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[0:00] Tonight, we'll continue our study of the nine aspects of the fruit of the Spirit.

[0:14] We'll look at two more characteristics that are listed in Galatians 5, 22, and 23.! Those characteristics are joy and peace. Remember that these verses are part of the larger section from Galatians 5, verses 16 through 26, and that section has one main idea.

[0:34] The Holy Spirit within believers battles our worldly desires and enables us to become more and more like Christ. Although we are looking at the characteristics across multiple lessons, remember that the fruit of the Spirit is singular.

[0:49] The fruit manifests itself in all nine characteristics listed. Let's read Galatians 5, 22, and 23. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.

[1:08] Against such things there is no law. So just as a reminder, here's a summary of what we've seen in Galatians 5, 16 through 26 so far.

[1:19] In verses 16 through 18, we saw Paul's command. That command is to walk by the Spirit, and he's talking about a daily pattern or lifestyle. Then verses 19 through 23 have Paul's contrast.

[1:34] By giving us several examples of each, Paul contrasts the works of the flesh with the fruit of the Spirit. We'll start tonight by looking at the definition of joy.

[1:44] So the definition of joy is what we'll look at first. And joy is the noun form of that virtue. The Bible uses rejoice as the verb form of that virtue.

[1:56] So here's the secular definition of joy from Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary. Notice in this definition that the emphasis is on emotion. It says, That definition differs from the biblical definition of joy.

[2:32] Joy, like the other aspects of the fruit of the Spirit here in Galatians, joy is an attitude rather than an emotion. The Dictionary of Bible Themes defines joy as a quality or attitude of delight and happiness, which is ultimately grounded in the work of God as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

[2:52] Among the many situations in which joy is experienced, Scripture recognizes as supreme being accepted in the presence of God. The HarperCollins Bible Dictionary says, John's Gospel employs the familiar metaphors of marriage and harvest joy to suggest the exultant mood accompanying Jesus' ministry of salvation.

[3:15] Even more characteristic of the fourth Gospel, however, is the explicit association of joy with the person of Jesus and an emphasis on the perfect or completed joy of those secure in their loving relationship with him and one another.

[3:30] Here's another definition of joy. Joy is a state of delight and well-being that results from knowing and serving God. Joy is the fruit of a right relation with God.

[3:43] It is not something people can create by their own efforts. Joy in the Christian life is in direct proportion as believers walk with the Lord. They can rejoice because they are in the Lord.

[3:54] When we did the overview of all nine aspects of the fruit of the Spirit two lessons ago, here's what we said about joy then. We said joy is used some 70 times in the New Testament, always to signify a feeling of happiness that is based upon spiritual realities.

[4:13] Joy is the deep down sense of well-being that abides in the heart of a person who knows all as well between himself and the Lord. It is not an experience that comes from favorable circumstances or even a human emotion that is divinely stimulated.

[4:31] Joy is God's gift to believers. As Nehemiah declared, the joy of the Lord is your strength. That comes from Nehemiah 8.10. Joy is a part of God's own nature and spirit that he manifests in his children.

[4:48] Do you notice something in common with all of those biblical definitions of joy? Biblical joy finds itself in its root in our relationship with the Trinity rather than in our circumstances.

[5:02] And that's important to remember. Being joyful all the time doesn't mean that we're happy all the time. But even when we're going through difficult things, we can still have biblical joy because we know all is right between us and the Lord.

[5:17] When we understand the biblical definition of joy, the biblical demand for believers to have joy, regardless of our circumstances, makes more sense. Let's move to the next section of the lesson and look at the demand for joy.

[5:31] And we'll see that demand for joy by looking at several cross-references. Joy, or its verb form, rejoice, is commanded in both the Old and the New Testaments.

[5:44] Psalm 32.11 says, Be glad in the Lord and rejoice, O righteous, and shout for joy, all you upright in heart. Psalm 33 makes similar demands.

[5:57] Psalm 33 starts with this verse. Shout for joy in the Lord, O you righteous. Praise befits the upright. Psalm 33 ends with verses 20 through 22.

[6:11] So here are Psalm 33, verses 20 through 22. Our soul waits for the Lord. He is our help and our shield. For our heart is glad in Him because we trust in His holy name.

[6:25] Let your steadfast love, O Lord, be upon us, even as we hope in you. A little bit later, Psalm 100, verse 2 says, Serve the Lord with gladness.

[6:39] Come into His presence with singing. Moving to the New Testament, here is Philippians 4.4. And remember that Philippians 4.4 was written by Paul when he was in jail.

[6:51] He said, Rejoice in the Lord always. And again I say, Rejoice. And here are James chapter 1, verses 2 through 4.

[7:04] In James chapter 1, verses 2 through 4, he said, Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds. For you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.

[7:17] And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. These should be more than enough verses to show that joy is demanded from believers in both the Old and the New Testaments.

[7:34] That's where we have to remember that our joy is based upon our standing with God, rather than our present circumstances. Paul never gave a generic command to rejoice.

[7:46] He said, To rejoice in the Lord. And if you look at those James verses again, James never said that everything was joyful. He said to count everything as joy because God is using our circumstances, even our trials, to perfect us.

[8:02] And that's another way of saying that God is using our trials and our circumstances to make us more like Christ. And we know that's the Holy Spirit's purpose for us.

[8:14] So let's move on to the next section of the lesson and look at some biblical demonstrations of joy. If you use a concordance or a topical Bible to look up demonstrations of joy from God's people in the Bible, you'll notice a common theme.

[8:30] All those demonstrations of joy relate to things that God did directly, or things that God's people did because of God working through them. So here are just a few examples from the Bible.

[8:43] For the sake of time, we won't look up the Scripture for every one of these. From the Old Testament, here are a few examples. The Israelites rejoiced during the Exodus when they were delivered from the Egyptians.

[8:57] If you want to check that out, you can go to Exodus chapter 15, verses 1 through 22. Hannah rejoiced when Samuel was born because God answered her prayer for a son.

[9:09] You can read that in 1 Samuel 2, verses 1 through 11. Naomi rejoiced when Boaz was kind to Ruth. That happens in Ruth 2, 20 and 4, 14.

[9:21] Israel celebrated when David killed Goliath. You can read about that in 1 Samuel 18, verses 6 and 7. The Jews also rejoiced when Haman's plot to destroy them was stopped.

[9:33] And you can read about that in Esther chapter 8, verses 15 and 16. In Nehemiah, the people of Jerusalem rejoiced when Nehemiah, Ezra, the scribes, and the Levites declared a holy day.

[9:48] We will stop to read those verses. Here are Nehemiah chapter 8, verses 9 through 12. Again, these are Nehemiah 8, verses 9 through 12. And Nehemiah, who was the governor, and Ezra, the priest and scribe, and the Levites who taught the people, said to all the people, This day is holy to the Lord your God.

[10:11] Do not mourn or weep. For all the people wept as they heard the words of the law. Then he said to them, Go your way. Eat the fat and drink sweet wine, and send portions to anyone who has nothing ready.

[10:25] For this day is holy to our Lord. And do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength. So the Levites calmed all the people, saying, Be quiet, for this day is holy.

[10:39] Do not be grieved. And all the people went their way to eat and drink, and to send portions, and to make great rejoicing, because they had understood the words that were declared to them.

[10:52] So why does it say the people made great rejoicing? It says they understood the words about God that were taught to them. Moving to the New Testament, here are some New Testament examples.

[11:06] And some of these verses lack the specific word for joy or rejoice, but the actions certainly demonstrate joy. Zacharias rejoiced when John was born.

[11:17] You can read about that in Luke chapter 1, verses 67 through 79. The shepherds were joyful when they saw the infant Jesus. You can see that in Luke chapter 2, verse 20.

[11:31] Simeon expressed joy when he saw the baby Jesus in the temple. That comes in Luke chapter 2, verses 28 through 32. The wise men were joyful when they saw baby Jesus.

[11:45] That comes in Matthew chapter 2, verse 10. The disciples were joyful when Jesus triumphantly entered Jerusalem. You can read about that in Mark chapter 11, verses 8 through 10.

[11:59] And Matthew chapter 21, verses 8 and 9. Jesus' followers were joyful after Jesus' resurrection. A couple of those things come in Luke chapter 24, verse 41.

[12:13] And again in verse 53 of that same chapter. But there are many others you can look up. The disciples later rejoiced when they received the Holy Spirit. And that comes in Acts chapter 2, verses 46 and 47.

[12:29] Those are just a few Old and New Testament examples of joy. Because we know that the Holy Spirit's goal is to make us more like Christ, let's spend some of our time on this section looking at when God or Jesus demonstrated joy.

[12:43] Zephaniah prophesied about God's judgment over Judah. But Zephaniah also prophesied about God's restoration of Judah.

[12:55] Listen to Zephaniah chapter 3, verse 17. Zephaniah 3, verse 17 says, Then in the New Testament, Jesus tells three parables in Luke 15 to demonstrate how God rejoices over sinners being saved.

[13:30] We're going to spend some time looking at each of those parables, so you may want to turn to Luke chapter 15. The first one comes in the first seven verses of Luke 15.

[13:41] Jesus is talking here, and here's what he said in Luke 15, 1 through 7. Verse 1 sets the scene, and then we'll hear from Jesus after that.

[13:54] Now the tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to hear him, and the Pharisees and the scribes grumbled, saying, This man receives sinners and eats with them.

[14:05] So here's where Jesus comes in. Verse 3 says, Look at verse 7 again.

[14:54] Jesus said, Just so I tell you, There will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over 99 righteous persons who need no repentance.

[15:04] Jesus' second parable comes in verses 8 through 10. So here are Luke chapter 15, 8 through 10. Jesus says, Or what woman, having ten silver coins, if she loses one coin, does not light a lamp and sweep the house and seek diligently until she finds it?

[15:27] And when she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin that I had lost. Just so I tell you, there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents.

[15:47] Verse 10 is key here. Jesus said, Just so I tell you, there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents.

[15:58] Until recently, I thought that verse was saying that the angels were rejoicing. But instead, it says that there is joy before the angels rather than from the angels.

[16:12] If there is joy before the angels, God must be doing the rejoicing. John MacArthur says, The joy here is God's joy, the joy that fills heaven and in which the angels and the redeemed share.

[16:28] The third parable comes in Luke chapter 15, verses 11 through 32. It's the parable of the prodigal son.

[16:39] And we'll skip to the last verse of that parable. That's Luke chapter 15, verse 32. In Luke 15, 32, the father explains to the angry older brother why they should have rejoiced over the return of the prodigal.

[16:55] In Luke 15, 32, here's what it says. It was fitting to celebrate and be glad for your brother was dead and is alive.

[17:06] He was lost and is found. In all three parables, we see a seeker. In the first, it's the shepherd. In the second, it's the woman. And in the third, it's the father.

[17:19] And each of those seekers represents God who, after restoring the lost sinner, rejoices along with all those who are in heaven. Writing about Luke 15, John MacArthur said, One of God's attributes that is often overlooked is his joy.

[17:38] Though an eternally joyful God seems hard to accept, texts like 1 Chronicles 16, 27 and Nehemiah 8, 10 refer to that reality.

[17:50] We read Nehemiah 8, 10 earlier. It's the verse that talks about the joy of the Lord being our strength. Let's look at 1 Chronicles 16, 27, but we'll actually back up to verse 25 to set the context.

[18:07] So here are 1 Chronicles 16, 25 through 27. For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised, and he is to be feared above all gods.

[18:19] For all the gods of the people are worthless idols, but the Lord made the heavens. Splendor and majesty are before him. Strength and joy are in his place.

[18:32] If you've been tempted to think that the Old Testament God is only a God of wrath, think again. Wrath is just one attribute of our God. Our God, the only true God, also is a God of joy.

[18:47] The Old Testament clearly shows that. God's joy in recovering the lost is a prominent theme in Old Testament Scripture. In Deuteronomy 30, verse 9, God promised Israel that when he punished them for their disobedience and they repented, he would again take delight in prospering them as he took delight in their fathers.

[19:11] In Psalm 105, verse 43, the psalmist declared that God brought his people out with joy, his chosen ones with singing. Looking ahead to the future salvation of Israel, God said through Isaiah, and as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so shall your God rejoice over you.

[19:34] That comes from Isaiah 62, 5. Similarly, listen to what God declared through Jeremiah in Jeremiah chapter 32, verses 37 through 41.

[19:47] These verses again are Jeremiah chapter 32, verses 37 through 41. Behold, I will gather them from all the countries to which I drove them in my anger and my wrath and in great indignation.

[20:05] I will bring them back to this place and I will make them dwell in safety. And they shall be my people and I will be their God. I will give them one heart and one way that they may fear me forever for their own good and the good of their children after them.

[20:25] I will make with them an everlasting covenant that I will not turn away from doing good to them. And I will put the fear of me in their hearts that they may not turn from me.

[20:37] Then here's verse 41. I will rejoice in doing them good and I will plant them in this land in faithfulness with all my heart and all my soul.

[20:51] We know that Jesus also is God. Because Jesus is God and because joy is an attribute of God, we should be able to find examples of Jesus exhibiting joy.

[21:05] And we can. Listen to Luke chapter 10, verse 21. Speaking about Jesus, Luke 10, verse 21 says, In that same hour, he rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said, I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children.

[21:32] Yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. Listen now to John chapter 15, verses 10 and 11. Jesus is speaking here in John chapter 15, verses 10 and 11.

[21:47] He said, If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love. These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.

[22:04] Did you catch that? Jesus has joy, and he wants followers of him also to have joy. But not just any joy.

[22:15] He wants us to have full joy. Listen to Jesus praying to God in John chapter 17, verse 13. In John 17, verse 13, Jesus said, But now I am coming to you, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have my joy fulfilled in themselves.

[22:40] John 17, verse 13 is part of what we know as the high priestly prayer. That's the prayer that Jesus prayed on the night of his arrest. Jesus prayed this prayer knowing what events were coming.

[22:55] Hebrews chapter 12, verse 2 underscores the point that Jesus knew what was coming next. Jesus knew that enduring the cross as a man of sorrows would bring him joy, and that joy would be recovering lost sinners.

[23:10] Listen to Hebrews chapter 12, verse 2. Looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who, for the joy that was set before him, endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

[23:29] Despite the misunderstanding, the rejection, the hatred, and the pain that he endured from men while he was incarnate among them, Jesus never lost his joy in the relationship he had with his Father, and that joy he gives to each of his followers.

[23:47] That last sentence leads us into our final section about joy. We've looked at the definition for joy, we've looked at the demand for joy, and some demonstrations of joy.

[23:58] Now let's look at the driver for joy. The driver for joy is God's joy. God's joy is the source of believers' joy. It's a component of the kingdom of God, and it's dispensed by the Holy Spirit to the redeemed.

[24:13] While Christians are blessed with the rich measure of joy in this life, the full joy of eternal perfection awaits them in heaven when as faithful slaves they enter into the joy of their Master.

[24:28] Believers' highest joy in this life does not come from the trivial, insignificant, temporal things of this world, but in the spiritual life and fellowship of lost sinners that have been found, restored, and united in Christ's true church.

[24:42] Believers' joy as God's joy is the result of the greatness and glory of God's saving work. Make sure you grasp that last sentence.

[24:54] Believers' joy as God's joy is the result of the greatness and glory of God's saving work. That's why it's possible for believers to be joyful even if we're going through difficult circumstances.

[25:10] That quote in your handout has several scriptural references to support that claim, but here are some more Old Testament references to illustrate that believers' joy comes from God's saving work.

[25:23] Proverbs 10.28 says, The hope of the righteous brings joy, but the expectation of the wicked will perish. Ecclesiastes 2.26 says, For to the one who pleases him, God has given wisdom and knowledge and joy.

[25:44] But to the sinner he has given the business of gathering and collecting only to give to one who pleases God. This also is vanity and a striving after wind.

[25:56] As we wrap up our look at joy, consider the relationship between the demand for joy and the driver for joy. This is another John MacArthur quote.

[26:08] Because joy comes as a gift from him, talking about God, the command obviously is not for believers to manufacture or to try to imitate it. The command is to gratefully accept and revel in this great blessing they already possess.

[26:25] So listen to that last sentence again. The command is to gratefully accept and revel in this great blessing they already possess. Let's move on to the next attribute of spiritual fruit and that characteristic is peace.

[26:44] Like what we did for joy, let's start out with the secular definition of peace from Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary. It says that peace is a state of tranquility or quiet, freedom from civil disturbance, a state of security or order within a community provided for by law or custom, freedom from disquieting or oppressive thoughts or emotions, harmony in personal relations, a state or period of mutual concord between governance, a pact or agreement to end hostilities between those who have been at war or in a state of enmity, peace.

[27:24] Or it says it can be used interjectionally to ask for silence or calm or as a greeting or farewell. And then it says at peace means to be in a state of concord or tranquility.

[27:39] Some of those secular definitions get close to the Bible's definition of peace. Here's how the Dictionary of Bible Themes defines peace. It defines it as the state of harmony that is available to believers through having a right relationship with God and others and is especially associated with the presence of the Holy Spirit.

[28:02] The Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary says peace is a condition or sense of harmony, well-being, and prosperity. The biblical concept means more than the absence of hostility and it is more than a psychological state.

[28:21] In the Old Testament the Hebrew word shalom and its derivatives have been said to represent one of the most prominent theological concepts in the Old Testament. The word group occurs about 180 times in the Old Testament.

[28:36] It was not a negative or passive concept but involved wholeness and completeness. The related verb could mean to repay or to fulfill a vow and so referred to completing or repairing a relationship.

[28:52] A related adjective could be used to describe something as uninjured, safe, complete, or peaceable. Then it goes on to say that peace could refer to harmony between friends or allies, triumph in war, success in one's endeavors, good health, and security.

[29:13] The Hebrew equivalent of the English greeting how are you is do you have peace? So maybe instead of asking people how we are we should ask them if they have peace.

[29:25] peace. The term translated peace in the New Testament occurs in every New Testament book except 1 John. Like shalom, the term in the New Testament could refer to the absence of hostility, strife, and disorder and also to the condition and sense of being safe and secure.

[29:46] Christ made peace between believing Jew and Gentile by making them into one new man in him. The term could also describe a state of either being physical or spiritual well-being.

[30:00] When Jesus used it as a blessing and the Apostle Paul used it at the beginning of his letters, they referred to more than a sense of confidence in God. And here's the key part.

[30:11] The term brought to mind all that Christ would do or had done through the cross and the resurrection to end the dominion of sin and to make peace between God and man.

[30:22] Peace between all who are in Christ and a state of being spiritually whole again. The gospel message was called the gospel of peace in Ephesians chapter 6 verse 15.

[30:37] The world cannot achieve or provide peace because the world cannot deal with the problem of sin. God's peace that guards the Christian's heart and mind surpasses all understanding.

[30:49] peace and those longer definitions are consistent with the shorter definition we used when we did the overview of the fruit of the spirit. Here's that shorter definition that we used then.

[31:02] We said peace refers to the tranquility of mind that comes from the saving relationship with God. Everything is in its place and as it ought to be.

[31:14] Peace comes when God who has been opposed to us as his enemies lays down his weapons against us. He does this because Christ Jesus has satisfied his justice and made us his friends and his children.

[31:29] This peace is an objective reality. So that's an important concept. The peace is not a state of mind for Christians. It's an objective reality because of what Christ has done for us.

[31:43] peace. Now that we've looked at the definition of peace let's move to the demand for peace and we'll see the demand for peace by looking at several scripture verses in both the Old and the New Testament.

[31:57] Like all the added fruit in the Galatians list believers are commanded to promote and to demonstrate peace. Here's Psalm 34 14 Turn away from evil and do good seek peace and pursue it.

[32:17] Here are Zechariah 8 19 Zechariah 8 19 urges believers to love peace. It says thus says the Lord of hosts the fast of the fourth month and the fast of the fifth and the fast of the seventh and the fast of the tenth shall be to the house of Judah seasons of joy and gladness and cheerful feast therefore love truth and peace so notice you actually had joy mentioned there as well.

[32:48] Moving to the New Testament we see even more demands for believers to seek and to pursue peace. Here are Ephesians chapter 4 verses 1 through 3 and you'll notice that Ephesians 4 1 through 3 sound a lot like our Galatians passage.

[33:07] Paul said I therefore a prisoner for the Lord urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called with all humility and gentleness with patience bearing with one another in love eager to maintain the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace.

[33:29] In Colossians chapter 3 verse 15 here's what Paul wrote Colossians 3 15 says and let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts to which indeed you were called in one body and be thankful.

[33:47] Peter cites Psalm 34 when he writes 1 Peter 3 10 and 11 here are 1 Peter 3 10 and 11 for whoever desires to love life and see good days let him keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit let him turn away from evil and do good let him seek peace and pursue it.

[34:16] How about 2 Timothy chapter 2 verse 22 2 Timothy 2 22 says so flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness faith love and peace along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart here are James chapter 3 verses 17 and 18 James 3 17 and 18 say but the wisdom from above is first pure then peaceable gentle open to reason full of mercy and good fruits impartial and sincere and a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace let's move to Romans and look at a couple verses from Romans here are Romans 12 18 and Romans 14 19 Romans 12 18 says if possible so far as it depends on you live peaceably with all now here is Romans 14 19 that verse says so then let us pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding we'll look at one last scripture verse in this section and that's

[35:41] Hebrews chapter 12 verse 14 Hebrews 12 14 says strive for peace with everyone and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord we could go to other scriptures but these verses show that peace certainly is demanded from believers following the same pattern that we've done for the other aspects of spiritual fruit let's move on now to demonstrations of peace so here are some demonstrations of peace Abraham exemplified peace when he let his nephew Lot have the better land these verses are Genesis chapter 13 verses 8 and 9 Genesis 13 8 and 9 say then Abram he hadn't changed his name to Abraham yet said to Lot let there be no strife between you and me and between your herdsman and my herdsman for we are kinsmen is not the whole land before you separate yourself from me if you take the left hand then

[36:51] I will go to the right or if you take the right hand then I will go to the left in the last verse of Esther a book that Willard will be covering next on Wednesdays Mordecai promoted peace listen to Esther chapter 10 verse 3 for Mordecai the Jew was second in ranked king Ahasuerus and he was great among the Jews and popular with the multitude of his brothers for he sought the welfare of his people and spoke peace to all his people in Psalm 120 verse 7 David advocated peace David said in Psalm 120 verse 7 I am for peace but when I speak they are for war the last thing we'll look at tonight is the driver for peace so let's look at the driver for peace and we should know that like the other virtues listed in the fruit of the spirit the trinity

[37:57] Trinity is the driver for peace both the Old and the New Testament show us that Psalm 85 verse 8 says let me hear what God the Lord will speak for he will speak peace to his people to his saints but let them not turn back to folly Isaiah chapter 9 verses 6 and 7 prophesy about the coming of the Prince of Peace and we know that the Prince of Peace is the promised Messiah Jesus Christ here here are Isaiah chapter 9 verses 6 and 7 verses that we normally hear around Christmas time for unto us a child is born to us a son is given and the government shall be upon his shoulder and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor Mighty God Everlasting Father Prince of Peace Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end on the throne of David and over his kingdom to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore the zeal of the

[39:13] Lord of hosts will do this a little bit later in Isaiah Isaiah chapter 53 foretells how the Messiah will bring about this peace listen to Isaiah 53 verses 5 and 6 but he was pierced for our transgressions he was crushed for our iniquities upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace and with his wounds we are healed all we like sheep have gone astray we have turned every one to his own way and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all moving to the New Testament Ephesians chapter 2 verses 13 through 21 emphasize that Jesus' atonement for believers' sins brings us peace so here are Ephesians chapter 2 verses 13 through 18 verse 13 to God in one body through the cross thereby killing the hostility and he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near for through him we both have access in one spirit to the

[41:01] Father Colossians chapter 1 verses 19 and 20 emphasize the same thing these verses are Colossians 1 19 and 20 referring to Jesus Paul wrote there for in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell and through him to reconcile to himself all things whether on earth or in heaven making peace by the blood of his cross Romans chapter 5 verses 1 and 2 remind us of peace and of our reason for rejoicing Romans 5 1 and 2 say therefore since we have been justified by faith we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ through him we also have obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand and we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God

[42:02] Jesus himself said that he gives his followers peace here is John 14 27 in John 14 27 Jesus said peace I leave with you my peace I give to you not as the world gives do I give to you let not your hearts be troubled neither let them be afraid the spirit creates peace in the life of a spirit led believer believers have the peace of God made possible through the work of the cross of Jesus peace rules the hearts of those who walk by the spirit spirit led Christians will also take on the role of peacemakers by the spirit's power we've looked at joy and peace separately so let's briefly consider how joy and peace are related if joy speaks of the exhilaration of heart that comes from being right with

[43:02] God then peace refers to the tranquility of mind that comes from that saving relationship like joy peace has no relationship to circumstances because God is in control of all aspects of a believer's life how his circumstances may appear from a human perspective makes no ultimate difference that is why Jesus could say without qualification to those who trust in him let not your heart be troubled there is absolutely no reason for a believer to be anxious or afraid Joseph Pippa said the Bible often speaks of joy and peace they are twins peace is that sense of well being that comes out of being reconciled to God peace delivers us from anxiety peace promotes and brings contentment and prompts us to be at peace with our neighbor it is important to understand that this sense of well being arises from being reconciled to God as we heard in an earlier definition of peace peace is an objective reality peace with God leads to peace of conscience our consciences have been cleansed from the defilement of sin our guilt has been removed and we are right with God

[44:25] Pippa continues as we realize that we are reconciled to God we experience subjective peace we see further the relation between peace and joy it is impossible to have joy without this peace of conscience real joy can only be produced by the conscience that knows that it is at peace with God consider how true that last sentence is real joy only can be produced by the conscience that is at peace with God Romans 15 13 gives us a fitting benediction for tonight's study Romans 15 13 ties together joy peace faith and hope for believers all those things come together in the power of the Holy Spirit here is Romans 15 13 may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing so that by the power of the

[45:28]  Holy Spirit you may abound in hope that should be our prayer for ourselves and for each other listen to that verse again may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope let's pray father we thank you for the reminder that you expect believers to have peace and joy joy more importantly we thank you for the reminder of why we can have peace and joy we can have peace and joy because of what Jesus has done for us on the cross let us never forget that and let us share that with others in Jesus name we pray amen