True Peace with God

God brought peace

God brought peace on earth through the cross so we can be with HIM

We need to be at peace with God.

You’ve probably heard it a few times in the past weeks.

Going to church doesn't make you a Christian any more than going to a garage makes you an automobile."

One of his quotes: "Going to church doesn't make you a Christian any more than going to a garage makes you an automobile."

Man who had God come on his heart in the middle of the night to preach and tried to ignore it. Woke him up over and over. Went to Chicago train station years later listened to a preacher talk about how he heard a man preaching the gospel but could not see him at the Chicago train station

In just 8 lines, Clement Clarke Moore sets the picturesque scene for one of America’s most beloved poems; “A Visit from St. Nicholas,” he called it.

It actually set the course for many of our views and traditions about Santa in the US. It was published anonymously at first, in the Troy, NY Sentinel, Dec. 23, 1823. Who doesn’t see the mental picture as the lines spell it out on the canvas of the imagination?

Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house

Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse;

The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,

In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there;

The children were nestled all snug in their beds,

While visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads;

And mamma in her ’kerchief, and I in my cap,

Had just settled our brains for a long winter’s nap

When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter, I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter. Away to the window I flew like a flash, Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash.

The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow Gave the lustre of mid-day to objects below, When, what to my wondering eyes should appear, But a miniature sleigh, and eight tiny reindeer,

With a little old driver, so lively and quick, I knew in a moment it must be St. Nick. More rapid than eagles his coursers they came, And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name;

"Now, DASHER! now, DANCER! now, PRANCER and VIXEN! On, COMET! on CUPID! on, DONNER and BLITZEN! To the top of the porch! to the top of the wall! Now dash away! dash away! dash away all!"

As dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly, When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky, So up to the house-top the coursers they flew, With the sleigh full of toys, and St. Nicholas too.

And then, in a twinkling, I heard on the roof The prancing and pawing of each little hoof. As I drew in my hand, and was turning around, Down the chimney St. Nicholas came with a bound.

He was dressed all in fur, from his head to his foot, And his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot; A bundle of toys he had flung on his back, And he looked like a peddler just opening his pack.

His eyes -- how they twinkled! his dimples how merry! His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry! His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow, And the beard of his chin was as white as the snow;

The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth, And the smoke it encircled his head like a wreath; He had a broad face and a little round belly, That shook, when he laughed like a bowlful of jelly.

He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf, And I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself; A wink of his eye and a twist of his head, Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread;

He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work, And filled all the stockings; then turned with a jerk, And laying his finger aside of his nose, And giving a nod, up the chimney he rose;

He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle, And away they all flew like the down of a thistle. But I heard him exclaim, ere he drove out of sight, HAPPY CHRISTMAS TO ALL, AND TO ALL A GOOD-NIGHT!

Jennifer shared this wth me yesterday

My dear precious Jesus, I did not mean to take your place,

I only bring toys and things and you bring love and grace.

People give me lists of wishes and hope that they came true;

But you hear prayers of the heart and promise your will to do.

Children try to be good and not to cry when I am coming to town;

But you love them unconditionally and that love will abound.

I leave only a bag of toys and temporary joy for a season;

But you leave a heart of love, full of purpose and reasons.

I have a lot of believers and what one might call fame;

But I never healed the blind or tried to help the lame.

I have rosy cheeks and a voice full of laughter;

But no nail—scarred hands or a promise of the hereafter.

You may find several of me in town or at a mall;

But there is only one omnipotent you, to answer a sinner’s call.

And so, my dear precious Jesus, I kneel here to pray;

To worship and adore you on this, your holy birthday.

Paul tells a story in Ephesians that is much more than a story for the holiday.

This is the story of how our entire futures were turned around, and how your life can be completely turned around today!

1. We need to be reconciled

As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 2 in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient.

you…were far away…

foreigners and aliens…

These are all past tense; all before Christ was in the lives of these believers. What about you?

After Christmas this year, when you sit down with your records and the bank’s records and begin to make sure they agree, we call that “reconciling” the books. That means, we go over them to make sure that there’s no disagreement between them. Reconcile means “To make friendly again.” Where there’s disagreement, you things get straightened out.

Corinthians 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! 18 All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: 19 that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation

2. We have been graced with access.

Another part of this peace is called “access.”

Why are kids excited about getting to visit with Santa? Simple – that’s the connection. That’s the big Kahuna, right? Access to the Big Guy is a big deal!

We need to understand the concept of having access to God in that light – only times a million! One doesn’t just barge into a King’s throne room, but we’ve been given access and an open invitation to come before God’s throne at any time.

Personally, not just here in this building, Billy Sunday quote: Going to church doesn't make you a Christian any more than going to a garage makes you an automobile."

Remember how the temple had limits of who could go where? We looked a few weeks ago at the layout and talked about the innermost part – the Most Holy Place. No one went in there, except once a year, and then it was only the High Priest. It was off limits to everyone else, all the time. No one dared to go there.

7 in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. 8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath. 4 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions--it is by grace you have been saved.

3. We belong with Him not separated from Him

I look back over the Christmas story and I see how much the birth of Jesus cries out that people of all sorts can belong. Matthew lists the name of a foreign slave woman and of a former prostitute in the family line of Jesus. Common shepherds are invited to be some of the first visitors to the God-man. Shepherds belong. Magi from the East, probably respected men of their country, are guided by God so that they can find Him too. Magi belong. Devout older people in the temple are there when Jesus is presented, and they too belong. The fact is, the person in the Christmas story who’s most treated like He doesn’t belong – is Jesus! He came to give people who were outcasts a place of belonging with God.

We need to understand the concept of having access to God in that light – only times a million! One doesn’t just barge into a King’s throne room, but we’ve been given access and an open invitation to come before God’s throne at any time.

Remember how the temple had limits of who could go where? We looked 2 weeks ago at the layout and talked about the innermost part – the Most Holy Place. No one went in there, except once a year, and then it was only the High Priest. It was off limits to everyone else, all the time. No one dared to go there.

And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, 7 in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.

8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

You, being dead in your transgressions and sins, all of us, gratifying the cravings of our flesh, being objects of wrath…God, being rich in mercy, made us alive, raised us up, seated us with Him!

We’ve been looking at different aspects of that this month – the way that Jesus removed the barriers between people. We looked last week at the way that Jesus becoming a man made for peace between Him and us. Today we can see that the whole thing really is about peace on earth – the peace that was announced that night Jesus was born!

Peace on earth. It’s hard to envision what that looks like, isn’t it? If it was defined as just “the absence of war,” we really would have no good point of reference. Over history, there has been an absence of wars for only about 8% of recorded history. 8 out of every 100 days.

If we tried to define peace on earth as the absence of stress in life, that would be hard to picture too, wouldn’t it? Peace on earth doesn’t come with Christmas break. Most parents would attest to that!

When God sends an army of angels to announce glory to God, and peace on earth, that peace is much bigger than the usual ideas people have about peace. It’s the peace that we have with God through His Son Jesus Christ. Are you tuned in? Peace on earth is really about God’s plan for peace with God!

Running around this community are thousands of people who, for various reasons are convinced that being in this place, and being around Christ-followers, is not a place where they belong.

Some have been looked down on rather than loved.

Some assume that they have to dress a certain way before they would be welcomed here.

Some think that they can’t come here unless they’re invited. Some just figure that being around “people like you” would be very uncomfortable because they would feel so out of place.

Some are sure that, surrounded by church people, they would be harshly judged.

Some assume that they can’t be a part of any of this until they get their act together first.

Those walls, whether we built them or not, have got to be broken down if people who aren’t here today will ever even think of being here in the future.

What do we do because we are reconciled, have access, and belong with God also makes the difference with those who need the same thing.

Pray with me