God with Us Brings Peace
All right. We're good morning. My man. I'm so glad to hear it. It's so hard to believe that it is Christmas already. I mean you just kind of snuck up on us and we've been taking this journey for the last several weeks. And I also appreciate that you going on this journey with me. I love Advent. I love that the season and everything is about and just a reminder. We just remember that advent is about the coming inside of it. Is this expectation that builds up and I said, I don't know if we always feel that anymore. I know it's a little kid there's always expectation coming up to Christmas but it's adults. We sometimes lose that we lose that kind of excitement like it's almost Christmas. It's almost Christmas. It's almost Christmas and I think that's naturally built-in us because of who came on Christmas. What would Jesus came on Christmas? I mean is the definition of the Season it it's everything and so is his hope and it is this joy and it is this love that we experience like no other time. In the year, which is sad to me cuz I think it's something we can experience all year round that we always should be looking forward to not only looking back to see that he came and what he did for us, but looking forward that he is coming again. Can you imagine that Christmas Day? When everything will be good everything will be great and stuff. And so I don't know what you but I love Christmas movies and we try to watch one at least once a night we go through and we see some of the classics and we see some of the new ones and stuff on the Hallmark Channel with you always know I'm link. I don't want to spoil the plot for you, but they fall in love and everything turns out right. Every Hallmark movie there is for Christmas and everything but I like Christmas movies, but there's this year about a certain Christmas movie and I kind of feel it is a Christmas movie, but I think Die Hard is a Christmas movie. Yeah, there you go. And so and I know we don't we don't always consider like war or battle and stuff with Christmas and everything, but they do fit because back in 1914 in December of 1914 World War 1 amazing thing happened. on Christmas Day the Germans and the Brits they decided we're going to have a truce. So they came out of their ditches that came out of their tunnels in their foxholes and they sing carols together and actually those reports that they played soccer with one another and for just a short woman a timepiece came on the battlefield and this morning. That's really what I want to talk about is the peace that Christmas Springs have Christ brings to us that the piece that we all have until you have your Bibles turn to Luke Chapter 2. If you don't have them we have available for you. They're spread out all around the church grab one if you like our Bible put your name in it Merry Christmas. It's a gift to you take it with you. If you'd rather use our Wi-Fi and you have electronic device than is GBC guest you just type in the password find more and you can follow along there and everything but as always and forever, these are the only words that matter. And these are the most important words that will be said this morning out of all the words that are sad and everything that song. These are the only words that make any difference and so out of respect for that and out of acknowledgement of authority when I ask you staying with me as this morning we read about the Shepherds and Luke to starting verse 8 it says and in the same region Shepherds were staying out in the fields and keeping watch at night over their flock did an angel of the Lord stood before them and the glory of the Lord Shone around them and they were terrified but the angel said to them do not be afraid for look I Proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all people today in the city of David a savior was born for you who is the Messiah the Lord this will be a sign for you will find a baby wrapped tightly in cloths and lying in a manger and suddenly there was a multitude of the heavenly host of angels praising God and saying glory to God in high in the highest heaven and peace on Earth to people he favors. Let's pray. God I thank you for this morning heading for that. Can you gather once again just to pause and all the busyness and the hecticness and the craziness of plans and shopping and preparing. Guy just to be still. and remember this is what Christmas is about.
Got peace. Sounds like a great idea but seems like such a foreign idea to so many people today. There's so much chaos going on. Forgot today this morning right now father. Would you just move in our hearts? Would you remind us and envelop us with the peace that only you can bring?
God I pray these words this morning would be yours. Not mine.
And I pray that you would give us ears to hear and hearts respond that we would leave different. We would leave changed God not rushing and hectic and crazy. But God we would leave with your peace once again. So God have your way meet us where we're at move us from there. And do a work that only you can get credit for this morning bring Revival this morning.
We prayed on Jesus name. Amen. You may be seated.
Simon P. Sounds like a really good idea. And and and I love this one of my favorite stories after Christmas time Luke's Luke's the one that gives us that that that picture of everything but there's some things I want you to hear about. Peace and I understand that for some of us that is the farthest thing from your mind this morning that there's stuff going on your families in your jobs and their stuff going on in your world around you that just seems very unpeaceful. And I want you to know that that piece that were talking about is different from any other piece that anybody has ever talked about I really want to just dive into that this morning, but I want to do it by just starting with the story of the Shepherds and we all know the shepherd's it actually the shepherds in the story and at this time usually get a bad rap, you know, if you ever heard a sermon preached on this and stuff you should we talk about the shepherd's like they were the lowest of society that nobody want to hang out there. The outcasts is over they smelled and we really don't know all of that. we know that they were at the bottom of kind of the food chain in this kind of socially economically place that is is the Middle East at this time that they weren't they weren't the most revered people which is kind of sad because in Israel in in Hebrew history, The shepherd was a big main part you think about all the people throughout history David and Abraham and all these people are so important to the history of the Jews that the shepherd was issued saying, but for whatever reason it kind of lost its luster throughout time. What I love is that when Christ comes in peace restores and everything. It restores those thing everything that you just kind of turned everything on its head when he showed up in the world. Just think about how he showed up here. So God of creation this the guy that created everything is spoken since this is put flash on and he shows up in this little town. No one really cares about no one even thinks about. And changes everything for the Shepherds were the other end of this perspective that they knew you had a kind of a status and and kind of this picture when I get to technical this morning, but it was really kind of looks like a teardrop. If you looked at house society and status was set in 1st Century back when Jesus arrived and everything you had kind of you had The Untouchables the people that no one even talk to those of the sick the leopards and everything. They weren't even considered human being. So then you had kind of the poor and all the stuff and that's the Shepherds. Kind of the bottom of that little teardrop and then as you go up you have kind of the religious leaders, you would have business people that kind of respected in the religious leaders, man. They are way way up there within the rulers and everything it so you would think if you're going to make an announcement this magnitude if you're going to make some huge announcement about something is going to change the world wouldn't you go to like the most powerful people first? But that's not how God works is it? Let's let's look at this again and Luke Chapter 2. Look. Look what happened. Blue paint this beautiful picture. It's a normal night. There's nothing special about this night. There's nothing dramatic. It's probably a little chilly little cold shepherds are out there doing what they always do. They're just watching their sheep by way Bethlehem those sheep that were raised in Bethlehem, very interesting though sheephead one purpose of being raised to erase to be sacrifices in the temple. that interesting PlayStation 4 states in the same region Shepherds were staying out in the fields and keeping watching the night over their flock as they always did and then everything changes first night. I didn't Angel the Lord stood before I'm in the glory of the Lord Shone around them and they were terrified. I mean, I don't know about you but it's like I'm out in the middle of night if I'm standing outside and the sky just explodes in light. I'm ducking and covering. You know, I'm going to freak out it's not like normal and stuff is unless like Disney misfired there fireworks in the landed over my house, then that's something with my happened but But I mean, this is just this normal ordinary night just explodes in light and then we see the Shepherds and of course they're terrified. What the what's going on what was happening with sky blue and yellow we never talk about the Sheep. I mean if you know anything about cheap and we read through scripture my sheep were you know, anybody that had sheep sheep on the smartest animals? Cheap if you just go Boop, they run and they scattered so we don't know what the sheep or doing and everything but all we know is that the sky explodes in the light and maybe the Sheep were just calm and tranquil and they just like all pretty let's count the lights. I don't know where they scattered over but something amazing was happening and it says when the glory of the Lord Shone all around them, they're terrified, but he was with the angel says first 10 don't be afraid. We're look I Proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all the people today in the city of David was born for you today in the city of David was born view is the Messiah the Lord. This will be a sign for you. You will find a baby wrapped tightly and cloth and lying in a manger and then suddenly if it wasn't bad up there was just one suddenly there was a multitude of heavenly host when the Bible says multitude is means they can't count. Did we have an entire book in here called numbers the Bible likes to count? And you don't Maddie that says a multitude. More than I could count of heavenly host with the angel praising God and saying glory to God in the highest heaven and peace on Earth to people he favors.
And the first thing I want you to hear and I want you to know is the status of your is not a measure of God's favor. When it comes to peace when it comes to our relationship would have come to a God wants for us and desires worth. It doesn't matter who you are or what you do God is not the Bible says God is not a respecter of persons, but he looks at the heart of the people. It doesn't matter. If you're the richest most powerful person in the planet or you were the lowest of the lowest of the lowest. It doesn't make any difference to God cuz he doesn't look at that stuff and it's so funny because we do. I mean if you know the Christmas story you've heard the Christmas story later on we hear about like the wise men showing up right and where they go the first place they go they figure out like there's a new King born where they go, they go to Harrods Palace. Okay, we're here to see this new king. And so Harry brings all his religious leaders together. This is where is this King supposed to be born? I don't like any threat to my life my throne and everything by the way, just a little sign out here that I thought was really interesting that found out this week. Why was Herod so distraught and so worried about when the wise men showed up because those wise men were also known as kingmakers. They're from a sack of Magi effect of like very wise people that came far from the East looking for a king to uproot Rome looking for a king to approve all that and when they showed up they were the one that named who would be king over in the old Babylon and in the end all that said they were the one that said they were on point King. So when he showed when they showed up haired of course got a little nervous, but it's even more interesting me that all this religious leaders. Look him said, oh it's supposed to be Bethlehem. And not one of them could walk just a few miles down the road to go see if this is true. The most power for the powerful didn't care.
Is God's Not Your status doesn't measure anything?
The shepherd's God put his favor on them and they received the message of peace. Is that what the angel said glory to God in the highest heaven and peace on Earth to the people he favors you imagine me the shepherd like God favors us. What is Shepherd's don't even talk to us anymore. But what hangs out with us? We just we sleep outside and we Chase down smelly sheep. They're going to die. Anyway, God favors us. I believe all my heart there so many people living in this world today. That's asking that same question. God favors me. Why me?
So the Shepherds they became they got this message of peace and it transformed them because they became messengers of peace. Busy later on it says when 15 Section 1 the angel at the left him and returned to heaven the shepherd said to one never lets go straight to Bethlehem and see what has happened, which the Lord has made known to us and they hurried off and found both Mary and Joseph and the baby was lying in the manger and after seeing them they reported the message. They were told about this child and all who heard it were amazed at what a Shepherd said to him. It was so transform me was so amazing for the Shepherds. They couldn't keep it quiet.
They couldn't keep it quiet. They they had to tell everyone it was almost like at that moment. Jesus's birth kind of restored what it means being a Shepherd cuz if you read later on the New Testament hear about Jesus identify himself as the Good Shepherd. God's peace restore sauce Why? Because it's not the price of Peace. It's a prince of peace has occurred height. The Prince of Peace has arrived impact vac when we get to peace and we talked about peace. It's and all the stuff. It is the piece of wholeness that comes for us. It is a piece. I'm not not calm not settling but a wholeness. In fact, that's that's what it was meant in the Old Testament the greeting that the lord gave to the priest and the number 6 24 through 26. It says may the Lord bless you and protect you. May the Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you. May the Lord look with favor on you and give you peace. This is the greeting that God said to the priest that they were to greet the people with all the time that may the Lord look on Fairview and give you peace. It's beautiful what it's called is Shalom
It is it is it is it is the Shalom nnnnn and it is this powerful thing that doesn't just mean an end of hostilities in the end of end of strife. It means a wholeness of completeness. That we get when we are trusting God and when we were experiencing all that God has worse. That's what we get is a wholeness a completeness. I know so many people I see so many people that all they walk around their entire life feel like I'm missing something. I'm missing something. I'm missing something and I can tell you what it is. It is that relationship with your creator. See, I think the only way we are complete. The only way we are whole is when we come in communion when we come in relationship with God. The only way we do that is because Christ showed up on Christmas morn. and in our world it is a piece of wholeness. It is the Shalom of God. that beautiful that's what we're talkin about this morning, but we're not talking about everything going right from We're talkin about a complete wholeness that I can face anything and deal with anything because his piece tents with me. It's a piece that calms. us
it in the midst of Trials and craziness it is a sense of just calm. That I know there's someone bigger than this. I know there's some of them working out of this that I don't like maybe what's going on, but I can understand if there's something bigger happening. It and it is a piece that counted as a piece that can say it Is Well with My Soul is my favorite Hymn of all time. the beautiful him
gracious Stafford actually wrote that him After he lost everything I mean literally lost everything fire burned his business. They were headed back to England. He put his wife and his kids on one boat that boat sunk. He lost his family. He lost everything and in the midst of that he could write it Is Well with My Soul It Is Well with My Soul because it is a peace that calms it is a peace that transcends all understanding. It is the piece that's what God offers. That's what God gives us and not only that it was a piece for told. It's been a promise to us for hundreds and hundreds of years. And that's what Isaiah rights in Isaiah 9 6 and 7. Listen to this is for a child will be born for us a son will be given to us and the government will be on his shoulders. He will be named wonderful counselor, Mighty God Eternal Father Prince of Peace. The Dominion will be back and its Prosperity will never end. He will reign on the throne of David and over his kingdom to establish and sustain it with Justice and righteousness from now on and forever. The Zeal of the Lord of armies will accomplish this it is a piece for told it is a promise to God cuz I'm sending peace to you.
What a thing to rest on.
And a very good tips this morning is not only a so foretold. It is a piece that will be fulfilled. There will be a day when all wars will cease when all the chaos and all trials and all all the horrible things that we see on the news will cease that Christ will come back and he will rule and everything and that's that's part of what Avenue is. It's not only looking back and seeing that he came but it's the promise that he's coming again and that when he comes and he will rule and it will all be set right. That's an amen.
That's a piece. We so desperately desperately need.
It's huge.
And yet every year we sing the songs and then Christmas is over in the lights go down and the mess is picked up and the dishes are clean and when you go back to worry and anxiety don't you know, we have a guy that has everything in control. Does there's nothing to take some by surprise? And that piece that he offers is a piece that we carry with us.
Why? Because peace is a person.
20 things I love about this year as I've just been studying and preparing all these messages. I've been reminded that hope we started with hope hope as a person and his name is Jesus.
Joy, and love are person and his name is Jesus and peace is a person. It's it's not a position.
I didn't think so often we get the ideas like well if I have enough savings if I have a big enough retirement if I have that buffer, you know, if I have the right Church of the right friends and and all the stuff and and I can position myself so that everything will work out and I can be all taken care of that piece. It's not a position because all that stuff can go like that.
All that stuff just can vinish. Ask people to deal with the stock market and how like how bad it was when all some things just dropped and everything lost when the Great Depression literally people were so much basing their peace and what they were making when they crash they jumped out of buildings because they said there's no hope I'm done. We need to stop placing our peace and thinking our peace is our position or status or our bank account or any of that stuff know that has to do with peace pieces of person and it's Jesus.
In fact, that's what Jesus said in John 14:27 says peace I leave with you my peace. I give to you I do not give to you as the world gives don't let your heart be troubled or fearful. It's a different kind of Peace when we place our trust in anything other than God is going to let us down. It's going to fail. It's going to miss the mark that Jesus has no I'm going to give you my peace not like the world gives you his peace and the world is considered on relationships. Peace in the world is considering the circumstances peace in the world is considered on what you have and what you can gather what you can get. My pieces doesn't matter about any of that stuff. My peace I give to you And it doesn't matter what your face doesn't matter what you're going through because my piece is me.
It's it's not a title. It's it's not it's not even security.
It's his presence.
Can I ask you something this morning? Are you how are you dealing with Christmas? Is it hectic if it's a kind of crazy. How you doing with your life? Is is everything going on inside man? I don't feel peaceful. I feel agitated. I feel anxious at the word of God. I don't know what's going to come in the new year. I don't know where I put you this morning that if you were struggling with peace. Then you are stuck struggling with his present in your life. biggest pieces of person
it's his presence in our life on a daily basis.
Call later on write this in Ephesians 2. He says for he is our peace who made both groups 1 and tore down the dividing wall of hostility in his flesh you made of no effect of the law consisting of commands and expressed in regulation so that he might create in himself one new man from the two resulting in peace. He did this so that he might reconcile both to God and one body To The Cross by which he put the hostility to death. You understand that when Christ came. And when we accept that when we understand our need for salvation are need that we are all sinners and there's only one savior when we come and accept that and start living that that God has made peace through Christ with him. and with others
that we should be the most peaceful people of all people on the planet if we know him about his before we knew him Christ died for us while we were still Sinners while we were the enemies of God. God said emotion this plan to reconcile us back to him. Peace with our creator. Because we're the ones that declared war on him way back when we say God. I'd rather do it my way. Not your way. We're the ones that cause Strife we're the ones that cause division with him. And God says I'm bringing you back and you going to have peace with me, but you're also can have peace with others because now we are tied and combined by that one thing and that one thing only is that we all need a savior and it's Jesus and that's the thing that ties is altogether. I'm not talking about. Hey, let's agree to disagree.
I'm talking about that. We as a body of Christ are now one. And because of what Christ did it because he came we have peace with God and we should have peace with one another.
It doesn't mean we agree. It doesn't mean we all do the same thing the same way. But it means that there's a tie that binds us and it's Jesus. And because of that because of this person that is peace, the Prince of Peace himself. We are made whole we have shalom. with God and with each other and we should
but in the midst that like storms aren't there.
Life isn't always easy life isn't always Pleasant life isn't always peaceful.
Did there storms that that that enter our life is storms that they kind of come in again? I ask you. How's Christmas going for you to feel peaceful? What is it be a little hectic. This pillow crazy. Does it feel like things are kind of getting out of control and you don't know what's going to happen. This is a piece that transforms us because when those Storms Come and they will I promise you Jesus even told us. In your life you'll have trouble.
but I've overcome the world Jesus says Until the storms are going to come in and they're going to take havoc and they can take forms and relationships are finances or or just an upheaval of everything or a ton shortness of where you're going to go or what you're going to do next or where you're supposed to be and just all that stuff the storms, but I don't want you if you don't hear anything else this morning. I want you to know that Jesus meets his right in the middle of the storms turn over to Mark 4.
Mark Fordyce a very familiar story if you've been at church or any Sunday school or any BBS, you probably heard the story over and over again, but I want you just to go back and let's be reminded or there's a whole pictures that's Jesus disciples. They were working they were doing something they were ministering to people and they are exhausted Jesus hate. Let's go to the other side and see that's just cross over if you don't know this must have his disciples were fishermen. Very very familiar with the c very familiar with the water. This is where that this was their workplace and if they look at verse 37 It says that a great wind storm arose in the waves are breaking of the boat so that so the boat was already being swamp. And he Jesus was in the store and sleeping on the cushion. So they woke him and say teacher don't you care we're going to die. How bad was the storm that fishermen that knew that Lake and probably been through all kinds of storm. We're so afraid that they looked at Jesus's we're going to die.
I mean you had Matthew the tax collector. He was probably already freaking out but Peter and John and those guys they've been on that leg for how bad was that storm and is scratched and what is Jesus doing? He's sleeping in the back.
Maybe what's the rocking motion? I don't know what it was with you since he was asleep. Don't you care that we're going to die. And then burst 3039. It says he got up rebuked the wind and said to the C silent be still and the wind ceased and it was a great calm.
That how we feel sometimes. When everything starts going crazy and everything. This is don't you care? To care that my family struggling don't take care of that man. We're struggling financially don't you care that this is happening with that's happening. Don't you care? I'm drowning here. I'm just Treading Water, don't you care? And we think that he's just asleep and I put the fact is he knows exactly what's going on the storms and he needs his right in the middle of storms. It only takes one word from him and it will all cease but the truth is sometimes he does, the storm. Sometimes you just comes in and says boom it's dead. It's done. Most of the time when he does is he calms us?
What's the time he reminds us of how he's been faithful in the past?
I mean, can you tell me a time where God has let you down? honestly I have some people say Well when this happened or that happen or that, you know, God let me down. You're believing in a much smaller guy than actually exist. Got always meet us in the storms. No matter what their he's right there waiting for us.
Do you think for a moment that that boat with a sink with Jesus sitting in it?
If they never woke him up.
You think they would have all just drowned and died? Cuz if they did and that's the end of the New Testament.
You think for a moment that storm took Jesus by surprised or he was worried about it?
He meets us in our storms. And yes, sometimes he will calm the storms most of times. I found that he just calms me. That's the piece we're talking about. That's what Paul talks about in Philippians. He says don't worry about anything but in everything through prayer and petition with Thanksgiving present your requests to God and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts. And Minds in Christ Jesus the fact that matter is is when we spend time with God the more time we spend with him the more time. We're in his word the more time. We're praying and letting him know everything. You know, he knows it all but we're speaking it out. I'm struggling with this. I'm hurting with this. I'm worried about this all that stuff the more we do that God shows up in the piece that we can't even understand why we would have peace in this situation.
I love it says will guard your heart and mind because through my heart and my heart belongs to Jesus, but it's my thoughts at all then betray me.
Angus why Paul also talked later on in the inscription says take every thought captive. Siri the picture of grabbing that thought that bad thought that worried that anxiety and squeezing the life out of it knowing that our God is bigger. Our God is faithful and the peace that he's offers in the piece that gives is the piece we can have every single day in every circumstance and in every situation. It is that piece. that Christmas pranks we don't have to worry.
And that's all right. I'll be honest with you. The hardest thing for me ask my wife. I'm a worry wart. I worry about everything.
I worry about like man. Is it too hot in here? Is it warm do we have enough lights the candles? I'm going to catch fire and I worry about everything. I worry about crazy eye makeup stuff to worry about I'm driving on I-4 this week while my man says hey, I've got to see you in like I'm going to get fired man. What did I do? Everything? I walked in here year, we're going to celebrate you. Thank you ain't nothing else most. I don't know if you're like that with me and so I have to constantly in my head. Just keep saying over and over God you're bigger you're stronger. There's nothing you can't handle.
And I have to remind myself. In that piece just blows me as I pray that every day. I walk into Universal. I'm I'm at Universal New Year's Eve night till 3 a.m. Believe me. I've already started praying for peace now.
God made your peace just fill me cuz it's going to be insane. But we can do that.
Hey Summit. It is a testimony to God in your life when you walk through the storms in. Peace.
I seen people on their deathbed they're just so peaceful and people like I don't understand why everyone so calm and everything because it is the peace of God. It is the Shalom of God the wholeness. That feels us. Thomas Watson says this he says if God Be Our God he will give us peace in trouble when there is a storm without he will make peace within the world can create trouble and peace, but God can create peace in trouble.
Are you experiencing the peace? the Prince of Peace the person of Peace this Christmas I hope so.
Chrissy just a peace that transcends everything. It is a piece that no one else can explain. Not even you were me. But it is his presence are alive. If you're not experiencing, then let's talk about it. Because it's available. Just like all these other things hope love and joy, I believe peace. Is something we can give away or we can hold on dearly and I don't know about you with all that's going on this planet of everything that's happening in our world. I choose to hold on to peace. I choose to hold on to Jesus. Knowing that in the end. He's going to work it all out.
That's the message of Christmas. My prayer for you, and for me is simply this Paul wrote put it this way in 2nd Thessalonians. May the Lord of Peace himself. Give you peace always. In every way the Lord be with all of you. in every way May you know the peace. That transcends all understanding this Christmas and every day after. Let's pray.
Got it. Thank you. For this morning once again.