is not even able to do so. ~ Romans 8:5-7 MOUNCE
How do you do it? YOU HAVE TO CHANGE!! [Discipleship]
Our natural state is not peace,
Intentional, willful choices based on your conviction of what God would have YOU!
He does not want HIS children to live a life unrest, striving, discontent, dissatisfaction, and chasing things… but He will allow you to live in that place
If you always need something new and Different and Better and Extra ZERO PEACE
Change Your definition of success.
- Christian success is all about relationships, with God and others
Change Your definition of growth
- Not the growth of your career or bank account or Accolades: Spiritual Growth
Change how You use time
- Is it Your time or God’s Time?
- Is time to be used learning God’s ways and helping others?
Change what You value
- The value you place on people must grow
- The value you place on things must decrease
Change how You think
- You need a new source of truth not of this world: SCRIPTURE
- You must take the principals of God’s Word and apply them to real situations
Change Your definition of how it should be [Contentment]
- Paul nailed it: ‘I have contentment no matter the current circumstances’
- Discontent will lead you away from Peace