Watch Church Online
“Called to Peace”
October 27, 2024
Cityline Church
Jack Anthony Sheets
Lead Pastor
12 Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 13 Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 14 And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. Colossians 3:12-14
1 What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? 2 You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God. 3 When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures. James 4:1-3
You will never see things begin to change around you, until you allow God to bring change to what’s going on within you.
“Healthy community is not so much about us not having issues and conflict, but it means we have a particular way we approach issues and conflict.” – Pete Scazzero
3 OPTIONS FOR DEALING WITH CONFLICT
- Creating false peace.
9 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. Matthew 5:9
The way of true peace will never come by pretending that what is wrong is right.
“You can’t have the true peace of Christ’s kingdom with lies and pretense. They must be exposed to the light and replaced with the truth. This is the mature, loving thing to do.” – Pete Scazzero
- Fighting dirty.
17 Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. 18 If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Romans 12:17-18
- Pursue making peace.
Peacekeeper – suppress feelings and avoids conflict in the hope of maintaining peace.
Peacemaker – willingness to engage conflict and resolve outer and inner tension in order to establish peace with others and themselves.
Shalom – not the absence of something but the presence of something… the presence of God bringing harmony, justice and wholeness…. Even in the midst of chaos and conflict…
“Peacemakers are people who breathe grace, they draw continually on the goodness and power of Jesus Christ, and then they bring his love, mercy, forgiveness, strength, and wisdom to the conflicts of daily life.” – Ken Sande
CHOOSING TO MAKE PEACE
- Start with prayer.
- Make the first move.
- Believe the best.
- Speak the truth in love.
13 Who is wise and understanding among you? Let them show it by their good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. 14 But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. 15 Such “wisdom” does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. 16 For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice. 17 But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. 18 Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness. James 3:13-18
True peacemakers love God, love others, and love themselves enough to disrupt false peace in order to achieve true peace.
15 Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Colossians 3:15