By Their Fruits - Part 3: Peace - Nick Sisco

if this is your first time joining this series this is part three and two weeks ago pastor jack started this series i was actually away with my family traveling but i watched this series and the opening and pastor jack reminded us in that first lesson that our lives are a testimony to those around us and then another powerful statement that he made was gifts show your ministry fruit shows your maturity gifts show your ministry fruit shows your maturity and i've been enjoying this series last week sister lehman taught on the subject of joy and she mentioned that joy is a relationship that does not come from receiving but it comes from giving and i want to be a giver so i can experience the joy of the lord in my life and as pastor matt mentioned this third part will focus on peace now this third aspect of the fruit of the spirit it's not something that you create you don't create this peace that we're going to talk about tonight you actually receive this peace and then you release this peace and this happens when you submit your lives to the working of god's spirit in god's word and so let's get into this topic tonight and start with our key scripture found in galatians chapter 5 verse 23 or 22 and 23 but when the holy spirit controls our lives his fruit he will produce this kind of fruit in us love joy peace patience kindness goodness faithfulness gentleness and self-control there is no law against these things now i'm sure you've noticed as i have there's been a shift in the weather lately it's getting a little cooler and it seems like fall is setting in soon it will be thanksgiving and before you know it we will be entering the season of the year when christmas cards will be circulating whether that's digitally or the hard copy but it will be bearing the greeting peace on earth now with the current world events that we have been witnessing the last few months that greeting seems absurd i mean not only do we lack peace between nations but we lack peace within ourselves there's a lot of people today desiring longing for peace there was a study done and actually a group of people in 1960 that predicted the future advantages of technology now they felt the biggest challenge to the future would be boredom now that's kind of funny for us to think about but this group in the 60s believed that the time-saving technologies would increase productivity and they informed a u.s senate subcommittee that by 1985 people would work about 22 hours a week 27 weeks a year and would retire at the age of 38. now we listen and hear those numbers and we laugh because i don't think most people are retiring at the age of 38. the reality is this the average husband and wife unit is currently working between 90 and 100 hours a week families are taking a heavy toll not from boredom but from the stresses of life that leave them exhausted and so the question that's being asked in the midst of the stress and the pressure that we face from day to day is how do you experience peace in a stress-filled modern life well i think we need to first define peace because some define peace as the absence of tension and conflict now this actually puzzles people if they are defining peace as the absence of tension or conflict when the arabs greet one another with salam and the jews greet one another with shalom both meaning peace and then they go right on fighting we wonder hey how are you saying salam and shalom and fighting well when you understand that the ancient words for peace do not mean the absence of tension or conflict but rather the tranquility of order in other words there may be chaos all around us but the believer with god's spirit inside of them remains at peace because there is order in his or her life jesus in john chapter 16 verse 33 said these things i have spoken unto you that in me ye might have peace notice the focus not the things around but when your life is in christ you will have peace jesus continues by saying in the world ye shall have tribulation but be of good cheer i have overcome the world and what we're going to do right now is look at three applications of peace in the believer's life the first application is peace with god now as spirit-filled believers we have the spirit of christ within us but we must submit to the holy spirit's work in our lives if we are going to produce the fruit or the results that come from his spirit obedience to god's word and god's spirit is what brings order and peace with god paul wrote in romans chapter 5 verse 1 therefore being justified by faith we have peace with god through our lord jesus christ peace with god is not something you create it's not something you work for it's something you receive and then it's something that you release so this kind of peace is a sense of spiritual order you can say it is well with my soul i have peace with god if i were to die today i'm at peace with a god and i know that i will see him but there's something that will disrupt your peace with god as a believer and that is disobedience disobedience always brings a feeling of disorder to your life but if you want to have peace with god then you must be in submission to god's spirit and to god's word the second application of peace in the believer's life is peace of god now with peace with god that we just looked at disobedience will affect that spiritual order but when it comes to the second application peace of god it's difficulties that actually bring a feeling of disorder to your life if you look at them through the wrong perspective in philippians chapter 4 verse 6 and 7 paul says be careful of nothing but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to god and then there's an amazing promise here and the peace of god which passeth all understanding shall keep your hearts and minds through christ jesus notice that the peace of god will keep your hearts and minds in other words it will protect your emotions and your intellect this kind of peace is a sense of psychological order god says look i'm going to protect both your hearts and your minds but if you're going to rise above the difficulties that will descend on you from time to time you must have the right perspective and it's god's word that gives us the right perspective let's look at three verses beginning with isaiah chapter 26 verse 3 thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on thee because he trusteth in thee psalm 4 verse 8 and the new living translation says in peace i will lie down and sleep for you alone o lord will keep me safe if you want to experience the peace that has a sense of a psychological order you've got to have the right perspective and that comes from the word of god psalm 119 verse 165 says great peace for those of you watching i want you to repeat those words tonight say it out loud great peace the psalmist said great peace have they which love thy law and nothing shall offend them another translation says nothing will cause them to stumble there's going to be difficulties that come in your life but when you have the right perspective difficulties will not destroy god's tranquility of order in your life just as long as your life is in christ yes there may be chaos all around you but when you have the peace of god it passes all understanding god's spirit in god's word will protect your emotions and your intellect but you must choose to interact with god through prayer and his word that's why we read in philippians 4 verse 6 and 7 be careful for nothing in other words there's no restriction on prayer we don't have to worry about running out oh man there's a limitation on prayer no be careful for nothing but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your request allow your request to be made known unto god and then something supernatural happens god says the peace of god which passeth all understanding shall keep your hearts and minds through christ jesus i want the peace of god in my life every day and so i'm going to be careful for nothing but i'm going to take my concerns to god casting all my cares upon him knowing that god cares for me and god cares for you the third application of peace in the believer's life is peace on earth in luke chapter 2 verse 24 an incredible declaration was made glory to god in the highest and on earth peace good will towards men the angels made this announcement at the birth of jesus peace on earth now that's an interesting statement in that setting because the romans were occupying israel at that time and they were ruling the then known world but in the midst of the tension and the conflict the prince of peace was born amidst the oppression and the chaos the god of order manifested himself in flesh the world would never be the same the tranquility of order had arrived in the middle of tension and conflict and so the angels declared peace on earth this kind of peace is a sense of relational order now what affects relational order is differences differences with others can bring a feeling of disorder to your life if you look at them with the wrong perspective but if you have the right outlook the right perspective then you can have this sense of relational order it's the peace on earth that comes through the word of god and the spirit of god and since relationships is really where you and i live out our everyday lives i want to talk about what a person who is filled with the spirit of god looks like how should a spirit-filled believer act now remember when it comes to the fruit of the spirit it's not something that we produce or create or create with our own strength no it's the result of the spirit's work in our lives proverbs 29 verse 8 in the living bible says fools start fights everywhere wise men try to keep the peace the next verse is one of my favorite verses but also one of my greatest challenges to live up to but jesus in teaching on the sermon on the mount says in matthew chapter 5 verse 9 blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called the children of god we all want to be called god's children but here we're reminded if you want to be called children of god you need to be peace makers and there is a big difference between peacemakers and peacekeepers we understand that the military arm of the un is designed as a peacekeeping force there can be countries in the world where there's a lot of tension there's conflict and so the u.n goes in there and their assignment is keep the peace you don't engage them just keep this from blowing up be a peace keeper jesus did not say blessed are the peacekeepers no jesus said blessed are the peace makers in other words through the spirit's work in our lives god has empowered us and expects us to go into a hostile environment into a tense situation and make peace when we do that jesus said you're blessed and you will be called my children you see peace is not the absence of tension or conflict but rather the tranquility of order you will never achieve peace by avoiding the problem or appeasing the problem a peacemaker does not avoid the problem unresolved conflict is really like termites in a relationship if you have a foundation and there's wood there and there's termites under the ground you may not see them someone may tell you you better be careful i think there's termites under there well i don't want to be bothered with that well if you don't worry yourself or if you don't focus in i'm just going to avoid that it can be a bit messy well eventually that problem's going to bring down your house it's the same in our relationships with each other pretending that a problem doesn't exist is not going to bring about any type of reconciliation it's going to result in a collapse of that relationship there's going to be destruction pretending that the problem doesn't exist is not peace making it's actually being a coward and jesus said blessed are the peace makers in other words believers are not to avoid problems but when you have peace with god and when you have the peace of god you are now positioned to experience peace on earth no matter what your differences may be you have the spirit of god within you you have god's word to empower you to go into a hostile environment or a situation and make peace appeasing the problem that will not achieve peace god does not expect you to be a doormat sometimes as followers of christ we think well if i push back against conflict or if i try to bring reconciliation uh well that's not being christ-like we're not designed to be doormats when you look at the life of jesus jesus never backed down from a legitimate issue you may remember the story in the gospel where jesus walked into the synagogue and they were buying and selling and they had animals there and they were exchanging money jesus did not avoid the problem he did not appease the problem the bible says that he turned over the tables of the money exchangers and he and he took a whip and he started beating them out of there and getting the animals out and he made a very strong statement with passion and conviction my house shall be called the house of prayer but you have made it a den of thieves peace at any price is not legitimate peace god expects us to be peace makers not peacekeepers you see when you swallow your feelings all the time your stomach's going to keep score you're going to have unwanted ulcers you're going to have stomach pains because you're internalizing everything and the body's going to actually respond but it will not be in a positive way so the question is how do we become peace makers if god says blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called the children of god how do we become a peacemaker i want to share with you an acronym from the word peace and every letter of this word peace will stand for a phrase and as we apply these phrases to our lives we will become peacemakers let's start with the first letter and that is p plan a peace conference plan a peace conference the reason most world peace conferences don't work is the same reason many relationships don't work someone has to be willing to make the first move it's kind of like you know two children and adults don't really do this shouldn't really do this but we do it just in a different way but you know two children have a disagreement and what happens their arms fold their lip puckers out they turn away from each other because they're mad and then if one catches the other looking at each other they just quickly turn the opposite way there's going to be no peace unless someone's willing to make the first move one of them says i'm sorry for hitting you or stealing your marbles or today would be breaking your uh controller with the ps4 or some other electronic but we have to be willing to make the first move in matthew chapter 5 verse 23 and 24 jesus speaks about this issue of taking the first step initiating don't wait for the other person but jesus says you're at church and if you are about to place your gift on the altar and remember that someone is angry with you now notice he doesn't say who's at fault here maybe that person has a right to be angry with you or maybe that person has misread your actions or your intentions and they're angry at you for no good reason it can go either way but the fact remains they're angry with you and you remember this jesus says leave your gift there in front of the altar make peace with that person then come back and offer your gift to god that's amazing jesus is simply saying plan a peace conference as a believer as a follower of christ you should always take the initiative in seeking peace whether you have been offended or you're the one who has offended someone else you need to take that initiative to seek peace why you may ask because the longer you wait to resolve or reconcile a relationship problem the bigger it gets peace how do you become a peacemaker plan a peace conference and now the letter e empathize with their feelings empathize with their feelings the second reason most world peace conferences don't work is that no one is willing to look at the problem from the other's perspective you've heard this statement before you can probably finish it it's my way or the highway this is the way i see it this is the way i'm going to do it i'm not considering or contemplating any other options if that's how we are there's not going to be any type of reconciliation in our relationships and so we can't experience peace on earth even though the tranquility of order is in us we're not submitted to the working of a spirit in us and so we can't produce that peace on earth that god desires us to experience as his children we must be able to see the other person's perspective now we don't have to agree with their perspective but we can acknowledge where they're coming from and what they are feeling in first peter chapter 3 verse 8 and the new living translation it says finally all of you should be of one mind full of sympathy toward each other now empathy is not the same as sympathy sympathy for feeling sorry for the person but empathy when you empathize with their feelings you have the ability to understand the feelings the emotions that they're feeling you are relating to what they're going through you're seeing it from their point of view and here we're told be full of sympathy toward each other loving one another with tender hearts and humble minds if there's going to be reconciliation in any relationship so we can experience peace on earth the first thing you need to do is listen because listening shows you care it's kind of like a boiling pot on the stove if it's boiling with hot water and you try to just keep that lid on there it's going to keep building pressure inside and it's kind of like a person where you have a disagreement and they want to talk but you won't allow them to talk a little bit move stop well you can try to stop them from talking but the pressure's going to build up on the inside and sooner or later there's going to be a mess there's going to be this explosion of words and emotions but if you'll just take the lid off or allow some of that pressure from inside that pot to be released by listening the conversation may go there the pressure was released they got all of that out it slowed down there's a pause and now you can talk what were you doing you may not have agreed with half of the stuff that came out of their mouth but you're just empathizing with their feelings why you're being a peace maker now the other side is that sometimes people will hurt you and it's painful and it's not right it's not justifiable there's nothing godly about what they're doing but you need to remember something hurting people hurt people and so you need to look beyond the hurt that you're receiving and ask yourself what is hurting this person that's causing them to hurt me remember that the gifts of the spirit show your ministry but the fruit of the spirit shows your maturity and so when we're able to look beyond those hurtful words and try to discern the cause and the source we're not justifying what they're saying we're not condoning what they're saying we're just trying to empathize with their feelings so we can make peace the third letter in that word peace is a attack the problem not the person this at times can be a challenge but in proverbs chapter 10 verse 10 we read people who wink at wrong cause trouble but a bold reproof promises peace and then in ephesians chapter 4 verse 15 in today's english version it says instead by speaking the truth in a spirit of love we must grow up in every way to christ who is the head speak the truth but speak it in love you can attack the problem not the person when you speak the truth you're being direct but you're not attacking someone's character you're leaving the person out you're focusing on the problem what is the issue at hand you know any time there's ongoing conflict somebody's hiding something i mean if there's two of you in a relationship and there's just an ongoing conflict i guarantee you somebody's hiding something because the bible tells us that the truth always sets you free and so if we will speak the truth and love we will be able to experience reconciliation but as you're being a peacemaker remember you are never persuasive when you're abrasive well i just needed to speak to that person strongly they needed to just come to their senses yeah maybe they did but you don't need to be abrasive you don't get points or you don't get your point across by being cross you've got to stop fixing the blame so you can start fixing the problem and so attack the problem not the person the letter c in peace the phrase that we're going to attach to that letter is this cooperate as much as possible cooperate as much as possible compromise is not a bad word compromise is not a sign of weakness compromise is essential in every healthy relationship so what you need to do is try to find a common ground in places where you can be flexible where you can cooperate as much as possible paul addresses this very point in romans chapter 12 verse 18 when he says if it be possible as much as lieth in you live peaceably with all men sometimes it's just not possible the other person is just not willing to compromise or cooperate at all but paul said if it's possible as much as lieth in you be as flexible as you can it will be a sign of your maturity allowing the fruit of the spirit to manifest itself in your life james chapter 3 verse 17 says but the wisdom that comes from from heaven is first of all pure it is also peace loving gentle at all times and willing to yield to others it is full of mercy and good deeds it shows no partiality and is always sincere that's the peace and the wisdom that comes from above it has been noted that more marriages die from inflexibility than from anything else more marriages die from inflexibility than from anything else dr paul tornier the author of to understand each other said so-called incompatibility is a myth invented by jurists in order to plead for divorce it is likewise just a common excuse people use just to hide their own failings misunderstandings and mistakes can be corrected where there is a willingness to do so that's the secret he goes on to say the problem is a lack of complete frankness now let me add right here frankness is not rudeness some people say well i was just being frank i was telling them the truth listen we just read earlier in ephesians chapter 4 verse 15 speak the truth in love and just because you're frank or direct doesn't mean you're rude there's never an excuse for rudeness when you love someone you respect someone you're not going to be rude with them dr paul poppino the director of the institute of family relations said i don't believe incompatibility exists almost any two people are compatible if they try to be notice the emphasis on cooperating as much as possible if both individuals in a relationship are committed to cooperating as much as possible to live with peace with one another it shall be well whether it's your marriage it's a partnership in business it's a friendship you just need to be willing to cooperate and finally the last letter of the word peace e emphasize reconciliation not resolution emphasize reconciliation not resolution now let me just quickly explain these two words because sometimes we are working for resolution when we should be working for reconciliation reconciliation means to reestablish a relationship something has severed that relationship and so reconciliation is required resolution on the other hand means to resolve every issue and you're just not going to do that there's no way for us to resolve every issue but you can agree to disagree you can actually disagree without being disagreeable you can have unity in a relationship without having uniformity you can walk hand and hand in a relationship without seeing eye to eye you can have reconciliation without having resolution of every difference if you're listening to this and you feel that you lack peace on earth you need to get back on track by emphasizing reconciliation rather than resolution there needs to be the re-establishment of that relationship not the resolution of every issue a very powerful verse that challenges every believer is found in second corinthians chapter 5 verse 18 and all things are of god who hath reconciled us to himself by jesus christ and hath given to us listen to this the ministry of reconciliation now ministry is an act or an in or a service done by an individual for the benefit of the body of christ an act or a service done by an individual for the benefit of the body of christ paul says god has given to every believer the ministry this is something you do it's the ministry of reconciliation god expects us to reestablish relationships as spirit-filled believers submitting to the word of god and the spirit of god we should not have broken relationships not if we're allowing the fruit of the spirit to mature in us and we release that through us for others to witness and experience reconciliation is a synonym for being a peacemaker when you attempt to be a peacemaker you are doing the work of god when you are restoring relationships you are doing the work of god and so i want to ask you a question who do you need to reconcile with today maybe it's a friend or a family member perhaps it's a colleague at work i don't know who it needs to be but i know this you cannot do it on your own strength human beings are incapable of sustaining the tranquility of order without help beyond themselves you cannot produce the fruit of the spirit without god's spirit we read it earlier i want to close with this verse in philippians chapter 4 verse 7 and the peace of god which passeth all understanding shall keep your hearts and minds through christ jesus three questions and then we will pray do you need peace with god for salvation how is it with your soul how is that sense of spiritual order the second question for your reflection tonight is this do you need the peace of god for a troubled mind is there difficulties that are currently in your life that you're not looking at them with the right perspective and so it is actually destabilizing this order in your life the psychological order you do not have peace intellectually or emotionally but god said if you'll bring it to me you can experience my peace for a troubled mind the third question do you need peace on earth for a troubled relationship is there any relationship right now that's coming to your mind that needs to be re-established reconciliation needs to take place no not resolution we're never going to actually experience a resolving of all issues that's humanly impossible but there can be reconciliation where we agree to walk together to be in unity but not uniformity to walk hand in hand even though we may not see eye to eye on every issue i want us to close with the word of prayer father i love you i thank you lord for the time that we've been able to spend together looking at your word and looking at this third aspect of the fruit of the spirit father i don't know where each individual that is listening to this bible study tonight is but i know that lord we need the application of peace in at least one or more areas of our lives because of the tension and the conflict that we live in then the tranquility of order that you desire for us to have can be destabilized and so father i pray right now for those who are not sure about their relationship with you lord give them peace with god right now lord if they need to make a decision i pray that they will reach out to this church that they will contact pastor jack or others and lord they'll take that step and be baptized in the wonderful name of jesus for the remission of their sins and they can open themselves up to receive the gift of the holy spirit i pray for those who may have a troubled mind right now lord let them experience the peace of god right now lord that peace that passes understanding i pray god for that sense of psychological order keep their hearts and minds i pray and lord for those that are having troubles in their relationships give them peace on earth allow them dear god to reach out to you right now and understand that they need to have the right perspective with the differences they may have with others so they can walk hand in hand even though they may not see eye to eye father thank you for your word thank you for the hope we have in your word and for the peace that we can experience and release to others through the power of your holy spirit we thank you for all this in jesus name amen god bless you thank you for being a part of ccc's midweek bible study by the great

Channel: Capital Community Church

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Keywords: capital, community, church, fredericton, nb, new, brunswick, canada, upc, upci, united, pentecostal, international, apostolic, sermon, preach, preaching, bible, study, teaching, bible study, nick, sisco, nick sisco, peace

Id: o00cAjiMvNw

Length: 45min 16sec (2716 seconds)

Published: Wed Sep 15 2021