We are looking at the fruit of the Spirit—the fruit produced in a believer's life by the Holy Spirit in coordination with the believer's own pursuit of it. We have looked at love and joyfulness in recent weeks, and now we look at the quality of peace, which is closely related to joy. The very same eternal realities that are the basis of your joy are what the Spirit uses to produce peace—the reality of your salvation in Christ and your relationship with him.
Peace is inner confidence and trust in God's wise and good control of your life. It is an attitude that is constant, solid, and confident no matter what the conditions. The natural man doesn't know true peace. Some people have the counterfeit of true peace—they are laid back and easygoing, but only because they are apathetic or indifferent or self-centered; they don't have true Spirit-produced peace. True peace has confidence and trust in God's control, and it also loves and cares for and is engaged in the lives of other people.
The natural man, on the other hand, is worried to death. Inside, he is torn apart with worry about the economy, terrorism, moral decay, etc. Worry in the heart of a pagan is like a weed growing wildly, out of control. He worries because he doesn't know God; he worries because he is oriented only to the material world and yet he can't control it. He is like the rich fool in Luke 12, who was busy laying up treasure for himself on earth and was not rich toward God:
13 Someone in the crowd said to him, "Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me." 14But he said to him, "Man, who made me a judge or arbitrator over you?" 15And he said to them, "Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions." 16And he told them a parable, saying, "The land of a rich man produced plentifully, 17and he thought to himself, 'What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?' 18And he said, 'I will do this: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. 19And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.' 20But God said to him, 'Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?' 21So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God."
22And he said to his disciples, "Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat, nor about your body, what you will put on. 23For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing. 24 Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds! 25And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? 26If then you are not able to do as small a thing as that, why are you anxious about the rest? 27Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 28But if God so clothes the grass, which is alive in the field today, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith! 29And do not seek what you are to eat and what you are to drink, nor be worried. 30For all the nations of the world seek after these things, and your Father knows that you need them. 31Instead, seek his kingdom, and these things will be added to you.
32 "Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. 33 Sell your possessions, and give to the needy. Provide yourselves with moneybags that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys. 34 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
The rich fool was self-centered and greedy. Though he worked hard and was blessed by God, he gave no thought to God or others; his life consisted in having an abundance of things.
What does it look like today when someone is busy laying up treasure for himself on earth?
You see it every day. You know someone whose primary ambition is to accumulate money and possessions, or to travel the world, to head up his own company or to buy out his competitors, to build his reputation., to succeed, earn human approval and acceptance, fame and power. Or maybe you know someone who is determined to have physical health and be young forever.
This ambition for treasure on earth is a prescription for worry and dissatisfaction. It is the soil out of which the weed of worry flourishes and takes over a person's heart. Just look at the market for prescription drugs! People crave relief from the worry and anxiety that come from a life centered on the material world, the world without God. And their worry is justified! Everything they are living for will be lost, and they know in their hearts that they have no security.
Are you a believer? Do you have the Holy Spirit? Then you shouldn't resemble the worry-filled pagans in the world. You should possess a confidence and trust and rest in God's wise and good control of your life, resulting in an inner calmness—the peace of God. Why? Because you have a personal relationship with God. He loves you and is concerned about the very details of your life, and he promises to provide for your needs. Jesus has already met the greatest need in your life by giving you peace with God when he was your enemy. If God has met your greatest need, won't he meet the other, lesser needs that you have?
What prevents you from having the peace of God? The roadblocks to peace are simple (though serious):
• a focus on laying up treasures on earth - "Where your treasure is there will your heart be also" (v. 34). When treasures on earth are too important to you, you worry over them.
• unbelief - You don't trust God's good and wise control; you don't really believe his promises.
How can you remove the roadblocks to peace?
• Repent for your worry and unbelief, and for your inordinate desire for treasures on earth.
• Seek the kingdom of God and his righteousness with all your heart. How do you seek that? You seek the kingdom of God when you try obey his word. That includes being salt and light in the world, serving in the church, your family to know God, enjoying and sharing with others the material wealth God provides, in the promises of God, praying with thankfulness, and seeking to spread the gospel and bring others into the kingdom.
What issues in your life sometimes threaten the peace of God that you should have?
When you indulge in the sin of worry, what is the impact on those around you? On yourself?
What will you do to cultivate peace in your life in the next week?
Have you grown in love and joyfulness as a result of the first two weeks' studies?
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