Advent: The Supernatural Path of Peace

Explain the Advent Candles

Today begins our second week of Advent, and I wanted to take a few moments to explain what Advent is and what we are doing when we light the advent candles.

Our word Advent comes from the Latin Adventus, which very simply means “arrival.”

Advent is a season where Christians celebrate the coming of Christ, through his incarnation - or being born as a human being.

Advent begins on the fourth Sunday before Christmas and culminates on Christmas Day.

Each week is marked by a theme (hope, peace, joy, and love) represented by each of these candles.

The First Candle that we list last week, is called the Prophecy Candle

It represents hope and the anticipation of Christ’s coming, recalling the prophecies about the Messiah and the hope He brings to the world.

The Second Candle which we will light today is, called the Bethlehem Candle,

It symbolizes peace and preparation, reflecting Mary and Joseph’s journey to Bethlehem and the peace that Christ’s birth brings.

Over the next two weeks we will light the others as well.

This week, we light both the hope candle and the peace candle

Would you join me in prayer, as we light this candle and then begin our time in the Word?

Opening Prayer

Father, as we light the second candle of Advent, may we be reminded of the peace that we find in the finished work of Jesus on the cross. Remind us that as we look back on the Cross, so many were looking forward to it before Jesus came. Let us rejoice that we live in an incredible time in history where peace has been secured for us.

But, at the same time Lord, we are caught in the tension of the already but not yet.

We praise you for your birth, and we long for your return.

Now, if you would, take a moment and pray for yourself…

Ask the Lord to speak clearly to you this morning and that you would respond to Him.

If there is anything that is occupying your heart and mind, ask the Lord to set your thoughts on Him.

Now, would you take a moment and pray for me.

Ask the Lord to speak through me - that I would be faithful in preaching the Word and that I would step out of the way so that we can see and savor Jesus this morning.

Introduction/Opening Illustration

On Nov. 2nd, 2020, Cammy and I welcomed our fifth child Jasper into the world.

We were pretty sure of what to expect, because we had done it four times before, and so we had a lot of peace about having another baby.

Delivery went just fine and both Cammy and Jasper were healthy - which we were thankful for.

But the weeks following turned out to be pretty hard.

At his one week check-up, he had lost a pound from birth weight - which if you don’t know, that is not good…

But we were just going to keep an eye on things - and weigh him often to report back how he was doing in regaining that weight, and then hopefully growing rapidly.

But the weight gain wasn’t happening…

He was trending towards the failure to thrive category.

He was not sleeping well

He wasn’t much of a happy baby… which was heart breaking.

What we discovered was that he wasn’t able to get enough milk while nursing - which had never been an issue for any of our other kids - so we were confused.

The poor guy was miserable and he was skinny as could be.

Me, having a bit of a twisted sense of humor, nicknamed him “fat boy” just trying to will something into reality…

It was hard for us to see what the Lord was doing in our lives - and in Jasper’s life

So, we tried as hard as we could to trust Him, but it was a season where we were most definitely stretched.

I don’t think we would described that season as a peaceful one.

Peace - Shalom

The theme of Advent this week is Peace…

In Hebrew, we word that we usually translate as “peace” is the word Shalom and the Greek equivalent is the word Eirēnē (ear-ay-nay).

And yes - it can mean peace, but English fails us in that it doesn’t capture the full meaning.

The word for Shalom doesn’t just mean peace… It means to make something complete or whole

William Barclay wrote that “Peace in Hebrew does not mean merely freedom from trouble; it means all that makes for our highest good; and through Christ we are enabled to walk in the ways that lead to everything that means life, and no longer to all that means death.”

I hate to break this to you, but sometimes along the path of God accomplishing your highest good, you face trouble…

That was true for us as we walked the path with Jasper.

Peace Defined

So how do we reconcile this idea that Peace is not simply a life free of struggle, pain, and chaos.

Philippians 4:6–7 (ESV)

6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

We are told to bring everything to the Lord - all our fears, anxieties, troubles - let Him know whats going on in our hearts and that peace is the result.

Not that the trouble is removed… notice that?

That we will be guarded by peace, in the midst of our troubles.

We are granted peace when we lift our eyes off the chaos around us and set them on Christ.

We are granted peace, when our hearts focus on eternity rather than the trouble we currently face.

Sermon Body

We are going to be in Luke 1:67-79 today, reading the story of Zechariah, so if you want to turn there now you can.

To provide a bit of a backstory on Zechariah…

You can read in vv. 5-24 to get the whole picture, but…

He was a priest who was serving in the temple.

He was married to a woman named Elizabeth and they are described as being Righteous and blameless - Luke 1:6

The were likely somewhere in their mid-sixties and had no child because Elizabeth was barren.

One day, they cast lots to see which priest would go in to burn incense in the temple and it fell on Zechariah.

As he was performing his duties, Gabriel, an Angel of the Lord appeared to him and scared him senseless.

Gabriel gave him the news that any man, in his sixties, about to retire is dying to hear - you’re going to be a dad!

You typically don’t have that on your retirement bingo card…

His response was something along the lines of “Whatchu talking about Willis?”

Just so you know, this is an example of what not to do…

If you are ever in this situation, might I suggest Mary’s approach…

“Let it be to me according to your word…”

Because of Zechariah’s response, the angel struck him mute - and likely deaf as well.

Which had to be terrifying, frustrating, sad… all of the things.

But what becomes clear is that this was how the Lord was going to get his message into Zechariah’s heart.

The Lord wastes nothing - including our unbelief.

So, fast forward to v. 57, and we are told that Elizabeth gave birth to a son, and they named him John, as Gabriel commanded.

Zechariah’s mouth was opened and he spoke

Luke 1:67–73 (ESV)

67 And his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied, saying, 68 “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he has visited and redeemed his people 69 and has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David, 70 as he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets from of old, 71 that we should be saved from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us; 72 to show the mercy promised to our fathers and to remember his holy covenant, 73 the oath that he swore to our father Abraham, to grant us

Spirit Filled

Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit

Had he not been filled with the Holy Spirit, we don’t get these incredibly powerful words…

He doesn’t spend ANY time bemoaning the fact that he has been unable to speak for nine months.

He blesses the Lord!

The same Lord, might I remind you, who struck him mute and deaf.

He wasn’t bitter or angry…

He had a clarity about him.

He had discovered some deep truths about the Lord.

The FIRST thing that we find form Zechariah’s story is that…

The Supernatural Path of Peace…

Point 1: Leads through suffering (vv. 67-73)

One of the crazy things about suffering for the believer is that it can give us a clarity that we would not have any other way.

If we will dig in, and seek the Lord, we are given a glimpse of life beyond the suffering.

Zechariah speaks in Past Tense

Notice what he said:

Luke 1:68-69 (ESV) “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he has visited and redeemed his people and has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David,

He speaks in past tense - as though this has already happened.

Just to be clear and so that we have our timeline accurate here…

John is older than Jesus

Jesus hasn’t been born yet.

They are still under the rule of Rome.

They have not had a word from the Lord in 450 some odd years.

How can Zechariah speak like this?!

He can speak like this because he has fought for supernatural peace through his own struggle.

Supernatural Peace looks at the situation, no matter how bleak it is, and sees through to the redemption beyond.

Think about the thing that is your biggest challenge right now, or the thing that is causing you the most internal struggle.

For the Christian, 10,000 years from now, that struggle will be ancient history.

Think about this, Believer, this life is as close to hell as you will ever be?

In heaven, there will be no more death and no more illness

There will be no more broken relationships

No more depression or anxiety

no more tears

It’s going to be incredible!

Suffering isn’t removed…

This doesn’t mean that suffering is removed from our lives.

Until Jesus returns suffering and struggle will be a part of this life.

Peace provides us an eternal perspective.

But it must be genuine.

Don’t settle for cheap imitations

When I was a kid, Oakley sunglasses were THE sunglasses to own, I desperately wanted some of my own.

But I couldn’t afford Oakleys…

I had to settle for the knock-off version Jokeleys…

They weren’t the real thing, but they were close enough that most of my friends were none-the-wiser.

Have you settled for the knock-off plastic version of peace?

If so, you will be perpetually disappointed,.

It can’t survive the fires of trial

Don’t trade the lasting, enduring, blood-bought Supernatural peace that Jesus offers for a plastic version that melts in the fire.

The Supernatural Path of peace leads through suffering.

But it also leads to a life of service…

The Supernatural Path of Peace…

Point 2: leads to a life of service (vv. 74-75)

Luke 1:74–75 (ESV)

74 that we, being delivered from the hand of our enemies, might serve him without fear, 75 in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.

v. 74 encapsulates the WHY of everything that came before it.

God has visited and redeemed his people

He has raised up a horn of salvation

He has spoken through the prophets of old

He saved them from their enemies

He has shown mercy

SO THAT

v. 74… “We might serve Him…”

Serve Him

The Greek word used here for serve, means to worship.

And it carries with it the connotation of performing a priestly duty.

What Zechariah was prophesying was the upending of the traditional order.

No longer would it just be the Levitical priests who had direct access to the Lord - the people of God would all be made priests unto the Lord.

1 Peter 2:9 “you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession…”

This is why the veil was torn that shielded the world from the holy of holies when Jesus was crucified.

The Lord would be accessible by ALL.

And they could worship without fear.

This would have been hard to grasp for the Jewish people.

They had heard the story in Leviticus 10 about Nadab and Abihu offering unauthorized fire before the Lord and died because of that.

They knew the story of Saul in 1 Sam 13 offering the sacrifice when he got tired of waiting on Samuel and then losing the throne because of it.

But they need not fear, because they had been delivered from the hand of their enemies.

Who were these enemies?

The most consequential enemy that would be defeated was sin.

Sin is the thing that separates people from God and earns death.

When someone is forgiven, they are transformed from an enemy of God into a friend of God… a child of God!

Relationship is restored and because of this, there is no worry about being consumed by fire or losing position.

We can have supernatural peace

This is not a thing of the past.

This is true for believers RIGHT NOW - and can be true for anyone who calls on the name of Jesus.

The Lord invites you to Himself, to approach without fear and without shame, because in Christ your enemies are defeated - your sin atoned for.

This is what it means to have supernatural peace…

To be welcomed before the Lord, without fear and without shame.

Think about this for a second - He knows you…

He knows the brokenness that you bear

He hears those thoughts that you don’t want anyone else to hear

He knows your sin better than you do, but because you have placed your faith in Jesus, every ounce of your punishment has been poured out on Him, and you are now clean!

He doesn’t see you as the broken sinner, but as the precious child - with the sinless perfection of His Son.

And now, no matter how bad things get around us, we know that we will never be cast aside, and we will never be condemned by the Lord - our eternity secure in Him.

This is what supernatural peace looks like…

That we may approach him and worship him, without fear.

That as we worship - even though we think that we might bungle it up - we may do so in holiness and righteousness before Him all of our days.

Because we have been delivered!

Christian, He sees the perfection of Jesus, not the brokenness of Matt…

So serve Him - worship Him - without any fear.

The supernatural path of peace leads thru suffering and leads to a life of service

Illustration

Thermal Scope

Several weeks ago, a coyote broke into my turkey pasture and killed half of the birds we were going to sell.

It happened just a couple of weeks before Thanksgiving.

Bummer - right?

That night, I posted up holding a rifle with a thermal scope to try and avenge my birds.

A thermal scope is that it uses heat signatures enabling you to “see in the dark.”

So, no matter how dark the night, you can see whatever crosses your path.

The sole purpose of a thermal vision is to see something that is shrouded in darkness…

The Lord was planning to use John to see Jesus while they were living in the dark.

John was going help others experience this supernatural peace.

That’s another truth about the supernatural path of peace.

The Supernatural Path of Peace…

Point 3: is meant to be shared (vv. 76-79)

Starting in v. 76, there is a shift that we see in the text from the coming messiah to John who would go before Him - fulfilling Isaiah 40:3 and Malachi 3:1

Luke 1:76–79 (ESV)

76 And you, child (John), will be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways, 77 to give knowledge of salvation to his people in the forgiveness of their sins, 78 because of the tender mercy of our God, whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high 79 to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.”

John’s Prophetic Call

St. Cyril of Alexandria said that “For those under the law and dwelling in Judea, John the Baptist was a lamp preceding Christ… the world was wandering in error, serving the creation in the place of the Creator and was darkened over by the blackness of ignorance. Night, as it were, that had fallen upon the minds of all, permitted them not to see him, who is truly and by nature God. But the Lord of all rose for the Israelites, like a light and a sun.”

John was the spotlight whose only purpose was to shine on Jesus, preparing the way.

This preparation would include telling people that they could have forgiveness, mercy, and deliverance and How to walk in the way of peace

There’s that word!

ear-ay-nay - Greek Peace - Heb. Shalom

What great news for people who hadn’t heard from God in over 400 years.

The people were in darkness and were in desperate need of someone to guide them in the way of peace.

Illustration continued

Our struggles with Jasper were monumentally difficult for our family - especially Cammy, who felt like she wasn’t able to take care of her child.

I felt completely helpless - because I couldn’t fix anything…

We were frazzled and exhausted both physically and spiritually.

Over the next several months, we went to see doctors and medical practitioners (most of whom were believers) who were able to help guide us through the darkness of that time.

They encouraged us, equipped us, and showed us the path that we needed to walk to get Jasper what he needed.

This included feeding him religiously every two hours - even through the night.

It involved Cammy pumping while I fed Jasper the bottle.

It involved weighing his diapers to make sure that he was getting enough fluids

And slowly but surely, with a ton of struggle and hard work, we began to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Our “fat boy” had begun to thrive.

We started to walk in a measure of peace, no longer afraid of what might happen.

And this was possible, because there were people who were willing to work with us - to guide us towards the way of peace…

People who were willing to bring a bit of light into our darkness.

I shudder to think where we would be now without all of these incredible people who could show us the way.

This was How John was supposed to serve!

His message was one of hope!

He was to go to people who were without hope and tell them that salvation was near!

He was to let them know that forgiveness was possible and that God was a God of tender mercy who was moving heaven and earth to draw us near to Himself.

Everything about his life was to help others see Jesus!

Closing Application

I will close with an application point for us…

This Christmas, don’t celebrate Jesus’ birth and miss those who still aren’t covered by his death.

Who in your life is walking in darkness?

Who doesn’t know that their sins can be forgiven?

Who doesn’t see God as merciful?

Who needs to be delivered from death?

Who needs to be guided into the way of peace?

Will you be the one who will share the truth with them?

David Mathis “His advent will not mean peace for unrepentant rebels. But for his flock, his happy subjects, his glad worshipers, his dear friends, his second coming will bring the peace and final safety for which our souls have always ached.”

Will peace and final safety be the story of those that you know and love who don’t currently follow Jesus?

It won’t be if they never get the message…

This prophecy of John the Baptist isn’t just a descriptor of what the Lord was going to do through a man 2000 years ago.

John prepared the people for the first advent, the first coming of Christ.

We are called to prepare people for Jesus’ return setting the table for others to experience the gift of salvation.

The Supernatural path of peace leads through suffering, leads to a life of service, and is meant to be shared.

As we celebrate Advent and Jesus’ birth, may our hearts burn ever more brightly with the light of hope and peace of His return, when he will reconcile all things to Himself.

Close in Prayer

Communion

We are going to respond in worship by taking communion.

If you would, please pass the metal pails down the row.

If you are not a believer - if you don’t follow Christ, then I would ask that you simply allow the bucket to pass.

in just a moment, we will take communion together as one body.

The book of Hebrews closes with one of the most beautiful benedictions in all of scripture, in my opinion.

The author says:

Hebrews 13:20–21 “20 Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, 21 equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.”

As we celebrate communion today, and reflect on the calling to share Christ with others this Christmas season, I want us to consider something.

We have been equipped with EVERYTHING good that we may do His will.

There is nothing that you are lacking - it’s only to obey.

But there was a cost to that equipping…

Jesus poured out His blood

He died in your place, Christian.

Now, leverage your life for His name and His fame.

Invite others to the table so that they might enjoy the peace with God that you enjoy.

1 Corinthians 11:23–26 (ESV) 23 For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, 24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”

You may eat the bread

25 In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” 26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.

You may drink the juice

Close in prayer