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Review:

• Setting our hearts and minds on Christ. Colossians 3:1
  
  
• Taking off the baggage of the old. Colossians 3:5-11
  
  
• Putting on a whole new wardrobe. Colossians 3:12-14

When your heart gets provoked to go backwards in your relationships with others, where do you appeal?

Read Colossians 3:12-15

(peace of Christ)

No ordinary peace is needed—we need Christ’s peace to reconcile broken relational situations. (severed vs. still in play)

• Jesus is the source of peace we need.

John 14:27 “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”

• Jesus’ family is identified by righteousness, joy, and peace by the work of the Holy Spirit in and among us.

Romans 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…”

• Our family unity is held together by the peace of Christ—the glue we need.

Ephesians 4:3 “Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.”

• The church will grow when Christ’s peace leads the way.

Acts 9:31 “Then the church throughout Judea, Galilee and Samaria enjoyed a time of peace and was strengthened. Living in the fear of the Lord and encouraged by the Holy Spirit, it increased in numbers.”

(rule)

His peace must “decide every debate” for peace to be brought to a broken relational situation. BKC

• For Jesus’ peace to rule over a situation you must yield the path of engagement to His way of responding.
  
  
• His desired outcome for true peace must become your desired outcome.
  
  
• Your imposed loopholes (my rights, going rogue on peace saying that’s just me) will only create at best temporary peace and most likely growing the conflict.

WHY?  “…since we are members of one body you were called to peace…”(15)
            “…as God’s chosen people…clothe yourselves…” (12)

We should not only identify as child of God but also as a member of His family. 

Romans 12:3-5 “For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you. ⁴ For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, ⁵ so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.”

• We need to have a humble and modest mind in valuating yourself.
  
  
• Each of us have a role within this family.
  
  
• We belong to each other!

WHY?  “…since we are members of one body you were called to peace…”(15)

Jesus’ vision for His chosen people, His family, is for us to be in unity—it is our calling. 

John 17:20-21 “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, ²¹ that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.”

• Jesus is growing His family through the testimony of His work in His family.
  
  
• Our unity testifies to Him.
  
  
• Unity can only come by the hard work of making peace with one another by His Spirit.

A spirit of being thankful will keep us mindful of His work in us and through us. 

• Backsliding in our relationships is averted by being thankful.
  
  
• A thankful heart resists greed and self-centeredness which are the seeds to tension in relationships.

Take aways:

1. How do I typically address broken relationships?

2. Who is setting the rules for how you respond and what you aim to achieve in your relationships—you or Christ?
   
   
3. Who do I need Christ’s help with the most in bringing peace to broken situation?