Restorative Peace
Advent 2025 • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Handout
Children’s Message:
Review:
What was last week’s candle? Hope
What does Advent mean? Coming.
Whose coming in particular? Jesus
How many “comings” of Jesus are there?
Do you remember what I said last week about how many prophecies of Jesus were about His first coming and how many are about His second coming? 100, 200
Because Jesus fulfilled the first 100 prophecies about His first coming, faith in Jesus gives us hope for the future fulfillment of God’s promises regarding His second coming.
So Advent is a reminder of His first coming and a looking ahead to His second coming.
Advent 2:
Do you know what this week’s candle is? Peace
How would you describe peace?
Object Lesson:
Have kids do a few things that demonstrate the opposite of peace:
Play Jesus says: PEACE. When I say, “Jesus Says, “Peace”. You all have to freeze and stop doing whatever I say to do.
Everyone talk at once.
Everyone switch places.
Everyone stand up and sit down.
Spin around.
Peace is connected to things like:
Quietness
Calmness
Stillness
No chaos
Definition of Peace - Calmness of the soul. Absence of conflict. An orderly manner. Rest.
God is the God of peace.
Now the God of peace be with you all. Amen.
for God is not a God of confusion but of peace...
Confusion - instability, commotion, disorder, very loud and uproarious noises
In a world of turmoil and chaos.
In a world of disease, death, and destruction.
In a world of instability and lies.
How do we live in peace?
Put your faith in Jesus.
It’s why we celebrate Christmas.
For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.
“This will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.”
That is the peace that we celebrate today. That is what the second candle represents.
That is what was embodied in the baby lying in the manger.
Jesus came into the world in a time of chaos, tribulation, and instability to bring peace.
Video: I Have Overcome The World
Child lights candle
Intro:
Jesus Has Overcome The World
Jesus Is The Overcomer
Because Jesus Has Overcome, we too can be overcomers
God’s Great Mercy
God’s Great Mercy
According to His Great Mercy
Mercy means to look at the poor condition of someone else and being moved to want to do something to alleviate their suffering.
Specifically here, to alleviate the misery caused by the consequences of sin.
God doesn’t want us to suffer the misery of the consequences of our sin.
Last week I said that God wants us to be free from the consequences of sin for all eternity, which gives us hope, but God also wants to alleviate our suffering even now in this life.
This is where peace comes into the picture.
The peace of God is a result of the mercies of God.
The peace of God is restorative.
The NT Greek word for peace carries a similar meaning to the Hebrew term for peace.
Anyone remember the OT Hebrew word for peace? Shalom. Live long and prosper.
The Complete Word Study Dictionary: New Testament 1515. εἰρήνη eirḗnē
In the OT the equivalent word shalom (7965) meant wholeness, soundness, hence health, well–being, prosperity; more particularly, peace as opposed to war, or concord as opposed to strife.
God Wants Us To Be At Peace With Him
God Wants Us To Have Peace Within Ourself
God Wants Us To Live In Peace With Others.
Read I Peter 1:1-7
We Can Possess Peace: God Wants Us To Be At Peace With Him
We Can Possess Peace: God Wants Us To Be At Peace With Him
Peace begins relationally with God through Jesus Christ.
Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
How? Through Our Lord Jesus, Our Overcomer
“These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.”
Overcomer - Nike - To be victorious
Jesus, The Overcomer - The Lion
Jesus, The Overcomer - The Lion
Revelation to Isaiah (middle of Bible) to Genesis To Isaiah to Revelation.
and one of the elders said to me, “Stop weeping; behold, the Lion that is from the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has overcome so as to open the book and its seven seals.”
The Root of David
Then a shoot will spring from the stem of Jesse, And a branch from his roots will bear fruit. The Spirit of the Lord will rest on Him, The spirit of wisdom and understanding, The spirit of counsel and strength, The spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.
The Lion of the Tribe of Judah
“Judah is a lion’s whelp; From the prey, my son, you have gone up. He couches, he lies down as a lion, And as a lion, who dares rouse him up? “The scepter shall not depart from Judah, Nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, Until Shiloh comes, And to him shall be the obedience of the peoples.
The Scepter shall not depart from Judah, Nor the Ruler’s Staff from between his feet.
For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace, On the throne of David and over his kingdom, To establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness From then on and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will accomplish this.
Who is under the feet of Jesus? Satan.
To Him shall be the Obedience of the Peoples.
“You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to our God; and they will reign upon the earth.”
Jesus, The Overcomer - The Lamb
Jesus, The Overcomer - The Lamb
and one of the elders said to me, “Stop weeping; behold, the Lion that is from the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has overcome so as to open the book and its seven seals.
After that declaration you would expect to see the majestic lion appear. But no.
And I saw between the throne (with the four living creatures) and the elders a Lamb standing, as if slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God, sent out into all the earth.
When He had taken the book, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each one holding a harp and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. And they sang a new song, saying, “Worthy are You to take the book and to break its seals; for You were slain, and purchased for God with Your blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation.
Here we see not the Lion, but the Lamb.
In being slain, He was nike victorious and paid the purchase price to redeem all those who would believe in Him.
As such, He overcame sin, death, and Satan on the spiritual level.
having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. When He had disarmed the rulers and authorities, He made a public display of them, having triumphed over them through Him.
But, the Lamb will overcome Satan, the false prophet, and the antichrist on a physical level as well.
“These will wage war against the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them, because He is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those who are with Him are the called and chosen and faithful.
The Lamb will overcome them on an eternal level as well.
And the devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are also; and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.
Jesus is our nike, our victor, our overcomer.
He overcame the world
He overcame sin
He overcame death
He’ll overcome Satan
Back to the Great Mercy of God
Because of God’s mercy to us through Jesus Christ.
We are no longer enemies of God.
We are no longer at war with God.
So...
John 10:10
What the world steals from us, God will repay
What death has killed, God will bring back to life
What sin has destroyed, God will restore
What Satan has done to us God has, is, and will repair.
The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.
Not Only Can We Possess Peace, But
We Can Pray For Peace: God Wants Us To Have Peace Within Ourself
We Can Pray For Peace: God Wants Us To Have Peace Within Ourself
The problem is, even though we can possess peace and be at peace with God, we are still in the battlefield and we find that due to fear, worry, anxiety, trials and tribulations, that we don’t always “feel” peaceful.
Not to mention the lies and temptations of the devil that lead to feelings of guilt, shame, regret, and blame.
Jesus brings us peace with God, but God also wants us to be at peace with and within ourselves.
God’s Peace Is Also Restorative, Now
To grant those who mourn in Zion, Giving them a garland instead of ashes, The oil of gladness instead of mourning, The mantle of praise instead of a spirit of fainting. So they will be called oaks of righteousness, The planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified. Then they will rebuild the ancient ruins, They will raise up the former devastations; And they will repair the ruined cities, The desolations of many generations.
Although a direct and literal prophetic word to and for the nation of Israel for a future time, it is also a prophetic word that has spiritual fulfillment now for all believers who have been grafted into the vine.
Although the final fulfillment of this may not find its completion until we get to Heaven, the process has begun, now.
God turns our mourning into dancing, now.
And gives us a mantle of praise instead of spirit of despair, now.
God brings beauty from ashes, now.
Whatever has been destroyed, God begins to rebuild, now.
We see God restore lives and families, now.
God Brings Peace And Calm Into The Storms Of Life.
Into the storms of life, God brings calmness, now.
And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.
“These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.”
We find it through prayer.
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 comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
God’s Peace Comes To Us Through God’s Protection
That’s why Peter can say in vs 6-7
We can rejoice in trials.
I’ll touch on this more next week, but we can have peace in the trial because:
God promises the trials are temporal. They are only for this present life. We will not have to endure these in eternity.
God promises the trials are temporary. Hard and difficult and in the moment feels like an eternity, but they truly are only for a season. It’s just that some seasons sure feel longer than others.
God promises that the trials He sends are necessary. He’s not going to waste anything. Nothing He does is in vain or for vain purposes.
God promises that the trials are refining you. The trials are burning off the dross in order to purify you and show the “proof” or genuineness of your faith. The trials reveal that your faith is not fools gold.
The fire tests you.
The fire shows you the preciousness of your faith.
The fire increases the value of your faith since it becomes purer and more genuine.
The fire results in your praise and glory and honor because Christ the Overcomer, the victor brings you up onto the podium, takes the victors crown off of His head and puts it one yours.
He says, “Well done good and faithful servant, you have been faithful in little, now enter into the joy of the Master!”
We will be vindicated and rewarded when Christ comes in His Second Advent.
But this is only possible because of the power of God and His Sovereignty over all things.
God can only promise this because even though He allows bad things to happen, He is still in control of the boundaries and limits of those trials.
In order that those trials will produce what they are intended to produce in our lives.
So, we take a deep breath and say,
Teach me Your way, Yahweh, and I will live by Your truth. Give me an undivided mind to fear Your name.
“The steadfast of mind You will keep in perfect peace, Because he trusts in You.
Communion
Nothing But The Blood - Key of C
Because Jesus Is An Overcomer, We Can Also Be Overcomers.
Because Jesus Is An Overcomer, We Can Also Be Overcomers.
You are from God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.
I have written to you, fathers, because you know Him who has been from the beginning. I have written to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you, and you have overcome the evil one.
For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. Who is the one who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?
“He who overcomes will inherit these things, and I will be his God and he will be My son.
We Can Pursue Peace: God Wants Us To Live In Peace With Others.
We Can Pursue Peace: God Wants Us To Live In Peace With Others.
If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men.
“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
We can be peacemakers because we are at peace and we possess peace.
Blessed
Possessing the favor of God
Marked by fullness from God
Fully satisfied in God no matter the circumstances
We are in the world, yet independent of the world.
Our satisfaction comes from God and not from favorable circumstances.
Therefore, we can transcend our circumstances and be peacemakers.
Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
As a result, we can cry in any circumstance: It is well with my soul.
Closing Song:
It Is Well (Todd Fields)
