The Gift of Peace

This… is a Christmas tree. A partially decorated Christmas tree.

It is perhaps one of the most recognized symbols of the season. Most homes will have one, They come in all shapes and sizes and colors.

And… one of my favorite aspects of the Christmas tree is… decorating the tree as a family.

Every family will bring their own “style” to the tree. Really, when you think about it, the tree is somewhat a reflection of the home.

Our tree has handmade ornaments mixed in with store-bought ornaments, mixed in with fancy gifted ornaments, all wrapped up with colored ribbon and of course lights to illuminate it all.

Someone might say it looks… busy… someone might say there is no particular theme to it. It displays different personalities, likes, creativity, and so forth… all resting under the tree topper which in our house is… an angel.

And… I love it. And… if I’m honest, the decorating process often reveals the different personalities of the home as well.

As the Christmas music plays softly in the background and the hound is curled up on the couch and the snow is gently falling outside, and the fireplace YouTube video plays on the TV, and the tree decorating begins… Sometimes… opinions get flared. Sometimes… the siblings disagree with how the tree should look. Sometimes… there are arguments regarding who gets to place specific and special ornaments on the tree.

What should be one of the most peaceful and enjoying practices of the year… can sometimes include a bit of conflict and drama along the way!

Mom and dad sigh… the dog leaves the area… and we get it done. But sometimes that peace… gets disrupted.

Peace… is something that is getting harder to find. It’s admittedly hard to imagine a world of complete peace isn’t it? Even when you focus on your own family, it can be difficult to imagine a conflict-free week of peace and tranquility, let alone an entire world filled with peace.

And as our example of decorating a Christmas tree shows - even simple tasks often dissolve into conflict and frustration. Why do you suppose that is? So what’s the trick? What’s the remedy?

Because we live in a culture and society that is charged for conflict. We are on the defensive. We are bombarded with controversy and conflict.

We see riots, violence, political unrest, disagreements on how our kids should be educated, arguments on moral issues, attacks on social issues, wars, accusations, chaos and confusion.

This world… is not very peaceful!

And this has been the case for a LONG time. This has been the case since the entrance of sin in the world in Genesis 3. Remember, the first family in the Bible (Adam and Eve) experienced a murder in the family as a result of conflict in the heart of one of their sons.

It is easy for us to focus in on our time and circumstance and become worrisome about the lack of peace. But this lack has been around for a long time.

But God did not create us… to live in chaos. Before there was sin… there was peace. Before there was sin, there was no trouble.

This is HARD for us to comprehend because all we have known is a world full of trouble and conflict.

But God DID NOT CREATE US for this kind of existence! He created us for something better. and although it was humankind’s choice to engage in sinful activity… GOD MADE A CHOICE TO PROVIDE FOR US A WAY BACK TO PEACE! His name is Jesus!

John 3:16 tells us of God’s choice to do so

John 3:16 NIV

16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

God desires to bring us back to a place of peace… to a peace that can only be found in relationship with Him… Listen, church: Peace that transcends understanding is a gift of God given through the gift of His Son!

Once again, Isaiah spoke of the coming Savior and highlighted the peace that can be found in Him.

Isaiah 9:6–7 NIV

6 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7 Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this.

In this passage, we see Isaiah prophesying again about Jesus - this time calling him the Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, and Prince of Peace. The government Jesus is in charge of will never stop growing and will never run out of peace.

Say what??? Who has ever heard of a government never running out of peace?

The governments we know often run out of money, run out of answers, run out of wisdom and understanding… but the government Jesus is in charge of will NEVER RUN OUT of any needed resource. It will be unlike anything we have ever seen before!

In a world filled with conflict, this is obviously hard to imagine a world of peace. Peace is a part of knowing Jesus… but how can we feel peace or be experience peace… while surrounded with the craziness we all know to well?

Well, I can’t think of anyone better to learn from then the Prince of Peace himself. Let’s see what Jesus has to say on the topic of peace. First off, Jesus said...

You WILL Have Trouble

Uh… wait… what? Pastor, that is NOT a point title that I want to connect with? Are you saying I will have trouble?

No… Jesus is saying you and I will have trouble. Look at His words in John 16:33

John 16:33 NIV

33 “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

Jesus has been telling the disciples all about how He has to leave them and how there’s so much more He wants to share with them but can’t. He’s also promised to send the Holy Spirit, which they obviously cannot understand yet either.

Now… the news of Jesus going away wasn’t really good news to hear… at least not from the perspective of the disciples. But this was the news given by Jesus so that they might have peace in Jesus. How could that kind of news bring them peace?

By disclosing this news… Jesus was showing them the will of the Father. It was not going to be an easy thing to watch… BUT THIS WAS GOD’S PLAN. Jesus would have to die but would live again. AND… the advocate… who is the Holy Spirit… would be sent by Jesus to those who follow Jesus.

Jesus disclosed this to them and told them of the soon coming season of grief… but look at His words in John 16:20

John 16:20 NIV

20 Very truly I tell you, you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices. You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy.

Jesus is revealing the plan so that when it happens, His disciples will know what is coming next.

He has done this for us as well. Do you know that… we have NOT yet reached the end of this story? There is A LOT MORE TO COME!

And Jesus told us what would happen in the mean time. Everything that is happening is leading up to His imminent return! This season of chaos, brokenness, and craziness… is but a season!

Yes… we might fins ourselves at time grieving as a result of current situations… BUT HIS JOY COMES WITH THE MORNING! We can have peace today because we know the plan of God!

Jesus promised His disciples that they would have trouble… and that promise extends to us today. BUT… the plan doesn’t end with trouble… the plan ends in victory.

AND… we don’t have to wait to the end… in order to experience that victory! His victory is available to us right here… right now. We can find peace in Christ as He has OVERCOME this world!

Finding peace… means extending trust.

The trouble in this world… the trouble in your world might be bigger than you, might be out of your control… but it is NOT beyond the victory we have in Jesus.

Finding peace means moving beyond what we think we can do… and trusting in what we know HE HAS DONE.

Hear me clearly… Jesus HAS WON the victory. Jesus HAS OVERCOME this world.

It’s not something we are waiting for Him to do… He has already done it! We start to lose peace when we forget the victory has already been won!

Having peace in Christ means believing in and trusting all He did. It means receiving the gift of God that is Christ Jesus His Son! It doesn’t mean you’ll have a conflict-problem-free life. In fact, your allegiance to the Kingdom of Heaven puts you in direct opposition to the world. You can expect trouble to come.

But you can also expect victory to be the outcome! And even when in the midst of the struggle… YOU CAN KNOW PEACE!

Psalm 23:4 tells us

Psalm 23:4 NIV

4 Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

What this means is you can have peace, deep in your soul, no matter what trouble comes your way SO LONG AS YOU KNOW JESUS.

And this peace is beyond any peace you can hope to find in this world. In fact, the Bible describes is as…

Peace That Transcends Understanding

Deep abiding peace is something difficult to understand. In his letter to the Philippians, the Apostle Paul gives us a glimpse into the peace-filled life;

Philippians 4:4–7 NIV

4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

We are going to dissect this passage by starting at verse 7 and working backward.

The Bible makes clear that the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Going back to Psalms 23, the peace or lack of fear spoken of as the psalmist is walking through the valley of the shadow of death… doesn’t make sense.

Walking through a place with such a name was a dangerous thing. This valley earned its name. It was not the place anyone really wants to be.

And that can be said of any stressful situation - no one wants to be there! AND if a person finds themselves there… it wouldn’t make sense for peace to be the experienced emotion or feeling!

There are some places and things and people that can cause our anxiety to rise just by the mention of their name! The valley mentioned is not a good place… but the peace and lack of fear remained… because GOD WAS WITH HIM.

Do you know.... that God is with you? Some days that might not feel like the case and I would offer the reason is… because you have ventured off the path to peace. What is that path? Well, I’m glad you asked! Because it is given to us in Philippians.

The Path to peace.

First off, Paul tells the Philippians to do what? TO REJOICE. He doesn’t say it once… he says it twice. AND… he says to do it NO MATTER WHAT.

Praise is the first step on the path of peace because it takes our focus off the valley… and places it on the One who is with us in the valley.

Second, Paul says for gentleness… to be evident. The Lord is near.

Gentleness… and aggression… is contagious. If you act aggressively, you will reap aggression. But if you act with gentleness… you set the stage for a more peaceful circumstance. I cannot promise it will be reciprocated… but at least aggression will not be controlling you!

Jesus said in Matthew 5:9

Matthew 5:9 NIV

9 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.

The world doesn’t need more aggression… it needs more peacemakers. Therefore, let your gentleness be evident to all… THE LORD IS NEAR!

Third, Paul says to pray. Drop anxiety and pray. Don’t get worked up.... pray.

This last week, I was dealing with some heavy situations and I was getting myself worked up. Have you ever done that before?

Maybe through thought… maybe through talking to yourself… maybe through talking to others. We can sometimes be our own worst enemies!

In the midst of me getting myself worked up… God gently spoke to my heart and He simply said this: TALK LESS, PRAY MORE. And then He dropped James 1:19-21

James 1:19–21 NIV

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.

We need to stop filling our heads and our hearts with our words… and accept the Word of God that is planted within us!

If you want more peace… it will be found through more prayer!

This path of peace is simple… and it will get you through ANY valley. Why? Because it keeps the overcomer of this world in focus.

These three very doable steps will lead a person to a peace that transcends our understanding… a peace that doesn’t makes sense concerning our circumstance.

Two years ago, while lying in an ICU bed with an oxygen tube in my nose, pain killers and meds flowing in multiple IVs, heart monitors and oxygen monitors and you name it checking my vitals… unable to walk a few feet down the hall for the inability to breathe deeply… I felt nothing but peace. I NEVER ONCE FELT ANXIOUS, SCARED OR AFRAID.

Even in the moment when I collapsed in the hall and my blood oxygen was below 64% and the doctors told me what happened… I HAD NO FEAR.

Even when the ICU nurse told me that by the numbers I should have gone septic a long time ago… HIS ROD AND STAFF COMFORTED ME.

Even though my body was broken… my peace remained. Because I knew Jesus had overcome. I knew that by His stripes, I was healed.

I TRUSTED Jesus… and in that trust He guarded my heart and mind. Yes church… you can have peace in the most difficult circumstances… but we must CHOOSE to stay on the path that leads to peace.

Lastly, we need to understand that...

Peace is Christ’s Gift to You

Have you ever read through the gospels and found yourself marveling at all the different situations Jesus found himself in, and how He always seemed to keep His cool?

Think about it; He was interrogated by the leading Jewish leaders of the time. On multiple occasions the crowds tried to grab him and kill him. And on top of it all, He willingly chose to travel day in and day out with a man who He knew would betray him in the days to come.

What was it that Christ knew that we don’t?

Really, think about it for a moment. What did Christ know that we don’t?

I realize He was literally God incarnate, and that He probably knew billions of things that we don’t. I think we can all agree on that. But the point I’m trying to make is that Christ had complete and total trust in who He was and what He was doing. He trusted the Father, and because of this trust, because of his faith, He was able to have peace in any and every situation. It’s a powerful truth.

And Jesus has this kind of peace for you and I too.

Listen to what Jesus tells the disciples in John 14:27

John 14:27 NIV

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.

Friends, as we close tonight, peace is a gift of Jesus - It’s different from the things the world gives - And just like any other gift, it’s your responsibility to receive it well.

I want you to ask yourself… What have you received from the world lately? This month? This year? What kind of valleys have you been walking through?

Are you ready to receive peace today?

As we talked about this morning, we have hope because of who Christ is and what He’s promised to do in and through our lives. He is the light that shines in the darkness and we can share the light of Christ with others by sharing the hope we have.

And tonight friends, we know that we can also have a peace that transcends understanding by letting go of all that troubles us and giving it to the ever-capable hands of Jesus. In return, His gift is peace...divine peace...soul-quenching peace.

What do you need to let go of today?

What do you need to place into the hands of Christ?

What do you need to do, today, to receive His gift of peace?

Let’s start by rejoicing. Let’s move to a spirit of gentleness, and let’s drop worry and start praying. For the Lord is near!