Romans 16.17-23

Your Heart’s an Empty Hole

Christmas is a time of Peace. If we were ever going to have peace of Earth, you’d think that Christmas is our best chance.

Your story

What are the things you avoid for peace?

And why do you avoid them?

Modern Counseling says “Avoid anything that doesn’t bring you joy.”

Heretics and false teachers.

Ok, Boomer and Millennials.

Biblical Story: Fragile new Christians. God’s glory. The beauty of the Church as God’s special community.

*This passage is a real warning for who is supposed to be a part of the church, and who is not.

Grinch Story: “We just need to stay away…Thirty-Nine and a Half Foot Pole style.”

“We just need to stay away from that Green dude.”

mi: The Gospel provides for peace, now, in the grace that we already have in Christ alone.

“If we could just get rid of the trouble makers and trouble, we’d have peace!”

Grinch Story, the man in the mirror

The God of Peace…Gives New Hearts

The cause of most of our troubles is, us. Don’t miss hear me: There are cases of abuse and neglect that are evil. For most of us, it’s learning how to apply the Gospel to our daily lives and how we RESPOND to trouble and Grinchs without become Grinchs ourselves.

Romans Promise

Ancient Promise: Genesis

Today’s Promise: ...to today, for you.

So, how is this trouble solved?

Roast Beast and bigger swords ().

or…the very paradoxical - kingdom backwards - policy of Jesus

So, Long Moses

mi: The Gospel provides for peace, now, in the grace that we already have in Christ alone.

*How does the God of Wrath become the God of Peace!?

He doesn’t. He becomes satisfied.

New Heart (According to Romans)

Dead to Sin - Look out for the interest of others.

Dead to the Law - Law is Love.

Dead to the flesh - Prompted: Live like this.

Imagine your Christmas Peace...

God has given you every grace-tool needed to accomplish that.

Maybe There’s a Way for Peace on Earth

It would require...

A new heart.

Conflict.

A community that refuses to let that conflict deter them.

mi: The Gospel provides for peace, now, in the grace that we already have in Christ alone.

Grinch Peace

Dead to Sin - Look out for the interest of others.

Dead to the Law - Law is Love.

Dead to the flesh - Prompted: Live like this.

There is a way - Gospel; Advent - “Your Kingdom come…on Earth as it will be in Heaven.”

or

There isn’t a way - and I’d be very fearful that you don’t know the biblical Jesus; (end of that Prayer).

mi: The Gospel provides for peace, now, in the grace that we already have in Christ alone.

The universal claims of Christianity become convincing only in the context of a particular community that embodies the Christian story.