Let us pray. Our God and heavenly Father, indeed, your truth shall endure from generation to generation. You are the good shepherd and you are the one who feeds your flock. Lord, you are the one who leads us by quiet waters in green pastures. You are the one who gives us everything that we need for life and health. And Lord, we come to you now confessing that we need your word, that we might have life, an everlasting life. Grant us your spirit, we pray. Illuminate your word. Transform us, we pray, in Jesus' name. Amen. If you are here visiting with us, you have joined us in a series through Paul's epistle to a little church in Asia Minor called the Church at Colossae. Colossae was a small village in the Lycus Valley in Asia Minor. And in that small village, God in his providence had sent a man named Epaphras who came bearing the message of the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. That there is forgiveness of sins, even everlasting life for those who turn from their idolatry, from their wickedness, from their fornication and uncleanness to the Lord Jesus Christ for forgiveness and for grace. By the preaching of the word, by the preaching of the message of the gospel, that there is a God who forgives sins through the Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord had gathered a fellowship together. And when that fellowship The Lord had a purpose and a design, not simply to gather that fellowship that they might praise him for the forgiveness of sins, but God was at work in that church and is at work in our church and in every church, true church of every age, to bring those who he has called to himself from their old patterns of sin to new patterns of holiness. And that's where we are in this letter to the Colossians. We are studying the patterns of holiness. If you were to ask the question, what does a Christian look like? The apostle has been laying out the pattern, the answer to that question here in chapter three. And he's done it with two very simple pictures. The first is the Christian is one who puts off certain old habits and patterns of sin, fornication, uncleanness and adultery. The one who puts off anger, wrath, and malice, and bitterness. The one who casts away old patterns of life and then puts on, clothes himself, seeks after new patterns of life. Last week we saw the beginning of that sketch of that new pattern of life that the Christian puts on. tender mercies, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience. Christians are those who do not lie to one another. Christians are those who are forgiving, forbearing, and forgiving of one another. Christians are those who put on love, which is the bond of perfection. The picture so far has been one of mildness, of gentleness, It has been a picture, the pattern of what a Christian is to be has been a picture, a reflection of the very image of God himself, the image of our Lord Jesus Christ. For we are being renewed in the image of God. We are being conformed to the image of the Lord Jesus Christ, the one who was meek and lowly and gentle, the one who was patient, full of tender mercy, kindness, compassion, and humility. Yes, we did see that there is righteous anger against sin that we share with God Himself. But the overriding character of the believer in the picture that the Apostle paints is one of sweetness, gentleness, patience, forgiveness, and love. Well, as we continue on with the pattern that the Apostle paints for Christian character, we see this same pattern continuing. Today we're going to look at verse 15, Colossians chapter 3 verse 15, and we're going to see two more commands, two more things that we are to put on in the formation and pursuit of holiness and the formation and pursuit of Christian character. And those two things are peace and thankfulness. peace and thankfulness. We are to be a peaceful people and we are to be a thankful people. When we are reflecting our thanksgiving back to the Lord for His goodness, it's to be evidenced in a life of peace being ruled by the peace of God in our hearts and a life of gratitude. Gratitude in what we do and gratitude in what we say. Well, with these two attributes then, these two virtues or attributes of Christian character being added to the list we have so far, let's consider them simply in the order that they come. First, the Christian is called to be one who is peaceful. One who pursues after, who seeks peace. The Christian is to be one who is a peacemaker. You remember our Lord Jesus Christ was one who said, blessed, happy. Those who are peacemakers, they have the favor of God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God. Well, when we think of the word peace, and if we look at our text here, Paul says this, and let the peace of God, or if you have the ESV or other translations, and let the peace of Christ. There's a small variation between different translations, but it doesn't change the essential meaning of the text. But let the peace of God rule in your hearts to which you were also called in one body. Now when you and I hear the word peace, what do we think of? And when we think of the concept of peace, do we not think of something that every human heart longs for? Peace is something that all men hunger for, in one sense, universally. Let me illustrate for a minute why we hunger for peace and why so many people speak about peace and talk about peace. Consider the 20th century for a moment. A century which was supposed to be the most modern, advanced century in the history of human civilization. It also was a century which was the most bloody and brutal of any century. With all the technological advance, all the wisdom that men could muster, the 20th century was one of war after war after war. And the horrors of those wars produced a backlash. and a hunger for peace. Let me give you one example of why men hunger for peace. July 1, 1967 in France, the first shots were fired in a great battle which would later be called the Battle of the Somme. On the first day of that battle there on the western front of World War I, on the very first day that this battle was undertaken, there were 62,000 British casualties and almost 20,000 of those had died. One month later, there were 82,000 casualties and the Allied forces had gained 1,000 yards. 82,000 casualties, 1,000 yards. And by the end of the Battle of the Somme, November 18, 1916, the British Army alone had suffered 420,000 casualties, and they had gained two miles. You can't begin to understand the horror of what war is. Because when people hunger for peace, they do so very often when they have been face to face with the ugliness of conflict. At the end of that battle, one German officer, Friedrich Steinbrecher, wrote these words, some, the whole history of the world cannot contain a more ghastly word. Now he wasn't accurate, for there are more ghastly things in the history of mankind. For example, the crucifixion of our Lord Jesus Christ, the innocent one. but he captured some of the sense of the horror of war and of conflict. You see, and World War I was supposed to be then, after all of this battle after battle with so many with the same statistics, it was supposed to be the war that was going to end all wars. The 20th century soon, 22 years later, after the First World War, we had the Second World War, the Korean War, the Vietnam War. And war upon war upon war. And in the aftermath of war, what happens? Well, the missing generation and those left behind. The First World War was called the missing generation. Those left behind hungered for peace. See, after one battle in this war, hundreds of thousands of fathers and sons would not return home to mothers and children. to lives, to those who they loved. And you multiply this tens upon tens of times over the conflicts of a century of war, and you end up with what happened in the 1960s and still continues today, the peace movement, the hunger for peace, that this awful conflict and fighting and bloodletting would end. And so you had the protests, the songs, the hope for a better world. and the hunger for peace. But there isn't just that hunger for peace in the world. There's also a hunger for peace in our own hearts. For by nature we are people who are unsettled, seeking for peace, seeking for tranquility, and we're in a world of hostility and uncertainty. And so we hunger for internal peace, not just peace in the world, but peace in our hearts. And so you find Mankind is hungering for peace. But before we answer that question of why he's hungering for peace, we need to answer the question, why is it that we live in a world of such war and conflict? Why is there war and conflict? Why do we have war and conflict on this global scale? Why do we have it in our relationships? Why do we have it in our hearts? Well, it's rude is because the world is a sinful world and when Adam and Eve sinned, rebellion, their rebellion has infected the entire of all of human existence. And from that rebellion comes war and division and fighting. You remember that Cain killed Abel and sin brings war and destroys peace. But sin doesn't only bring war and destroys peace. Sin fights against itself and brings ensuing and multiplying and exponential war and exponential grief and exponential misery and peace is gone altogether. There's a second reason for war in the world. The second reason for war is not just that rebellion leads to infighting and hopelessness. But the second reason for war in the world is because God is gracious. See, there is a battle that is happening through history, which is the great battle of good versus evil. The battle that began when God said, and I will put enmity between you and the woman. That God placed an enmity and began a battle at the beginning of history against the forces of darkness and against evil. See, when we think about God and war, one of the main words in the New Testament for war is milchama, and it describes God's, time and time again, God's constant engagement in war against His enemies. You see, God is the one who uses war as a sign of His judgment. He brought Israel into Canaan, and He destroyed the Canaanites by war because He was at war against sin. and sinful men. Later, he would bring Assyria to be at war against Israel because of their sin. See, a war is not only a sign of God's judgment, but even a sign of God's favor as he uses it to discipline his people, as he judges evil and destroys it and holds it in check. War is ultimately the activity of God's judgment in a fallen world. It restrains evil. God uses it to punish the evildoer. Now back to this idea of peace. Then what is true peace? What is true peace? And what is it when in our text when Paul says in verse 15, let the peace of God or the peace of Christ rule in your hearts. What is the meaning then of peace? What is true peace? If we have this backdrop of the hunger for peace and the realities of war and conflict in the world and in our own hearts and God's active participation, and use of war to further his purposes. Well, in the Old Testament, the word peace is the word shalom. And peace is central to God's dealings with his covenant people, Israel. You remember when God gave the benediction to Aaron and his sons, part of that benediction was that the Lord would give his people peace. The covenant in the Old Testament It's called in Numbers chapter 25, in Ezekiel 34, in Ezekiel 37, the covenant of peace. The covenant in which God establishes peace between himself and his people. Jehovah's name even in the Old Testament, the name of the Lord is Jehovah Shalom. God is peace. You see, peace in the Old Testament is this. When God speaks His peace, when He says, I am the God of peace and I give you my covenant of peace, He is speaking of the establishment of His covenant relationship with His people and the stability of that relationship, that it is sure and steadfast. That's what peace is. For Israel, it was the stability of a covenant relationship in which Israel would enjoy God's favor and blessings forever. Now in the New Testament, peace again is a central theme. In the New Testament, we are reminded that we need peace with God. Now Israel needed peace with God, but it's a broader theme, a broader covenant theme. But the New Testament brings this theme to crystal clear focus for us. And it tells us that we are the ones who are at war, rebels against a holy and living God. That we, like those in Psalm 2, the kings and rulers and nations and people, we are those who are plotting against the living God. We're at war with God, and He is at war with sin and sinners, and He will destroy us. Our only hope is to have not peace so much in this world, but peace with God. See, the war is God with man and sinful man. The Good News of the New Testament, the Good News of all the Scriptures, the Good News of the Covenant of Grace, the Covenant of Peace is this, that God is the one who will bring peace again with sinful men. In Covenant, God promises this, a stable relationship in which we might enjoy His blessing. a stable relationship in which we might enjoy his blessings. And that's really what peace is. Peace begins with a stable relationship with the living God in which we might enjoy his blessings. And the way it was purchased for us was through Jesus Christ, who is called in the Old Testament, the Prince of Peace, who establishes the promises of the covenant of peace, who at his coming was proclaimed with these words, that he was the one who was bringing peace on earth. This is the whole picture to sum it up then. Man, the man who is at peace, is not at war with God, but has been reconciled to God. Romans 5.1, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. See, the essential problem Of the broken tranquility of this world is sin. The essential problem of your and my hearts is our sin, our rebellion, and our war with the living God. And the man then who is at peace is the man who has been justified by faith and has peace with God through the Lord Jesus Christ. And so the covenant bond has been established. And the promises of God's favor and blessing now rest upon that one. Paul has already touched on this theme in Colossians chapter one. 1 verse 19, For it pleased the Father that in Him, Jesus Christ, all the fullness should dwell, and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of the cross. See, God is the one who is the great peacemaker, who brings peace where there is only war, and He brings peace at the cost of the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we might have peace with God, Christ who is our peace." See, peace with God and peace in the Scriptures is really synonymous with salvation. The idea of peace is synonymous with the idea of salvation. To have peace is to be one who is under God's favor and blessing. because of the death of the Lord Jesus Christ in your place, because you're covered, because Christ has made peace by the blood of the cross. So we're not at war with God, but we're at peace. Now with this background, we can begin to understand this command. Colossians 3 verse 15, let the peace of God rule in your hearts to indeed for to which indeed you were called in one body. If you are going to obey the command, let peace rule in your heart. How do you begin to obey this command? Well, if you understand that the fundamental problem of the human heart is that we are at enmity with God, to have peace rule in our hearts is to believe, to meditate upon, and to embrace the promises of the gospel. You see, we have to begin again, if we are to have any peace and peace is to rule in our hearts, we're to begin again with these basic presuppositions that we have hearts that are at war with God and that we need to be at peace with God. And the only way we can be at peace is to believe the promises of the covenant of peace, to believe that the Prince of Peace died on the cross for us, and to embrace Him and hold to Him as the only hope for peace with the living God. See, if we don't begin here, Christ who is our peace. And if we don't begin with peace with God, we will have no peace anywhere else. If you have not embraced the Lord Jesus Christ, if you not cling to Him for peace with God, any other pursuit of peace, whether it be in your heart, whether it be in your home, whether it be in the church of the Lord Jesus Christ, whether it be in the world, it is all a hopeless endeavor because peace begins by being reconciled to the living God through the Lord Jesus Christ. And someone who has been reconciled now is at peace with God and can begin to obey this command. Let the peace of God rule in your hearts through Christ Jesus. Now, peace has two aspects here, and it has two aspects in the life of the believer. In letting peace rule in our hearts, there are two different two different aspects to the outworking of that in the Christian life. And the first is this, that the peace that God gives is indeed something that is in our hearts, as Paul said, and that is to rule our hearts. And it begins with that tranquility that God gives as we know that we have been accepted in the Lord Jesus Christ, and that there is nothing that can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus. That we can face, it doesn't matter if it's life or death. It doesn't matter what tomorrow would bring in terms of the economy, in terms of what a doctor might tell us. In terms of what might happen in our family, we have peace with God. And having peace with God through the Lord Jesus Christ means that we can have a tranquil and quiet heart in all circumstances. You remember when Jesus was in that storm on the sea and the disciples were frantic. Jesus was sleeping in the bottom of the boat completely at peace because He knew His Heavenly Father was watching over Him. He knew He had a Heavenly Father who never slumbers or sleeps. He knew that He could be at peace in all circumstances and at rest. And that is the peace that we are to have that is ruling in our hearts. And so then, when we are called to let the peace of Christ rule in our hearts, we're called to put off fear and worry. We're to be those who put off the sins of fear and worry. Let the peace which rules the heart of the believer casts off fear and worry and replaces that with trust and tranquility. Peace that rules the heart replaces fear and worry with trust and tranquility. The promises of the gospel are full of this language beginning already in the Old Testament. Isaiah 26 verse 3, you will keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you. Philippians chapter 4, there the apostle reminds us with those great words, Philippians chapter 4, just a page back, verses 6 and 7, be anxious for nothing, and he's talking about what lives in our hearts, be anxious for nothing, 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 minds through Christ Jesus. There the apostle is saying, we're not to be anxious for anything because the peace of God which is in our hearts guards our hearts and minds. If you go on to keep reading, you'll see. Finally, my brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good rapport, if there is any virtue, if there is anything praiseworthy, meditate on these things, the things which you learned and received and heard from me. These do, and the God of peace will be with you. And so the Christian, the first thing to obey this command, let the peace of God rule in your hearts. is to be one who is actively casting off fear, worry, and distrust, and instead trusting God for His promises. And as we just read in Philippians chapter four, filling our minds and our hearts with whatever things are true, noble, praiseworthy, of good report, remembering that the God of peace Himself has promised to be with us and to guard us. Simple question. Is the heart consumed with fear and worry of what tomorrow might bring? Is it a heart that is being ruled by the peace of God? But there is another aspect to this tranquility and quietness of heart, to the peacefulness of heart that the Apostle is driving at here. Because that peace knowing that we are reconciled to God, though we be sinners. And that peace which then rules our hearts, producing trust and tranquility in all circumstances, is also a peace which is to have an external element. It rules our hearts, but it has an external element. You see, we are those who are to be living at peace with one another. Not only are we to be reconciled with God and to have a peaceful and tranquil heart, but we are to be those who are living at peace with those to whom we are called together to be with in the church. And Paul uses specific language here. And let the peace of God rule in your hearts to which you were also called in one body. What is the apostle reminding us there? He makes a parallel argument, if you turn back to Ephesians, Ephesians chapter 2, we'll see a parallel argument in his letter to the Ephesians. Ephesians chapter 2, verse 12 through 14. He says that at that time, when you were living in your sins, you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus, you who were once afar off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace, who has made both one and has broken down the middle wall of separation." Paul's appealing. He's saying, you have peace with God through the Lord Jesus Christ. But then he already intimates here that that peace is going to have an influence, an impact on your relationships with those in the church. And here he's talking about Jews and Gentiles, that having peace with God, we are to be having peace with one another. And he picks up that theme. In chapter 4, verses 1 through 3, in Ephesians 4, I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, and hear this language, it echoes Colossians chapter 3, with all lowliness, gentleness, with long-suffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. Let me paint this picture very simply for you. When Paul speaks about peace in these epistles, he is reminding us, when the peace of God rules in our hearts, when we have peace with God, that there is to be a peace that is reflected in the body of Christ, which is the Church. That we are to be a people, and Covenant Community Church is to be a congregation that is marked by a spirit of peace with one another. Again, and let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which you also were called in one body, and be thankful." See what Paul is saying. He's digging into our hearts. The scriptures here are examining whether we truly understand peace and if we possess peace. In one sense, this is an easy thing for you to say to me. I have peace with God. I have peace with God. If we have a bold and strong character, it's perhaps an easy thing to say, I'm not afraid of anything. I have tranquility. You can put me in any situation and I know that God will deliver me. I never worry. Worry is sinful. I have peace. What Paul says is that when the peace of God rules in our hearts, And he says, to which you were also called in one body. He's reminding us that the peace of God, which rules in our hearts, is going to have an influence and an impact on the way in which we live in the body of Christ, which is the church. You see, to say, I have peace, and to even say, I'm not afraid and I don't worry or fear, they really are empty words. If we look at the whole testimony of the New Testament and bravado, they ought not to be spoken if they're not accompanied by harmonious relationships in the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ. See, the emphasis in the letter to the Church at Colossae so far is this. Again and again, when Paul is giving these commands, when he is saying, put off these things and put on these things. First of all, he's speaking to the whole church. It's always in the plural. You all, you are all to be putting off sin. You're all to be putting on holiness and righteousness. But then he, when he's giving these commands, he says, forbearing with one another and forgiving one another. He's starting to paint this picture that that true Christian character isn't just something that you have bottled up all on your own. but it influences the way in which we relate to one another. That God isn't simply building us as individuals that we might show the image of Christ, but that he's building us together as the body of Christ, the church of the Lord Jesus Christ. And when Paul uses this language, which you are called in one body, he's reminding us of the importance of the unity and the harmony of the body of Christ and the peace which is to rule in that body. Let me put it this way, the proof of peace with God is harmonious relationships in the church of the Lord Jesus Christ. The proof of peace with God is harmonious relationships in the church of the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, this is a very hard thing to do. We know how quickly peace can be shattered in our own homes, in our own marriages, with our own children. But that's why it's a command. Let the peace of God rule in you. And the verb that Paul uses here is a verb that invokes the image of an umpire. That the peace of God is to be like an umpire in your heart. One commentator put it this way. When the unruly affections of wrath, hatred, and revenge rise in our hearts, the peace of God ought to discharge its office That is, to put an end to contention as the umpire of the games. See, it's the peace of God that rules in our hearts, that is to be a reminder to us when anger, wrath, and malice, evil speaking, and harsh words rise up. And the peace of God is to remind us to rise up and pricks our conscience. And it calls like an umpire. It calls strikes and penalties against our raised voices, our harsh words, our clenched jaw, and even our angry hearts. Notice that Paul says, let the peace of God rule your hearts. Not only in our words, not only in our faces, Not only in the things that we do externally, the psalmist said in Psalm 55 about his enemies. He said the words of his mouth were smoother than butter, but war was in his heart. His words were softer than oil, yet they were drawn swords. And Paul's digging here by the inspiration of the Spirit and saying that peace of God is to rule in our hearts. That the Christian love is not simply bridling the tongue, but it is peace that rules the heart and that results in the furthering of the unity of the one body of the Lord Jesus Christ. The stakes are high as you consider this command. For if there's no peace in our hearts, and we have no peace with God. If we're consumed with fear and worry, and we are those who are always contentious and fighting, then we ought to ask ourselves, do we understand what it means to be reconciled to the living God, who is perfectly holy, and who has drawn us into His fellowship, and who has made peace with us, and who offered that peace freely through the death of His Son. Go home and examine your record at home, at work, in the church of the Lord Jesus Christ. Take a tally. Am I one who is for war or am I one who is for peace? I can already hear an objection, an objection coming. It's not fair, pastor, because there's sometimes we're called to fight for the kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ. didn't Jesus himself say, I didn't come to bring peace, but a sword. Is it not right that I am to be battling and striving and fighting for the Lord Jesus Christ, who himself stands as the captain of the army of the Lord and who is fighting great and glorious battles till the consummation of the kingdom? Am I not a soldier and a warrior in the kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ? And all you're talking about is peace. I'm talking about peace where God calls us to have peace. Peace within that army, within that fellowship, within the people of God. Even then at times, yes, we are called to stand for truth at times when peace is not possible. But that's not a reason or an excuse for us to always fall into contention. We will contend for the truth, for there is no true peace in the church of the Lord Jesus Christ where truth is not loved and cherished. But at the same time, the sphere of peace and of peaceful relationships and dealings with one another at home and in the church of the Lord Jesus Christ, it's the sphere of the covenant of grace, which Christ calls the covenant of peace, where we have peace with God and peace with one another. See, the biblical balance, when we have to contend even with one another for sin, even then, what are we commanded to do? To speak the truth in love. There is an emphasis here in Colossians chapter 3 on tender mercies, kindness, humility, gentleness, forbearance, forgiveness, and now peace. They're all commanded. You see, when peace fails in the church of the Lord Jesus Christ, someone inevitably has sinned. It may not always be us, even if we're in the contention. We may have been standing for the truth, but what this command asks us to do, it asks us to ask the question, Lord, was it me? Was I the one who fought a war when I should have been pursuing peace? Lord, was I really standing for truth or was I standing for my own pride? See, when peace fails, someone ineffably has sinned, and the first question this command asks us to ask before God is, Lord, is it me? In the face of these commands to forbear, to forgive, to be at peace with one another, we sin against a holy God by neglecting peace. A godly character is peaceful. The danger is no peace in our hearts, no peace in our relationships, then perhaps we need to ask ourselves if we understand peace with God. Proverbs 6.16, these six things does the Lord hate, yes, seven are an abomination to Him. The seventh one on that list is the one who destroys the peace of the church, the one who sows discord amongst the brethren. The second thing about failing to be a peacemaker is destroying the witness of the church. See, the church is the body of Christ, the bride of Christ, and it's to be marked by peace. And as the world looks upon the church, by this shall all men know that you are my disciples, by your love for one another, by the harmoniousness of your relationships with one another. See, the more precise our doctrine, and it ought to be precise, for we serve a precise God. The more precise our doctrine, we need to pray and plead with God that He would give us ever more gentle, peaceful, and gracious hearts. That we might reflect what God has called us to be. To be those who are at peace with one another, at peace with Him. While the Apostle goes on to give one more command in this verse, and it's just tacked on the end, it's three words, and be thankful. and be thankful. Another mark of the Christian character is one who is filled with thanksgiving. And it's not a coincidence, again, that it's here, as we've seen so many times, as these virtues are connected one to another. There's a connection between peace and thanksgiving. Let me give you an illustration. Suppose the Queen of England, Queen Elizabeth, invited some poor beggar into her household. And she clothed him and fed him and gave him access to all the privileges of the royal family. How would he show thanksgiving? He would show thanksgiving by pursuing the honor and the unity of the family. He would show thanksgiving by recognizing who had raised him up and lifted him up. If he would instead sow discord and disunity and spread vile gossip, we would know that he was not truly thankful. Well, so it is with us when we're brought into the kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ. Thankfulness is first evident not in what we say again. Thankfulness is evident in the attitude of our hearts. Whether we have put on all that God has called us to put on, whether we are those who are indeed patient and gentle and full of tender mercy, forgiving and peaceful. Thankfulness is first in the expression of lives dedicated to the Lord our God. Thankfulness is the expression of the heart which loves to keep the commandments of the Lord and be thankful, wraps up all of these duties which we've been commanded. We're to be thankful by putting on holiness and putting off sin. See, thankfulness begins with that manner of life. If we're going to be a thankful people, we don't have to tell everyone how much we thank the Lord in the first place. We are to be then a holy people, which demonstrates our thankfulness to God. We're to have that godly character and we're to be a church which is at peace one with another, which shows our love and gratitude for the God who has given us His peace, the Lord Jesus Christ. But then thankfulness, adding to what we do, then reflected in what we say and how we pray and what we sing. prayer, thanksgiving, at home and in worship and in private. Thankfulness is a heart that cannot be silent, which speaks the praise of God, which cannot help but cry out to the Lord with thanksgiving. So thankfulness is, in one sense, a capstone. The evidence of thankfulness is a life lived in holiness. The expression of thankfulness is with our lives, with our hearts, but then with our mouths. We'll see more of that next week as we're encouraged to be those who sing praise to God with our hearts and exhort one another in singing. But we are called to be a thankful people in life and in voice to the praise of our God who has brought us peace through the Lord Jesus Christ. May God grant to us the fruit of His Spirit, peace, evident in rich measure in our hearts, evident in how we relate to one another, and in thanksgiving to God who has delivered us from our sins so that we would be a church that is marked by tender mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, peace, forbearance, forgiveness, and thanksgiving. Let us pray. Our God and heavenly Father, we come to you. What a mercy it is that you have come to us with the great covenant of peace. that we have peace with you through our Lord Jesus Christ, and that having peace with you, Lord, we have hearts that can be tranquil in a sea of war and turmoil. Lord, we pray that you would teach us to be those who are peacemakers blessed by you. Lord, we pray that we would be a church that is known for peace. Lord, that we would be people who are known for our gentleness and humility. Lord, we pray that we would not sacrifice the great truths of the Gospel and of the Scriptures in the pursuit of peace, but Lord, that we would put on both the doctrine which you have once and for all delivered to the saints in a heart that reflects the beauty of truth. We confess our sins and we pray, equip us so by your Spirit. We pray this in Jesus' mighty name. Amen. Let's now respond in thanksgiving and praise to our God. Trinity Hymnal number 168, I greet thee whom I...