Peace as your umpire
Category: Peace & Assurance
Key Passage: Colossians 3:12-15
Speaker: Paul Chisgar
Date: June 7, 2024
Let that be a day when we see the Lord, and you can see them now through faith and your time alone with God.
Turn your Bibles, if you would, to Colossians chapter number three. Colossians chapter three. I’m going to talk for a little while about your ref. Who’s your referee, umpire?
We’re going to talk this morning about who’s your ref? Who’s your ref in your life? Colossians chapter number three. And we’re going to start reading in verse number 12 of Colossians 3.
And God says, put on, therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved. We’re still supposed to be holy people. Be holy as I am holy. Bows of mercy, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, long-suffering, forbearing one another.
And that’d be tough. Everyone smile. Anybody want to say amen there? All right, the rest of you aren’t honest. That’s easy, will you? Forbearing one another and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any, even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. And above all these things, put on charity. Charity’s love and action. Put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness. And here’s our text verse.
And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you are called in one body, and be ye thankful.
Would you read that portion with me, that first part? Let the peace of God rule in your hearts.
That’s just a cardinal truth. It’s amazing how Christians are losing their peace. And it’s crucial. Jesus is the prince of peace. It’s just a vital truth.
He says, now let the peace of God, what’s the next word? Rule. That has to do with govern or umpire or referee. Notice, he says, your heart.
God here is saying, I want the peace of God to be the guy that you give control. He can just throw a flag and boom, everything stops. He can blow a whistle and go, whoa.
Some will say the context dictates everything. The context is in our working with other people. Did you notice that? The verses we read up there, verse number 13, we commented on it, forbearing one another, forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any, even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. Above all these things, put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness. That’s the context.
But I want you to notice this, this portion of Scripture gets deeper than the inner working here’s with people. It goes to the heart of the matter because you notice it says, go back to that little phrase, I want that phrase that’s sticking in mind, and let the peace of God rule in your what’s the next word? Hearts. So the context is here, but this phrase gets deeper than this right here. It goes to your heart.
Now here’s an interesting thing about it. You have problems here with people because you’ve got a problem there. Look over in James chapter four, if you would please, and that’s where it gives us that principle. You got people fighting with one another because they got inside problems. You got outside fussing and fighting because something inside is not right. That’s what James 4:1 teaches us.
James 4, verse number 1, he says, from whence come wars and fighting among you? Come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members?
Now here’s the principle. You got all this outside fighting because you got inside turmoil. You get a husband and wife that’s fighting like cats and dogs. Something inside is not right. If you want a harmonious, sweet marriage, you’ve got to get the inside fixed. Same thing in churches and people. Same thing over here in Colossians 3:15. He’s getting to the heart of the matter. He said, look, yes, the context is about all this fight with other people, but he said, let the peace of God rule in your hearts.
If somebody’s always sharp-tongued, cutting and hurting people, something’s wrong inside. Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaking. It’s inside, and the inner man, let the peace of God rule in your heart.
So let’s just take that phrase right there. We’re going to try to focus on that phrase: let the peace of God rule in your heart. So let’s pick out three words from that little phrase.
The first word, we’ve already talked about it, rule. God chose to use that word. Let the peace of God rule.
That’s interesting. The first time that word rule is used in the Bible, it’s over in Genesis, and God is talking about creation. Genesis 1:16. And it says, “And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night, he made the stars also.”
So we get so much about a word when you find out the first time it’s used in the Bible. So when he says over here, let the peace of God rule in your hearts, it’s kind of like when the sun comes up and it rules the day. And even at nighttime, we have some light from the moon that rules the night. Maybe that stands for the dark times of your life, the trials. But he’s saying, I want peace, the peace of God, to be able to light up your life, even in the nighttime, the dark seasons of your life. You have a light that rules even in the dark time: the peace of God.
Sometimes in your life, we won’t just boom to have peace shining out in our life, and we expect that, but it doesn’t always happen like that. But if I let the peace of God rule, it can get where it lightens up every arena, every area, even when someone’s coming at you, even your marriage, even with your relatives, even at work, even when you see injustice in the world, you still have peace that rules it. Often it’s a gradual thing. It’s the peace of God. Not always the same. Sometimes it’s like the sun. Sometimes it’s like the moon when you go to the hard time.
By the last since we’re talking about, would you look over in Philippians chapter four? And I want to just show you something because sometimes the devil is amazing how he likes to condemn us. You get a born-again Christian that’s trying to live for the Lord, they’re not perfect, nobody is, but they’re sincerely trying to live for the Lord, and they go through a tough time, and they don’t have quite the peace that they dream of having, and the devil condemns them. Well, you’re a sorry, good-for-nothing Christian, you ought to have more peace.
Satan takes your peace from you, and you don’t have enough peace at that moment. And sometimes he’ll use scripture. Satan knows scripture. You know that.
Now I want you to see this verse, so Satan never uses it against you. Philippians 4, verse number 7. The Bible says, “And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”
What shows this last part? Shall make you where you’re smiling and singing in a good mood all the time? Is that what it says? Make it where you never cry? Is that what it says? No. It says the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. It keeps your hearts, keeps you from getting cold and bitter, mean and angry, mad at the world, Christian. And it keeps your mind from going crazy.
The peace that God will keep you from going crazy, keep you from getting cold and hard and mean at the world. But it doesn’t mean everything’s always just wonderful. That’s unrealistic.
But it says, now this peace, the peace of God, he said, I want it to rule like the sun coming up, like the moon. Now, let me ask you. Who rules in your heart? Who’s the ref in your life? When someone comes at you and problems are around you, when you see injustice in the world, who rules in your life? Who has power? Who can blow the whistle? Who can pull the flag? Is frustration? Is that the thing that rules? Does anger? Does worry?
And the peace of God no longer rules again. Now that’s what Colossians is saying: look, I want you to let the peace of God rule in your life. It has control. So the first word we looked at is rule.
We’ve only got two more and we’re going to go eat. Let’s look at the next word. Back there in verse number 15, Colossians 3:15, read it out loud with me again. “And let the peace of God rule in your hearts.”
Now let’s get another word. We got rule in there. Let’s get this word in here. This word right here, peace of. What’s the next word? God.
Here’s what happens sometimes. We’re in a tough situation and we don’t have any peace, and sometimes we try to create or muster up peace. Sometimes you don’t have it in you. You’ll face situations that you just don’t have it in you, and then have it in you, of yourself, because you don’t have it, you get frustrated. You get mad at yourself sometimes. And you’re living in defeat.
But it’s not saying that. He said, let the peace of God. So, preacher, I can’t have any peace. I don’t have any peace about the situation in our country. It’s all right. You don’t have to. God does. It’s not your peace. He said, let the peace of God.
Your peace sometimes can lead you to do their own thing. You say, if I go knock their block off, then I’ll have some peace. No, it’s the peace of God that you’re supposed to let rule in your life. The peace of God, God, the God of all peace, He’s got the peace, the Prince of Peace. He’s got the peace you need.
God’s got peace for the worst situation you ever imagined. Peace that passeth all understanding, the peace of God.
Look over if you will in John 14. Jesus said, “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”
Galatians talks about the fruit of the Spirit, and he says the fruit of the Spirit was love, joy, and what? Peace. The Holy Spirit brings peace.
If you’re going throughout your day and you lose peace, stop everything because somewhere on the line you’ve quenched the Spirit. One of the signs that I’m not letting the peace rule is, man, I don’t have peace. And somewhere along the line I’ve quenched or grieved the Spirit.
When you let the peace of God rule and be the referee in your life and your heart, there’s going to be times you’re saying, man, I don’t have peace right now, and He’s going to say, all right, let me show you the path to get my peace again. It might be going back and saying, I’m sorry to somebody. Maybe you’ve been critical of someone else and you lost your peace during that moment. But you let the peace of God rule through the Spirit of God.
You can look real peaceful on the outside, but when you get alone, you and God knows if you’re really happy. Do you have peace in your heart? Are you peaceful with the type of husband or the type of wife you are in your marriage? Are you peaceful about what you are before God?
Letting the peace of God rule in your hearts. If I have no peace, I’ve quenched the Spirit of God because He has an unlimited supply of peace. You can have peace all the time. We can have clouds on a rainy day, but the sun’s still up there. That peace comes from God. It never runs out. So if I don’t have that, somewhere along the line I’ve quenched and grieved the Holy Spirit.
I remember going down to that spring as a boy, and no matter how many people were there getting some spring water, there was always why—it was just an artesian well never ran out. Always had that spring. And the Holy Spirit can give you that peace. It’s just no matter what you’re going through, it may get tough, but you got an unlimited supply of the peace of God. Now if I don’t let Him rule and it’s quenched, and I’m mad and I’m stuffy and I’m hard and I’m cold, somewhere along the line, you’re not letting the peace of God rule.
If you’ve got the peace of God in your heart, you don’t have to go around being smart and sharp and cutting with it. The peace of God, it rules. It’s the referee in your life.
So the first word was rule. Let’s look back at this saying here, back over there in verse number 15. Colossians 3:15. Look back there, verse number 15, and that little phrase, and he says, and what’s that next word? God. He wants to. Through the Holy Spirit, He will. He’s capable. He can give you peace to keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. It’s beyond the world’s understanding.
But you’ve got to let it rule. You’ve got to let it rule. If you want peace in your life, you’ve got to let the peace of God rest your life. And you learn to do that. You don’t have peace about a situation. Whoa, something’s not right here. I’ve lost my peace. I must have quenched the Spirit of God, or you’re facing this situation, you’re not accepting what God has for you, and you work it out. All right, I’m not letting the peace of God rule in my heart. And you learn there’s a ref blowing his whistle somewhere and I need to pay attention to that.
Worry is a cruel master. It goes to all ages. You let a young person go to school the first day of school and they’re worrying. You go to a church for the first time, you worry. What’s it going to be like? One thing happened at work, man, they’re going to move our job to Mexico. Gas prices are going up. Your car won’t start for a second. Oh, my car is about to break down. It’s just worry. It will rule your life. And you have to let the peace of God say, whoa, you’re worrying. There’s what we’re going to do. I don’t worry. Right? Let me see. Is your name Jesus?
And you have to let it. Hey, you’re worrying. You’re worried about this situation, you’re worried about that decision, and it’ll rule your life. And you have to let the peace of God say, wait a second, that whistle gets blown. Woo! I’m not letting the peace of God rule. You have to work at it. You want Him to be in charge.
Football players have this thing called offsides, right? You cannot go until they hike that ball. If you get over that line before he moves that ball, you’re in trouble. And those quarterbacks are sneaky. They’ll say, “Down, set, hup.” Last time they hiked it on the second hup. So you’re ready for that. And they say, “Down, set, hup.” And you jumped the line, but he didn’t move that ball. And they blow the whistle on you.
Just waiting can be one of the hardest times to let the peace of God rule in your heart. Waiting on God to answer your prayer. Waiting on God to do something in your marriage. Waiting on God to help you have victory in an area. You can’t get to the next level. You’ve been trying to get there for years. Just waiting can be such a time you jump over the line, you lose your peace. And even while you’re waiting, you have to let the peace of God rule.
While waiting for God to open the next door, praise Him in the hallway. And that’s called while you’re waiting for God, you let the peace of God rule. It’s tough to do. You’re going to have the flag blown sometime. All of us do. But when it does, you go, wait, wait, wait, wait, I lost my peace.
Every single time worry or frustration or waiting or all these things try to rule in your life, every single time the peace of God will be there waiting to rule. But it’ll be your choice. That’s why it says, “And let the peace of God rule in your heart.”
Some people, if you think about it, you realize it’s the truth. Some people are addicted to turmoil, addicted to stress. Our flesh likes turmoil, and our flesh doesn’t like to yield to the referee when he blows the whistle. So we do this: Well, I’m good, I got peace. How about you? You’re not letting the peace of God rule.
God has called us to peace. If the unbeliever depart, let him depart. A brother or sister is not under bondage in such cases, but God hath called us to peace.
Let the peace of God rule. Sometimes it might lead you to go stand up to somebody, to do something about a situation instead of you having no peace. And God says, “Hey, I want you just go to confront them as a Christian ought in love.” But you let the peace of God rule in your hearts. It’ll be your choice.
Every single time you lose your peace, somewhere along the line you’ll listen and you’ll hear a whistle and you’ll see a flag. You say, wait a second. You may be in such a habit of letting worry and turmoil and stress and anger rule your life. It may be a while that you have to work in it, and you let the peace of God rule. It’s like the sun coming up in your life. Maybe it’s a little bit like nighttime, but you’re still letting that peace that God gives to you, it’s always there, rule.
He said there, “And let the peace of God rule.” It’s your choice. You got to let it. It’ll be there. It’ll always be sufficient. Have everything you need for every trial in your life, but you have to let it. But your flesh won’t want to let it. It won’t want to anger and frustration and complaining. You ever hear somebody complain about something about five million times? You’re going to say, let it go! And the Holy Spirit blown the whistle about a million times. Hey, let that thing go and let the peace of God rule. It’s your choice.
It’s your choice. It’s always available. It’s always sufficient.
He said about two years after the Civil War, a man went on vacation in summertime. He went over a mountain pass, and he went down in the valley. He said that valley was about one of the densest valleys he had been in, just dense trees and forest. In the midst of that, he found a cabin. He went to go to the door of the cabin, all of a sudden the door just slammed shut.
He realized these two men three years before—the Civil War was over two years ago—but three years ago, those men had deserted their army. They had built a little cabin and were living in the middle of nowhere in the wilderness, unrest, fearing always who’s coming up. They were living in unrest after there had been peace for two years.
Jesus Christ has purchased our peace on the cross of Calvary. It’s got all the peace you need. Keep your hearts and minds. But you’ve got to let it. It’s your choice.
If you hear this morning you say, preacher, God has spoken to my heart, I need to let the peace of God rule. I need to let go of some things so I can grab a hold of peace.
If that’s you this morning, just slip your hand up. Preacher, that’s me. Just slip it up.
You cannot have the peace of God unless you’ve had peace with God. The way you have peace with God is through our Lord Jesus Christ.
If you hear this morning, you say, preacher, I don’t even know that I have peace with God. I don’t know that I’m saved, a born-again Christian. I don’t know that I’m going to heaven. If that’s you this morning, would you slip your hand up? Preacher, I don’t know that I have peace with God. I don’t know that I’m going to heaven. If that’s you, just slip it up.
We’re going to all stand. As soon as we say amen, I believe there’ll be some people come down to the altar just to get close to God. During that time, if you’re not sure you have peace with God, there’ll be a man standing down front. There’ll also be a man in the back. Would you go and shake their hand and say, I want to make sure I’m going to heaven? They’ll take the Bible and show you how you can have peace with God.
One more question we’re done. Maybe you’re here this morning, and you say, preacher, the Holy Spirit is leading me in the path to letting the peace of God rule. But there’s some specific things I know I need to do in order for the peace of God to rule in my heart. I’m submitting to that. I realize the flag has been thrown, the whistle’s been blown. I’m going to do those things. I’m going to let the peace of God rule. Some specific things I’m going to do because I want the peace of God to rule in my heart. If that’s you this morning, some specific things, would you just slip your hand up? I know some things.
Thank you so much for letting the Lord work in your heart. We’ve got to work at this thing. All of us fail from time to time. Let the peace of God rule in your hearts.
Father, thank you that Your peace is always available. It’s always enough. Lord, help us to grow in letting Your peace rule in our hearts. Lord, help us to during this time get going down that path even, Father, of Your peace ruling in our hearts. Bless our people. Give them boldness to come. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
Would you bow your heads just right there where you are? Would you do this? Lord, do I have Your peace right now? Ask Him. Do I have Your peace? I’m honest with myself. Do I have peace in my heart? If not, would you ask Him, where’s the flag thrown? Where’s the whistle at? But I need to change. I want You to rule. Would you let Him know? Say, “I want You to rule. I want You to rule in my heart.” I want You to shine in every area, every closet. I want You to shine Your peace, peace of God. I want You to rule every area, every action, every circumstance. I want You to rule. Would you let Him know? But I want You to rule my heart.
Isn’t it wonderful? We have a God that gives you peace. Peace of God, wonderful. Keep your hearts and minds. And it ruled. He’s a compassionate ref. He’s a forgiving ref. But you let Him rule. You’ve got peace throughout the day and the nighttime also. It’s a wonderful way to live your life. It’s a great, great way. And how we need peace in our day and time. You got it. You got it. Praise the Lord.
Original File: Who’s your Ref - Pastor Paul Chisgar Sunday AM 32121