PEACE FOR THE HARVEST
Numbers 6:24-26
“The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.”
We’ve been talking about biblical meanings of harvest – the lost, the church, & the blessing of God, but these are actually not 3 separate unrelated categories but they are all tied together.
Number one most imp: the mission of the Kingdom of God
Everything in this life is about the HARVEST
It is ALL about us as the Church winning for the Lamb the prize of his suffering
Carrying out our part in his plan that he put into action through his life, death and resurrection
Nothing is more important than people. Nothing is more imp than where they will spend eternity. Not our career, our opinions and preferences, our achievements and wealth and reputation – nothing matters as much as the Gospel, as Jesus and his plan to save mankind.
Why its good to keep ever before us the ultimate end-time Harvest
There will be a day when Jesus will stand w a crown on his head and a sickle in his hand and the angel will cry take your sickle and reap for the harvest is ready! And he will divide the wicked and the righteous. Those who rejected his attempt to save them from those who received him.
It is that prophecy and that image that keeps us in line and keeps us on mission.
Everything in our lives as Christians must respond to this core Christian belief.
The Gospel is everything. The Harvest is everything
JESUS, his mission and your place in it is what LIFE is all about!
But I know what you might be feeling right now.
You might be thinking, yeah I’d love to live all out for the mission of Jesus, but I can barely keep my head above water right now! I’m just trying to function atm!
I’m just trying to survive the chaos in my home, in my body, the chaos in my mind and soul.
This is the enemy’s tactic!!
You have an Enemy against you, his ultimate goal is to interfere and prevent this mission!
He knows the best way he can keep you from living life God intended – is if he can just keep you fighting just to get food on the table, or fighting for stability in your home, or fighting for health in your body, or sanity in your mind
And then he will try to use the good things to distract- keep you preoccupied and busy with self-achievement, always keeping your engagement in God’s plan just out of reach
So what is the answer?!
Do we just wait til everything is perfect? Absolutely not or we will NEVER lock in
Clearly we have to figure out how to live devoted lives, purposeful lives, in the MIDST of it all,
We have to figure out how to remain steadfast DESPITE the demands & unpredictability of life!
Good news today!
Jesus has made something available to us that is the deepest cry of the human soul
Something that will sustain us even when we can’t make ends meet
And will carry us even when we are still in the fight, waiting on a miracle
And it is PEACE!!!
It is the will of God that you have peace! Amazing you can be the most talented, most intelligent most capable but if you have no peace – immobilized, fruitless
YET you can be like the guy in that parable that has one little talent. Not most impressive. Would have never been voted most likely to succeed and YET bc you carry the PEACE of God – you see clearly, act freely and somehow continue to defy the odds bc the peace of God makes ALL the difference in life!!
If we are going to reach the lost, be light in darkness, we HAVE to have peace! It is the peace of God that makes us attractive to the lost bc they crave it, the world can’t give it, only Jesus can!
Jn 14:17a – PEACE I leave with you; my peace I give you.
The peace Jesus is talking about is more than ‘good vibes’ – SHALOM
This is the kind of peace Jesus gives:
Shalom peace def: Hebrew often translated peace but means so much more.
In scripture shalom means wholeness and completeness, flourishing and wellbeing, rest and security, and right relationship with God, which results in right relationship with yourself, & with others.
It is life as God intended it to be. Whole, reconciled, flourishing and at rest under His rule.
My fav: nothing missing, nothing broken
Whew! Give me this and I have everything!
Shalom Peace is a FELT reality.
Rom 14:17 – For the Kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit.
Not just about rules, but a real experience
It is not just an emotion, but it is a presence you are sensing
You are feeling the very literal presence of God, the Holy Spirit
You have constant access to the presence of God so you have constant access to PEACE
Shalom Peace was paid for with the blood of Jesus Jesus paid the ultimate price for your peace
Is 53:5 the punishment that brought us PEACE was upon him.
Shalom Peace is available through the Holy Spirit.
When you are baptized in the Holy Spirit, you are baptized in the very Spirit of Peace
Now it’s not just outside of you like what you feel when you walk into this room filled with worship
Now you can carry peace inside you everywhere you go – but the fruit of the Spirit…peace
The HS gives you peace of mind. “The mind of the Spirit is life and peace.”
Shalom Peace, like hope, is anchored in the eternal security we have in Christ.
Romans 5:1 – Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
My eternity is secure, I’m good! In light of eternity, all other problems are much smaller!
Psychology of the ocean – restores your sense of scale, recalibrates your mind, shrinks anxiety, expands perspective. Focusing on our eternal reality – perspective that brings peace
ACTS THAT BRING PEACE
There are certain acts, according to Scripture, that bring peace to us
OUR WORDS
Proverbs 18:21a – Death and life are in the power of the tongue.
Words have creative power. I love how Jesus said PEACE to storm!
God created the universe w his words! We r image of God! Don’t you think our words…?!
At same time – destructive power. We’ve all experienced. Someone can instantly disrupt peace negativity, cruelty. And we can do it to ourselves! Hard to have peace if we grumble…
PRAYER
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. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Prayer brings peace.
Start day in prayer – sets tone – most important discipline, but don’t leave it there
Carry it with you all day. We are ADD, forgetful, and need reminders all day.
OBEDIENCE
Psalm 119:165 – Great peace have those who love your law, and nothing can make them stumble.
When I lack peace the first and most obvious thing to check, is anything in my life displeasing to God? That will disturb the peace – Goodness of God bc HS signaling, cliff, back on track
Led forth in peace, how He guides us in life!
WORSHIP
Isaiah 26:3 – You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.
Worship brings peace bc reminds us God is present, refocuses our minds on Him
WORD OF GOD
I have peace because I know the promises of God will all be fulfilled in my life.
But I can’t have peace in God’s promises if I don’t KNOW them!
Mark 4:26-29
Jesus also said, “The Kingdom of God is like a farmer who scatters seed on the ground. Night and day, while he’s asleep or awake, the seed sprouts and grows, but he does not understand how it happens. The earth produces the crops on its own. First a leaf blade pushes through, then the heads of wheat are formed, and finally the grain ripens. And as soon as the grain is ready, the farmer comes and harvests it with a sickle, for the harvest time has come.”
MOST POWERFUL MOMENTS OF PEACE RESTORED IN MY LIFE
Moment of Repentance
Acts 3:19 – Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord.
YOU – I say this in love: deal with the temper, deal with the negativity, deal with the addiction, sin, humble yourself, recognize you need God to set you free, bc there will never be peace in your home until there is peace in you. Doesn’t matter how your parents did it, etc
As for you and your house – you are called to PEACE
Surrender – showing up to church – worship countless times, timely word countless times
On time, no peace, tormented
“I don’t have to understand bc I believe” surrendered, PEACE, MS flare gone in an instant
Lately in a season of refreshing. Profound peace. Learning now in my 40s, I have power to shift the position of my heart to lean into his presence. Choose peace. Literally feel it.
A GIFT!!! Heaven on earth! Deposit guaranteeing what is to come – endless peace in eternity
Numbers 6:24-25 “The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.”