Introduction

• Philippians 4:6-9
• John 14:17
• Matthew 10:34

Eirene – peace

Peace with God

• What is peace with God and how do we achieve it?
  • Ephesians 2:11-22 – Peace with God is reconciliation to Him.
  • Acts 10:34-43 – Spiritual peace comes only through Jesus.
  • Romans 5:1 – We have peace with God because we have been justified by faith.
• Peace with God is the restored relationship we have with God and we achieve it through forgiveness of sins through Jesus Christ.
• Sin separates us from God. Forgiveness through Christ means we can reestablish peace with God. This allows us to have peace with self and others (hopefully).

Peace with self (clean conscience)

• I Corinthians 15:9; Ephesians 3:8 and I Timothy 1:15?
• II Timothy 4:6-8
• Acts 9:4, 9, 17-20; 26:24-26
• Jeremiah 6:13-15
• I John 1:3-6

Peace with people

• Romans 12:18
• Colossians 3:12-15
• Our peace with God is the basis for our peace with others.
• John 16:32-33

Introduction

• Genesis 12:7 – God promises the land to Abraham.
• Genesis 13:17; 15:18; 17:8 – God continues to repeat the promise.
• Exodus 3:8 – It was time for the land promise to be fulfilled.
• Exodus 12:25
• Numbers 13:1-2, 17-24 – Moses sends men to spy out the land.
• Numbers 13:25-29 – The spies give a discouraging report.

Courage to trust in God’s way

• Numbers 13:30 – Caleb spoke up with courage!
• Numbers 13:31-33
• Numbers 14:6-9 – Caleb and Joshua were willing to trust in God. God had said it, so that settled it!
• God’s way is always the right way!
• Hebrews 13:4 – This temptation may seem unconquerable, but we must trust in God!
• Proverbs 29:25 – Courage comes from trust in the Lord.

Courage to stand in the minority, when even brethren are weak

• Numbers 13:31
• Caleb and Joshua had to stand even against their brethren.
• Numbers 14:1-10
• Isaiah 40:8, 23-24, 28-31
• Acts 20:28-30

Courage to know God controls the future

• Numbers 14:28-30
• Romans 4:17 – See Genesis 17:5. God spoke of the future in the past tense!
• Joshua 21:43
• I Timothy 1:8-11 – Are we willing to stand by what the Lord says about homosexuality?
• The future does not belong to the giants of today. It belongs to God.
• Numbers 1:45-46

Hebrews 13:4 - Divorce and remarriage

• Definition of terms:
  • Married – relationship between man and woman
  • Bound – relationship between man, woman, and God
  • Divorce – See Matthew 5:31. Divorce is when the marriage is severed.
  • Loosed – When one is freed from a marriage. One may be either loosed by God’s law or civil government or both.
• Galatians 5:22
• Marrying someone who is bound to another is adultery.
• Three things that prevent divorce:
  • Love and respect for God’s law
  • Love and care for the wellbeing of your spouse
  • Doing your part in the marriage – don’t ask if you are being treated right.
• I Corinthians 7:15 – Some argue that a person is left unbound and can remarry in this case, but that’s not what this verse is saying. It’s referring to spousal duties. If the other spouse leaves, those duties cannot be performed.
• Some teach that the alien sinner is not amenable to God’s marriage law. WE don’t see such a distinction anywhere in the Bible. God’s marriage law is for all mankind.
• Some teach that because all sins are forgiven at baptism, one can stay in an adulterous relationship after he is baptized. This is false. We cannot continue in sin just because we are baptized!
• Some teach that if one spouse is loosed, the other is also. This is not what the scripture teaches.
• Matthew 19:9 – Divorce for the cause of adultery is the only way marriage is allowed. Some teach that adultery after the divorce allows the other spouse to remarry, but this does not match what we see in the scriptures.

Hebrews 13:5-6

• Hebrews 13:5-6 – See Colossians 5:6. Let us live without covetousness. Putting anything ahead of God is equivalent to adultery with God.

Pride

• Matthew 23:2
• Acts 2:41; 3:7, 26; 4:1-3, 16-17 – The miracle had taken place and could not be denied, but out of pride they tried to stop the spread of the truth. Acts 5:17; 2:37
• Acts 7:54 – Pride makes us look at truth and deny it.
• Maybe something about obeying God hurts our pride.
• Every great question got that way swallowing their pride!

I like things the way they are

• Acts 19:1-10, 19-20, 23-32 – The gospel threatened their way of life! The temple of Artemis was one of the seven wonders of the ancient world.
• Romans 13:13 – These are things we must give up when we turn to Christ.
• I Timothy 5:16

I won’t get past the “almost”

• Acts 26:4-11, 18-20, 26-29 – King Agrippa was almost persuaded to be a Christian.
• Maybe we know the truth but are too laid back about applying it.
• II Peter 3:10
• There won’t be a worse feeling in the universe than not being prepared for the afterlife!

Chara – joy

• Philippians 2:29; James 1:2-4 – Joy is commanded, so clearly it is something that can be developed!
• I Peter 1:3-9; Acts 22:4; 18:2; Hebrews 10:32-36 – Joy Is not the absence of trouble! We can have joy even in persecution and tribulation. Christians have a long term, abiding joy.
• Ecclesiastes 1:14; 2:1, 10-11, 18 – Solomon explored everything looking for pleasure and joy, but he did not find it in earthly things.
• Acts 8:38-39; 16:33-34 – People rejoiced when they were baptized.
• Psalms 51:8-14 – There is no joy without God’s salvation.
• Philippians!
  • Joy in salvation
    • Philippians 1:25 – joy in the faith
    • Philippians 2:17-18
    • Philippians 3:1 – rejoice in the Lord
    • Philippians 3:20 – our citizenship is in heaven
    • Philippians 4:4 – rejoice in the Lord
  • Joy in fellowship
    • Philippians 1:3-5 – joy in fellowship
    • Philippians 2:2
    • Philippians 2:28-29
    • Philippians 4:1 – brethren should give us joy
    • Philippians 4:10
  • Joy in helping others be saved
    • Philippians 1:12-13, 18
• Acts 13:52; John 11:35; Philippians 2:27; James 1:2 – Even the most spiritually-minded people will be sad sometimes. Being sad doesn’t necessarily mean you are doing something wrong.