Bible Study 4: The Fruit of the Spirit - Peace

4.1 Key themes⤒🔗

God has perfect peace.
- That is why he is called “the God of peace.”
Through the Holy Spirit, we can share in the peace of God by:
- giving our worries and fears to God, and
- being busy with what is good.
Christ’s kingdom is a kingdom of peace.
In this life, we have a fight to fight: the fight against our sin.
When Christ’s kingdom comes, we will experience perfect peace.

4.2 Galatians 5:22-23←⤒🔗

^5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,

^5:23 gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

4.3 Philippians 4:4-9←⤒🔗

^4:4 Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I say, rejoice!

^4:5 Let everyone see your gentleness. The Lord is near!

^4:6 Do not be anxious about anything. Instead, in every situation, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, tell your requests to God.

^4:7 And the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

^4:8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is worthy of respect, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if something is excellent or praiseworthy, think about these things.

^4:9 And what you learned and received and heard and saw in me, do these things. And the God of peace will be with you.

4.4 The God of peace←⤒🔗

God does not have any fear or anxiety. He has perfect peace. He is in control over everything. That is why God is called “the God of peace” (Philippians 4:9).

We are not like God. We are not in control over everything. There are many dangers in this world. Many things make us afraid and worried. But God still wants us to share in his peace! His peace is stronger than all our problems. The peace of God is like a “security guard” (Philippians 4:7). It protects our hearts and minds against fears and worries.

One day, Jesus told his disciples that he was going away, to his Father in heaven. But he comforted them and promised them: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid” (John 14:27).

4.5 How to have the peace of God←⤒🔗

The peace of God is part of the fruit of the Spirit. Only when we have the Holy Spirit in us, can we have the peace of God. In the Bible, the Holy Spirit also teaches us how he wants to give us this peace. In the passage that we have read, we find two ways to have peace:

First, we must give our worries and fears to God. How do we give our worries and fears to God? In Philippians 4:6 we find the answer: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”

This verse gives us three ways to give our worries and fears to God:

prayer: When something makes you worried or anxious, pray about it!
petition: Do not stop praying, but pray every day until you have peace.
thanksgiving: Trust that God will answer you and thank him already!

When we give our worries and fears to God like this, he promises that his peace will guard us (Philippians 4:7).

Second, we must be busy with what is good. In Philippians 4:8, the Holy Spirit tells us to think of good things. It is very easy to think about our sins and our weakness all the time. But Jesus Christ died to remove our sins from us! When we feel guilty, we must think of God’s promises in Jesus Christ. We must also not think about our problems and fears all the time. We must rather think about God’s grace and his promises.

We must not only think of good things. In Philippians 4:9 the Holy Spirit also tells us to do good things. Whatever we learn from God’s Word, we must “put… into practice.”

It is right to make plans, when you are facing challenges. But when you make these plans, ask yourself what God’s will is. Ask yourself how you can serve him, even in your challenges. Then you will truly experience that God is with you (Philippians 4:9).

4.6 Christ’s kingdom of peace←⤒🔗

While you pray, and while you try to be busy with good things, you should always think about Jesus Christ. Just as he had perfect joy, he also had perfect peace. Jesus Christ suffered more than any other person. He knew he was going to die on the cross, but he still chose to go there. All his friends left him at the last moment. But he still had peace. He prayed in the garden of Gethsemane, “Not my will, but yours be done” (Luke 22:42).

You could see the peace of Jesus Christ in the way he treated other people. He did not take revenge when people insulted or hurt him. He did not fight for his own honour. He trusted God to be the judge (1 Peter 2:23).

Jesus Christ died as a King. One day he will come back to earth to rule as King. His kingdom is a kingdom of peace (Romans 14:17).

Psalm 72 is a prophecy of Jesus Christ and his kingdom. Psalm 72 says that Jesus’ kingdom will be:

a kingdom of justice (verse 2);
a kingdom with good things for every believer to enjoy (verse 3);
a kingdom where poor and suffering people are helped (verse 4);
a kingdom where God’s enemies will be defeated (verses 4 and 9);
forever (verse 5).
everywhere on earth, from sea to sea (verse 8);
a blessing for all the nations (verse 17).

In his grace, God saved us from the kingdom of darkness. He brought us into the kingdom of his Son, Jesus Christ. This is a kingdom of peace.

4.7 Peace while we fight←⤒🔗

We are still waiting for Jesus Christ to come and rule as King over the whole earth. But we can already enjoy the peace of his kingdom. Jesus said, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you” (John 14:27). How did Jesus “leave” his peace with us? By sending us the Holy Spirit.

In this life, we have a special fight to fight. It is a fight that is going on inside of us. This fight is between the Holy Spirit and our old, sinful person. This is how Paul describes this fight: “For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want” (Galatians 5:17).

A Christian has to fight against sin every day, in the power of the Holy Spirit. If you are sad about your sin and if you are trying to fight against it, it is a sign that the Spirit is working in you. And he will give you peace, even while you are fighting this fight!

Trust in God. Always think about his promises in the Bible. Think about the kingdom of Jesus Christ that is coming. When he comes again, your fight with sin will be over. Then all your problems and fears will be gone. Then you will enjoy perfect peace.