Prayer
Take the first 10 minutes of your time together to listen to what God is doing in one another’s lives and pray for any specific needs people in your group may have.
This week we continue our series titled Sons and Daughters. We will be taking a look at the end of the book of Galatians and how the Gospel transforms our lives and gives us a new identity as children of God.
Discussion Questions
“When Christ died He left a will in which He gave His soul to His Father, His body to Joseph of Arimathea, His clothes to the soldiers, and His mother to John. But to His disciples, who had left all to follow Him, He left not silver or gold, but something far better – His PEACE!” – Matthew Henry
How would you define the word Peace?
LEADER NOTES
One of the definitions of peace in Webster’s Dictionary is, ”freedom from disquieting or oppressive thoughts or emotions.” The Biblical meaning of the word is to be free from worry. The opposite of peace is anxiety or worry. When life seems out of our control or things seem to threaten our plans or identity then anxiety takes over and we begin grasping for control. To have peace means you never feel like you need to grasp for that control because you trust the goodness of God, who is ultimately in control of all things. Peace is an internal confidence that all things are working for your good and God’s glory.
What kind of things tend to threaten peace in people’s lives? Why?
Not contentment, but more power; not peace at any price, but war; not virtue, but efficiency.” – Friedrich Nietzsche, The AntiChrist, Chapter 2
Great thoughts of your sin alone will drive you to despair; but great thoughts of Christ will pilot you into the haven of peace.” – Charles Spurgeon
How does our view of God, and who He is, affect our ability to have peace in our lives?
LEADER NOTES
If you deny the existence of God (atheism) then you are ultimately in control of your life and your future, and therefore the only way to have peace is for all of life’s circumstances to be going the way you want them to go, and if they do not then the only way to restore peace is to remove whatever obstacles are keeping it from being so. If you acknowledge the existence of a god, a supernatural being that we can or cannot know (agnosticism) then you may believe that god is in control of your future, but because there is no personal or intimate relationship with that god then there’s no way of knowing if he/she/it is for you or not. Does that god even care. Therefore the only way to have peace would again be for you to be able to predict all the outcomes of your decisions and the decisions of others, to have life going the way you think it should go. And again, if life does not go that way then the only way to restore peace is to take back control and remove the obstacles. If you believe Yahweh, the God of the Bible, is the One True God who has demonstrated His love and His goodness in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, and therefore not only is He in control of the entire Universe, but He is also trustworthy. Meaning that you can have peace no matter what circumstances come your way because God has promised to work all things for your good and for His glory and therefore even the worst of suffering is redeemed for the purpose of revealing His heart to you in an intimate way and using your situation to reveal His love to others through you. There’s no need to worry because you know you’re not in control, but because you also know the One who is is for you and not against you.
Have you ever been anxious about a circumstance or situation that looking back at now you can see the goodness of God in what He was allowing to happen? Care to share that story?
Knowing what you know now, would that change the way you responded to that situation? If so, how?
Philippians 4:8
“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.”
How does thinking about what the Bible says about God, His Kingdom, the Gospel, etc. bring peace into our hearts?
LEADER NOTES
Scripture teaches us and reminds us of God’s goodness, His lovingkindness, His perfect holiness. It reminds us about the heart of the Gospel, “That God demonstrated His love for us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us.” So, when anxiety tries to creep in, the Holy Spirit can quicken our minds as we think and meditate on the Scriptures to remember that if God is for us then who can be against us, and peace returns to our hearts.
Philippians 4:6-7
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
How does thanking God for who He is and what He has done guard our hearts from fear and anxiety regardless of our circumstances?
LEADER NOTES
When you are thankful for what God has done it is difficult to be anxious about life’s circumstances. The one thing we have to fear the most, death, has already been defeated. Everything from that point on is just details. No matter how bad our circumstances might get we can know for sure that in the end death and pain do not have the final word in our lives. As we remind ourselves of that amazing gift God has given us then we it puts the rest of life into proper perspective.
Philippians 4:11-13
“Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be [h]content in whatever circumstances I am. I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. I can do all things through Him who gives me strength.”
How does loving Jesus above all lead us to a place of contentment in life?
LEADER NOTES
In Philippians 1:21 Paul says, “For me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.” What he meant by that is this… whatever life brings me is simply an opportunity to know more of Jesus, so if I’m going to live it is going to be to the ultimate pursuit of seeing the glory of God through the Gospel of Jesus Christ in every circumstance he went through. The only way to have that perspective is if Jesus is the One you want more than anything else in this world. If anything else takes priority in your life then you will see God as the One who is keeping you from that thing. But, if Jesus is the preeminent love in your heart then you will see everything else as a means by which you can see Him more clearly.
Closing Thought
”Peace is not merely a distant goal that we seek, but a means by which we arrive at that goal.” – Martin Luther King, Jr.
How would our, as a community of believers, walking in the Peace of God, demonstrate the Kingdom of God to the world around us?