
The life of Jesus is a gift.
*Isaiah 9:6
For unto us a child is born, to us a son is given;
and the government shall be upon[a] his shoulder, and his name shall be called[b]
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.*
Anything of value has to be stewarded, guarded and upheld, otherwise, it will become familiar, watered down, and stolen.
From the beginning of time humanity and the spiritual forces of hell have tried to bring Jesus down to the human level, make Him understandable and attainable.
Deuteronomy 6:7 ESV
7 You shall teach them diligently to your children and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.
The next generation will value the things you boast about.
Peace is a Gift-
Life on this fallen planet will give us many reasons to not have peace.
John 16:33 ESV
I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”
You will be more convinced that peace is not possible, or even not part of Gods plans because of what you see with your eyes.
John 14:27 ESV
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.
NLT
“I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.
Peace is a gift that was given so that your life would be blessed, abundant and complete.
Instead of giving the gift of peace to others, we give that gift of peace in exchange for the fear, anxiety and stress of our circumstances.
What is worth giving your peace to?
1- A Sound Mind prepares you for a life of peace.
2 Timothy 1:6-7NKJV
Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands. 7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.-
Sound Mind; a safe mind. Safe thinking. Ability to make good decisions. And judgements.
A renewed mind is Gods highest will for you.
1 Corinthians 2:14-16-ESV
14 The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. 15 The spiritual person judges all things, but is himself to be judged by no one. 16 “For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ.
You will experience the kingdom of God to the degree that we walk in a sound mind.
*2- The gift of Peace comes from the Prince of Peace. *
The Peace is of God comes from the presence of God.
Ephesians 2:6-8
And raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God.
**
3- Peace is meant to be made, not just kept. **
When we try to keep the peace instead of making peace, the life we live will be restless, chaotic and panic driven.
When our aim is to keep peace, the smallest issues become big problems.
Judges 6:23-24 ESV
23 But the LORD said to him, “Peace! Do not be afraid. You are not going to die.”24 So Gideon built an altar to the LORD there and called it The LORD Is Peace. To this day it stands in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.
Peace prepares us to do the hard things.
Peace keeping brings restlessness, but peace making brings Freedom.
Discussion Questions:
What does it mean to value something? What are some ways that we can guard the things of God that we value?
What is one thing in your life that God did that you can boast about?
What is the main difference between the Peace of God and the peace that the world gives?
What are some ways to have our minds renewed?
What are some key differences between a peace keeper and a peace maker?