The Peace of Christ (Col. 3:12-17)
Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 13 Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 14 And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.
15 Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. 16 Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. 17 And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
Introduction:
1) The life that the peace of Christ rules over is the self- image of Christians because it is the life that they enjoy on the earth in Christ. Eilene in Greek that means the peace translated 1515 times in the Scripture that were defined “ become oneness, rest, quietness, and “peace”. In other words it points the state that communicated to the man and the Lord. It is the state that Ps. 84:5 teaches. “Blessed are those whose strength is in you,
whose hearts are set on pilgrimage.” And also it is the state that love the God and the man with his whole heart. So enjoying the peace of Christ is the ideal state that the covenant people have in the world. So Paul claimed that the God of peace punish Satan by trembling him under his feet. Roman16:20 says “The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.” And to Thessalonian saints Paul blessed the peace as followings; ( II Thessalonian 3:16) “6 Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way. The Lord be with all of you. “.
2) In fact, the peace depend on the grace. So whenever the Apostle greeted to the churches he repeatedly told them “ “ And also the benediction of Number 6: reveals that the first blessing is grace and then grace and protection. “ “ These passages claim that when we received the grace of God, the peace come to us naturally. So The reason that the king Solomon could take the peaceful dominion was to receive the grace of God. When we have the peace we can enjoy the suffering and the wealth in our lives. As we know when the king Rehoboam claimed that such peace come out of his worldly wisdom, his authoritative leadership in forcing his military and his weapon, he surly should be fallen down in the earth. And also he rued over Israel with human crafts by arranging his 88 concubines, 88 children at every local district and pursued on the peaceful dominion. But he should be failed because he departed out of the Word of God. The strengthen of the man that departed from almighty God shall be miserable state, failure and troubles. May the blessing of God be wit you all always by the peace of God rules over on you. What is the life?
1. The foundation of peace
1) Essentially this peace is the gift of salvation that God permits to us. Did you receive the salvation in your life? He shall enjoy the peace in his heart. Because he have the remission ad the eternal life in his heart. The Apostle who know the fact very well says that three foundation that the peace be depended on. Verse 12 says “Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience” What are they?
(1) The election is it’s foundation. The chosen people before the creation can receive the grace and peace.
(Eph1:4) For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love
(Jn10:14)“I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me
(Rom8:28) And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
(2) Next, The peace is the possession of the sanctified person. And also the peace is the peace that God outpoured a by trusting the Lord. The love that God gave us the begotten son outpoures on us continuously. (Rom. 5:5) Do you enjoy this peace as the church who he has sanctified and loved ? This is the question whether you have the personal relationship and the redemptive relationship? Check up the relationship of the eternal life in your life (I Jn 5:11-12) Peter who looked up the Lord on the shaking wave could walk on the water but when he returned to another side he fall down into the water. In the sever hurricane our Lord Jesus Christ works for us. He promised to us “ It is I do not be afraid of it.”
2. The method to receive the peace continuously
1) The peace of Christ should rule over us in order to establish our faith on the confirm salvation. Where does this peace come to us? It is the trinity, the source of peace. This peace is produced out of the peace of Christ. For example, the water in the Ezekiel’s vision come out of the threshold of the temple. When the water come out of the throne, it changed everything of the contact points. The gospel of Christ influences the wonderful life to the end of the earth.(Act1:8) As the small stone hits the idol in the book of Daniel, all the world had been changed, the gospel of Christ shall make the world changed.
– For Example,-The change of Gerasenes insane man by rebuking of Jesus.
-For example, The image of heaven in Isaiah is the world of peace that the infant play game at the hole of poison serpents.
2) According to verses 12-14, to abide in Christ is compared with to put on the cloth. To put on the cloth of Christ means to communicate to Him rightly. We need the cloth of mercy, compassion, humility and patience.
1) It is the clothe of mercy and compassion. It is the mercy of our God.
2) It is the clothe of the humility that comes out of God’s humility.
3) It is the cloth of the patience that comes out of God’s endurance. The clothing of Christ comes out of only Christ. So we have to hang on in Christ Jesus. Ex: As the lubber tree products the lubber jam, the peace comes out of abiding in Christ. So we have to put on the cloth of righteousness, the garment of salvation. We have to approach into this character in order to take the life that was filled with the peace.
3. The fruit of peace
1) How can we know the life that the peace rules over? It must be the life of thankfulness. Our concern is the complaining or thanksgiving. The main root of every sin must be the complaining. Look at Israel life on the wilderness. I Corinthian 10: 9-10 said ” We should not test Christ, as some of them did—and were killed by snakes. 10 And do not grumble, as some of them did—and were killed by the destroying angel.”
Why did Paul claim that thanksgiving is the center and the last fruit of all things? As we pray, we have to thank, When we receive the word of God , we have to thank, When we help to the neighbors and devote ourselves to the Lord we have to thank. Thanksgiving is the beginning and the ending in our lives. Why is it? The peace products the thanksgiving life.
- Do you have the peace? Look at the heart of thanksgiving.
Ex: Few months ago when I stayed in America, one day my last daughter went to hiking on the baldy mountain with her two friends. Until evening time she could not come back to house. I and her mom were worry about her because of darkness evening. As we were waiting for my daughter, Mary, we could not thank to the Lord. Then I thought that why did not I say to thank God for that situation . Then temporally I lost the peace of the Jesus Christ because of my unbelief. While we report that lost people to the police department by telephone. my daughter called to us.
Conclusion:
1) Your life should experience the life that the peace of Christ controls. So we have to keep the purified vessel. If we have no thankfulness in our heart, we have to repent and restore the life. So we need to receive the grace of God by supplicating it to God. (Jer. 30:3 Philippians 4:6-7)6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Let’s pray
Lord,
We thank you for…
Provide us wonderful grace and peace to us.
We repent our sins to you and devote ourselves to you.
I pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.