UPCOMING DATES. 28 August Young Families Birthday Bash. 4 September Father s Day. 8 September WestCare Fundraiser

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1 UPCOMING DATES 28 August Young Families Birthday Bash 4 September Father s Day 8 September WestCare Fundraiser 23 to 25 January INY Summer Camp 2016 CG Notes #19 Abundant Peace Title: Peace with God KEY VERSE: Romans 5:1-2 (NLT) Therefore, since we have been made right in God s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us. 2 Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of undeserved privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God s glory. 1

2 Abundance of Peace This month we launch our new theme: Abundant Peace. An abundance of God s peace is available to all of God s children. Along with the blessing of hope that He gives, peace is another gift of God s grace and the wonderful life He now gives to us. The Word of God contains a wealth of promises regarding the peace of God. Many of us can tell of times in our lives when the peace of God sustained us through our most difficult days. In the weeks ahead, we will look deeper into these promises and celebrate God s goodness. Peace of God, Peace with God However, before we search the Word concerning the peace of God, we must build upon the foundational truth of peace with God. Knowing really knowing that is, being completely certain that we are made right in God s sight is of primary importance to living in the peace of God. The greatest peace that we can ever experience is peace WITH God. Pray first These notes are structured differently than most and are based upon the message that Ps Jack delivered on Sunday AM, 14 August. You may want to listen to this pod-cast during this week. Pause for discussion, as you feel led of the Spirit. Your goal should be to really get this Word working in everyone s lives. Before you begin this study as a group, pray together and ask the Holy Spirit to open your spiritual eyes to the truth contained in these notes. There is often a spiritual dullness that we need to confront and there is an enemy who will resist this truth becoming revelation to you. Pray that the Holy Spirit will reveal old mind-sets and wrong thinking and that He will help you renew your mind with the truth. When you begin to understand and then live out of God s great love and provision of grace, you will truly experience the abundant life that Jesus has promised. The Apostle Paul knew the importance of spiritual truth getting from the head to the heart. Refer to his prayer for the Ephesian Church as you pray today. Ephesians 1:17-19a (NIV) 17 I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know Him better. 18 I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which He has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in His holy people, 19 and His incomparably great power for us who believe. (Consider also: 2 Corinthians 10:3-5) Many Christians readily agree to the fact that the blood of Jesus Christ has cleansed them from all sin (1 John 1:9) yet they often find themselves under a foreboding cloud, not really certain how God feels about them. This may be due to a lack of understanding of 2

3 the Word, church background, family of origin, or a variety of reasons. This wrong thinking affects us and afflicts us in the areas of faith, belief, and hits us hard in our emotions. Discuss: Ps. Jack described some of these foreboding thoughts as doubting questions. Do any of these seem familiar to you? Where do you think thoughts like these come from? Do I measure up? Have I been good enough? Is God mad at me? Have I let Him down? Does He really love me? Am I truly forgiven? Am I really accepted by Him? We know the truth, so why don t we feel like it s true? This lack of peace reaches to the core of our being and often we don t even realize what is going on. The point is, we can never truly live out of the peace of God until we are convinced that we have peace with God. We must replace wrong thinking with God s truth and continue to ask the Holy Spirit to remind us when we succumb to old thought patterns and emotional pathways. If we continue to live under a foreboding cloud of uncertainty, then our prayers for God s peace while in the midst of trouble may be stopgap measures that help get us through for the time being. However, God s will for our lives is that we become resilient, to experience peace in every storm of life - and be able to say, no matter what comes: It is well with my soul! The life of peace with God The life of peace with God is a life at rest. It is based on the finished work of Christ. Think on these things (Philippians 4:8,9): There is no more animosity between God and me. No more guilt. No more shame. No retribution from God. No debt that I owe. No anger. No wrath. No punishment to now or to come. No penalty for sin that I must pay. 3

4 What does the Bible say about peace with God? Revisit our key verse: Romans 5:1-2 (NLT) Therefore, since we have been made right in God s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us. 2 Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of undeserved privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God s glory. What other Bible translations do you have? Read these verses from at least two more translations. What extra meaning do you pick up? The Message Bible always has a fresh approach: Romans 5:1-2 (MSG) By entering through faith into what God has always wanted to do for us set us right with Him, make us fit for Him we have it all together with God because of our Master Jesus. And that s not all: we throw open our doors to God and discover at the same moment that He has already thrown open His door to us. We find ourselves standing where we always hoped we might stand out in the wide - open spaces of God s grace and glory, standing tall and shouting our praise. We never measured up to begin with. It was always God s initiative and not man s that has provided for us to be at peace with Him. It s neither our good-behavior nor our lack of it, for that matter that causes God to love us. When our eyes are opened to God s love and grace we do right because we have been made right, not to make ourselves right. Romans 5:8-10 NLT But God showed His great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. And since we have been made right in God s sight by the blood of Christ, He will certainly save us from God s judgment. Because of Jesus death on the cross we have: Peace not punishment. Justification not judgment. Friendship not fear. Restoration not retribution. Grace not guilt. Ephesians 1:7 (MSG) 4

5 Because of the sacrifice of the Messiah, His blood poured out on the altar of the Cross, we re a free people free of penalties and punishments chalked up by all our misdeeds. And not just barely free, either. Abundantly free! His work for you and me Abundant freedom Abundant peace Jesus has given us right standing with God. He has given us peace with God. God is pleased and completely satisfied with His work (the cross) for you and your faith in it. We make the mistake of thinking that our peace with God has more to do with our works for Him rather than His work for us. Our faith must be in His work for us. The fear of God Some may ask: Does grace and peace with God negate the fear of God? This may come from a concern that there are those who misappropriate the grace of God and adopt an anything goes, do as I please attitude. The Apostle Paul addressed this question, following all the wonderful truth of Romans 5: Romans 6:1-2 (NIV) What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? 2 By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? Not only has the cross of Jesus made us right with God but also the cross has broken the power of sin over our lives. Sin is no longer the norm or the desire of the born-again believer. The work of God s grace in our hearts makes us holy and causes us to want to live holy. We may experience temptations and we may even occasionally sin but it is no longer to be our way of life. Sin for the believer who truly loves Jesus has become an if meaning a rare event, not a regular occurance. John said: 1 John 2:1 (HCSB) My little children, I am writing you these things so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father Jesus Christ the Righteous One. Our fear of God then becomes one of awe and wonder. Ps Jack said: The fear of God grips my heart. The awesomeness of God takes my breath away! Grace does not negate the fear of the Lord but it does negate the fear that God will condemn me, judge me, and reject me. That fear is gone forever! If I rely upon my own good works and my own right standing with God and my own best efforts at my own righteousness I can never feel confident that I am good enough. 5

6 But because my standing with Him is based on His good works and gift of His righteousness I can have 100% confidence that I am 100% acceptable to Him. I no longer live my life under the shadow of uncertainty. God loves me. God is for me. He is completely satisfied with the blood of the cross. Christ s work on the cross is the provision for my peace. Colossians 1:20 (NKJV) And by Him to reconcile all things to Himself having made peace through the blood of His cross. Isaiah 53:5 (HCSB) But He was pierced because of our transgressions, crushed because of our iniquities; punishment for our peace was on Him, and we are healed by His wounds. Nothing but the blood of Jesus What can wash away my sin? What can make me whole again? Oh precious is the flow, that makes me white as snow; No other fount I know; nothing but the blood of Jesus. This is all my hope and peace, This is all my righteousness, The life He now gives is an abundant life of peace with God. 6