June 22, 2014 | Fruits of the Holy Spirit | Peace and Patience

Dear all, welcome to THE NATHAN REPORT!

Sorry for the delay for this report, since I had been busy this entire week at my office work, ensuring my best efforts for future reports be posted on time. I will try my best!

Alright, as usual, we started off with weekly praise and worship. Here is the playlist of this week:

1) All things are possible - Hillsong United.

2) One way - Hillsong United.

3) Draw me nearer - Traditional Hymn.

4) Healer - Hillsong United.

5) Our God - Chris Tomlin & Matt redman.

It was a beautiful session glorifying Lord.

We have announcements and offerings. Here is the list of announcements:

- "Acts of the Holy Spirit" by Paul Thangiah is available with the church team. Please ask for a copy.

- Women's Fellowship 28th June 2014 4:30 PM

- Worship Team Training 28 June 2014 2:00 PM 

As you all know, this months theme is "Fruits of the Holy Spirit". Last week we talked about two fruits of the Holy Spirit, "Love" & "Joy". We will discuss about, "Peace" and "Patience", in detail today. The fruit of the Holy Spirit is the result of the Holy Spirit’s presence in the life of a Christian. The Bible makes it clear that everyone receives the Holy Spirit the moment he or she believes in Jesus Christ. One of the primary purposes of the Holy Spirit coming into a Christian's life is to change that life. It is the Holy Spirit's job to conform us to the image of Christ, making us more like Him.

Galatians 5:22-23 tells us, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” For a better understanding, we will divide these nine fruits in three groups. 

1- Love, Joy, Peace.

2- Patience, Kindness and Goodness.

3- Faithfulness, Gentleness and Self-control.

Peace

Romans 5:1 says, "Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ."

We have  a hymn lyrics of "When Peace Like A River". Here are the words...

When peace, like a river, attendeth my way, 

when sorrows like sea billows roll; 

whatever my lot, thou hast taught me to say, 

It is well, it is well with my soul. 

It is well with my soul, 

it is well, it is well with my soul.

Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come, 

let this blest assurance control, 

that Christ has regarded my helpless estate, 

and hath shed his own blood for my soul. 

My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought! 

My sin, not in part but the whole, 

is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more, 

praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul! 

And, Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight, 

the clouds be rolled back as a scroll; 

the trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend, 

even so, it is well with my soul. 

This hymn was written by Horatio Spafford (1828-1888), who was a wealthy Chicago lawyer with a thriving legal practice, a beautiful home, a wife, four daughters and a son. He was also a devout Christian and faithful student of the Scriptures. His circle of friends included Dwight L. Moody, Ira Sankey and various other well-known Christians of the day.

At the very height of his financial and professional success, Horatio and his wife Anna suffered the tragic loss of their young son. Shortly thereafter on October 8, 1871, the Great Chicago Fire destroyed almost every real estate investment that Spafford had.

In 1873, Spafford scheduled a boat trip to Europe in order to give his wife and daughters a much needed vacation and time to recover from the tragedy. He also went to join Moody and Sankey on an evangelistic campaign in England. Spafford sent his wife and daughters ahead of him while he remained in Chicago to take care of some unexpected last minute business. Several days later he received notice that his family's ship had encountered a collision. All four of his daughters drowned; only his wife had survived.

With a heavy heart, Spafford boarded a boat that would take him to his grieving Anna in England. It was on this trip that he penned those now famous words, When sorrow like sea billows roll; it is well, it is well with my soul.. 

Philip Bliss (1838-1876), composer of many songs including Hold the Fort, Let the Lower Lights be Burning, and Jesus Loves Even Me, was so impressed with Spafford's life and the words of his hymn that he composed a beautiful piece of music to accompany the lyrics. The song was published by Bliss and Sankey, in 1876.

For more than a century, the tragic story of one man has given hope to countless thousands who have lifted their voices to sing, It Is Well With My Soul. 

Peace in Greek is pronounced as "Eirēnē" and in Hebrew as "Shalom", but how would you define peace?

1) "That brief glorious moment in history when everybody stands around reloading." 

2) "The absence of conflict."

3) "Peace is knowing that we may get to the point where we can do nothing else, but that our all-powerful God has no such limits." (adapted from John MacArthur).

PEACE COMES FROM GOD!

We have few cross references:

- Isaiah 26:3, "You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you."

- Isaiah 54:13, "All your children will be taught by the Lord, and great will be their peace."

- Isaiah 32:17, "The fruit of that righteousness will be peace; its effect will be quietness and confidence forever."

- Isaiah 57:21, "There is no peace," says my God, "for the wicked."

- Isaiah 66:12, "

For this is what the Lord says: “I will extend peace to her like a river, and the wealth of nations like a flooding stream; you will nurse and be carried on her arm and dandled on her knees."

- John 14:27, "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."

- Acts 16:16-34, "16 Once when we were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a female slave who had a spirit by which she predicted the future. She earned a great deal of money for her owners by fortune-telling. 17 She followed Paul and the rest of us, shouting, “These men are servants of the Most High God, who are telling you the way to be saved.” 18 She kept this up for many days. Finally Paul became so annoyed that he turned around and said to the spirit, “In the name of Jesus Christ I command you to come out of her!” At that moment the spirit left her. 19 When her owners realized that their hope of making money was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace to face the authorities. 20 They brought them before the magistrates and said, “These men are Jews, and are throwing our city into an uproar 21 by advocating customs unlawful for us Romans to accept or practice.” 22 The crowd joined in the attack against Paul and Silas, and the magistrates ordered them to be stripped and beaten with rods. 23 After they had been severely flogged, they were thrown into prison, and the jailer was commanded to guard them carefully. 24 When he received these orders, he put them in the inner cell and fastened their feet in the stocks. 25 About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. 26 Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everyone’s chains came loose. 27 The jailer woke up, and when he saw the prison doors open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself because he thought the prisoners had escaped. 28 But Paul shouted, “Don’t harm yourself! We are all here!” 29 The jailer called for lights, rushed in and fell trembling before Paul and Silas. 30 He then brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” 31 They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household.” 32 Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all the others in his house. 33 At that hour of the night the jailer took them and washed their wounds; then immediately he and all his household were baptized. 34 The jailer brought them into his house and set a meal before them; he was filled with joy because he had come to believe in God—he and his whole household."

- Nehemiah 8:10, "Nehemiah said, “Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is holy to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength."

- Philippians 4:2, "I plead with Euodia and I plead with Syntyche to be of the same mind in the Lord."

- Philippians 4:6-7, "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."

The second definition of PEACE actually comes closer to getting it right. We know that Jesus description of peace didn’t mean merely the absence of interpersonal conflict, because conflict is a part of life. In fact, in Matthew 10:34 Jesus said that He didn’t come to bring peace, but a sword." The third definition is adapted from the definition that Dr. John MacArthur gave. "Peace is knowing that we may get to the point where we can do nothing else, but that our all-powerful God has no such limits." I like the perspective of Helen Keller when she said, "I do not want the peace which passes understanding, I want the understanding which brings peace.". The reality is that the peace which passes understanding comes from understanding the truth about God. 

Peace is a major theme in the Bible. It appears more than 80 times and it occurs at least 1 time in every one of the 39 books in the New Testament. 

We need the peace which comes from God because at some point in our lives we all struggle to maintain the peace we need. 

• For some it will be the death of a loved one– a child, parent, or spouse.

• For others it will be a heart attack, cancer, or another life threatening disease.

• Still others face divorce, financial ruin, or the loss of a significant dream.

• Sometimes the tragedies aren’t even personal.

• Tragedy comes into every life. The details vary, but the experience does not. 

That brings us to the difficult question of whether it’s even possible to have peace in the world we live in. Many people would say that it is not. It’s only as we examine the perspective of God’s word that we come to understand how that peace is not only possible, but should be normal in the life of the person who has the Spirit inside.

Many people don’t understand how trusting God can bring a sense of peace into our lives. You can focus on the bad things, or you can focus on the bright things, but I’m in charge either way and your final destination isn’t determined by what you see or feel along the way... " When we can understand that the Lord is in control in our lives, then we can experience a peace that is simply not possible without Him. However, when we understand this fact, it brings a peace into our hearts that affects everything else we do. 

True peace will never be possible until we realize that God is in control. 

In conclusion:

1. The Holy Spirit working in our lives means that we can experience peace on a level that defies human understanding. It means we can experience God’s peace in our church. It means we can experience God’s peace in our homes. It means we can experience God’s peace in our work place. Ultimately, it means that we can experience God’s peace in our hearts. It doesn't mean that any of these places is going to be perfect, because they’re not going to be. But it means in spite of the fact that those places aren't perfect, we can have peace there because true peace doesn't ultimately come from us, it comes from God. 

2. If God has established peace by reconciling us both to God and to one another in Christ, then we must do all we can to live out this life of peace. Paul summarized the challenge (Romans 12:14-21) of what Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount when he wrotee, "14 Bless those who persecute you bless and do not curse. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. 16 Be of the same mind toward one another; do not be haughty in mind, but associate with the lowly. Do not be wise in your own estimation. 17 Never pay back evil for evil to anyone. Respect what is right in the sight of all men. 18 If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men. 

19 Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, "Vengeance is Mine, I will repay," says the Lord. 20 "But if your enemy is hungry, feed him, and if he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in so doing you will heap burning coals on his head." 21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good." 

3. To put it in a nutshell, we must do what we can whenever we can to get along with everyone we can for the glory of God. We are to make sure we’re doingwhat we can and at that point, we are fulfilling God’s requirement.

4. This is one of the reasons why Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount said, "Blessed are the peace makers." Christians are called to be peacemakers because we have been offered true peace within our hearts. It doesn’t mean we will always see eye to eye. It doesn’t mean that everyone is going to be easy to get along with, but it does mean that if we allow the Holy Spirit to work within us as He wants to, we can experience true peace. It’s not enough to have peace in our hearts, we must do our part to bring peace to our world.

5. Perhaps some of us here today don’t have this peace that we’ve been talking about this morning. You can. It’s based upon knowing Jesus Christ as your Savior & Lord. It comes from having your sins forgiven, & having His Holy Spirit living inside you. As we come to the time of invitation, let me ask a basic question, would you like to experience this peace I’ve been talking about this morning? You can if you ask Jesus into your heart.

So what exactly gives peace?

a) God's word.

b) Remembering what God has done in the past.

c) Prayer and petition can bring peace. (Phil 4:6-7)

d) Living by HIS priorities.
e) Confidence in God's authority will bring peace.

f) Peace of mind is something God has promised to us.

Patience

Galatians 5:22 say. "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness." 

According to Koine Greek, the word used for patience is "makrothymia", which literally means "slow to anger". But what exactly is patience?

1. "Patience is self-restraint which does not hastily retaliate against a wrong." That’s pretty good. When someone does you a wrong, how do you respond - with patience or anger?

2. "Patience is the ability to accept delay or disappointment graciously." How do you deal with delay or disappointment? For some that’s really tough. Yet, patience is the ability to accept it without becoming upset.

3. "Patience is the powerful attribute that enables a man or woman to remain steadfast under strain - & continue pressing on."

Maybe that is where some of you are. You’re dealing with difficult circumstances. You’re a raising a child, or you’re caring for aging parents, or maybe you have a loved one who is ill & you’ve spent long hours at the hospital or nursing home. You’re weary, but patience is the quality that says, "This too, will pass. It’s almost over. I can keep on keeping on." 

4. "Patience is a calm endurance based on the certain knowledge that God is in control." 

Proverbs 29:22 says, "An angry person stirs up conflict, and a hot-tempered person commits many sins."

In the light of this verse, take an example. Sometimes we are driving and it is likely possible someone is continuously honking horn at you or maybe someone just overtakes you with a risk of damaging your vehicle or might be losses otherwise. So we end up speaking heated words in our mouth sitting inside the car, even though that person has already left who was troubling us. 

We have few more references:

- Proverbs 15:18, "A hot-tempered person stirs up conflict, but the one who is patient calms a quarrel."

- Proverbs 14:29, "Whoever is patient has great understanding, but one who is quick-tempered displays folly."

- Proverbs 14:17, "A quick-tempered person does foolish things, and the one who devises evil schemes is hated."

- Proverbs 11:29, "Whoever brings ruin on their family will inherit only wind, and the fool will be servant to the wise."

1 Corinthians 13:4, "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud."

Patience is a virtue. And again & again the Bible teaches us that we need to develop this virtue in our lives. In the 26th chapter of the Gospel of Matthew we see Jesus coming to the Garden of Gethsemane. 

Leaving the rest of the disciples by the gate, He takes Peter, James, & John with Him into the inner recesses of the garden, & says to them, "My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here & keep watch with me" [Matthew 26:38].

Then Jesus went on a little farther by Himself & prayed. Luke 22:44 says, "And being in anguish, He prayed more earnestly; & His sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground."


Then when Jesus came back, He found Peter & James & John sound asleep. Now how would you react to that? Here Jesus was experiencing the most terrible night of His life upon this earth, & they fall asleep, not once, but 3 times. And yet Jesus treats them with love & patience & kindness.

Have you ever stopped & wondered why God hasn’t intervened? Why doesn’t God send a lightning bolt? Why doesn’t God knock terrorists off the face of the earth? Why doesn’t He intervene when injustice seems to run rampant?

For one reason, God is patient & He wants everybody to be saved. Every day that He waits is just one more day for people to repent & come to Him.

If you have not come to Jesus, one of the reasons He may be holding back His judgment is because you haven’t come, & you’re His child. And more than anything, He wants you to come to Him, too.

The door of salvation is open because the Lord is patient. The door to Jesus is open because the Lord is patient. Right now, the opportunity for us to be saved from our sins is still available, because the Lord is patient.

In conclusion...


Lack of patience can destroy relationships. (please refer to proverbs references above). Patience does not comes naturally to us. It comes with the help of God. If we have problems with anyone, what should you do?

a) Examine your own heart.
b) Go to the person.
c) Talk to the person.

We have few more references:

- Ephesians 4:2-6, "2 Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. 3 Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. 4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all."

- Ephesians 4:15-16, "15 Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. 16 From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work."

- Ephesians 4:1-2, "1 As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. 2 Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love."

- Galatians 5:16, "So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh."

The Bible says that there are some things that we just can’t handle on our own and that we’ll never be able to handle them without the Lord’s help. Only God can help with his Spirit. When the storm comes and it will, remember the promise of JOYFUL FAITHFULNESS that it produces, and it will produce Joy that is the JOY OF THE Lord that is the strength to stand.

1) You must have patience with people.
2) You must have patience with yourself.
3) You must have patience with God's plan.

And how is it possible? 

Like john 14:14 says, "You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it." 

We move to the closing prayer followed by meet and greet.

For all our readers, we encourage you all to pray with us...

 Heavenly Father,

Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. Your Word teaches me wisdom and fills me with newness of life.

As I come to you today, I bring my needs to you. Help me to lay down all my problems at your feet. Help me to lay down all my tangled thoughts and restless emotions.

Lord, I am seeking your peace and your patience. I want to learn to wait patiently for you to bring your answers to my prayers. I want to cooperate with your plans for me. Thank you for assuring me that your plans for me are good.

As I wait on you, I will continue to turn to your Word for comfort and direction. Your Word is solid and reliable.

Your Word steadies me. Your Word brings me truth.  Your Word gives me strength. Your Word chases away my worry and my fears. Your Word refreshes me.

Thank you for your Word.

Amen!

We hope you enjoyed this service. We encourage you to share the same with your friends and families as well. God Bless!