The Advent of Peace

On this Sunday looking at the Advent of Peace… I have posed a question.

Is PEACE Attainable?… I ask this question on your behalf because of my childhood.

My understanding of things warped how I viewed the scripture and things God stated in His Word.

When I think of Peace… (or love and joy) the song, “I’ve Got Peace Like A River” comes to mind. Hymn #750

This is what came to my mind… [Discuss Slides]

This is the river… wild, crazy and raging

This is the ocean… fierce, mean, crashing

This is the fountain… hardly trickles, thirsting for more, disappointment

REALITY… life often feels, or is, turbulent, chaotic, difficult… can we truly attain peace in a life like that?

When we THINK PEACE… our minds often shift to situations, the absence of chaos, a change to our surroundings

As we look at Peace today, I don’t want you to have peace like a river…

Rather peace in the crazy, chaotic, river called life.

As we look at this Season of Advent we are considering:

What these things meant at His coming and

How we celebrate what they mean for us today!

I felt that for our PARTICULAR time, this is PERTINANT and PRACTICAL for PEOPLE today, especially in PARACHUTE. The PRINCE of PEACE PROCLAIMED a PROFOUND and POWERFUL PARADIGM, PRESENTING humanity with the PRECIOUS PROMISE of PERPETUAL PEACE. Through His PRESCENCE, PEOPLE discovered the PRACTICALITY of PEACEFUL PRINCIPLES—PATIENCE replaces PROVOCATION, PARDON PREVAILS over PUNISHMENT, and compassion PROVES more POTENT than PRIDE. The PEACE Jesus PROVIDED isn't PASSIVE it's a PRACTICAL, with PENETRATING POWER that PERMEATES hearts, PURIFIES PERSPECTIVES, and PRODUCES PROFOUND changes in PEOPLE’S PERSONAL lives and PUBLIC interactions. His PEACE passes understanding, yet PROVES PERFECTLY PRACTICAL—PROMPTING forgiveness, PROMOTING unity, and PROPELLING believers toward lives marked by gentleness, PATIENCE, and PERSISTENT love. This divine PEACE, PLANTED in human hearts, POSSESSES the POWER to transform both individual PERSONS and entire POPULATIONS, PROVING that the PRINCE of PEACE’S message remains PERPETUALLY relevant, PRACTICALLY applicable, and PROFOUNDLY life-changing.

In POSING this question of attaining PEACE I want us to:

PONDER the PROMISE of PEACE.

We will PICK apart the PROCLAMATION of the PRESCENCE of PEACE and

In closing I will POINT out the PERSONAL POSSESSION of PEACE… Yes, attaining PEACE!

It is PERPOSTEROUS how many “P” words POPPED into my head while PREPARING!

The Promise of Peace

We looked at the HOPELESS state of mankind in thier sin last week.

Nahum the prophet describes mankind’s state well in Nahum 1:2 we are enemies of God prior to our salvation!

Paul would write to the church in Rome concerning our state without Christ in Romans 5:8-10 and even in that state God loved us enough to provide salvation! (IT IS NOT EARNED NOR DESERVED!!!)

The HOPE was the Promise of Peace, one such promise was given through the prophet Isaiah 9:6-7

The Messiah would bring peace to a world longing for peace

The King would BE PEACE (His name and attribute!)

The King would have a kingdom marked and characterized by peace (this is the coming Kingdom of Christ’s Millennial Reign)

Jesus Christ designated by the title “Prince of Peace” promises a kingdom defined by justice and righteousness

This encourages you and I to look past this present turmoil to the anticipated HOPE He extends and offers through His coming PEACE

With the coming of Jesus Christ that time in Bethlehem, instills HOPE as we see prophecy fulfilled… it empowers believers to trust in God’s promises despite chaos!

The Presence of Peace

I find it interesting that at the time of Christ coming… there were no wars! Peace???

When you looked at Israel, you saw a nation that was at its peak of being “Religious”.

Onlookers would see a nation not at war, and more religious than ever before yet desperately in need of and searching for PEACE (Shalom)

SHALOM:  ‘completeness’, ‘soundness’, ‘well-being’  when one is in harmony or concord with another… The biblical concept means more than the absence of hostility, and it is more than a psychological state. It referred to something in the inner person, impacting the soul!

Holeman stated it well: “PEACE a sense of confidence in God. The term brought to mind all that Christ would do or had done through the cross and the resurrection to end the dominion of sin and to make peace between God and man… a state of being spiritually whole again. The gospel message was called “the gospel of peace” (Eph. 6:15). The world cannot achieve or provide peace because it cannot deal with the problem of sin. Thus God’s peace that guards the Christian’s heart and mind “surpasses every thought””

The angel as he shared with the shepherds declares that the Christ (Messiah… Promised King!!!) was born… seek Him out!

Verses 13-14 almost make the hair on my neck stand up! Luke 2:13-14

Luke 2:13–14 NLT

Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others—the armies of heaven—praising God and saying, “Glory to God in highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.”

This is NO HALLMARK moment here! No singing and melodies… the armies of Heaven shout in a battle cry

There shout is to the One who sits in Heaven, God Almighty… GLORY!

Praise, worthiness, deserving honor

Praise here Proceeds Peace!

Why PRAISE? … Peace was Present on Earth!

Peace is the person of Christ

Peace is who He is… (fruit of the Holy Spirit… Love, Joy, Peace!!!!)

John 3:17-18 states this of God… the Christ came to save!

This is worthy of PRAISING GOD!

Romans 5:1-2 says this… we have peace with God through Jesus! ENJOY THIS PEACE!!!!

To the chaos, turbulence, unrest of a world scared by sin, we see peace not in a situation, a circumstance but in the person of Jesus Christ… “with those who He is pleased with”… with those who will RECIEVE the gift of His Son,

The Hebrew equivalent of (shalom) or the English greeting “How are you?” is “Do you have ‘peace’?”

Is Peace Attainable?

The Possession of Peace

After Jesus declared to His disciples that He was the only way, the truth, and the life” he would extend to them the opportunity to HAVE PEACE…

John 14:27 is a blessing and a gift to you and me!

The troubles of this world, the fears we face rob us of the PEACE we have In Jesus Christ!

Jesus also said in John 16:33

The possession of peace is found in a relationship with the One who came to BE PEACE and BRING PEACE…

BUT…

Pastor Jed you don’t know the hardships I face, the turmoil in my life, the chaos that swirls in my soul...

I know that God does know

I know that there was a battle cry that night by the armies of God because Christ came to take on sin and death head on

I know that if I want peace in my life it starts with PRAISE!

Philippians 4:4-7 says this… Praise Precedes Peace!

Think of this… you and I receive His Peace that we may be instruments of His Peace in this troubled world!

No greater time is the Peace of Jesus Christ present and noticed in the life of the believer than when the waves are crashing around them, the current is thundering, and chaos is seen at every turn…

And there is the follower of Jesus Christ consumed by the Peace that passes all understanding

That first Christmas night, in the hustle and bustle of the world all around them, in the chaos that trouble mankind’s hearts, lay in a manger the Son of God… the Prince of Peace. Peace had come to earth and was being offered to all who believe.