Fruit of the Spirit ~ Peace

If there is one fruit of the spirit that God is anxious for us to experience today it is His peace. In the midst of so much uncertainty and anxiety in the world, God does not want us to be burdened, stressed out and afraid, God wants us to experience lasting peace. In John 14 we find Jesus getting ready to leave his disciples and he knows that they are going to experience some difficult times and what Jesus wants his disciples to know is that during this time of uncertainty they do not need to be worried or afraid because the peace of God would be there for them. Jesus was giving it to them as a gift. Before Jesus leaves his disciples, he says, Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you, I do not give to as the world gives, so do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. I believe this is what God still says to us today, My peace I give to you and I don’t give as the world gives, so do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

Now one of the first things we notice about the peace God offers is that it is different from anything and everything the world has to offer. Any help the word offers during stressful times will be temporary, it might help for a day or two, a week or two or even longer, but in the long run, it will not last. Any peace offered to us by the world will not hold up when things get more difficult, but God’s peace will. God’s peace not only holds up under pressure - it lasts forever. More than any other fruit of the Spirit, it is the peace of God that Jesus wanted his disciples to experience and we see that not just because it was the gift Jesus gave before he was crucified, it is also the first gift given when Jesus appears after his resurrection. When Jesus first appears to his disciples on that resurrection day, his first words are, Peace be with you. Of all the things that Jesus could have said at that moment, he chose to offer them the gift of peace, not once, but twice. Jesus wants his disciples then, and God wants us today to experience the blessing of peace.

But what is this peace? The Old Testament word for peace is the Hebrew word Shalom which doesn’t mean the absence of conflict, it means fullness or being complete, and the New Testament word for peace is the Greek word Eirene which means unity and harmony in a relationship. In this case peace means being one with God. So the kind of peace we are talking about is not the absence of war, it is the fullness of God that comes when we are one with God. This peace with God or fullness of God is made possible through Jesus. In Colossians 1:20 it says it is through Jesus that God reconciled to himself all things, by making peace through his blood shed on the cross. It is through the blood of Jesus, or the death and resurrection of Jesus, that we experience peace with God. It is the sacrifice of Jesus, his blood shed on the cross, that brings us into a right relationship with God so we can experience God’s fullness, and if the fullness of God’s power and love is at work within us, then there really is nothing for us to fear or be anxious about. If God is for us and if God is with us and the power of God is within us, then we can experience God’s peace because we can overcome all things. Romans 8:31-39.

So the peace God wants for us is found when we know that the fullness of God brings God’s power and strength into our lives to help us in times of need. A great example of what this peace looks like is found in Mark 4:35-41.

So in the midst of a raging storm we find Jesus sleeping peacefully. He is not worried about the storm or anxious about the waves. Even as water crashed down upon them and fills the boat in which they are sailing, Jesus is so peaceful that he is sleeping in the back of the boat with his head on a pillow. I love how Mark adds the detail of the pillow because it drives home this image of Jesus at peace even as the storms rage around him. But how can Jesus be so calm and unafraid in the midst of a dangerous storm? Where does this peace come from? Jesus is at peace because he is full of God and he knows that with God’s fullness comes God’s power. Jesus knows that with just a word he can command the wind and the waves to stop. Because Jesus is full of God spirit he is also full of God’s power and it is that power that brings Jesus confidence or peace even in the midst of a storm.
Now the power of God working in us may not calm the actual wind and waves, but the power of God can calm our hearts and minds when we face difficult situations. When we struggle through economic uncertainty or the loss of a job, we can be at peace because we know the power of God will be working to provide for our needs. When we face problems in relationships, we do not need to be troubled or afraid because the power of God is at work bringing opportunities for reconciliation and restoration. When we face the uncertainty of sickness and disease, the fullness of God gives us the power to walk through those times with strength because we know that God will bring healing and wholeness into our lives. It may not come the way we want, or at the time we want, or even in this world, but we know that the power and the love of God brings wholeness and life.

So God’s peace comes when we understand that the power of God is available to us, but God’s peace also comes when we know that our future is securely in God’s hands. We can see this from another peaceful moment in the life of Jesus. Mark 14:32-42.

While the picture we see of Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane is actually one full of anxiety and stress, the peace we see in Jesus comes from this moment forward. As soon as Jesus gets up from his time of prayer we see a man at peace – from this moment on Jesus is never anxious or afraid. As we follow Jesus during the last 12 hours of his life, we see that he never loses his cool and he never appears worried. When he is betrayed by his friend – Jesus doesn’t get upset. When he is unjustly accused at his trial Jesus isn’t worried. When he is beaten and flogged for crimes he didn’t commit, and then nailed to the cross he never seems burdened o afraid. The picture we get of Jesus during his final hours is of a man who is not troubled or afraid and the reason Jesus experiences such peace is because he knows that no matter what happens to him, his future is secure in the hands of God. Jesus knows there will be a resurrection so it doesn’t matter what happens around him.

I think we learn two important lessons about peace from this story of Jesus in the garden. The first is that we can experience God’s peace if we will remember that God has our future securely in his hands and if we remember that God’s future for us is always good. Jesus knew that the final outcome of the cross was going to be an empty tomb, a resurrection. Several times Jesus said that he would be crucified but then rise again in three days. Jesus knew that death would not have the final say and so he could be at peace even as he carried the cross and breathed his last breath. No matter what situation Jesus found himself in, from the storms of the sea to carrying a cross, Jesus could be at peace because he knew that his future was in God’s hands and he knew that God always gets the victory.

If our faith and trust is in God, then we will also get the victory. Isn’t that what we heard from Romans 8? There is nothing can separate us from the love God in Christ Jesus our Lord. The final outcome of sickness, unemployment, broken relationships, shattered dreams, the grip of addictions, the fear of failure, even death itself is that we will be with God forever. Nothing can separate us from the love of God. Nothing can separate us from the eternal life that is ours through Jesus Christ. As long as we keep our faith and trust in God, as long as we remain connected to the vine, we can be confident and secure that our future is in God’s hands, and God always gets the final victory. Things may not happen the way we think they should, or the way we want them to, but in the end, God always wins and if our faith and trust is in God, we will win as well.

One of the great things about our faith is that we know the final outcome. We can turn to the end of the book and see that in all things God really does win. Look at Rev. 21:3-7 and Rev. 22:1-5. In the end – God wins. There are battles that come, difficult times to endure and hardships to suffer through, but in the end, God is victorious and so are we. Because Jesus knew that God had the final victory over death, he was able to be at peace even as he hung on a cross and died. If we will remember that God has the final victory in our own lives then no matter what we go through, we can also experience God’s peace, a peace that passes our understanding, a peace that the world will never understand, and peace that will last all the way through eternity.

Now just so you don’t think this kind of peace is only reserved for Jesus, let’s look a story about one of the disciples who also experienced this powerful peace of God. In Acts 12 we find Peter being held as a prisoner after being arrested by King Herod. Herod had already executed James, the brother of John, and he now was planning on killing Peter. Peter was chained up between two guards waiting for his trial and execution, and if it had been me, I would have been a little bit troubled, but listen to what it says about Peter. Acts 12:6-7.

Peter is not only facing the greatest danger of his life, but certainly being chained between two guards can not be the most comfortable place to be, and yet here is Peter sound asleep. In fact, he is so peaceful that when the angel of the Lord comes in all of his power, the light and the glory of heaven doesn’t even wake Peter, the angel has to strike Peter on the side to wake him up – did you notice that? Again what a great little detail to add to the story. Just like Jesus sleeping with his head on pillow, this detail is given to shows us just how peaceful Peter is. Peter is so calm and confident that he is able to sleep even with his execution looming in front of him. Just like Jesus, Peter is confident in God’s power and he knows that no matter what happens his future is secure in God’s hands. This is the kind of peace that is available to us no matter what we are going through and it come, the power of God and the assurance that God has our victorious future in his hands, comes when we stay connected to God and allow God’s spirit to flow through us.

If we aren’t experiencing this kind of peace in our lives today, how can we get it? How do we stay connected to God in such a way that this fruit of the spirit will develop and mature in our hearts and lives? The answer comes by going back to the story of Jesus in the garden. What is it that Jesus is doing before he comes to a place of deep and abiding peace? What is Jesus doing that calms his heart and gives his life focus? He is praying.

Prayer is the key to experiencing God’s peace because prayer helps us stay connected to God and as we stay connected to God, as we stay in relationship with God, God’s power in us grows. Prayer also reminds us that God is in control of our lives and God always brings us victory. So prayer is the key to experiencing God’s peace, which is what the prophet Isaiah said. Look at Isaiah 26:3-4.

Perfect peace comes when we hold steadfast to the power of God and that happens during times of prayer. During his own time of prayer in the garden of Gethsemane, Jesus was holding steadfast to the power of God and the end result was Gods peace. Looking to God in prayer and trusting that God’s strength will be there when we need it is the key to finding a peace that will last. So let us find God’s peace for our lives, let us hold steadfast to the power of God and remember that with God there is always victory and life.