Welcome to Redemption Church in Plano Tx. I am glad you are here! My name is Chris Fluitt and I love the Lord and I love His Church.

We are in the 4th week of our sermon series – Vibe Check

What is a Vibe?

Viburnum? The beautiful flowing plant??

 

Vibe – A person’s emotional state, felt by others; The tangible atmosphere created by the disposition of our being.

 

Vibe Check

The worst vibes come from the flesh.

The best vibes come from the Spirit.
Galatians 5:22 (NIV) But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

Vibe Check

Sometimes words don’t hold the power they should.
We can hear words like, love, joy, and peace so much that they lose their impact.
Does the word love still impact you? Joy, Peace…  The Gospel?  The name Jesus?

I want you to understand…
What is so strong about Love?  The Spirit.
What is so strong about Joy? The Spirit.
 

Love is just a word without the Spirit.

When you realize it is a work Spirit wants to do… it is powerful!

 

I want to teach you about the Fruit of the Spirit.

Fruit of the Spirit

Love, Joy, Peace – Heart

Patience, Kindness, Goodness – Relationships

Faithfulness, Gentleness, Self Control – Battles

 

We have been talking these last weeks about a vibe that should reside within your heart.

We will continue today with the vibe of Peace.

The Vibe of Peace

Peace is found 249 in scripture.

Peace is a major theme of Scripture.

How do we define peace?

 

Peace – A state of calm security that we receive from our relationship with Jesus

What is the state of your heart?
What is the state of your home?   …mind?   …soul?   What is your vibe?
Do you have a calm security?

Do you have a relationship with Jesus?
Is your relationship with Jesus strong enough to affect your heart with PEACE?
Is your relationship with Jesus strong enough to affect your surroundings?

 

The opposite of Peace is worry and fear, but peace is a strong, protected, security.

 

Sheltered in the arms of God – By Dottie Rambo

“So let the storms rage high, the dark clouds rise, they don’t worry me

For I’m sheltered, safe within the arms of God”

 

Peace means – I’m at rest in my Savior, and His rest rules my response

 

When you have the Peace of the Spirit within… your response to the external issues of life is the peace of the of the Spirit.

People who are hateful lack this peace.
People who blow up lack this peace.
People who can’t forgive and reconcile lack this peace.
People who rage lack this peace.
 

We can blame our anger on external issues… but really it is a lack of peace within. We need the Spirit of God to be operating within us.

The peace of the Spirit is stronger than the issues of life.

Peace has everything to do with the presence of the Spirit!

 

John 14:26-27 26 But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. 27 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.

Jesus, upon promising the Spirit, says PEACE!

“Peace I leave…“
“My peace I give…”

If you have the Spirit you should have this Peace.  MY PEACE I GIVE YOU.

 

“Not as the world gives?”

Worldly Peace Definition

What does worldly peace look like?

1-      The absence of war or other hostilities.

2-      An agreement or a treaty to end hostilities.

3-      Freedom from quarrels and disagreement; harmonious relations.

The world defines peace as being problem free.
The world focuses on the external and not the internal.

Where is your focus?
If I am worldly, fleshly, carnal I am focused on the external…
“I wanted to watch Netflix, but now I have to fix my car and so and so is in the hospital… I am so angry.”

This is where the world lives… Is this where we live?

Our prayer to God for peace is not “God please remove my problems.”

The vibe of the Spirit does not just work in a perfectly peasant church building…  It works in the warzone.

Love works even in the midst of hate.
Joy works even in the midst of sorrow.
Peace works even in the midst of problems.

Jesus gives peace… not as the world gives.

John 14:27 (NIV) 27 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.

The peace of the world only works on cloudless days.
The peace that Jesus gives is different.

Peace Rules

The Old Testament prophets where told of a Messiah who would come and be king of the Earth.
Hundreds of years in advance, Isaiah saw a king who would rule unlike any other king of the world.

Isaiah saw a king who would rule by peace.

Isaiah 9:6-7 (NIV) 6 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

7 Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this.

Prince of PEACE.
The greatness of His government and PEACE… there will be no end.

The world wins peace by killing everyone who is a problem.  This is what war is.  This is how nations grow.

The kingdom of God’s dear son (Colossians 1:13) is a nation that grows, not with violence, but with grace, truth, justice, righteousness, and peace.

Peace Rules

Is the prince of peace ruling in your life?
Does the prince of peace sit upon the throne of your heart?

Colossians 3:15 (NIV) 15 Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.

When you think of the word “ruling” it ought to make you think of a judge making a decision.

The Judgment of Peace

Scripture says let the peace of God RULE.

When you are looking for wisdom… the right decision… God’s authority and will… you need to look to the judgment of peace.

You can have your “Judge Judy,” the best judge is peace.

You can make Godly decisions by simply paying attention to peace.

 

1. Stand before a decision
2. Prayerfully think about the decision. (Talk through the decision with God or Godly people)
3. Pay attention to what you feel… do you feel peace?

There have been times in my life I have stood at a fork in the road and pulled out a compass called peace and quickly knew the direction I should take.

 

You are at your best, when you are at peace.

DO NOT MAKE DECISIONS when you are not at peace.
Do not be hurried.
Do not be anxious, but prayerful and peaceful.

 

Have a big scary meeting?
Before you walk into that meeting, walk into the presence of the Spirit.
Have peace working and flowing in you BEFORE you go into that meeting.

 

You are at your worst, when you are not at peace.
Your worst decisions are made out of fear.
The things you say are not helpful when you are fearful.
Your brain is not helpful when you are not at peace, but in a state of worry.

They did a study at the National Science Foundation that categorizes the things we worry about.

40% of what we worry about never happens.
30% of our worries concern the past.
12% are needless worries about our health.
10% are insignificant or petty.
8% are legitimate issues.

92% of our worry is over things that won’t happen or things we can’t change.

-Dr. Walter Cavert, National Science Foundation

Worrying has never helped us. Jesus taught us this.

Matthew 6:25-27 (NIV) 25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?

 

Peace rules.
Peace will set you free from worry.
Peace will lead you to wisdom.

Peace is a work of the Spirit.

Peace is a testimony

• Peace testifies that God’s Word is true.
• Peace testifies that God is greater than the problem.
• Peace testifies that you have a different kind of King and Kingdom… You have a Prince of Peace.
• Peace testifies to you…
• Peace testifies to those around you…
• Peace testifies to the enemy… Enemy, you have already lost.
  • When the enemy throws their worst – BUT YOU STILL HAVE PEACE!

 

The story in the Bible that best typifies peace is…

Jesus in the boat

This is a story every believer needs to know.

Mark 4:35-41 (NIV) 35 That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side.” 36 Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. 37 A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. 38 Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?” 39 He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. 40 He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?” 41 They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!”

There was a storm so furious that seasoned sailors were afraid of drowning.

Jesus is on the same boat and in the same storm, but Jesus is at rest.

The disciples wake up Jesus, and Jesus rebukes the wind and waves.

The one in the boat has power over the wind & waves outside the boat.

When they see the power of the Prince of Peace, that peace testifies to them about who Jesus is.

 

When I pray for people and situations I almost always think about this story. You will often hear me say this out loud – “Jesus, help them to find you in this storm.”

Do not just pray about what is outside the boat… THE EXTERNAL…
Pray to Jesus… stir up that relationship with Jesus… Focus on THE INTERNAL…

Jesus HIMSELF will rise up and rebuke the wind and waves.

 

Peace means – I’m at rest in my Savior, and His rest rules my response

What is your Vibe today?

Do you have peace?