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Advent 2020: Peace - Isaiah 9:6-7 · Providence Baptist Church - Sermons

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Good morning. I was thinking as we were singing that there's a lot of state and local governments that are asking churches not to meet and not together.
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! And some that are allowing them together, but also saying things like you shouldn't sing together.
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And I don't know why, but just a minute ago, the Lord has put in my mind where they tell Jesus' followers to quit singing, like quit praising Him, quit making noise.
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And He goes, well, if they don't, the rocks will.
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And just the celebration, like God inhabits the praises of His people, and I'm just thankful that we can build up one another through song this morning.
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So just join me again in prayer before we get into the Word together.
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Father, we are grateful for a chance to gather as Your people, not as an act of defiance and not as an act of insubordination,
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because we belong to one another, because we are the same body and we are the same family.
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And we are closer to those here who are in Christ than many in our own blood family.
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And we are to gather and declare Your greatness.
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And we are to be the gospel made visible.
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And Lord, as we look at Your Word today, I pray that You would speak to us through Your Word and by Your Holy Spirit.
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And to strengthen and encourage us to have true peace by knowing You.
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And we just ask that in Christ's name. Amen.
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So, in ancient times, God prepared His people for the coming of His Son, Jesus Christ.
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And at Christmastime now, we celebrate the fulfillment of a promise that God made to send a Redeemer to draw near to us
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and provide a way for us to be reconciled to God.
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And Advent, as we've said, is the Latin word for the word coming or arrival.
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My wife is a big Latin person, so she was like, I actually just asked,
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is that actually how you say it, or is that like an Americanized or Anglicized way to say it?
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And she goes, it's actually Odwin Tuss.
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And I was like, wow, that's cool.
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I'll put that out there.
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Because I've always butchered words.
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I butcher words all the time.
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But as the coming or arrival, and it's the time leading up to Christmas,
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and there's no greater person in the universe than Christ,
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and no greater coming than God coming to us in flesh.
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And He will be coming again.
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So, as we said, don't just celebrate the fact that He came, but that He is coming.
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We have to bring both of those together.
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And He came in humility as a baby.
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And we anticipate His future coming in the clouds of great glory to establish His eternal rule one day.
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And so, as we said, we're doing peace today.
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I'm super bummed that I didn't get to light the candle.
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I was going to get a blowtorch or something to really get it going today.
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But it is lit.
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It's a reminder of the peace that we can have.
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But I like to sort of create the problem a lot of the time before we actually come to the Word.
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But many people, all of us, have searched for peace and can't find it in this world.
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The opposite of spiritual peace is anxiety.
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Fear, debilitating worry.
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And the Greek word for anxious is actually, like, check this out.
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It means to be inwardly torn apart.
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Being ripped to shreds.
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That's like what anxiety means.
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And so, you can imagine, you know, some of you have felt that.
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Something going on and it just tears you apart inwardly.
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And it's the opposite of peace.
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And so, we can't cope with the things in life on our own.
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And for many of us, 2020 has been an incredibly trying and difficult year.
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Almost unending, it seems.
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And the COVID-19 crisis were definitely in the first good many months where we didn't even know what we were dealing with.
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It really shook a lot of us up and caused many to kind of live in fear and in anxiety.
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And many of you, I know, have lost jobs, had to change jobs, have had a decrease in your hours.
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A lot of uncertainty just in how you can provide for a family.
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And many in our church, in this, you know, very room, have suffered greatly this year.
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And tremendous pain.
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And to cap it off, we have a lot of tremendous political unrest and national strife.
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And sort of watching on as our constitutional republic is sort of disintegrating before our eyes and social chaos.
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And many in this room have had to deal with that head on.
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Most of us just look at it on the news.
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But I know many of you in here have had to go and be a part of a lot of that to bring order.
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And it really has exposed.
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2020 has exposed this false reality of security that we've had in the U.S. for so long.
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It's exposed just how easy a lot of our lives have been.
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When many throughout history and even in the world today, that is a normal day for them.
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And we just had it so well.
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And God has blessed us.
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But that doesn't mean that we've used that blessing to honor Him.
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But to honor ourselves in many ways.
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And so it's exposed this in us.
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It's made us anxious.
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It's made us fearful.
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God has rocked the boat.
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And many of us throughout 2020, maybe even before that, we've sought peace in the things of this world.
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We've sought it in financial security.
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If we could just put enough money in the bank and we'll be prepared for whatever is going to come.
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And there's nothing against planning financially.
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But when your whole peace is in those things, it can be really shaken.
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Because it's never enough.
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And others just in relationships and people that you know, strong personalities that you think,
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if I just cling to them, I will be okay.
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But then they let you down.
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Others in just escaping, kind of like a vacation, getaway.
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If we can just escape the circumstances that we're in.
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But sin has a way of following you where you go and also waiting for you when you come back.
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And others, you just think, if I just stay in good health, I'll be ready for whatever comes.
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If I just exercise, eat right, sleep good, I'll be ready.
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But then your body still breaks down.
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And so I have, you know, a lot of friends and family from even today, but mainly from my past,
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who are strong, conservative, good old boys.
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And they're preparing for what's happening by stoppiling guns and ammunition.
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And I'm just saying, guys, like, peace is not going to be found that way.
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And our security, that's what you seek to build up, to guard us from what we think might happen.
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But yet, even if you are the safest person inwardly, you're still anxious.
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And why is that?
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You're still afraid.
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And many of you are trying to find peace in planning and in routine.
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If I can just anticipate what's going to happen and plan on it, it'll be okay.
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But then life catches you off guard and God does something that you don't expect.
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And that exposes the anxiety that's in you.
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But true spiritual peace cannot be grasped in this world.
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It continues to sort of elude us.
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But why can't we ever be at peace, though?
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Like, why can't I have peace on my own?
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And why can't we just have peace with those around us?
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Why is there so much strife?
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The burdening of your soul, feeling like being torn apart inwardly?
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And for many, we've seen Christmas as a time of year to kind of regain inner peace.
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And as if something just magical about the Christmas season.
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So my wife and I, we do love cheesy, corny, Hallmark Christmas movies.
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And it's just a distraction.
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It's not like I'm like, let's go face the world now, like when I watch one.
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It's just more of a distraction.
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But I've taken note of like phrases that are repeated over and over.
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And just the worldly view of Christmas, it's very just sentimentalism.
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Warm and fuzzy, you know, cheer up.
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Everything will be okay.
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It's Christmas.
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It's a season to be nice and kind to one another.
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It's a time to give back.
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I heard that one a lot in movies, whatever that means.
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It's a time to show goodwill towards one another.
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It's the holiday spirit.
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It's Christmas.
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Then you have the proverbial Christmas miracles that happen.
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As if the season or holiday itself possesses some kind of supernatural power.
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And it doesn't.
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It's warm, cute, and funny, but not real.
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And we live in a dark, crumbling world.
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Where sin and the kingdom of the evil one is very apparent if we just open our eyes and step out of our doors.
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And we can't go into a dark world armed with superficial holiday sentimentalism.
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And just saying cheer up is Christmas time.
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Just be happy is the happy season.
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It's like sending a greeting card to a starving village in Asia.
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Just be.
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It doesn't equal.
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And not man-made superficial holiday peace can really heal the brokenhearted, this diseased world.
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And we can't allow that kind of sentimentalism to be our strength.
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But why don't we have peace?
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It's like, why does it seem so unattainable?
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And the quick answer is the reason we can't find peace within ourselves or with the world around us.
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It's the symptoms of a spiritual condition.
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It's the reality is all of us have sinned and turned away from our creator.
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We all have rebelled against God.
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Every one of us, you and I.
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From the greatest to the least, the richest of the poor, we all have set ourselves against our creator.
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And we've made ourselves enemies of God.
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And as Isaiah said, all of us like sheep have gone astray in each to our own way.
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Sin makes us stupid and sin causes us to wander.
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And our souls were meant to know God, to worship him, to commune with him, to live in a relationship of just loving obedience and dependence on him.
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But as we know, we all have sinned and fallen short of our original intent, what God had made us to do.
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And in James 4, it says,
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You adulterous people, do you not know that friendship with this world is enmity with God?
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And therefore, whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.
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It's a picture of spiritual unfaithfulness and having a strong, inordinate desire for something that you shouldn't have.
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And that's what we've done with this world.
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And it exhibits itself in our lifestyle.
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Just look around you and the people that are around you.
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And how their world revolves around consuming and attaining the things that are in this world.
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The stuff and the people in it that we love, we crave, we pursue.
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And that puts us at enmity with God.
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It says that he is jealous for the spirit that he created in us.
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A holy jealousy that we belong to him, but we have rebelled against him.
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And we have exchanged the truth about God for a lie.
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It's a tragic and deadly exchange.
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And so, we can't have peace.
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George Whitefield said a long time ago,
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How can you have real peace when God is your enemy?
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And we cannot be at odds with the sovereign, glorious, powerful creator of the world.
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You can't do that and actually have peace in your life.
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You can't be estranged from the one who created you.
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And Isaiah said in Isaiah 57,
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The wicked are like the tossing sea,
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For it cannot be quiet,
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And its waters toss up mire and dirt.
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There is no peace,
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Says my God,
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For the wicked.
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And,
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You know,
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But,
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While Christmas is coming,
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It's a good reminder.
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It's just a time for us to
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Say to the world,
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As we should be saying to ourselves every day as followers of Christ,
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But,
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Particularly at this time,
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There's something you ought to know.
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You can actually have and experience true peace with God.
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One news anchor,
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Who I kind of love and hate at different times,
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Depending on the deal,
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But,
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Just said something profound.
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And,
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So,
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Even some people in the world recognize that there's something different about this time of the year,
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But we actually know what that difference is.
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But,
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He said,
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Christmas is almost here.
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And usually,
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It's the happiest time that we have.
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This year of all years,
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2020,
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Christmas,
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It's had a deeper resonance.
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Something closer to its original meaning.
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In a time of crisis,
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You inevitably,
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Start thinking about the things that you might ignore,
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If you were busier and more content.
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In general,
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People tend to become more spiritual,
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More openly religious when they are suffering.
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It's not an accident.
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In fact,
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It may be the upside of suffering.
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You get to think beyond the next Amazon delivery.
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For a minute.
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Of course,
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Not everyone in favor of all this,
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Focus on big and enduring things,
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Like our families,
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What's true and what's not true,
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And eternity itself.
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All that tends to diminish the power of the people in charge of our temporal world.
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For obvious reasons,
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We take our leaders less seriously,
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When we're reminded that they,
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When they too are people just like we are.
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They too will pass,
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And death is inevitable.
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Politicians understand this threat,
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And so they figured out,
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That Christmas is bigger than they are,
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And as a result,
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Try hard to cancel it.
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And,
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On to a few things there.
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So even,
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The world looks on and recognizes there's something different.
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A lot of people,
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Even people apart from God,
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Didn't stop at this time of year,
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And think about,
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Such things.
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And it puts things in perspective for them.
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But the real Christmas is not just,
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One day to be celebrated,
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And a moral holiday.
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But it's a chance to really elevate our souls as believers,
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To remind ourselves of,
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The true peace that we can have,
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And obtain through knowing God,
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Through his son,
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Jesus Christ.
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So,
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Let's look at,
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Peace today.
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How we can have true peace,
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Before we do it,
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I want to just give you a rough definition,
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Of what we mean by biblical peace,
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Not,
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Kind of a marrying,
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Of the ways that it is used in the scripture.
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So,
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Here's the definition.
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Peace is the inner confidence,
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And trust,
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In God's wise,
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Sovereign control of our lives.
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Resulting,
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From being restored to him,
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Through Jesus Christ.
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Peace is the inner confidence,
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And trust,
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In God's wise,
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Sovereign control of our lives,
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Resulting,
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From being restored to him,
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Through Jesus Christ.
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It's the Old Testament word for shalom,
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Right?
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It's a feeling of,
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Of wholeness,
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Completeness,
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Contentment,
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Contentment,
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Well-being.
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It's a,
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Reminded of that.
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So,
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If you're feeling anxious today,
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Or,
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Or,
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That's been a common characteristic of you,
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For quite a while,
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Ask God to use his word today,
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To restore that to you.
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And,
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So,
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I'm going to give you four,
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Four points,
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Or just some selected text,
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But I'll give you the points first.
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Number one,
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We'll go back over them,
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Because God has promised a means of peace.
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Number two,
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Because God has brought peace to us.
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And number three,
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Because we can have peace with God.
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And number four,
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Because we can,
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We can have the peace of God.
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And so we'll,
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We'll unpack all of those.
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But the first point,
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If you want to turn in your Bibles to,
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Isaiah chapter 9.
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Isaiah chapter 9,
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And let's go to verse 6.
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The first point,
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Because God promised a means of peace.
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And this is looking back,
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The past.
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God promised a means of peace.
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So Isaiah chapter 9,
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Look at verse 6.
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And a prophecy spoken.
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For to us,
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A child is born.
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To us,
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A son is given.
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And the government shall be upon his shoulders,
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And his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor,
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Mighty God,
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Everlasting Father,
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Prince of Peace.
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Of the increase of his government,
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And of peace,
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There will be no end.
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On the throne of David,
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And over his kingdom.
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To establish it,
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To uphold it with justice,
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And with righteousness.
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From this time forth,
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Forevermore.
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The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.
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So that last verse,
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In verse 7,
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The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.
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Meaning,
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Nothing is going to prevent,
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Or can stop,
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The coming of this king,
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And the coming of his established rule.
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He would bring salvation to his people,
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No matter what happened.
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And Isaiah spoke of these things,
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Almost 700 years,
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Before Christ actually came.
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A child is given to us,
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Who is also a son.
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He is the embodiment of Emmanuel,
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God with us.
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In Isaiah 7,
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Verse 14,
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It says,
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You know,
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Therefore the Lord himself,
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Will give you a sign.
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Behold,
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The virgin shall conceive,
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And bear a son.
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And his name shall be called Emmanuel.
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And so the Messiah's character,
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Displays his divine origin,
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Where he is from,
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Exhibits the very might of God.
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He is the wonderful counselor,
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The one who is able to make good,
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Righteous plans and decisions,
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And execute them.
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He is the very might of God.
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He is the everlasting father,
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Very kingly,
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Noble,
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And powerful one,
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Who would also embrace his people,
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As a father.
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And with the birth of Jesus,
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He has come,
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And he is establishing his kingdom,
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And I love this part,
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He is establishing his righteous kingdom,
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Not just for a season,
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Not just for a short time,
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There's no,
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He has to not be elected for this,
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He possesses it,
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It is his,
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For eternity.
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And to kind of borrow the phrase,
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Connected to the King Arthur legend,
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He is the true born king,
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Who will establish peace,
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Right,
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He's called the prince of peace,
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Whose noble reign,
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Will bring about an unending,
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Error of peace,
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As he reconciles,
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And saves individuals,
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That same peace,
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Will spread,
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Throughout all nations,
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And he will rule,
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With perfect,
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Justice,
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And righteousness,
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Nothing behind closed doors,
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No deceit,
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No trickery,
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True justice,
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And true righteousness,
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Will mark,
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His rule,
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For which there will be no end,
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And that prince of peace,
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Will bring an end,
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To the conflict and strife,
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In this world,
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That is caused by sin,
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And,
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Just keep this in mind,
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Just because there is conflict,
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There is strife,
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In your life,
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In this world,
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That doesn't deny,
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Or disprove that Jesus,
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Is the prince of peace,
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But it actually only shows,
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Why he came,
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And the need for him to come,
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So,
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It was realized,
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When he came,
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In the past tense,
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God promised,
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A means of peace,
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And,
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And,
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God's son,
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Would rule over the nations,
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As the prince of peace,
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Secondly,
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Point two,
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Point two,
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Is God,
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Brought peace to us,
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So he delivered,
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On that promise,
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God brought peace to us,
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That's number two,
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Flip over to,
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Luke chapter two,
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Luke chapter two,
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Verse eight,
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Oddly enough,
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My earliest recollection,
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I can have,
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Of this,
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Passage,
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Is from the Charlie Brown Christmas,
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I say that to college students,
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Down there like,
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The what?
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You know,
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So,
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But,
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Luke two,
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Verse eight,
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So God brought peace to us,
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He delivered on that,
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Promise that he made,
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Through Isaiah,
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Luke two,
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Verse eight,
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In the same region,
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There were shepherds,
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Out in the field,
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Keeping watch over their flocks,
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By night,
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And an angel of the Lord,
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Appeared to them,
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And the glory of the Lord,
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Shown around them,
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And they were filled,
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With great fear,
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And the angel said to them,
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Fear not,
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For behold,
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I bring you good news,
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Gospel,
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A great joy,
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That will be for all people,
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For unto you,
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Is born this day,
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In the city of David,
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A savior,
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Who is Christ,
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The Lord,
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And this will be a sign for you,
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You will find the baby,
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Wrapped in swatting clothes,
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Lying in a manger,
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And suddenly,
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There was,
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With the angel,
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A multitude of the heavenly host,
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Praising God,
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And saying,
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Glory to God,
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In the highest,
24:00
And on earth,
24:01
Peace,
24:01
Among those,
24:03
With whom he is pleased,
24:06
So this is the dawning of peace,
24:08
Christ came as a humble baby,
24:11
Born in Bethlehem,
24:13
To poor parents,
24:15
And the angels announced this coming,
24:17
With great,
24:18
Great power,
24:21
The glory of the Lord,
24:22
Shown around these lowly shepherds,
24:25
So,
24:27
You know,
24:27
My interest in,
24:28
Celtic history,
24:30
Some of you may know,
24:31
That like the druids,
24:32
Of old,
24:34
The pagan druids,
24:35
The mistletoe,
24:36
Was like a sacred plant,
24:37
That they believed,
24:38
Possessed magical powers,
24:40
And,
24:40
When chieftains,
24:41
Or enemies,
24:42
Came together,
24:42
They would meet,
24:43
Underneath the oak,
24:44
Underneath the mistletoe,
24:46
They would lay down,
24:46
Their weapons,
24:48
And come together,
24:49
And they would kiss,
24:50
Like a kiss of peace,
24:51
And they would talk,
24:53
Under the sacred oak,
24:55
And somehow,
24:56
It got transferred,
24:57
To lovers,
24:59
Kissing each other,
24:59
After that,
25:01
At some point,
25:01
But,
25:03
But the imagery,
25:04
Of,
25:05
Kissing under the mistletoe,
25:06
Was a way for enemies,
25:08
How they would make peace,
25:09
With one another,
25:10
And so God,
25:11
If you can,
25:12
Follow the metaphor,
25:13
Has graciously brought,
25:15
Peace to us,
25:15
Underneath,
25:17
The foot of the cross,
25:18
Of his son,
25:20
Says in Colossians 1,
25:22
Through him,
25:23
To reconcile to himself,
25:25
All things,
25:26
Whether on heaven,
25:27
Or on earth,
25:27
Making peace,
25:28
By the blood,
25:30
Of his cross,
25:32
And so,
25:33
God is saying,
25:34
Though you have rejected me,
25:35
Though you have rebelled,
25:36
Against me,
25:37
I have made a,
25:38
Means for you,
25:40
To be restored,
25:41
Back to me,
25:41
And that is,
25:42
By coming underneath,
25:45
The bloodstained cross,
25:46
Of my son,
25:49
So,
25:50
Note that,
25:52
In verse 14,
25:53
That God's peace,
25:56
Or good will,
25:56
Isn't a reward,
25:58
To those who have good will,
26:00
But rather,
26:00
It's a gift of God's,
26:01
Sovereign grace,
26:03
Namely,
26:04
Toward his redeemed,
26:05
Those who trust,
26:06
In the Messiah,
26:08
See that,
26:08
To those,
26:09
From whom he is pleased,
26:11
And how can God,
26:11
Be pleased with sinners,
26:13
Only when they are made right,
26:14
With him,
26:15
Through Christ,
26:17
And so,
26:17
It's not just,
26:18
Towards,
26:19
Every person,
26:20
But those who are in Christ,
26:23
And as David,
26:24
It mentions,
26:24
You know,
26:24
David,
26:25
He prophesied,
26:26
About God's anointed,
26:28
Who will come to rule,
26:29
Over the nations,
26:31
We,
26:31
Psalm 2,
26:32
Verse 12,
26:34
There's a command,
26:35
Given to,
26:36
The world,
26:38
This rebellion,
26:39
Against God,
26:40
It says,
26:40
Kiss the son,
26:42
Lest he be angry,
26:43
And you perish,
26:44
In the way,
26:45
For his wrath,
26:46
Is quickly kindled,
26:47
But blessed,
26:48
Are all those,
26:49
Who take refuge,
26:50
In him,
26:51
So we can,
26:53
Have that peace,
26:54
Through knowing Christ,
26:57
That's the dawning of peace,
26:58
When Christ came,
27:00
As a child,
27:01
And grew into a man,
27:02
And was crucified,
27:04
And then risen,
27:06
The third point,
27:08
Third point,
27:09
Because,
27:09
Because,
27:10
This is all,
27:11
How can we have peace?
27:12
Because,
27:14
We can have peace with God,
27:17
We can have peace with God,
27:18
Or Nathan read earlier,
27:19
From Romans 5,
27:22
Just flip back over there,
27:23
There's only two more places,
27:24
For you to look,
27:25
But Romans 5,
27:26
Look at verse 6,
27:29
So God,
27:30
Brought this peace to us,
27:31
And now we can actually,
27:33
Have peace with God,
27:35
Peace through Christ,
27:40
Romans 5,
27:41
Just look at verse 1,
27:43
And then we'll skip down a little bit,
27:44
It says,
27:44
Therefore,
27:45
Since we have been justified,
27:47
We've been made right,
27:48
By faith,
27:50
We have peace,
27:51
With God,
27:52
Through,
27:54
Our Lord Jesus Christ,
27:57
Go down to verse 6,
27:59
For while we were still weak,
28:02
At the right time,
28:03
Christ died,
28:04
For the ungodly,
28:06
For one will scarcely die,
28:08
For a righteous person,
28:09
Though perhaps for a good person,
28:10
One would even dare to die,
28:11
Just stop to think about that,
28:14
In your head,
28:15
Think about the short,
28:17
Short list,
28:17
That you may have in your head,
28:18
Of very few people,
28:20
That you might be willing to die for,
28:23
It's probably a small list,
28:27
And most people,
28:29
Are not going to be willing,
28:30
To surrender their lives,
28:31
Especially if someone,
28:32
Doesn't seem like they deserve it,
28:34
Especially if that person,
28:35
Is a rebel,
28:36
And someone who is cruel,
28:38
You would be very hesitant,
28:40
To want to give your life for them,
28:41
But easy to give it,
28:43
For those that you love,
28:44
But it goes on,
28:46
And it says,
28:48
But God,
28:48
Shows,
28:50
His love for us,
28:51
And that while we were still sinners,
28:53
Christ died for us,
28:56
And since therefore,
28:57
We have now been justified,
28:58
By his blood,
29:00
Much more,
29:01
Shall we be saved by him,
29:03
From the wrath,
29:04
Of God,
29:06
For if while we were enemies,
29:08
We were reconciled to God,
29:09
By the death of his son,
29:10
Much more,
29:12
Now that we are reconciled,
29:13
We shall be saved,
29:14
By his life,
29:16
And,
29:17
Just look at the terms,
29:19
In that text,
29:21
We were weak,
29:22
So,
29:23
God doesn't help those,
29:24
Who help themselves,
29:25
We were weak,
29:26
We were helpless,
29:26
We were in a position,
29:27
That,
29:28
Only God could do something,
29:30
About it,
29:31
We were ungodly,
29:33
We were sinners,
29:34
We were unrighteous,
29:35
But God showed his great love,
29:38
By dying for those,
29:39
Who didn't deserve it,
29:41
Through Christ,
29:42
And being made right with him,
29:44
Being reconciled to him,
29:46
So,
29:47
It's a chance for us,
29:48
This season,
29:49
To go to other people,
29:51
I challenge some of you,
29:53
To go,
29:54
To family members,
29:55
That you may have strife with,
29:57
And reconcile with them,
30:00
Because of Christ,
30:01
As a means to display them,
30:02
Display to them,
30:04
The peace that you can have,
30:06
With God,
30:07
From knowing,
30:08
That you are right with him,
30:09
God is no longer your enemy,
30:11
If you are in Christ,
30:12
You are welcomed,
30:14
As a child,
30:15
You are made right with him,
30:17
And so that should,
30:18
Sort of bleed out,
30:19
I mean,
30:20
Some of you can think about,
30:21
A relationship in your life,
30:23
Where you were,
30:24
There was great tension,
30:25
Great strife,
30:27
There had been a conflict,
30:29
And,
30:30
You went out to them,
30:31
And you reconciled,
30:32
And like man,
30:32
That you actually,
30:33
Really reconciled,
30:34
And the joy,
30:36
That came,
30:37
From being made right,
30:38
With that person,
30:40
It's awesome,
30:41
I have a,
30:42
When I was a sophomore,
30:45
At Duluth High School,
30:46
A long time ago,
30:46
I was not a follower of Jesus,
30:48
And,
30:49
There was a guy,
30:50
That I,
30:51
His name was Cliff,
30:52
But he,
30:53
Would get out in the courtyard,
30:55
Some of his friends,
30:56
At Duluth High School,
30:57
And he would,
30:57
Sing praise songs,
30:59
And they would pray,
31:00
And talk to people about Christ,
31:01
And I thought,
31:02
These people were crazy,
31:03
I thought he was crazy,
31:05
Would mock him,
31:07
Would make fun of him,
31:09
On a weekly basis,
31:11
He continued,
31:12
To show love,
31:14
And then when I was 18,
31:16
God humbled me,
31:17
Through,
31:18
Helped circumstances,
31:20
And really used that,
31:21
As a means,
31:21
To truly save me,
31:23
And,
31:23
Make me right with them,
31:24
And,
31:26
I was meeting with a group,
31:28
Of high school guys,
31:29
And we were talking about people,
31:31
That really impacted us,
31:33
And how to live for Jesus,
31:34
And Cliff came to my mind,
31:35
And I hadn't seen him at that point,
31:37
In probably like three or four years,
31:39
And I've been out of,
31:40
Excuse me,
31:41
I was a freshman,
31:42
I think,
31:42
At Perimeter College,
31:44
And,
31:46
So I shared about him,
31:48
And I thought,
31:48
Man,
31:48
I cannot believe,
31:49
How I treated that guy,
31:50
In high school,
31:52
Just,
31:52
Just such shame,
31:55
And,
31:56
And I sat there,
31:57
In that small group,
31:57
And I prayed like,
31:59
Lord,
32:00
I would love to see him again somehow,
32:01
I don't know how,
32:02
This was before the days of Facebook,
32:04
And all that kind of stuff,
32:05
So,
32:06
You couldn't just,
32:07
Get a look in a phone book,
32:08
Or not talk to somebody at all,
32:09
So,
32:10
I,
32:12
Then went to,
32:14
Something called 722,
32:16
With Louie Giglio,
32:18
At North Point,
32:20
And there's a few thousand people,
32:22
In this room,
32:23
And he does the whole,
32:24
Stand up and greet somebody,
32:25
That you're going to be with,
32:27
Be around tonight,
32:27
Y'all remember that,
32:28
People used to do that,
32:29
I stood up,
32:31
And turned around,
32:31
And he was sitting directly behind me,
32:33
And I was just,
32:34
Just floored,
32:36
And he just said,
32:38
Hey,
32:38
I'm Cliff,
32:39
Who are you?
32:39
And I was like,
32:40
He probably doesn't even remember me,
32:41
Because so many people made fun of him,
32:42
Back in the day,
32:44
And I said,
32:44
Man,
32:44
I've got to talk to you,
32:45
After this is over,
32:46
And,
32:47
So later on,
32:48
I said,
32:48
Hey man,
32:49
I just want you to know,
32:49
That I was one of those people,
32:50
Who mocked you,
32:51
And made fun of you,
32:52
And,
32:55
Your love for Christ,
32:56
Was such an awesome display for me,
32:58
And I just want you to know,
32:59
That God has saved me,
33:01
And I'm with you,
33:02
Like I'm on your team now,
33:04
And he dropped,
33:04
He had this big backpack on,
33:05
He like took it off,
33:06
Threw it off,
33:07
And gave me a hug,
33:07
And said,
33:07
Brother,
33:08
You are forgiven,
33:09
And just the joy,
33:11
That came,
33:12
In that moment,
33:13
But,
33:13
If you see the,
33:14
Just follow what I'm saying,
33:15
Christ saved me,
33:17
Brought me peace,
33:19
And then I was able,
33:20
To go out,
33:21
And have peace with others,
33:23
Because of that,
33:24
That's,
33:25
What this does,
33:27
This is how we can have,
33:28
The peace of God,
33:29
And it won't come,
33:30
Any other way,
33:32
It's the true,
33:33
Spiritual inner peace,
33:35
That we have been saved,
33:37
We've been made right with God,
33:39
Through the death of his son,
33:40
And then lastly,
33:42
This is the last point,
33:45
How can we have peace?
33:46
Because we can have,
33:48
The peace of God,
33:49
So God,
33:50
Doesn't just save us,
33:50
And have peace with us,
33:51
But he actually gives us,
33:52
The ability to have that peace,
33:54
Familiar text,
33:56
Philippians 4,
33:57
Let's turn to Philippians 4,
34:00
And,
34:02
If we know the God,
34:05
Of peace,
34:06
We can experience that peace,
34:07
In our actual lives,
34:08
Philippians 4,
34:12
And verse 4,
34:14
Paul says,
34:14
Rejoice in the Lord,
34:16
Always,
34:17
Again I will say,
34:19
Rejoice,
34:20
Let your reasonableness,
34:22
Be known to everyone,
34:25
The Lord is at hand,
34:27
Do not,
34:28
Be anxious,
34:29
About anything,
34:31
But in everything,
34:32
By prayer,
34:33
And supplication,
34:34
With thanksgiving,
34:35
Let your requests,
34:36
Be made known to God,
34:38
And the peace of God,
34:40
Which surpasses understanding,
34:42
Will guard,
34:43
Your hearts and minds,
34:45
In Christ Jesus,
34:47
The peace that surpasses,
34:49
All understanding,
34:50
The inner calm,
34:51
Of the soul,
34:53
That comes not from this world,
34:54
But by being made right,
34:56
With Christ,
34:57
And,
34:59
If you are anxious,
35:01
What's one of the first characteristics,
35:02
You can think about,
35:03
You are unreasonable,
35:07
People lose their mind,
35:09
When they are overcome by fear,
35:12
And I have known,
35:13
Some believers,
35:14
That,
35:15
Would say things like,
35:16
Yeah,
35:16
Yeah,
35:16
Yeah,
35:16
I know God is on his throne,
35:18
Isaiah 40,
35:19
Blah,
35:19
Blah,
35:19
Blah,
35:20
But then their whole,
35:21
Lifestyle,
35:22
That week,
35:23
Was characterized,
35:24
By fear,
35:25
By anxiety,
35:26
And unreasonableness,
35:27
And if you really do believe that,
35:30
If you believe that God is in control,
35:34
You'll be reasonable,
35:36
You'll bring things down,
35:38
You won't add into the drama,
35:40
You will be changed by the peace of God,
35:43
So let your reasonableness,
35:45
Be that witness to people,
35:47
Because the Lord is at hand,
35:50
Don't be anxious,
35:51
But go to him,
35:52
In prayer,
35:53
In supplication,
35:55
And when you do that,
35:56
The peace of God,
35:58
Will guard your hearts,
35:59
And minds,
36:00
In Christ Jesus,
36:01
We have that peace,
36:03
Because you are guarded,
36:04
By something,
36:05
It's a feeling that,
36:07
Nothing can get to you,
36:08
Because of something out there,
36:09
That's guarding you,
36:11
And when God Almighty,
36:13
Is guarding you,
36:14
You're pretty safe,
36:16
No matter where you are,
36:18
In a place like this,
36:19
Or in a dungeon,
36:20
For his name,
36:22
And,
36:23
Often in times of great distress,
36:25
God will give,
36:27
The gift of peace,
36:28
To his followers,
36:30
It's not found out here,
36:31
It's found,
36:32
You know,
36:32
In here,
36:33
Christ gives that,
36:34
To us,
36:36
I'm just going to read,
36:37
John 14 for you,
36:39
You don't have to turn there,
36:40
But Jesus spoke about this,
36:42
You know,
36:43
When people die,
36:44
Or,
36:44
Are about to go away,
36:46
They,
36:46
They bequeath,
36:47
Or they,
36:47
They give something,
36:49
To the people they love,
36:50
As they go,
36:51
An inheritance,
36:52
Or something,
36:54
But when Jesus,
36:55
Was getting ready to leave,
36:55
This is what he said,
36:56
In John 14 verse 25,
36:58
He says,
36:59
These things I have spoken to you,
37:00
While I am still with you,
37:02
But the helper,
37:03
The Holy Spirit,
37:05
Whom the Father will send,
37:06
In my name,
37:07
He will teach you,
37:08
All things,
37:09
And bring to your remembrance,
37:11
All that I have said to you,
37:14
Peace,
37:15
I leave with you,
37:17
My peace,
37:18
I give to you,
37:19
Not as the world gives,
37:21
Do I give to you,
37:23
Let not your hearts be troubled,
37:25
Neither let them be afraid,
37:28
And,
37:29
This is the peace,
37:31
That Christ gives his followers,
37:32
He doesn't just kind of,
37:33
Leave it to us,
37:34
But he puts us in possession,
37:36
Of it,
37:36
He gives it to us,
37:39
And,
37:39
That's just not,
37:41
Expelling negative thoughts,
37:43
And kind of refusing,
37:44
To face reality,
37:44
That's not how you have peace,
37:46
I know,
37:46
That's a coping mechanism,
37:48
Many people have,
37:48
Let's just ignore it,
37:49
Just don't,
37:50
Think about it,
37:51
Push it away,
37:53
But then it comes back,
37:54
Right?
37:55
And,
37:57
Jonathan Elwood,
37:58
Is one of my favorite,
37:59
Preachers of old,
38:00
Talking about John 14,
38:03
And the peace that Christ,
38:04
Leaves us,
38:04
He said,
38:05
Christ's peace,
38:06
Is a virtuous,
38:08
And holy peace,
38:10
The peace that the,
38:10
The peace that the saints,
38:12
Enjoy in Christ,
38:13
Is not only their comfort,
38:16
But it also,
38:17
Is a part of their beauty,
38:18
In their dignity,
38:19
It's like we wear it,
38:20
It characterizes us,
38:22
And is attractive,
38:24
They're the virtues,
38:25
Of God's spirit,
38:27
Wherein the image of God,
38:28
In them is partly,
38:29
Consists,
38:31
Christ's peace,
38:32
Is an unfailing,
38:33
And eternal peace,
38:34
It is everlasting,
38:36
It doesn't change,
38:37
And cannot be destroyed,
38:39
The fountain of all his comfort,
38:40
Shall never be diminished,
38:43
His comfort,
38:44
And joy,
38:44
Is a living spring,
38:46
In the soul,
38:48
You know what a spring is,
38:49
It's just there,
38:50
And restores,
38:53
And so,
38:53
Don't just,
38:55
Ignore what's going on,
38:56
But face it,
38:57
And turn to God,
38:58
And allow him to change you,
39:00
In the midst of it,
39:02
Guard,
39:03
Your hearts and minds,
39:04
God can do this,
39:06
Isaiah said,
39:07
Again in verse 20,
39:08
Chapter 26 of Isaiah,
39:10
Verse 3,
39:10
He says this about God,
39:12
You keep him,
39:13
In perfect peace,
39:16
Whose mind,
39:17
Is stayed on you,
39:19
Because he trusts in you,
39:21
Trust in the Lord forever,
39:23
For the Lord,
39:24
Is an everlasting rock,
39:26
So is your mind,
39:27
Stayed on God,
39:28
Like we have to fight,
39:29
For that daily,
39:30
There's so many things,
39:32
Competing for it,
39:33
And pulling it away,
39:35
That usually,
39:35
Create anxiety,
39:36
But if your heart,
39:39
Is fixed on him,
39:41
He will give you,
39:41
Perfect peace,
39:43
Peace in the,
39:44
The midst of the storms,
39:45
Of trials,
39:46
And suffering,
39:47
And loss,
39:48
That's the breeding ground,
39:49
Of where true peace,
39:49
Actually occurs,
39:51
It's not against that,
39:52
It's not circumstantial,
39:55
The truth is,
39:56
We can have,
39:57
Healthy souls,
39:58
In the midst of,
39:59
All the stuff going on,
40:01
Almost simultaneously,
40:02
As something,
40:03
Out here is happening,
40:05
Many of you,
40:06
Have experienced this,
40:08
Our peace comes,
40:09
From the overwhelming,
40:10
Conviction that God is good,
40:11
That he is in control,
40:12
That he loves us,
40:14
And that permeates us here,
40:15
And exhibits out here,
40:17
Don't tell me,
40:18
That you're,
40:19
You're experiencing,
40:20
The peace of God,
40:21
When your whole life,
40:21
Is frantic,
40:23
And you're,
40:23
You're upset,
40:24
And you're anxious,
40:24
About everything,
40:26
Now God's people,
40:27
Battle that,
40:28
But just know,
40:29
That Christ has promised,
40:30
To give you this,
40:31
If you are in him,
40:32
Maybe you just need,
40:33
To be reminded of that today,
40:34
Like put yourself,
40:35
In possession of,
40:36
His peace,
40:37
It says in,
40:39
Second Timothy three,
40:41
Now may the Lord,
40:42
Of peace himself,
40:43
Continually grant you,
40:45
Peace in every,
40:46
Circumstance,
40:48
The Lord be with you all,
40:51
So this is Christ's promise,
40:53
He has not promised,
40:54
Easy,
40:55
And man,
40:56
We have had it easy,
40:57
For so long,
40:58
I have had it easy,
41:01
Didn't promise it,
41:02
And,
41:04
The uncertainty,
41:05
Of this world,
41:06
Will bring,
41:07
Anxiety,
41:08
And fear,
41:09
And uncertainty,
41:11
And,
41:12
Christ doesn't want you,
41:14
To be comfortable,
41:15
In this world,
41:16
He wants to,
41:16
To shake you up,
41:17
He wants to remind you,
41:18
That your true home,
41:19
Is not,
41:20
Here,
41:21
That we are fleeting,
41:22
Be gone,
41:24
Very soon,
41:25
We were made,
41:27
For another world,
41:28
So let's keep our eyes,
41:29
Fixed on eternity,
41:31
And I know,
41:32
That many of you,
41:33
Are familiar with this verse,
41:34
And this is how I will close,
41:35
But just,
41:36
Anchor your soul,
41:37
In this promise,
41:37
Christ said,
41:38
To his followers,
41:39
In John 15,
41:41
He said it to us,
41:43
I have told you,
41:44
These things,
41:45
That,
41:46
In,
41:47
Me,
41:48
You may have peace,
41:50
In this world,
41:51
You will have,
41:52
Tribulation,
41:53
You will have,
41:54
Trials,
41:55
You will have,
41:56
Struggles,
41:58
It's going to happen,
41:59
But take heart,
42:00
Because I have overcome,
42:02
The world,
42:03
So if you are,
42:04
A part of Christ,
42:05
You also will overcome,
42:07
If we are in Him,
42:08
Because He has overcome,
42:10
We will overcome,
42:11
And we can have,
42:12
Peace in,
42:14
Him,
42:15
So allow this Christmas time,
42:17
To be a chance,
42:18
To sort of remind yourselves,
42:20
Anchor your souls,
42:21
Of the peace,
42:22
That we can have,
42:23
With God,
42:24
Through Christ,
42:25
And therefore peace,
42:26
With those around us,
42:28
If the sin,
42:29
Is changing people,
42:31
Then they will also love,
42:32
Other people that are around them,
42:34
It's the,
42:34
It's the only cure,
42:36
For things,
42:36
It's not,
42:37
Earthly solutions,
42:39
But in Christ,
42:40
We can have peace,
42:41
True peace,
42:42
So,
42:43
With that,
42:44
Let's pray together,
42:45
Ask the band to come up,
42:47
Just take a moment,
42:48
And reflect on the fact,
42:51
If you need to discover,
42:53
This peace in Christ,
42:54
For the first time,
42:55
Or you just need to have it,
42:56
Refreshed and renewed,
42:58
To be a need to networked,
42:58
To networked,
42:59
To networked,