Faith Over Culture: Passing the Peace to an Angry Culture
Faith Over Culture
Passing the Peace to an Angry Culture
Pastor Charlie Weir
This morning’s message objective is to “Pass the Peace to an Angry Culture.” We will do these three things today to make that possible
Process Anger
Possess Peace
Pass Peace
Anger is an internal or external response to fear, pain and frustration.
Fear = facing an uncontrollable outcome
Pain = an unhealed emotional hurt that gets poked
Frustration = a missed expectation
To impact the emotional temperature of the culture we have to become thermostats not thermometers. A thermostat is a peace-filled presence in a hostile/hot atmosphere. Our ability in Christ and our calling in Christ is not to reflect the temperature of the culture but to PASS THE PEACE to it!
It’s not that that certain behaviors shouldn’t be challenged but when anger is the fuel and tool– peace will not be the end result.
It’s important to understand where your anger comes from because it flags a place in need of healing peace.
Ephesians 4:26-27, 29-32 26 “In your anger do not sin”: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, 27 and do not give the devil a foothold. 29 Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. 32 Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.
James 1:19-21 19 My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, 20 because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires. 21 Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.
Scriptural Observations:
Anger never produces the righteousness of God.
Anger wants to be right or get even and neither are of any interest to God.
Anger gives Satan home-field advantage
Satan will always try to enter more areas of your life than just the one you let him in.
Slowing Down, Slows Down Anger.
99% of anger doesn’t produce anything God worthy!
Colossians 1:19-20 19 For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.
Peace is a gift to receive before it can be something tangible we live in and pass.
We (culture) don’t have an anger problem, we have a peace problem!
Biblical peace is foundationally a life made whole by Christ, lived in harmony with God.
Peace is Shalom = completeness, soundness, wellbeing, harmony, accord.
Possess the Peace Being Passed from Paul
Romans 1:7 To all in Rome who are loved by God and called to be his holy people: Grace and peace to you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.
1 Corinthians 1:3 Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
2 Corinthians 1:2 Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Galatians 1:3 Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ,
Ephesians 1:2 Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Philippians 1:2 Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Colossians 1:2 To God’s holy people in Colossae, the faithful brothers and sisters in Christ: Grace and peace to you from God our Father.
1 Thessalonians 1:1 Paul, Silas and Timothy, To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace and peace to you.
2 Thessalonians 1:2 Grace and peace to you from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
1 Timothy 1:2 To Timothy my true son in the faith: Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.
2 Timothy 1:2 To Timothy, my dear son: Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.
Titus 1:4 To Titus, my true son in our common faith: Grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior.
Philemon 1:3 Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Our peace leakage isn’t due to the quality of the peace but the weakness of the container.
2 Corinthians 4:6-18 6 For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ. 7 But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. 8 We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; 9 persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. 10 We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. 11 For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that his life may also be revealed in our mortal body. 12 So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you. 13 It is written: “I believed; therefore I have spoken.” Since we have that same spirit of faith, we also believe and therefore speak, 14 because we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Jesus and present us with you to himself. 15 All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God. 16 Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. 17 For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. 18 So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.
Everything in my life doesn’t have to be peaceful to validate Christ’s atoning death for me or to pass the peace.
Position yourself to be a Peace Passer…
Receive healing
Live whole
Pass the peace