Peace | Fruit of the Spirit Week 4

as we dive into week four of this series, and I hope the book has been a resource for you to help you to dive even deeper. We're not just here to inspire you on a Sunday, but to actually equip you Monday through Saturday, and that's why there's devotionals in there, and memory verses and homework for you to do. I hope you're diving deeper into that. The Bible tells us what the fruit of the spirit is, in Galatians chapter five, verse 22. Why don't you read the list with me? It says, "The fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control." And our whole desire of this series is that we would see that operating in our life. We put together this definition. I had you fill it in the first couple of weeks, but if you missed it, here's the idea, is that the fruit of the spirit is the character of Christ. So we're gonna look at Jesus and who He was and who He is, and then we're gonna see it made visible in our lives. It's not just a good idea, but it should flow out of our lives, not as we try harder, but as we walk by the spirit. So as we stay and step with the spirit, God makes this happen in us and through us. And it's beautiful. We've been leaving time at the end of the message just to let the Holy Spirit do incredible work in our lives.

So don't rush off. I know many of you gotta get to the game, or you gotta get to Cracker Barrel. I promise you, you'll make it. But just make sure that you lean into what the Holy Spirit wants to do in you and through you. Today in week four, we're gonna talk about peace. Peace, how many know we could all use a little more peace in our lives right now? We live in the most anxious generation in history. Anxiety prescriptions are at an all time high. Global sleep meds are a $50 billion industry. Nobody can sleep. Everybody's anxious. You try to get an appointment with a psychologist right now. They're all booked out. 40% of them have a waiting list right now. And I'm not against therapy. I'm not against medicine. I think those things are great, and all those things are needed. But I wanna help you find true peace in our world today. You know, we always find things that try to give us a little bit of peace. You got your stress balls. And I remember growing up, they would give us this. And in class, they're like, oh, you're a little anxious, just take your brand back. You got a test coming up. Some of y'all like, it's another date.

I gotta go on a date. Oh my gosh, I haven't done this in a long time. You're trying to out church for the first time. You're looking at your life, and you're looking at your 401k, and you're like, okay. And it doesn't work, does it? I mean, the reality is, is this, by the way, has been proven false a long time ago. That's why I kind of stopped doing it. They thought, you know, what you're doing is you're kind of recycling your air and getting more carbon dioxide in, and it kind of regulates your body. It doesn't work, because reality is, it's just a psychological thing to help you overcome something that's deeper in your life. And how many know, it went from this brown bag to another brown bag that you carried around to try to help you resolve your peace problem also? And none of it works. So what do we do? How do we truly find peace in our world today? Let's look at what the Bible says about peace, because the word that Paul used in the scriptures to talk about peace is this word, "iraina." And here's what it means. "iraina" means this, "tranquility, security, prosperity." I want you to write it down. It's very significant what Paul was talking about when he used this Greek word.

"Tranquillity, a security." And even this word, prosperity. Used 92 times in the New Testament. We are safe. We are secure. We are prosperous. Now, what is biblical prosperity? I don't want you to write off that word, because it's been used in such a destructive way in the church to manipulate people. But the reality is, is that peace with God and the peace that comes from God is true prosperity. You see, when we hear the word prosperity, we think of the word money. But how many know? You can have a lot of money, but not have peace. You can have a nice house, but not have peace. You can have a marriage and not have peace, just because you have some stuff doesn't mean you have peace. What Paul is talking about in the fruit of the Spirit is a peace that passes all understandings. Whether you're broke or you have a lot, you have peace. Whether you're married or you're single, you have peace. on what's going on around you. Your peace is contingent on the principles of peace that lives inside of you. And if we got Jesus, we got enough peace to surpass. Anything else that this world has to offer. This is true peace. Actually, in the classic Greek, if you look at that word, it actually means the absence of war. Think about that. Peace is when the war is over. The treaty has been signed. The fighting has stopped. How many know that the war for your soul has been settled? The treaty has been, has been signed. God has conquered. So I don't know what you feel like you're fighting right now, but what Jesus did on the cross was sufficient to win the war

over sin, death, and the grave. I'm going to be grateful for our God that's been victorious and brings us peace. Oh, let's not golf-clatch the peace that God gives us. Can we celebrate our God that brings real peace in our life? So let's look at the Old Testament word. The Old Testament word, the Hebrew word for peace is this word shalom. Shalom takes the peace to a next level. It means wholeness, prosperity, nothing missing, nothing broken. I want you to take a second. I want you to write it down. This is the idea used 237 times throughout the Old Testament that as a follower of the Lord, we have complete wholeness, completeness, nothing missing, nothing broken. This is true prosperity in your life. And some of you are looking at your life and you go, well, you don't understand. There's a lot missing and a lot broken, but you're judging it on the wrong things because you think it has to do with stuff instead of his presence because when you have God on your side, you have shalom. That's why it is the greeting of the Jewish people to each other. What did they say? Shalom. What does that mean? All as well. Let me tell you, a little modern-day translation. It means hakuna makata. But it's hakuna makata means no worries, friends. It's all settled. It's all done. It's all good. What is he saying? He's saying, listen, when you have shalom, you have God on your side, you have wholeness in your life, no matter what is going on around you. Gideon understood this, the great warrior. He was chosen by God, even though he was someone that was in hiding and someone that was so messed up and as God brought him victory, Gideon writes, it says, "Then Gideon built an altar there to the Lord, and he called the place the Lord is peace." It's a name of God, Jehovah shalom. God is peace. And we understand this is who Jesus is. Remember, when we look at the fruit of the Spirit, we're evaluating the character of Christ. 700 years before Jesus shows up on the scene, we understand that Jesus is the embodiment of peace. Isaiah called him peace 700 years before he showed up. He says, "For unto us a child is born, the Son is given. The government will be on his shoulders, and he will be called wonderful counselor, mighty God, everlasting Father." And say this one with me, ready? Prince of peace. That is who he is. He's a char of shalom. He's the king of peace, meaning all peace is from him, and all peace comes through him. And we see that in operation in the life of Jesus. He walked around in a world that was distraught, messed up. He showed up, and he brought peace. He arrived into the world under Roman occupation, under a paranoid king named Herod, who killed every baby in Bethlehem, trying to wipe him out.

The world was crazy when the Prince of peace showed up. And I want you to know this, your world might be crazy, and the Prince of peace will still show up. The Prince of peace shows up in a crazy world and brings stability. We see it in Jesus' life. He didn't have any money. Religiously, there's hated him. His family didn't know how to raise him. Everybody wanted something from him. And yet Jesus was always at peace. Never rushed, never stressed, never angry, always at peace. Why? Because peace isn't something he just had, peace is who he is. And look what he told his disciples. He says, "Peace I leave with you. My peace I give you." Like, "Hey, this is a peace that transcends your circumstances, your bank account, what's going on in your life. My peace I give you, not as the world gives, so don't let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid." Why do we not have to be anxious or afraid? Because we have the peace of God. You can write it down this way, because peace doesn't come from what's happening around you. It comes from the spirit at work within you. So your bank account might not be full, but you have peace. Your relationship status might not be what you wanted to be, but you have peace. You might have a diagnosis that is terminal, but you can have peace. Why? Because it's not based on the circumstances, it's based on the spirit at work within us. God gives us the ability to have peace that passes understanding from the world around us. It's like, I don't know if you ever had this noise canceling headphones. Have you ever had those in your life? They're amazing. My wife will wear them around the house

while she's like doing chores or cooking dinner or something. And as she's cooking dinner or something, I'll be working in the other room, and I'm working in the other room, and it's like there's a war going on in our house. I mean, I have five kids, it's chaos. Things can be getting thrown. It's chaos. And I'm in one room and I'm hearing this, and I'm going, this is crazy. So I finally leave. I'll go in there, I'll go, what is going on? And the kids are all fighting, and they're trash, and I'll look at Katie, and she's got her noise canceling headphones on. She's just like. (audience laughing) To listen to the podcast, soon, some kind of thing. And I'm like, what's happening? Like, do you see what's going on? Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't know what was happening. (audience laughing) That's what we have available as Christians. Not that we have our head in the sand when the world is going crazy, but in the craziness of the world, people look at you and you're like. (audience laughing) What is it? I've just got peace.

I've got peace, you know why? Because the peace that I have is dependent on the fact that God is with me in the middle of the crazy. Because hear me out? Because peace is not the absence of the storm. Storms come to all of us. Trials come to all of us. Hard seasons come to all of us. But peace is the presence of God in it. And no matter what is going on around you, if you have God's presence in you, you can have peace. So I wanna give you a phrase that is the three points of the message. I've never done this before. I'm gonna give you all three points of the message right to start. But I put it as a graphic because I'm actually gonna put this on social media. I want you to share it. I want you to maybe print it out, put it in your house somewhere. Because this is the takeaway for the message today. Because of Jesus, and I want you to see this. I have peace with God, peace in God, and peace of God. All right, now I'm gonna leave this on the screen for just a second at all of our campuses. I know many of you are writing stuff down,

but I want you to say it out loud with me. And we're gonna say it loud. Ready? Because of Jesus, I have peace with God, peace in God, peace of God. All right, one more time. And we're gonna say it a little bit louder. Spring Hill, I want you to join in me. All of those at all of our campuses, all of our Pinellas County. I want you to join me, ready? Because of Jesus, I have peace with God, peace in God, peace of God. And all three of these really, really, really matter. So let me show you what they mean. First one, because of Jesus, I have peace with God, this is salvation. This is the salvation that's available for our souls because of what Jesus did. We have peace with God, not because of our own efforts, but because of the finished work of Jesus on the cross. And you have to understand this because we are born, broken, separated, enemies of God. I know it's popular cultural teaching out there to say that everybody is inherently good. That's not true and it's not biblical. You know this if you ever go to a daycare and you work with toddlers. You do not have to train them to be bad.

How many know sin happens very naturally for them? Why? 'Cause we're all prone to this. We're all born into brokenness. We're all separated from God. We're all at war with God. So what do we do about this war with God? That's why Jesus came. He showed up on the scene to bring peace between you and God, a relationship that was broken that now is being restored, not because of what we've done, but because of what Jesus did on the cross. If nobody ever told you, let me tell you, God loves you so much that He sent His Son to die on the cross for your sins. And Jesus didn't stay on that cross and go to the grave and stay there. No, He rose again three days later, conquering death, hell, and the grave. And now you can have life and life to the full because of the finished work of Jesus. Is there anybody grateful for the peace we have? faith, meaning we're made right with God, through faith, we have what? What do we have because we have faith in Christ? Peace. Peace with God. I don't have to wake up today, "Oh, is God angry at me? Is he mad at me? Is he okay with me?" I know I've been justified. I'm right with God. I'm forgiven. Do I still make mistakes every single day? Do we all still sin? Absolutely. But are we covered under the blood of Jesus because of His finished work on the cross? Absolutely. And we have peace with God. This is what Jesus came to accomplish for us. Isaiah 53 says, "He was pierced for our transgressions. He was crushed

for our iniquities. The punishment that brought us peace was on Him. How do we have peace from His punishment, His wounds, His what He took on the cross brings us peace and by His wounds we are healed." This is beautiful for us to understand that we are made right with God because of what Jesus did, because of what He endured, and because of that we have peace. So people might not like me, but I have peace with God. I still got a lot of areas in my life that are messed up, but I'm not peace with God. You might have a diagnosis that's bad, but you've got peace with God. You might not drive the best car, but you have peace with God. You might not have received your miracle here on earth. That's okay. We're at peace with God. We're going to spend the eternity with Him. Is there anybody grateful that we have peace with God? That's a beautiful thing that Jesus provided for us. Number two. So since we have peace with God, and by the way, these are in order. You can't jump to the next one without the first one. Now we can have peace in God. Peace in God is trust. Now this is where because we have peace with God, we learn to trust Him daily. This is beautiful. Look at Romans says, "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you what? Trust in Him." So how do we get peace? We trust in Him so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Notice what Paul ties to peace. Trust. Trust. Here's what I want you to understand. The amount of peace you experience in life is determined by how much you trust in God. This is important for you to understand. If you want greater peace, you have to raise your level of trust. Because the amount of peace I have is determined by where my trust is at. If my trust is in my finances or my net worth, that goes up and down. If my trust is in my relationships, those come and go. If my trust is in people, it comes and goes. If my trust is in the government, that will let you down. But if your trust is in God, no matter what's going on around you, you can have peace because God is trustworthy. He's trustworthy in your life. I want to think about this way. About 10 years ago is when I started working out like a lot. The reason I started working out a lot, there's a backstory to it. I was preaching a pastor's conference in India. If you go to India, they have these chairs. These chairs are like these chairs here. For some reason, everybody has these chairs in their house. It bothers me because I had this major traumatic experience in India where I sat in one of these chairs in front of the entire place. As I sat there, it was about 30 pounds heavier than I am now. The

whole chair just snapped. Every time I get in one of these, which by the way, this one this morning broke as we were preparing for this message. We were going to go get a new one. I'm like, no, this is exactly what they do. You can't buy these chairs without the breaking. I go over people's house and they're like, hey, I have a seat. I'm like, no thanks. If I do, I go sit and I'm like, you ever talk to somebody and you're like, hey, man, are you good? You're like, yeah, I'm good, man. I'm good. Everything's fine. You're like, I don't think you are. I think you're a little anxious right now. Think of a little stress. You know why they're stressed? Because they're sitting in something that can't hold them up. They're giving some guy, some girl, some government, some job that trusts that they should be giving the Lord. You know why you're always anxious? Because you know it can't hold you up. That's why I love a good chair. I love to go to some people's house and they have like, strong. where the pastor would sit on stage and he would sit there and just watch you during worship. I'm gonna get back to those days at radiant. Just sitting in, they called it the thrones on stage. I'm watching you, all right? But you know I could sit here with confidence. Why? Why? 'Cause I know this is gonna hold me up. I know it's gonna handle it. I know it's not gonna mess up. Why? I can sit securely because of what's holding me. I wanna help somebody because you'll find security and you'll find trust when you put your hands, when you put your future, when you put your relationships, when you put your money into the hands of God, knowing you know what, God can hold me up. No matter what's going on around me, no matter how bad it is, I have security because guess what? He won't let me fall, he will take care of me.

He's been good to me in the past. He'll be good to me in the future. That's why Isaiah says, you will be kept in perfect peace. Don't you want perfect peace? I want that peace that is just so mind blowing despite my situation. And he says you'll be kept in perfect peace whose minds are steadfast because they trust in you. Isaiah makes the connections, which by the way, this verse right here is your memory verse this week. So if you're memorizing your memory verses this week, this is your memory verse every day, you're going to say, I'm going to be in perfect peace whose minds are steadfast because I trust in you. And what I have to do sometimes is look back and go, there's things in this world that have failed me, but God has never failed me. God is secure. I'm telling you, he's been faithful to give me this vows he had. He's faithful to give me those children. He's been faithful through every trial. He's been faithful through every hard season. And if he's been faithful in the past, he'll be faithful in the future. I want to speak it over your life. God is worth trusting your life too. He's faithful to us church. We have faith in him that builds our trust in his character. And that's what brings us peace in our life.

Peace in God. So we build on one after another. We have peace with God's salvation, starts with that. You surrender your life to Christ. Then you have peace in God, you build your trust. And now I'm going to end with this one. Then you have the peace of God, which I wrote it this way, responsibility. Meaning now, this is what you take to the broken and lost world out there. I'm going to keep this up there for just a second. It's a lot of y'all writing it down. I want you to get this because of Jesus. I am peace with God. I am saved. I am on a path towards an eternity in heaven. I am right with God. I have peace in God, meaning I am trust that he can hold me up no matter what. And then I have the peace of God, which is now a responsibility that everywhere I go, I bring peace into the situation. I'm worried that when people think of many of you guys, they don't think of peace, they think of drama. We got drama Debbie, anxious Adam. He's just everywhere you go, you walk in the room and they're like, ooh, she's here. It's little on edge, but that's not what God tells us to do. He says, don't be anxious about anything. But in every situation by prayer and petition,

with Thanksgiving, present your request to God and then look at this and peace of God. Ooh, now we get something in us which transcends all understanding, which means it doesn't make sense, guards our hearts and our minds in Christ Jesus. We're able to walk into the world with God's peace that doesn't make sense. And we bring in in every environment we go. I want to look right at the camera and I want to just challenge radiant church today, all of those online. Let me just tell you, when you walk in a room, the place should get more peaceful. When you walk into the relationship, there should be peace. When you walk into that family reunion, even if Crazy Uncle is there, you bring the peace of God with you. 'Cause here's why, because once the peace of God is within me, it is my responsibility to establish the peace of God around me. In every environment, in every situation, I bring peace of God in my life. And I wonder which one are you? Are you bringing peace? Are you bringing anxiety? Are you bringing stress? Are you bringing a relief over people because you carry the peace of God? I put it this way.

You're either a thermometer or a thermostat. A thermostat and a thermometer are very different. Let's start with a thermometer. A thermometer reads the room and a chair. So you walk into a room and you get all crazy because they're crazy. Why'd you raise your voice? Well, they raise their voice first. No, that's not who you are. You're the thermostat. What is the thermostat? I adjust the room to where it's supposed to go. So when I walk into the room, I bring the peace of God into the room. Things are a little hot in there. Oh, that's okay. We're gonna calm it down. Why? 'Cause the peace of God just walked into the room as I walked into the room. And now how many of you know this is tough because people are crazy? Y'all got any round you? Some of y'all are sitting next to him right now. There was an old poem I found. I was studying this. I loved it so much. It says it this way. "To dwell in love with saints above." Oh, that would be glory.

To dwell below with saints we know. Ah, that's a different story. Isn't that true? It's hard to live at peace with each other. It's hard to live without trauma. But I want you to get this. If you don't get any other takeaway, if you've got the peace of God in your life, then you have to understand this, peace is my responsibility. In every friendship, in your marriage, with your children, with your in-laws, with your neighbor, with your coworker, with your enemy, peace is my responsibility because I'm a Christian, and I have peace with God, and I have peace in God, and now I will carry the peace of God to that situation for the glory of God. Can I hear a better amen today, church? If you don't know a little bit that's going on in our life, about a month ago, my grandmother passed away a few days before she turned 90. We had to play on this big 90th birthday party for her and had a stroke and passed away. It was really, really sad. She's the only grandparent I've ever known in my entire life. So I'm 42 years old, I've only had one my entire life. So she's been like the rock. She got saved in the 50s at a Billy Graham crusade in North Carolina, like it's just been

a stable rock in our life. So it's been very, very sad and hard, and many of you reached out, it's very kind. But about four years ago, there was a family member that was very close with her that we were cordial, I mean we're great, but we're not that close. But this family member, those very close, I'll keep it kind of anonymous 'cause I don't want to embarrass anybody, but they had a big disagreement. And this family member got extremely, extremely offended at my grandmother. And to the point that cut off all communication. Not only if you know how it works in our world today, it's very toxic because people don't know how to bring peace to situations. They just cut the relationship off. Which by the way, that's never biblical. Ever biblical, the whole cancel culture, no contact. It's never biblical. And so I don't know if you're doing that with anybody in your life, but I'm going to challenge you to be a peacemaker in the kingdom of God. So, but anyway, this family member went no contact with my grandmother. I mean for months and months and months, and it broke her so much. She was so distraught.

And I would spend time with my grandmother and she'd cry and I just don't know what to do, they won't respond to her and everything. So anyway, I thought this is their problem. I'm living here, I got my own issues. Driving to work one day, the Holy Spirit speaks to me. And challenges being Matthew chapter five. Blessed are the peacemakers. For they will be called children of God. Peace makers. And as I saw this verse, I was deeply convicted to make peace in this situation. Now it doesn't say peace keepers, it doesn't say peace lovers, it says peacemakers. Like do your best to make peace in this situation. So, I decided, well, you know, I gotta do something about it. But I do what everybody else does in every situation is I delayed. Because how many know when God tells you to do something you think of every excuse of why you shouldn't do it? So I went three or four days and I put it off and put it off and then I talked myself out of it multiple times until the Lord convicted me yet again. One more time, I got into my car and I got to my office there at the heights and I sat there just to hear a second pray and the Lord told me and says right now is the time. Be a peacemaker. I picked up my phone and I called this relative. Man talked in forever.

And she answered the phone right there. She got on the phone and I said, "Hey, I've been praying this morning and you came to my mind." And I feel like God wants you to resolve stuff with grandma. And she told me every reason why she shouldn't. And I said, "That's great. You're a Christian and as Christians we forgive and we move on and it's time to make it right." She paused her a little bit and she said, "You're right." She got in her car. And the last four years, they've had the most beautiful, amazing relationship. And a month ago, I preached to my grandmother's funeral and sat next to her. And she cried and I cried and she looked at me and she said, thank you for making the hard conversation because we've had the most beautiful relationship and they really have. And I just, and I think about it, I'm like, isn't it the responsibility of every Christian to go in a world of conflict? I'm sorry. In the world of conflict, we just, we bring the peace of God in every situation. God be the glory of men. (audience applauding) So we're gonna ask the Holy Spirit to search us and find out where you need peace. Because we all do.

Maybe you need peace with God, which is, have you received salvation today? Maybe you need peace in God, which is, do you trust God with your current situation that's maybe very difficult? Or maybe you need the peace of God to go with you to bring peace into a broken relationship that's out there? Maybe it's a parent you haven't called or a sibling that's far gone. You be the peacemaker because you have shalom, the prince of peace in your life. One last story, and we're close. Horatio Spafford, a man in the 1800s, his son died tragically in the Great Chicago Fire and he lost all of his fortune. Two years later, you can't think it would get worse, but his wife and four daughters head across the ocean through the Atlantic and the ship crashes, sinks, the wife survives, the four daughters all die in the middle of the Atlantic. He gets on a ship to head over to see his wife in England and Oz, he's on the way, the captain gets on the intercom and tells him and says, "Hey, Horatio, "we're about to come up on the very spot "that your daughter's died. "If you want a minute, we'll stop the ship." In deep anguish and a deep trial, as he's lost his son, he's lost his fortune, he's lost his daughters. And he think there's no way that you're gonna have any peace. He writes what has now become one of the most beautiful hymns

of all time. He writes, "When peace, like a river, "attendeth my way, when sorrows like sea billows roll, "whatever my lot thou hast taught me to sing." And it's well, it is well with my soul. And my prayer over you is that no matter what lot has come your way and what trial you're going to right now, that you can say because I have the peace of God, that no matter what is against me, I truly have shalom, wholeness, nothing is missing, nothing is broken because my life is in his hands. - Well, thank you so much for watching Radio and Church YouTube channel. Don't forget, if you haven't already done so, subscribe to this channel. Right now, you can click the button so you don't miss anything. You can support the ministry by sharing this message with a friend or by clicking the give now button that you see on your screen, so that we can continue to see lives changed for Jesus. Thanks for watching, the best is yet to come. (upbeat music) (upbeat music)