Having Peace in the Physical Relationships in Our Lives

On the night that our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ was betrayed and killed, He shared many last teachings and offered encouragement to His disciples. One of the teachings He left them with was about the source of true peace in their lives. Let's open our Bibles this morning to John 14, verse 23. Considering all that Christ was going to suffer on that day, He left the disciples with these words as part of His last teachings to them.

John 14, verse 23. Jesus answered and said to them, If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him. And we will come to him and make our home with him. He who does not love me does not keep my words. And the word which you hear is not mine, but the Father's who sent me. These things I have spoken to you while being present with you, but they help her, the Holy Spirit, which the Father will send in my name. It will teach you all things and bring to remembrance all things that I said to you.

And this is the amazing part of what He shared, one of the amazing parts. Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

What's amazing with this passage that Christ shared is that He knew how desperately the disciples would need peace in their lives as they went forward from this evening and the events that would unfold. It would only be a few hours until they would witness the mock trial and the crucifixion of their Lord. He also knew how much they would need His peace as they continued forward, teaching about the gospel message of the Kingdom of God.

The search for peace is an action or a thought that has been out of the reach for the majority of mankind going all the way back to the beginning of man in the Garden of Eden. Many have sought after peace, never to find it. Leaders have implemented peace accords, only to have them fail. And many have wanted a peaceful state of mind, but struggled to maintain these types of thoughts. Where does true peace come from?

True peace can only come from God, of course, by allowing His thoughts and ways to exist in our hearts and minds. As a reference, the Apostle Paul expressed, Now may the Lord of peace himself – notice it's one of the names of Jesus Christ – the Lord of peace.

In Isaiah, he's called the Prince of Peace. But Paul here in 2 Thessalonians 3 verse 16 says, Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace always in every way. The Lord be with you all. Amazingly, Christ was able to share these words recorded in John 14 and have this mindset himself, even though He knew He was going to suffer that very night and die the next day. Later in John 16 and verse 33, Christ explained that not everything would be easy for us, but that when we believe and trust and follow Him, we can have peace of mind even during bad times.

This is another aspect of the message that He left with the disciples. John 16 and verse 33, Christ says, These things I have spoken to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation, but be of good cheer I have overcome the world. Many times in society, peace is described as an absence of war. But peace that Christ spoke about that comes from God is a confident assurance in any situation that God is with us. So in the time that we have together this morning, let's explore how we work towards having peace in the physical relationships of our lives.

How we can work towards having peace in the physical relationships of our lives. In Galatians chapter 5 that we will go ahead and turn there again, we were there for the sermonette. Mr. Hobb stopped reading right where I'm going to start. Galatians 5 and verse 22.

Galatians 5 and verse 22. We see that peace is one of the fruit of the spirit. He says, but the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace. There it is. And he goes on with long suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control, and against such there is no law. Thayer's Greek lexicon for the word peace can also mean a state of national tranquility. So national peace is one of the definitions that can be used here. It can also be an exemption from the rage and havoc of war. Or it can mean a peace between individuals, which is also harmony among people and among parties. Another definition that I was able to find from one of our publications is peace involves positive relationships with God and people. Peace is also the spiritual or emotional state of mind that guides how we react to external situations. A peaceful state of mind is not angry, upset, or discouraged. It produces an internal peace that is a product of our relationship with God. Peace is not something that God only wants in our lives today, but peace is something that will exist, as we know, in the kingdom of God. A few weeks back when we were looking at the beatitudes that Christ shared in Matthew 5, one of them says, Well, let's start the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. And we know that that ultimate fulfillment of being a son or a daughter of God comes in the kingdom of God. And so, therefore, those who are the peacemakers, those who strive after, those who search after, those who work towards having peace in the relationships of their lives, they will be part of this kingdom. They will be sons of God.

Let's turn to James 3, verse 17 and 18 next.

James 3, verses 17 and 18.

Here's the apostle James, in James 3, verse 17 says, But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable. And this is the wisdom, speaking of, that comes from God. This wisdom that you and I pray for, that God will open our minds to not only understanding His word, but to apply it correctly. This wisdom that is from God is first pure, then peaceable, then gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, without hypocrisy.

Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.

The New Living Translations for verse 17 and 18 say this, But the wisdom from above is first all pure, it is also peace-loving.

I think that's an interesting translation. Those who love peace, those who don't just tolerate or it'd be nice to have in life, but those who love peace.

It goes on to say in the New Living Translation, Gentle at all times and willing to yield to others, it is full of mercy and good deeds. It shows no favoritism and is always sincere. But verse 18 is what I'd like to draw our attention from the New Living. It says, And those who are peacemakers will plant seeds of peace and reap a harvest of righteousness.

Again, those who are peacemakers, those who search after, those who seek after, those who work towards having peace in their lives will reap a harvest of righteousness.

Again, one aspect of physical peace is the absence of war.

But part of being peaceful is when you are not fighting, not arguing or angry with anyone.

But that alone, an absence of war or an absence of fighting, in and of itself, cannot really define true peace.

A wonderful example that I can think back to my childhood is sibling rivalry or sibling disputes.

Two siblings go at it. Mom and dad step in and separate the two.

So the absence of war has been brought in. There's no more fighting, but is there really peace?

I can't tell you how many times I still stare across that room at one of my siblings with a lot of not happy things right here in the heart.

Yeah, maybe the war had stopped for the time, but my mind hadn't changed over to a mind of peace yet towards my sibling. And so it's not just an absence of war that brings peace, as we have seen throughout time of national disputes, national conflicts. Yeah, maybe there's a peace accord that have the hearts changed.

Is there a difference on the inside?

True, godly, physical peace needs to include much more than just the absence of fighting or conflict between individuals.

Imagine for a moment a world without fighting or conflict.

What a different experience our life would be.

What could be done with all the money spent on wars between nations?

What would be different inside our hearts as conflict is removed?

But the truth is that you and I cannot bring peace to this world, nor can we bring an end to the fighting that goes on.

But God does expect us to bring peace to the relationships in our lives and to have peace with those we interact with as part of our society.

It's this type of peace that helps us become children of God, as Christ said in Matthew 5 and verse 9.

Let's turn next to Romans 12 and verse 9.

The Bible says that many of the writings we have recorded by the apostles here in the New Testament and these letters sent out, a lot of them address issues of peace among God's people. Peace in the relationships and the ways to seek and go after having peace in their lives. We looked at James. We're going to now look at what Paul wrote in Romans. We're going to look in a moment to what Peter wrote.

But here in Romans 12 and verse 9, Paul says, Let love be without hypocrisy, abhor what is evil, cling to what is good, be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another, not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord, rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer, distributing to the needs of the saints, given to hospitality.

Bless those who persecute you. Bless and do not curse.

Rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep. Be of the same mind towards one another. Do not set your mind on high things, but associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own opinion.

Repay no one evil for evil, have regard for good things in the sight of all men.

If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men.

Notice that phrase again. If it is possible, sadly, it takes two to have peace in a life. And sometimes there's not a willingness for the other party to want that. So Paul, in his wisdom, and from God's inspiration, said, if it's possible, and then he leaves, but then he leaves the responsibility where it should lie. As much as depends on you, on me, our part that we can play towards seeking peace, live peaceably with all men. The New Living Translation for verse 18 says, do all you can to live in peace with everyone. Do all you can to live in peace with everyone. And verse 19 goes on to say, beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath for his written vengeance is mine. I will repay, says the Lord. Therefore, if your enemy is hungry, feed him. If he is thirsty, give him a drink, for in doing so you will he pulls a fire on his head.

Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. And in one of my Bibles, the heading above this section that we just read in Romans 12, it's entitled, Marks of the True Christian. That's a mouthful, isn't it? When you consider all these aspects that God has called us to live our lives by and all the areas that we do fall short. But this is the marks of the true Christian being able to live this type of life, as Paul describes here, and if possible, as much as depends on you to live peaceably with all men.

This passage is, of course, a tall order for any of us. To consistently live my life, for me personally, to live my life with these character traits always and consistently being seen is just nothing I have perfected 100% yet. But imagine the peace that we would have in our lives the more that we can apply these words to our daily interactions, to the way that we live our lives, to how we conduct ourselves. Imagine the peace that we would have inside. I don't think it's very challenging for us to imagine that in our lives. I'm about to tell you something that you already know, but it's not easy to get along with other people always. It's just not easy to always get along with everyone. Think about a time that you really felt at peace, though, in a relationship with another person. What did that relationship look like? Who was involved in that relationship? Why did you feel at peace? What positive things were you doing that enabled there to be peace between you? And if there were times that you were not at peace with someone, what did you do to bring peace back to that relationship?

It's a lot to consider, a lot to think about. I'll share a personal story, one that I didn't think about until this morning when I was reviewing the notes. Laura and I, I guess it's about 16 years ago, were building our first house. First home we'd ever live in. We had an apartment. We're going to build a house. It was in the construction phase. Laura went over to check it out one day while it was being built and take photos. Our next-door neighbor, who we'd never met before, reached or yelled out from her deck and introduced herself to Laura. I wasn't there. She was there by herself. And her next words were, I don't know if you're aware of it, but the whole neighborhood is upset with you and we're getting a lawyer and we're going to sue you.

I am not exaggerating one bit.

And when Laura calls, and so this conversation goes on and on, and she's expressing a lot of bio and she's angry, a lot of things coming out. And when Laura calls me, I said, are you kidding me? Is that the way you meet your new neighbor? The first thing you say is the whole neighborhood's upset with you and your house and we're getting a lawyer and we're going to be suing you.

So let me just let you guys know the relationship started off rocky. It was hard because here is a new neighbor. We had dreams of this being our first house. We're excited. We're excited to meet people in the neighborhood. And right off from the start, we've got this conflict, this lack of peace with our brand new neighbor. And so we went on. What she tried to do was not golf-ful. We had not broken any laws. We had not done anything wrong. And so, yet, we built a house and we moved in and we tried to be friendly at times. We would wave as she would drive by her and her husband. And no wave returned. And over time, I realized there was a little bit of a grit in my smile as I would smile and wave to her as she drove by, not waving back. And I realized there was an opportunity for me to try to bring peace to this relationship. And so I'd go and I'd pray to God, asking for his help. Like, I think we've all done at times when there's been conflict. And I asked that he would heal my heart, heal her heart, and allow there to be an avenue that could come back.

And then I would get up. I'd feel pretty good. I'd say, okay, we're going to try this again. And then she would drive by. And then all the ire would come back up to the surface in my heart. Every time I would see her, it would just get to me, right? I'm human. It was a challenge.

But I continued to repeat the process because I realized if it's still here, I need to take it and give it back to God. And so I did over and over. And I share this example because it's one of the most profound ones that's happened in my life, that God healed her heart.

It was an amazing experience to see. I didn't mean to get emotional.

We go to God so many times in life with our challenges. And when He shows His hand is involved when we're doing our part, it's unbelievable to see. And He changed her heart. And in time, we worked on the relationship. I would never say it was the best it could have ever been, but it became friendly. It became where she would say positive things to Kelsey after she was born. That they started waving when we would wave as they drove down the drive.

It's amazing that when we follow God's words, when we give Him an avenue to work in a situation, and we take it to Him in prayer. And it may take a while. And it may not be instantaneous that we just get up from our knees and there's peace in a relationship. But in time, as we do our part, as Paul says in verse 18, if it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men, God can do some really amazing things. There was not a lot that I could have done to bring peace to that relationship. I couldn't go over with a basket of cookies. I couldn't have just made anything happen that would immediately have brought peace. But the only thing I could do was to bring it to God and ask for His help with my side of the relationship. As I mentioned, James and Paul were not the only apostles that shared thoughts about being at peace with others.

Peter did as well. Let's look at 1 Peter 3 verse 8.

1 Peter 3 and verse 8.

The apostle Peter here, chapter 1 Peter 3 and verse 8, shares, Finally, all of you, be of one mind, having compassion for one another. Love as brothers. Be tender-hearted. Be courteous. Not returning evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary blessing, knowing that you were called to this, that you may inherit a blessing.

For he who would love life and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking to see. Let him turn away from evil and do good. Let him seek peace and pursue it. The New Living in verse 11 says, search for peace and work to maintain it. Notice those two action words, search, work. Peace takes effort on our part. We have to be actively involved in this. Going on verse 12, For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayers. But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.

And who is he who will harm you if you become followers of what is good? But even if you should suffer for righteousness' sake, you are blessed, and do not be afraid of their threats, nor be troubled. Sadly, sometimes as Christians, we do suffer for righteousness' sake when we seek to be at peace with others who would rather not have peace in their relationship with us.

Sometimes when we do good for others, we receive evil in return. Sometimes when we try to do something nice for someone, we receive nothing but a dismissal of what we did for them. Sometimes when we, and you can fill in the blank, of a time when you tried to have a peaceable relationship with someone and you were striving for peace, sometimes when we fill in the blank, we received nothing but a fill in the blank again in return. Because our lives are vast, our experiences are vast. And the times when we have tried to be at peace and to seek peace in our lives, sometimes we've had to suffer for righteousness' sake because the other party didn't want there to be peace in our relationship. There's an account from David's life where maintaining peace with another person was a real challenge. This is in 1 Samuel chapter 25. 1 Samuel chapter 25. We know the account of David being an anointed king of Israel, but not yet able to fulfill the role with king because King Saul is still on the throne. And even though David served and honored King Saul, many times Saul tried to take David's life and ultimately David ended up on the run from the king. So obviously this is not a peaceful relationship between Saul and David. And even though opportunities existed for David to forcefully take the throne and was at times encouraged by his men who were at his side to even say, take his life, take the king's life, he's in your hands. God has actually delivered him into your hands. Take it. David waited on God and did not take things into his own hands. Here in 1 Samuel 25, we read an account of David on the run from King Saul and another event. It's kind of separate to what was going on occurred. 1 Samuel 25 and verse 1, it says, then Samuel died, and the Israelites gathered together and lamented for him, and buried him at his home in Ramah. And David arose and went down to the wilderness of Paran.

Now there was a man in Mayon whose business was in Carmel, and the man was very rich. He had three thousand sheep and a thousand goats, and he was shearing his sheep in Carmel. The name of the man was Nabal, and the name of his wife was Abigail, and she was a woman of good understanding and a beautiful appearance. But the man was harsh and evil in his doings. He was the house of Caleb.

When David heard in the wilderness that Nabal was shearing his sheep, David sent ten young men, and David said to the young men, Go up to Carmel, go to Nabal, and greet him in my name. And thus you shall say to him who lives in prosperity, Peace be to you, peace to your house, and peace to all that you have. And now I have heard that you have shearers. Your shepherds were with us, and we did not hurt them, nor was there anything missing from them all the while they were in Carmel. Ask your young men, and they will tell you. Therefore let my young men find favor in your eyes, for we come on a feast day. Please give whatever comes to your hand, to your servants, and to your son David. And so when David's young men came, they spoke to Nabal according to all these words in the name of David and waited. So here we have David on the run again from King Saul in the wilderness of Peran. But while there, David and his men, while camping out in the wilderness, stopping and spending time in this place where they were able to find peace from King Saul, he wasn't chasing them right at this moment, David and his men, they provided support and safety for Nabal's shepherd and his sheep. They sought for a peaceful way to both inhabit a land near one another to where they were not stepping on each other's toes and where David's men were able to help the shepherds look after their flocks in a way of providing protection. Because raiders would come through, people who'd want to come and steal these sheep and kill the shepherds, was an active part of a lot of these areas at different times. And so David's men provided this protection. We'll read more about it here shortly, but he was able to help care for those who were in this area, the shepherds, and finding a way to live peacefully together.

In Matthew Henry's commentary, it shares this about the feast day that was mentioned in verse 8.

This does not appear to be a holy feast, not of one of God's commanded feasts. Matthew Henry says this, it was usual to make feasts at the sheep shearings, for wool was one of the staple commodities of Canaan. This was a festival when not only the provision is more plentiful, but the heart and hand are usually more open and free than at other times when much may be spared and yet not be missed. So this festival that David referenced was most likely tied to the sheep shearing. That when someone who was wealthy and they would have this moment of being able to shear the wool and then to sell it, to make money, to bring an income, they would throw a feast for anybody who was involved, all who would be friends and neighbors.

In Nabal's house, there would be a great feast at this time. David was saying, as one who had helped in the wilderness, one who had been a friend to you, is there something that you can do for me and my men, knowing, Nabal should know, that David was on the run. For several reasons, Nabal should have received David's request and treated him favorably. But remember, Nabal was a harsh, evil, and foolish man. Verse 10, The Nabal answered David's servants and said, Who is David? And who is the son of Jesse? There are many servants nowadays who break away each one from his master. Shall I then take my bread and my water and my meat that I have killed from my shears and give it to men when I do not know where they are from?

Now remember, Nabal was of the house of Caleb, so therefore he was part of the nation of Israel.

He was also very rich, so feeding David and his men would not have been a burden on him or his wealth. He would have known who David was and that he was a point anointed to be the next king.

I don't believe from reading through the Scripture there's any doubt that Nabal knew who David was. But instead of doing the right thing, he mocked David and he spoke poorly of him in the midst of David's own servants. Verse 12, So David's young men turned on their heels and went back and they came and told him all these words. Then David said to his men, Every man gird on his sword. I think that's in speak for we're going to have a fight.

Imagine for a moment David receiving these words, and I think it ties in with the sermonette nicely, because David approached was there was nothing wrong with his approach right up until this moment.

But then all of a sudden I think there's a lot of eyes started going through his mind.

I am going to be the next king of Israel. I did these things for this man Nabal, this this foolish man. I looked after his sheep. I need to care for my men. There's probably a lot of eyes going on, and I think David recognizes us further into the story.

But it says, Every man gird on verse 13, Every man gird on his sword. So every man girded on his sword, and David also girded on his sword. And about 400 men went with David, and 200 stayed with the supplies. To say the very least, David was not pleased with Nabal and had no plans to seek peace with this man. Verse 14, Now one of the young men told Abigail, Nabal's wife, saying, Look, David sent messengers from the wilderness to greet our master, and he reviled them. But the men were very good to us, and we were not hurt, nor did we miss anything, as long as we accompanied them when we were in the fields. They were a wall to us both by night and day, and at the time we were with them keeping the sheep. Now therefore know and consider what you will do, for harm is determined against our master and against all of his household. For he is such a scoundrel that no one can speak to him. Word, scoundrel, can also mean worthless or good for nothing, unprofitable, wicked. This is the way that Nabal was described, and by the account that we're going to read, Abigail obviously knew this was to be true. Then Abigail, verse 18, made haste and took two hundred loaves of bread, two skins of wine, five sheep already dressed, five says of roasted grain, and one hundred clusters of raisins and two hundred cakes of figs, and loaded them on donkeys. And she said to her servants, Go on before me, see I am coming after you. But she did not tell her husband Nabal. So it was as she rode on the donkey that she went down under cover of the hill, and there were David and his men coming towards her, and she met them. Now David had said, Surely in vain I have protected all that this fellow has in the wilderness, so that nothing was missed of all that belongs to him, and he has repaid me evil for good. May God do so and more also to the enemies of David if I leave one male of all who belong to him by morning light.

Now when Abigail saw David, she dismounted quickly from the donkey, fell on her face before David, and bowed down to the ground. So she fell at his feet and said, O me, my Lord, on me, let this iniquity be, and please let your maidservant speak in your ears and hear the words of your maidservant. Please do not let my Lord regard this scoundrel Nabal, for as his name is, so is he. Nabal is his name, and folly is with him. But I, your maidservant, did not see the young men of my Lord whom you sent. Now therefore my Lord, as the Lord lives, and as your soul lives, since the Lord has held you back from coming to bloodshed and from avenging yourself with your own hand, now then let your enemies and those who seek harm for my Lord be as Nabal. And now this present, which your maidservant has brought to my Lord, let it be given to the young men who follow my Lord. Please forgive the trespass of your maidservant, for the Lord will certainly make for my Lord an enduring house, because my Lord fights the battles of the Lord, and evil is not found in you throughout your days. Yet a man has risen to pursue you and to seek your life, but the life of my Lord shall be bound in the bundle of the living with the Lord your God, and the lives of your enemies he shall sling out as from the pocket of a sling, and shall come to pass from the Lord has done for my Lord according to all the good that he has spoken concerning you, and it's appointed you ruler over Israel, that this will be no grief to you, nor offense of heart to my Lord, either that you have shed blood without cause. Notice what she says, because this would have been with cause, that he would have shed blood, which would have been a sin, that he avenged himself. She says, either that you have shed blood without cause, or that my Lord has avenged himself. But when the Lord has dealt well with my Lord, then remember your maidservant. We read earlier that Abigail was a woman of good understanding, and this is obvious from this account that we just read.

We see next David's response to Abigail, with all the caution that she advised him and her approach to him, and her willingness to seek peace at a time when she knew that peace was not to be found. Verse 32, then David said to Abigail, Blessed is the Lord God of Israel, who sent you this day to meet me. And blessed is your advice, and blessed are you, because you have kept me this day from coming to bloodshed and from avenging myself with my own hand. For indeed, as the Lord God of Israel lives, who has kept me back from hurting you, unless you had hurried and come to meet me, surely by morning light no males would have been left to Nabal. So David received from her hand what she had brought him, and said to her, Go up in peace to your house, so you have heeded your voice and respected your person.

When David became incensed by Nabal's response to his request for some food and help, seeking peace was not on David's mind. Vengeance was. But David was wise and not a fool, so he could recognize what Abel did for him and his men.

And David also recognized the hand of God in Abigail's coming and in her words.

God spared David from taking vengeance in his own hands and taking a situation that was not good and keeping it from getting worse. Verse 36, Now Abigail went to Nabal, and there he was holding a feast in his house like the feast of a king.

This most likely would have been that sheep-sharing feast that David was referencing.

And notice how full this feast was and the things that Nabal was doing. And Nabal's heart was merry within him, for he was very drunk. Therefore, she told him nothing little or much until morning light.

So this feast was, Nabal wasn't losing money.

He wasn't poor. He would have had all the servants around. This would have been a ruckus of a party to the extreme, which would have been sinful because he was drunk in the attitudes and the way that they would have been carrying themselves.

But this is the attitude that he had, and he couldn't spare a dime for David.

So it was in the morning, verse 37, when the wine had gone from Nabal and his wife had told him these things, that his heart died within him and he became like a stone.

Then it happened about 10 days after about 10 days that the Lord struck Nabal and he died.

This example recorded for us is not here that we can look forward to the ways that God brings vengeance on others who are not at peace with us. This is not the point of this account.

Vengeance is mine, God says, and so thoughts or ideas of vengeance belong solely to God. They shouldn't be in our minds. But this example is to see that God is the one who brings peace to our lives at times when others refuse to live at peace with us.

We should be praying for God to bring peace into a relationship where peace doesn't exist.

And then after doing our part to have this peace, we leave the rest to God and allow this peace to be brought about if it's according again to his will.

Because as we read, it takes two to have peace. It takes two to have a desire to move forward and put the past behind them. We first take our issues to God. We ask him to bring peace into a relationship. We ask him to show us how we can bring peace on our side to that relationship.

And if we do those things, we can be righteous before God in this way.

And that is what God expects us to do. And going back to that account I shared when we moved into our first house, and I think I know where that emotion came from that I displayed here. It was unbelievable to see God bring about a change in someone else's heart that I couldn't control. I couldn't change. I had nothing else I could do other than doing my part.

And then realizing that God can work the other side, as he did in this case with David and Abigail.

God provided wisdom to Abigail. He provided a way out to protect David from making a foolish mistake. This whole way up to that point, David was fine in doing what he was doing. He was fine to ask for these things from Nabal, but then it flipped in his mind. Rage entered in, frustration, anger, and then peace was about to be disturbed. Barnes, as we start towards the conclusion of this message, Barnes notes on the whole Bible has an interesting comment on gentleness or meekness and the effect that it has on our bodies. We remember from the sermon a few weeks back, meekness, as I like to define it, is strength under complete control.

Strength under complete control. Barnes says this about meekness. Meekness produces peace.

It is proof of true greatness of soul. It comes from a heart too great to be moved by little insults. It looks upon those who offer them with pity. He that is constantly ruffled, that suffers every little insult or injury to throw him off his guard and to raise a storm of passion within, is at the mercy of every mortal that chooses to disturb him. He is like the troubled sea that cannot rest, whose waters cast up mire and dirt. There's a lot to this passage that Barnes shared, so I'm going to repeat it again. Remember, meekness is that strength under complete control. When you and I seek peace instead of vengeance, we're allowing our meekness and God's meekness within us to shine through. I'll read it one more time. Meekness produces peace. It is proof of true greatness of soul. It comes from a heart too great to be moved by every little insult. It looks upon those who offer them with pity.

That he that is constantly ruffled, that suffers every little insult or injury to throw him off his guard and to raise a storm of passions within, is at the mercy of every mortal that chooses to disturb him. He is like the troubled sea that cannot rest, whose waters cast up mire and dirt.

I appreciate the words Barnes uses here to describe the effects our human nature can have on us.

Because at times, we do get bothered by others. At times, we do suffer because someone says something and then we stir up that mire, we get angry, we get frustrated. Our nature, human nature sometimes goes down this path. But on the flip side to what Barnes was also saying is the effect the fruit of the Spirit can have in our lives, one of which is peace. As you and I read through the accounts of Jesus Christ's life on earth, we don't see him getting his feathers ruffled over the little things. He maintains a peace, a calm, a gentleness, a self-control, even in the midst of great attacks and insults. We see an instance of this in 1 Peter, described, 1 Peter 2 and verse 20, where Peter describes the example that we have in Jesus Christ, 1 Peter 2 and verse 20.

And again, Peter here is describing the example that we have in our Lord and Savior, 1 Peter 2 and verse 20. For what credit is it if when you are beaten for your faults you take it patiently, but when you do good and suffer, if you take it patiently, this is commendable before God. For to this you were called because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example that you should follow his steps, who committed no sin, nor was deceit found in his mouth, who when he was reviled did not revile in return, and when he suffered he did not threaten, but he committed himself to him who judges righteously. So many times in life when somebody wants to reviles us, says something poor about us, is seeking not for peace in a relationship with us, but to hurt us, it's natural for us to want to return even for even. But our Lord and Savior set this perfect example of not doing that, even when it was unjustified what he went through, it was wrong, it was sinful, yet he took it patiently and he gave it to God who judges righteously.

The sacrifice of our Savior created an avenue for there to be true peace and reconciliation between God and all of those who are his children. True and complete peace comes from knowing that we are right with God and that he is going to make us part of his kingdom for eternity.

We suffer today physically at times, but it's for growth within us that we can be part of his kingdom for eternity. We see this described in Hebrews 13 and verse 20. A couple books backwards in our Bible towards the beginning, Hebrews 13 and verse 20.

We see another name for God defined here. The Father, referencing the Father this time.

Hebrews 13 verse 20 says, Now may the God of peace, and so the Father and the Son both have peace as part of their character. Now may the God of peace who brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead, that great shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you complete in every good work to do his will, working in you what is well pleasing in his sight through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen. Just like love, God is full of love. He's 100% complete love. God is also full of peace and is 100% completely a God of peace. And he wants us to be at peace with him, first and foremost. He's given his son so that we can be at peace at a time when we didn't deserve it. When we were enemies with God, he gave his son so that there could be peace between us and him. And so he gives us this ability to be at peace with one another if we will do our part and strive for peace.

You and I have the high calling to seek peace in the relationships we have with others.

We are called to be peacemakers, one who will search out and work to maintain peace with our fellow men. In our final passage, let's turn to Ephesians 4 in verse 1.

Again, a few more books backwards towards the front. Ephesians 4 in verse 1. We'll read verses 1 through 3. Paul here shares Ephesians 4 verse 1. I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you are called, this calling that you and I have received from God, with all lowliness and gentleness, with long suffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. Let us seek peace and pursue it.