Peace | Pastor Erin Peterson

before we jump into the series I want to take just a second to look into the camera welcome everybody who is joining us online online church family we love you we're grateful for you glad you're tuning in today online family if you are traveling and you're just away enjoy that time but we're so glad that you took time to tune into the Word of God today but if you're in the Jacksonville area we challenge you get to the house of God there is something special about gathering together in person so we hope to see you soon and then rise church can you put your hands together for the men and women joining us in the correctional facilities you are our church family and we are so glad that you're too you are tuning in today and from me personally lean in take some notes I believe that this is a message that God has for you today specifically and so this series juicy fruit I really do love this series and I know we say all the time up here like we're so excited and this is so great and all those things but like I have loved this series genuinely to me it's just a really simple honest straightforward series that that shares with us like when we have said yes to a relationship with Jesus we have the Holy Spirit living on the inside of us and he wants to grow and produce some things in us and and it's not our job to do it we don't have to cultivate it we don't have to produce it and trying to sustain it on our own it's actually the Holy Spirit doing the work within us he wants to produce some things in us and the Bible calls it fruit and the fruit is the evidence of our relationship with Christ or maybe the lack of our of our relationship with Christ the lack of us being rooted and growing with him at the moment and so all throughout this series we have used the verse Galatians 522 to kind of be our theme verse and our guide and here's what it says the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives love joy peace patience kindness goodness faithfulness gentleness and self-control and so if you've been with us for this series or maybe you're just joining us here you're hearing it for the first time some of you you've heard it a few times this fruit again is not something that that we're trying to muster up that we're trying to create on our own it is the it is the evidence it is God doing the work within us and so

when we spend time with Jesus he makes these things grow and happen on the inside of us and so we're gonna talk about one of those fruits specifically today before we get there my husband I want to tell you a little bit of a story here we just got back from traveling we spent a few days away together we don't get to do that very often but we were out of the country for a few days traveling and we had a great time but I was reminded this week as we were traveling through the airports and some international flights like travel stress is real I don't know if you travel a lot specifically through the airports but there is some real stress and anxiety that comes not not from the flights themselves like those are usually pretty great we didn't have very many issues at all smooth flights but getting in the door of the airport and getting on to the plane like that's where the stress and the chaos and the overwhelm and the fear and the panic and all of that comes into place because you've got to go through something which is called which is like security checkpoints right you got to go through TSA security if you're going international you've also got to stop through their customs process as well and so what I would like to tell these TSA agents and all the customs officers out there is like you just need to calm down can everybody calm down take a deep breath because you are stressing us out you're stressing us out here's the thing like it's a fun game they like to play I'm really convinced of it like sometimes you go through and you've got to take your belt off but other times you got to keep your belt on and if you take they're like put it back on you're doing the wrong thing sometimes you go through security and it's like take your shoes off and you're like okay and then other times nope same shoes the exact same shoes I wore on the plane before now I got to leave them on take them off leave them on it's a game that they're like they're they're messing with us I feel like right and so it's the stress and the anxiety of putting your things through the scanners and not setting off alarms and keeping up with all of your belongings and I'm kind of poking fun at those TSA officers and I know they have they have an important job it is very important and probably hard what they're trying to do

hurting hundreds of people through these lines and none of us know what we're doing really honestly but they make you feel like you're not moving fast enough like you're not doing the right thing and so they kind of stress some people out and so then you get to customs which we had to do and they you know you go and they're asking you all these questions where are you gonna go how long are you gonna be here you know are you on important business and I'm like I don't think so I'm just here to like sit by the beach they start questioning you like did you bring any an exotic plants or fruits and I'm like I don't think I did but now I'm worried that they're actually in my bag because you're questioning me you're making me nervous you're making me feel afraid pray like overwhelmed because of the whole process that you have to go through. And so whether you have flown recently and you've experienced all of that and you're like, listen, I don't do that for a reason and you just described it, you know what stress and anxiety and fear and being overwhelmed feels like in your life, right? It doesn't take the airport to do that for you. We experience those feelings, those emotions in our day to day life. You turn on the news for a hot second and you can feel that fear and that feeling of being overwhelmed. Social media platforms, the disunity, the dysfunction, sometimes it's just your own personal calendar, relationships in your own life that bring the stress and the chaos and the worry and the fear to your life. And so we know what that feels like.

And so today I'm so glad for the next few minutes that we get to talk about something. We get to talk about a fruit that is the direct opposite of all of those things. And so you can probably guess it. Today we are talking about the fruit of the spirit, peace. Peace is available to us. And so the world offers versions of peace which are great and are important and there's nothing wrong with any of them. When I think of peace or experiencing peace in this life for me, it's that first cup of coffee in the morning, those first few sips, the house is still quiet, the day hasn't ramped up yet, and that feels peaceful and it feels relaxing to me. For you, maybe peace feels like the end of your day, right? Where the day is done, the house is quiet, the kids are in bed, come on mamas, the sink is empty, the dishes are done, and you have that moment where you can just like, ooh, it's that rest and relaxation, right? Students, if you're in the house, I know it's summertime, but peace for you, it can feel like all of the assignments have been turned in, the big test is over with, and for just a little bit, you can do the things that you wanna do. You can scroll TikTok and it's guilt-free for a little bit because you don't have anything else that is pressing on you.

That summer vacation that you just took or you're about to take can feel peaceful and restful. Nothing wrong with any of those things. Do them, enjoy them. It's a little slice of heaven here on earth. But the point of today is to talk about what the Bible says about real, true, lasting peace because there are seasons, there are moments, there are times in your life where things don't feel restful. They don't feel calm, the schedule is not, you can't even get that first sip of coffee in the morning. You gotta take it with you on your way out the door because it is go, go, go. Finances are tight, you've been up all night with worry and anxiety over the diagnosis or whatever it is. There are times in life where it's like, well, how do I actually get to peace now? In the book of John, Jesus is talking to his disciples and we're gonna go to John 14 in just a second here. In this chapter, John 14, Jesus is speaking with his disciples and he's telling them like, hey, I've been with you up until now on this earth with you in the flesh but I'm about to leave earth and I'm gonna go to heaven. And for his disciples, they're like, wait a minute, hold up. That began to produce fear and anxiety and worry and all of those emotions that we just talked about. And so Jesus says these words to kind of calm and soothe his disciples.

John 14, 27, he says these words. Peace I leave with you, my peace I give you. And I'll stop there for just a second because some commentary that I read on this verses as I was studying and preparing actually says that this peace that Jesus is talking about, it means total well-being and rest for your spirit. I'll let that sink in for a second. Total well-being and rest for your spirit. That is better than a cup of coffee. That is better than an empty sink at the end of the night. This is a different kind of peace than we are offered from the world. He goes on, he says, 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. So the world gives us things that are peaceful, but here Jesus says he offers us something even better. And so this message today, it's gonna be simple. Right to the point. If you're taking notes, you can write down point number one is true peace comes from Jesus. And I only have two points, so make sure you write it down. True peace comes from Jesus. This is where we find true peace. Jesus continues talking with his disciples. In the book of John, the conversation is just continuing and we get to John 13, 33, and here's also what he says to them.

I have told you these things so that in me, you may have peace. In this world, you will have trouble. But take heart. I have overcome the world Amen. Amen. I will say I read this verse and as I was preparing I was like, well, hold on Jesus like which one is it? Do I get to experience your peace in the world or am I gonna have trouble in this world? Because you said them both in the same verse and the answer is yes The answer is yes and both and we get them both and I would say, you know What trouble feels like so this part of the verse where it says in this world, you will have trouble you're like, yep confirmed I know that I've experienced it But feeling that peace that inner rest for your soul that of that part of the verse that part probably feels a little bit less Familiar than we would like it to and so I want us to talk through how do we access that piece? How do we tap into it and we're gonna get really really practical today. And so I hope you're ready Paul gives us the answer to accessing the peace of Jesus in the book of Philippians chapter 4 That's where I'm going next but to set it up for you today give to give you a little bit of context to these verses Paul is actually writing from prison He is bound in prison and I don't know if there's bougie prisons around the world But I know where Paul is. This isn't it He is his life is hard It is rough and he is still able to write to the church and it is a word for us today of how we get To peace in the middle of trouble. Here's what he says Philippians 4 6 & 7 Paul writes from prison 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 your minds in Christ Jesus So I'm a pretty practical person in life like for every, you know situation for every product for every anything that comes into my house Any situation I want to know like how's this gonna work in real life? Is this really gonna be useful? Is this really gonna be helpful? If not, it needs to go. I don't have time for it So I love that that Paul gets really practical here in this verse I feel like he is giving us a roadmap like literally in this verse from our problem to God's peace

What do we do? How do we get there? Your problem can be different It's gonna be different today than it is tomorrow in a certain season and another season your problem can be a diagnosis It can be finances. It can be a relationship. It can be you name it You know what problems feel like and usually when we have a problem in our life We're heading into a problem in the middle of one There's usually a physical response that our body feels when we encounter a problem and track with me There is something you're stepping into and you feel that fear you feel that worry you feel that sense of overwhelm Sometimes our chest gets a little tight and it's like I can't even take a full deep breath, right? for others of you Maybe when you encounter that problem you start to get like the knots in your stomach and you just feel uneasy You feel a little bit queasy feel a little bit nervous Some of you it feels like there's just a weight on you for whatever the problem is You're feeling it physically in your body when you feel those things I want us to tea I want to teach you today how to use them how to move you towards peace So you feel those feelings in your body and they're not wrong There are emotions that God has given us that it's not sin to feel those things, right? But we can start to use those as a red flag as an indicator to us like oh, there's a problem How do I move towards the peace of God in the middle of that? So we feel those feelings and then here's what we're going to do practically. We're gonna put it into play I feel like Paul's given us three simple steps, right? If you want three simple steps to overcome whatever to get towards peace here it is for you and you're like well That sounds too good to be true. Don't argue with me. I didn't make it up. I'm just I'm just delivering it to you today So here's how we're gonna move towards peace. We're gonna follow these steps number one It says by prayer and petition. So for us that means we're gonna pray by prayer and petition We are going to pray when we feel those problems rise up within us. How do I get to the peace of God? I'm gonna pray and come on church. That just means talking to God Prayer does not have to be complicated hear me today Prayer is talking to God and it can be out loud. It can be in your heart Talk to God

When you start that conversation with your father You are tapping into access to the one true God And if you know him and if you are a follower of him, you have his Holy Spirit on the inside of you He is with you always but there is something special about Specifically tapping into your relationship with him through prayer. So we're going to pray it doesn't have to be Be fancy. It can be long, it can be short, but prayer is powerful. And like I said, it is access to the Father. If you're not used to praying, I'm gonna be really honest with you. It's gonna feel weird the first few times you do it. You're like, wait, am I doing this right? Are people making fun of me? If out loud, they might be. So just kinda watch out where you're doing it. But if it's not comfortable and familiar to you, it will be. So stick with it. Tap into your prayer relationship with your Father. It is acknowledging that, God, I can't do this on my own. I need your help. And he wants to hear from us. So we get to pray. And when we pray, the second thing it says is that we get to be thankful. The verse actually uses the word with thanksgiving. So we're going to let some gratitude rise up within us. We feel those feelings, we encounter a problem. We're gonna stop and pray. And we're gonna tap into our relationship with Jesus. And on purpose, we're gonna let gratitude start rising up

from our hearts, from our minds, from our lips even. And here's what that gratitude does. Here's what that thankfulness does. It shifts our perspective from like, this is a big thing right now, God. But I'm remembering on purpose where you were faithful in the past, where I could trust you in the past. And it means you are with me in the present and you've got control of my future as well. And so gratitude shifts our minds and our hearts from how big the problem is to now how big our God is. And so gratitude is powerful. And we practice that on purpose for a reason because it changes some things within us from the inside out. It shifts our perspective. So we wanna pray and we wanna be thankful. And the number three of this process, we're gonna ask. We're gonna ask, the verse says to present your request. That's a fancy way to say ask. Tell God what you need. Tell him what you need. He wants to hear from you. Now he's not a genie in a bottle waiting to pop out and just magically answer whatever it is that you're asking of him. But the scripture does say that he cares for the lilies of the field and the birds of the air. And how much more does he care for his children?

And he wants to take care of you too. So tell him what you need. It might sound like God finances are so tight right now. We didn't expect X, Y, and Z to happen. And now I don't know how we're gonna make ends meet. God, we need your supernatural provision. God, would you provide for our family? Asking God for what you need. It could be like, hey, we've got a really big decision to make here coming up. And I don't know which way to go, God. Would you give us wisdom? Would you give us instruction on the path to take? Tell him what you need. He wants to hear from you. He is a good father who wants to give good gifts to his children. Tell him what you need. And when we have done these things, when we have entered into prayer, we have let gratitude rise, when we have told God what we need, there is a promise on the other side of these verses. We get to verse seven. It is a promise that we can cling to. Here's what it says. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. This verse did not say, I pray and I was thankful and I told God what I need.

And now everything has changed. All my problems are solved. That's not what I wish. That's not what this verse is saying. But it does say the promise is that peace is available to you in the middle of whatever that promise is. And I'm telling you, you want to grab hold of that peace. Grab hold of that peace that is available to you. One of my daughters has a medical condition that sometimes is stable, sometimes very stable. And then in other seasons and other days and weeks, whatever it might be, we experience a lot of problems and a lot of adjustments need to be made. And so she has alarms that will go off and those alarms tell us like, we need to make some adjustments to her medications. The alarms sometimes let us know that we need to make adjustments to the medical devices that she wears. And so these go off during the day. A lot of times the alarms go off during the night, just due to the nature of her illness. I wish I could say that these things don't happen often, but our reality is, is we're tackling these things multiple times a week, sometimes multiple times a day. And in every single one of those instances, every single time one of those alarms go off, we can feel the anxiety, we can feel the fear, we can feel the sense of overwhelm, overwhelmingness that comes with those situations. And I have a choice in those moments.

My daughter has a choice, my husband has a choice. We can choose to go the fear and panic route, right? And that's not, you know, it's not a bad thing. Again, that's a natural response to a troubling issue. We can go that route. We can feel the like, oh no, this is happening again, and kind of do the spiral. Woe is me depression route again. It's real. We've done all of those things. None of them are helpful or In those moments, which we have learned to do we can go that Philippians 4 three-step process route And it can look like this an alarm goes off and I can feel the fear I can immediately go in prayer access to my heavenly father and it's quick and I'm telling you this because I want you to know How simple and fast it can be to put into place and so it sounds like hey God, it's me again God We need you again in this moment. Would you help God with some gratitude rising God? You have been so faithful every single one of these times you are faithful to help and to restore help to her body God Thank you that you love my kid even more than I do and that you know her body so well and then I can ask Right. Hey God, would you give us wisdom on what medications need to be adjusted right now? What what we need to do to help bring her back into health I do not have time in those moments to hit my knees and go full Dissertation mode in front of the Lord. I just put it quickly into practice. And here's what I've done I've brought the God of the universe into the situation the God of the universe into my problem right there in that moment And you know what doesn't happen Her medical situation doesn't just disappear Her problems are not just solved instantly yours are not going to be either But what does happen is there is a peace there is a unwavering Calm in our soul and in our spirit that we are able to tap into in a moment from my problem to God's peace through this process and Your situation is different your challenges are different your fears are different But I am challenging you today put this into action and watch him work Watch him move watch him move you towards peace Peace is not pretending that everything's okay. It's not that fake like I'm fine. It's fine. We're good

That's not peace. That's fake. That's not helpful to anybody real peace is Confidence that God is there and he is working and he is moving on our behalf in the middle of whatever that storm is Let me say really quickly I am aware in this room and watching online there are real medical diagnosed Situations that people deal with Surrounding fear and panic and anxiety and depression and all of those things It is real and if you are under the care of a doctor or a therapist or you're on medication Praise God for those things. Please keep doing what your doctor what your therapist has advised you to do We believe there is wisdom that God gives people in our lives that help us through the really challenging tough stuff What I'm saying to you keep doing all of those things But what we talked about today this three-step process is Philippians 4 6 & 7 This is another tool that you can add to your tool belt another resource that you can use and I believe that God is going to Be faithful to help you use it and help move you towards peace as well Not all of us in this room have those those diagnosed medical situations. That would probably be the minority So for the others of us and it's not a diagnosis that we have I do want to step on your toes a little bit today And if you were here a couple of weeks ago pastor Adam used that phrase like we just don't want to step on your toes Like yes, I do. It was already in my notes. So I get to say the phrase We do want to step on your toes a little bit. Here's what I mean by that I'm not just joking around because I do mean it and the point of pastor I'm like, he's like we want to get to your heart and I do too Some of us in this room We are so used to functioning and living and stress and chaos and anxiety and fear It's become part of who we are that peace at this point that actually feels uncomfortable to you You're like I would be worried that I'm not doing enough and that I'm not trying hard enough peace actually feels Uncomfortable because you like that control that worry and stress and anxiety Offers you I Say offers because the enemy is really lying to you

If you are living constantly in that the enemy is lying to you and Jesus is offering you something so much better There's another way you do not have to live freaked out and stressed out because as believers Supernatural peace is available to us and it is for us. It is beautiful for us to live in that freedom So it is it is a fruit that we should have in our life for us But it is also for others so we can give the peace of Jesus away To others and so I'm moving to point number two and I promise to make it quick point number two. We are ambassadors of peace Ambassador is a word that God just burned on my heart as I was prepping for this message at my daughter's high school I've got two who that are still in high school, at their school they are super big on student-led leadership positions. And so one of the positions that you can apply for and hold at their high school is called an Eagle Ambassador. And the job of the Eagle Ambassadors are, they host things on campus, they make peers feel welcome. It is actually their role when a prospective family who is touring the school, thinking about sending their kid there, they're the ones that meet and connect and give the tours to these families. It is their job to be the representative of the school. And so, of course, these kids are not employed by the school, they are just regular kids who applied and were deemed worthy to represent the values and the culture and the mission of that school. And so a representative is just that. They draw you in, they offer up what they have, and then it is your job to decide, like, do you want that too?

Like, do you wanna buy into what they're selling, so to speak? And it was that Eagle Ambassador, when we toured as a family a long time ago, I was like, this kid is so impressive. Like, if this is what the school can offer, then yes, sign me up. I was drawn in to that. And so we are not Eagle Ambassadors at a local high school in this room, but I want us to come around the idea today. Come on, church. If we are born-again believers, we've said yes to our relationship with Jesus. Second Corinthians 5.20 literally says these words, that we are ambassadors of Christ. An ambassador of Christ, a representative of what Jesus stands for. And today, specifically, as we're considering the word peace and the fruit of peace, we get to be an ambassador of the peace of Jesus to every situation that we step into. Romans 14.19 says, let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace. And so I wanna teach you to tap in to doing what leads you personally towards peace. You feel that problem. The grief is heavy. The situation is bleak.

Move through the process to get you towards peace. Pastor Jonathan can join me on the stage. Make every effort to access the peace of Jesus for you, but also for others. Here's what I know. The world does not need you to enter in with all of your drama and all of your stress and all of your panic and all of your worry and to bring that into the circles and the situations that you walk into. They've got enough of that. They need the peace of God to be so full in your life that when you walk into your home, you're actually the calm and the steadiness for your spouse and for your children and for your friends and whatever that looks like. And they know that you are where peace is found because you have Jesus on the inside of you, right? When you have the peace of Jesus, when you are an ambassador and a carrier of that peace at work, now you're the steady person on the team. You're the one that can offer wisdom and wise counsel because you've got the peace of Jesus living and reigning on the inside of you in your friendships when you're the carrier of peace. Now you're not the one bringing drama and dysfunction. You're actually bringing encouragement and love to the people who are around you. And so as that peace grows within you,

people start to realize like, hey, there's something different about you. And I want that too. Like you don't escalate drama, you diffuse it. You bring calm and clarity to the situation and that is the opportunity that we have to be carriers of peace into every situation that we walk into. But you cannot be a representative of peace if you're not connected to the prince of peace. You cannot usher in the peace of God if you're not first receiving and living and walking in the peace of God that is available to you. And so I want us to do, to make every effort to move towards peace so that we can experience it fully and so that we can help to give that away to others that God has placed in our life as well. And so here's what we're gonna do. For the next few minutes, I'm gonna invite our prayer team down front here. And our prayer team is gonna be available to you. Some of you today, you're like, well, I want peace, but gosh, I've never said yes. I don't even really know if I've said yes to a relationship with Jesus today. That is step one for you. And this team, they would love to receive you. They would love to talk with you through that. Some of you in this room, the stress has been loud.

The fear has been loud. You have been living in grief. You have been overwhelmed. And all of that is just, it is just swirling in your mind like a tornado in your life. And I'm telling you, come down today, receive some prayer. Peace, the peace of God is. available to you and we tap into it, number one, through prayer. And this team is for you and available to you. So would you do me a favor, why don't we stand to our feet? Pastor Jonathan's gonna lead us in a couple of verses here. This prayer team would love to receive you at this point, but let's sing and ask Jesus to work in our heart to move us towards peace this morning. ♪ And the angels cry holy ♪ ♪ Holy our creation Christ ♪ ♪ Holy you are lifted high ♪ ♪ Holy holy forever ♪ ♪ Hear your people, hear your people sing ♪ ♪ Holy to the king of kings ♪ ♪ Holy you will always be holy ♪ ♪ Holy forever ♪ Oh, you sing, hear your people sing, Lord. ♪ Hear your people sing holy to the king of kings ♪ ♪ Holy you will always be holy ♪ ♪ Holy forever ♪ Let me pray for us as a group.

Father, thank you, God, that you are a God who offers us peace in the middle of our troubles, God, in the middle of our storms, God. You are still there. You are an ever-present help in time of trouble, God, and we can run to you, Father. You wanna hear from us, God? You're a good father, Jesus. And so today, God, some of us in this room, I just believe, God, that you are calling some of us to lay down and not carry out some of the things that you're asking us to put at your feet today, to trust you with God, to run to you with God. So we surrender that to you today, God, believing that you are powerful and you are able and you are present to step into the middle of it, Jesus. God, thank you that you offer us freedom and peace, and it is found in you, God. It is different than what the world has to offer, God. So would we tap into, would we make every effort to move towards peace, God, for us personally? God, but to be a light and to be an ambassador, Jesus, of your peace to this world and to others around us, God. And so we pray all of this in your name. Amen? Amen. Amen, amen. Hey, Rice Church, can you put your hands together for the word of God in this house this morning,

believing that he's planted a seed, deposited a seed in some of your hearts, and maybe for the very first time you're grabbing hold of peace that you haven't experienced in a very long time. Don't walk out of these doors and let the enemy snatch what God has started within you today. But we love you. I'm giving you the invitation. We hope to see you Wednesday night for prayer and worship, starting at 6.30. Rise, students, young adults. We love you, Rice Church. Have a great rest of your day. You're dismissed.