Stand Firm In Peace
Stand Firm – Part 4
May 9 – 10, 2020
Dr. Jeffrey Allen Love and Steve Tanner
Series Key Verse:
“Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil.” Ephesians 6:10-11 (p.898)
“Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness. For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared.” Ephesians 6:14-15 (p.898)
- God’s Peace Prepares Me To Stand Firm.
“I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.” John 14:27 (p.824)
Put on peace by:
- Trusting in Jesus.
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.” Proverbs 3:5-6 (p.482)
- Fixing your thoughts on Jesus.
“You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you!” Isaiah 26:3 (p.535)
- Sharing the peace of Jesus.
“Instead, you must worship Christ as Lord of your life. And if someone asks about your hope as a believer, always be ready to explain it. But do this in a gentle and respectful way.” 1 Peter 3:15-16a (p.936)
“I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.” John 16:33 (p.825)
Next Step: Every time I put on shoes/slippers/socks this week I will say this prayer: “God I’m putting on your peace today to stand firm.”
Discussion Guide from the Weekend Talk
From the Weekend Talk of May 9-10, 2020
Stand Firm – Part 4: Stand Firm In Peace
Use this Discussion Guide to dig deeper into the principles from the Weekend Talk. Our Life Groups will use them, but we encourage you to discuss them with your family, or over the phone or online with friends.
Yes, our Life Groups continue to meet, ONLINE! Life Groups use these questions to go deeper into what we talked about this weekend. Dig into them so you will be ready for the discussion at your Life Group. Please let us know if you would like to join a group. We are also looking for opportunities to begin NEW ONLINE Groups.
Conversation Starters
- What is your favorite pair of shoes? What makes them your favorites?
- What different kinds of shoes have you worn in your life? (examples: soccer, hiking, dancing, non-slip for work, combat, etc.). How would your activity have suffered if you had worn the wrong kind of shoes for that activity/purpose?
- Have you ever experienced a deep feeling of peace, even while in the middle of a crisis or challenge?
Quick Review
- Looking back at your Talk Notes, was there anything you heard in the service that stood out or maybe even confused you?
Discussion Starters from the Weekend Talk
Refer to the Talk Notes and related Bible verses from this Weekend’s Talk Notes.
- This week Pastors Jeff Love and Steve Tanner highlighted One Thing to remember from this Talk: “God’s Peace Prepares Me To Stand Firm.”
- Read Ephesians 6:14-15 (p.898*) and John 14:27 (p.824*)
- For what (or who) do you need to be standing firm for right now?
- Talk about the differences between standing firm and standing still.
- What is the Good News (aka “Gospel”)? “The Good News” is used over 90 times in the New Testament (NLT). Look up a few of them. Do you see any common threads as to what should be done with the Good News?
- What is “peace of mind and heart?” Why can’t “the world” deliver this kind of peace?
- Read Ephesians 6:14-15 (p.898*) and John 14:27 (p.824*)
Jeff and Steve discussed what we need to do for God’s peace to be relevant in our lives:
- Trusting in Jesus. (Proverbs 3:5-6 (p.482*))
- What does it mean to trust “with all your heart?”
- How do you do that? When have you learned the hard way to “not depend on your own understanding?”
- What is the benefit of trusting the Lord? Have you ever experienced this?
- Fixing your thoughts on Jesus. (Isaiah 26:3 (p.535*))
- What tends to distract your thoughts? How do you get re-focused?
- How do you fix your thoughts on Jesus?
- Putting on the armor is really putting on the spiritual tools that are directly provided for us in Jesus: we are suiting up in His Name—putting on His character. Talk about why it’s important to do this on a regular basis rather than as a “one and done” experience.
- Sharing the peace of Jesus. (1 Peter 3:15-16a (p.936*) and John 16:33 (p.825))
- The greater context of the 1 Peter passage includes the fact of inevitable suffering the Christian will encounter (1 Peter 3:13-17). How does that context enhance the magnitude of our need to share the peace of Jesus?
- Can you legitimately give something away that you do not own or possess? Can someone who has no peace share peace with others? How do you “share peace?”
- From whom does our peace come? Talk about the significance of having peace “in Jesus” rather than merely having a peace that Jesus teaches us how to experience.
Digging Deeper
Read through some of the passages listed in these portions of Bible dictionary’s definition of peace.
- The Greek word eirene corresponds to the Hebrew shalom expressing the idea of peace, well-being, restoration, reconciliation with God, and salvation in the fullest sense.
- God is “the God of peace” (Romans 15:33; Philippians 4:9; 1 Thessalonians 5:23; Hebrews 13:20).
- The Gospel is “the good news of peace” (Ephesians 6:15; Acts 10:36) because it announces the reconciliation of believers to God and to one another (Ephesians 2:12-18).
- God has made this peace a reality in Jesus Christ, who is “our peace.” We are justified through Him (Romans 5:1), reconciled through the blood of His cross (Colossians 1:20), and made one in Him (Ephesians 2:14). In Him we discover that ultimate peace can only come from God (John 14:27).
(Source: Holman Bible Dictionary)
Next Step
- My Next Step: ____ Every time I put on shoes/slippers/socks this week I will say this prayer: “God I’m putting on your peace today to stand firm.”
Pray
- Pray now for those in leadership in our country, state, community and church. Pray for unity and community in these unusual times. Pray that the people experiencing church online would also engage in deeper ways with Jesus and His Church.
This Weekend
This weekend we continue our Talk Series: Stand Firm as we turn our attention to the Shield of Faith.
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* The Life Transformation Bible is the New Living Translation of the Bible, including many useful tools to help you better understand God’s Word, including our own Alive Church Life Transformation Discipleship Plan. They are available FREE. Let us know if you’d like to have one.