(This sermon was preached a Epworth Chapel, Baltimore on 11/4/12, and is the fourth in a ten-part sermon series on the fruit of the Spirit)
"… the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.” (Galatians 5;22-23)
As we consider the world in which we live, and reflect upon our lives, we realize that we all live in the midst of trouble. Some of us may choose to deny that trouble exists, or we may even feel unaffected by its presence, but trouble is all around us.
And because of tumult and turmoil, we are a world – a people - in constant need of, and constantly searching for peace. The problem, when it comes to seeking peace, is that if the truth is really told, we do not really know what we are looking for.
Many of us think of peace like the schoolboy who was given an assignment to write a paper on the Quakers. The little boy handed in his report, which was very short. He wrote, “Quakers are very peaceful people. They never argue. My father is a Quaker, and my mother is not.”
Many of us, like the boy who wrote this essay have a very narrow view of what peace is.
I recently had a discussion with a man (of some faith) who shared with me that he had carried a gun for more than fifty years. Just about everywhere he went, he carried a gun with him. He said that he had even carried a gun into church on several occasions. Now in his seventies, the man shared with me, that one day he was convicted as though the Lord had personally spoken directly to him and said, “You don’t need the gun anymore… I will take care of you.”
So the man shared that he took the gun that he had been carrying around, unloaded it and put it away. He shared that a peace had come over him, that he realized God had really protected him all these years anyway, and that God would watch over him and take care of him in the days ahead.
Many of us have different views of what peace is. When we think of peace, all kinds of thoughts come to mind. We see bumper-stickers that say “Visualize World Peace,” of “Teach Peace,” of “Think Peace.”
And so the question for us today is how do we go about attaining peace in our lives? In the context of the rat-race and back-biting world in which we live, how can you and I find peace today? What is it about our faith – our Christian life – that helps us find peace today?
This is one of the matters that he apostle Paul was addressing here in his letter to the church at Galatia. Paul encouraged those in Galatia to walk in the Spirit. And when you walk in the Spirit, you are going to be walking in peace. He said that the fruit of the spirit is …peace….
What was Paul saying to the church? When you walk in the Spirit – the turmoil that once existed in your life won’t manifest itself in the same ways. You’ll have some peace. People will recognize that there has been a change that has come over your life. You’ll have peace. You won’t walk the same… or talk the same… or act the same. You’ll have some peace.
You’ll have a different disposition and attitude about the problems that confront you. When there is trouble all around, you’ll be able to look at your situation, and look up to God, with the assurance that God will grant you some peace – some serenity – to deal with your predicament. You see, when you walk in the Spirit, you walk with God, and whenever you walk with God, you walk in peace. The fruit of the Spirit is peace.
Let us look a bit closer at this matter of peace, and what it means. A biblical understanding of peace is rooted in the Hebrew concept “shalom.” Shalom is an amazingly comprehensive term, and includes salvation, wholeness, integrity, healing and harmony. Healthy relationships – interpersonal, cultural, economic, social, and environmental – are implied in shalom.
This is what Isaiah meant when he wrote in the midst of the trouble and turmoil that Israel was going through that “God will keep you in perfect peace, those whose eyes are stayed on him.”(Isaiah 26:3) Isaiah was talking about shalom. And Paul encouraged and exhorted the Philippian church to “rejoice in the Lord always. For the peace of God that passes all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” (Phil. 4-7)
The kind of peace that Isaiah and Paul were talking about is the kind of peace that the world needs today. It is a peace that is married with justice. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. said that “true peace is not merely the absence of tension; true peace is the presence of justice.”
Paul said that the fruit of the Spirit is peace. There is the story in Mark chapter 4 of Jesus one day finding himself on a boat with his disciples. He was tired and worn out from ministering to the multitudes. As the Lord found a place to lie down and rest – the winds began to blow and the seas began to rage, and the boat that they were on began to rock.
During this time of tumult and trial, the disciples went looking for Jesus. As Jesus got up from his rest, he spoke to the raging seas and said ‘peace be still.”
And the winds stopped, and there was peace in the midst of their storm. The Good News is that Jesus will do the same thing for you and me. In the midst of the storms that will rage – from time to time – in our lives, Jesus will step in and calm the raging seas. He is our peace in the midst of the storms of life.
The song-writer said it best:
I heard the voice of Jesus say,
Come unto me and rest,
Lie down, thy weary one lie down,
Thy head upon my breast.
I came to Jesus as I was,
I was weary, worn and sad,
And I found in him a resting place,
And he has made me glad!
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