Dec 23 - Revealed Peace

Before you get started this morning on sometimes I have to give a sermon title before I'm ready to get a finishing the sermon so I might not play out to this particular title, but we're still going to use the same scripture references is so going to be the Angels coming and proclaiming the good news of God that Jesus has come into the world and verses 14. Sorry 10 to 14 of chapter 2. I Love The Gospel of Luke

It's so exciting but the angel said to them and them and I ain't sorry. Let me start.

In Isaiah says and it will be said build up build up prepare the road remove the obstacles out of the way of the people for this is what the high and exalted one says he who lives forever whose name is Holy. I live in a high and holy place, but also with the one who is contrite and lowly in spirit to revive the spirit of the lowly in to revive the heart of the country. I will not accuse in Forever nor will I be angry? For them, they will faint away because of me the very people I have created. I wasn't raised by their sinful greed. I punish them. I hit my face and anger. Yeah, they kept on with their willful ways. I have seen their ways but I will heal them I will guide them. I will restore Comfort to Israel's Warner's creating Praise on their lips peace. Peace to those far and near says the Lord and I will heal them but the wicked are like tossing like the tossing see which cannot rest who's waves cast upon Meyer in mud. There is no peace. Charles my God for the wicked.

And we've already read from this passage this morning. And then when we lead into Christmas Eve, we're going to we're going to talk about the whole Christmas story from the from Luke 2 and leading out to the angels coming in and saying a little slow this morning and said to him do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all people today in the town of David a savior has been born to you. He is the Messiah I'm floored. This will be a sign to you. You will find a baby wrapped in Clover Klaus and lying in a major suddenly a great company of heavenly host appeared with angel praising God and saying glory to God in the highest heaven and on Earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.

Sorry, it's going to have a frog in my throat this morning. Anyway, so the Angels coming and every time the Angels come like we we saw with Mary when we went through the the beginning of this whole story The Angel Gabriel came to Mary and the first thing they Angel Gabriel said to Mary was do not be afraid. Yeah, every time the Angels come when they come to humans. They seem to have to say that humans do not be afraid. Why because you know, like humans were panicky. We get afraid of a lot of stuff or anyting anyting anytime anything changes we seem to become afraid we've seem to become fearful. Why because we don't know the future. We just don't know what's going to happen. And it is so this is like saying don't panic right and there's a story called The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy in it. There's this book and all the front of Boca says if you don't don't panic and large letters, it went exclamation points, and it seems to be simple and you think it would be simple and you know, the English have this phrase keep calm and carry on and it's kind of like a simple phrase to use but it is a build-up during a time of war and I keep keep calm because war is happening in your life. Try to you know, just sold your own through life and to get to the next time but sometimes if usually said Keep Calm and Carry On just without any explanation at all. Is to keep calm and it like liking the expression is self is enough Don't Panic or do mutton do not breathe be afraid as if the expression of saying don't be afraid is enough to keep me from being afraid. Well, that's not how it happens with humans could that's not how it works with us. I sometimes telling someone to not be afraid has the opposite effect. Then we start worrying about. Okay. What are we not being afraid of you think these angels just appearing out of nowhere and saying don't be afraid. Well. Yeah. Yeah. Okay. So what am I not being afraid of now like you. I don't know about you, but I tend to overthink things like all the time even ask my wife like, you know went with with my Seminary studies when I'm doing a paper and I worried about the grades like right now like I'm worried about my final grades because I haven't come in yet. Maybe they will in a week, you know, so I'm not thinking about those with did I do the right thing? I don't know if I did right thing. God is telling me not to be worried about it not to be afraid about it. But at the same time I still worried about it cuz I did put a lot of work into it and it will mean something for the rest of my life. So I tend to overthink it and I think about overthinking and then I About overthinking again and it comes just like anxious cycle of emotion in my life. It just builds and builds the fear instead of having hope instead of having bring your having good news. They sometimes Angels don't always bring good news. Sometimes Angels need an angels can be either their Angelic or a can be interpreted as someone bringing a message. So someone like this morning like me it can be a general word to be used for someone. Sometimes they need to bring a Divine ultimatum and saying you need to change your ways now because God has done something in your life. There's something new needs to happen. S L A Angels don't always bring good news, but in this particular case the Angels brought good news, not just good news, but the best news the greatest news. young Jesus came in no longer Were people expected to make burnt offerings? Ampersand burnt offerings can came in the different forms, you know, the cows cheap goats Burns and grain offerings and offering is showbread in the temple of God. There is the only things that can be burn up or Uther are used in some way in order to consecrate a person riding in and sometimes blood with used to sprinkle on things or to apply the doorpost or spread blood on things as a way to show it. It's consecrated as special and set apart for God.

Finland Leviticus 17:11 says for the life of a creature is in the blood and I have given it to you to make atonement for yourself on the altar. It is the blood that makes atonement for one's life. So this is where the interpretation of of those sacrifices were coming from. It is a blood itself. That was thought it wouldn't that was given by God as an opportunity for people to be consecrated for things to be consecrated as being set apart for God.

1st John 2 1 through 2 says and it takes it farther. It takes it in through Christ my dear children. I write this to you so that you will not send but if anyone does sin we have an advocate with the father Jesus Christ the righteous one. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins. So not and not only for our stuff hours our stand but also for the sins of the whole world. Hey Hebrews, 10 8 through 10. It says first. He said the sacrifices and offerings and burnt offerings and sin offerings. You did. Not desire in this is talking about God. God did not desire burnt offerings nor were you pleased with them though? They were offered in accordance with the law. Then he said here I am I have come to do your will and this is speaking of Jesus. He set aside the first to establish the second and buy that will we have been made holy through the sacrifices of blood of Jesus Christ once and for all but I've been told not to talk about the blood of Jesus Christ, sacrifice in the giving of Jesus Christ around Christmas time is not it's not a light mood as night the you know the depressions holy days of Christmas time and enjoy full thing in her and loving thinking but We have some good news. And there's a reason why I'm talking about this today. The good news is we we can't make ourselves. Holy there's nothing nothing that we can do over cells to me present ourselves before God is being acceptable for him. God does this in and through us? Tff we try to make ourselves. Holy. Nobody else would be wholly. All right, if we try to make ourselves, holy we could not die for someone else. We would be the only ones that would be able to come before God telling it couldn't work that way, but Jesus could Jesus can do this comes as V Emmanuel as God With Us. Because God makes it that way. He wanted a way to bring us back to him to restore is totally in him we can do it, but he made a way. You know when this wasn't just on the add-on thing that God brought to us like later through Humanity like guitar for thousands of years old. How can I restore Humanity back to myself a new relationship to myself and it took him thousands of years to think of a way to do that? No, that's not how it works. Seeing if God is outside of time God is there through all of eternity God knew that we would have a way and in the sacrifice. It wasn't the sacrifice itself that was important the blood became a symbol of Christ's sacrifice for us, even through the beginning of the even through thousands of years before Jesus came to be Jesus was represented in those sacrifices.

No longer this guy the spirit rest on the Chosen Few or the one right there is with with the idea of the Messiah wasn't just like just one person representative. Yes. It did comes as representative of Jesus Christ, but they were people that came before that led the people of God the way they needed to be and they were symbols of Jesus Christ in the life the people at that particular time, so they were very considered little Christ Our Little messiah's right, but now we have the Holy Spirit and all of us who believe all of us who believe are considered little Christ. We bring love and Christ into the world and make all things new through that relationship. We are at owned by the blood of Christ.

So it needs angels are bringing the good news that Jesus is entering into the world to redeem Esprit give us from ourselves review us of our Centre. Give us of all those things all those longing for things that are not God. There's things that we consistently try to make Idols in our lives. We prop them out up and and we try to we try to be happy in those thing. We try to bring happiness into our lives by feeding all kinds of stuff into ourselves whether that be food for the Hep B drugs whether that be alcohol weather be an inappropriate relationship. We try to prop these things in our lives in it to make us happy instead of understanding that God in his love and in his fullness made us in His image. Then we might share with the Holy Spirit and restoring all of creation under God by is the kingdom of God. All of creation under God back in the restored image of him.

Texas relationship

Angels cannot inhabit angel angels can't do the same thing as as humans Angels do not have the same Authority and power under God is as we do is Humanity does is the image of God angels cannot be in the place that Humanity does.

See we are joint heirs with Christ.

When we come in to believe him when we come to love him when we come to know him and God draws us up and do that relationships and we become joint heirs and that's nothing that any angel can do. I don't know why people would even want to consider to worship and Angel and this is what this is what Humanity had done his work worshiping angels in some form as if they are God as it is if they even have a better place than us and Christ and that's just totally not true.

Humanity was born of love. And I don't mean that the human interpretation of that defines love. I mean in a Godly interpretation of love. Humanity was born of Love Humanity was born of the love of the father and the Son and the Holy Spirit in this interrelationship of being and God extends itself out. and creates Humanity and draws Humanity into that loving relationship. I think that's that's amazing. That's awesome. God is a god of love who who creates and also sends God self out to the other. to draw I send God is love because of this. and in route did Jesus Jesus Jesus was born of love from love Like I said, this isn't this isn't the human interpretation of love when I say someone was born of love and they pulled her out in the world when I say someone is born of love. That's usually making some passionate sexual relationship that humidity makes it so so much less of a relationship thing. This is more of the Divine relationship. This is more than intimacy of being. In the heart in the so on that connecting the connectedness of a soul.

Jesus was not born for sacrifice. Maybe you could say some of the cows or the goats or the sheep that were brought before God might have been born for sacrifice. Jesus was not born for sacrifice. Jesus did not at the end of all things just die and go away and then we have nothing more to do with Jesus.

Jesus was born for love. That's my God resurrected Jesus. That's why God resurrected Jesus because Jesus was born for love. Jesus wasn't born to be a sacrifice. Jesus was born for love and because of that love that great. Love of God is why Jesus was resurrected in the first place. That's why Jesus is resurrected. That's why he is made whole that's why he has drawn into the fullness of what it means for him to be the Messiah the Christ Emmanuel in totality God With Us God With Us not just temporarily not just with us in the 27 years of his life, right? But God With Us through all of eternity. The enemy wanted Christ dead and he wanted them Christ that even before he was born. How you doing, when? Parrot sounds out in the NL to have all the all the children killed. Because he didn't want Christ born. He didn't want Christ alive. He didn't want Christ to be Lord Of Our Lives.

And God is love God is the fullness of love. He wouldn't turn his back on those who believe in God's faithfulness is not our faithfulness. We need to be focused on all and it's not our faithfulness that we need to drive for. It's not our working that causes us to be in a good place with God. It's God's faithfulness in our lives and he continues to come into our live even even to the point of sending God self. to us to be sacrificed for us but not just in that sacrifice but to be resurrected again, and this is why this is why Jesus comes this is why it's good news. Even though we can't be entirely faithful on our own God is entirely faithful to us.

And if we can accept that and believe it we are born again of love. All right, because before all this we are born we are born in sin where we're born in the nature of sin and everything about us is like draws us to want to send some form. You know, when were born again of love then we are made complete by his holy spirit We Are Who We Are Born into this new relationship where the father and the all of God really interact with our lives and brings us to the place where we were created to be. I mean where it were created at the beginning but we're only getting started right when were born. We're only getting started in this life. And it's only through the holy spirit that we are drawn into completeness of what a human is supposed to be. Why because love defines what a human is supposed to be love defines Humanity all the rest of the stuff.

All the rest of the stuff can go love is what defines Humanity.

Jesus is born of love and we are reborn into that love.

So there is no glory to God in the highest. There is no Hark the Herald Angels Sing there is no First Noel without Jesus coming. And dying and being resurrected again. Love is born.

Love is born. true Jesus and comes that you might live. Love is born in Jesus Christ.

So then we can be made whole. So we can be restored in the image of God the way God created us to be. Not by what we Define ourselves to me.

This is why we go and make disciples. Cuz God entered into the world. living with us Taurus died for us and and and was resurrected for us without the resurrection. There's no point for the angels to come and sing Hark the Herald Angels Sing.