Peace In the Waiting
In The Waiting: Advent 2020 • Sermon • Submitted
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Giving is a spiritual discipline. It is in your giving that you prove what it is you truly believe and who it is you truly are trusting with your life. Jesus said that where your heart is, there your treasures will be.
Read Luke 2:11-14
For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,
“Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”
Today we are continuing our Advent sermon series In The Waiting
Advent is the beginning of the church calendar. I know it seems kinda weird to start the year waiting, but Its a season of expectation. A season of anticipation
Through walking through the first coming of Jesus Christ, we are reminded of the expectation of his second coming
As we take these 4 weeks to prepare our hearts to celebrate the birth of Christ, we are also taking time to prepare our hearts as we look for his coming again
Whether he comes and calls, we are all in the waiting as we are in between the now and the not yet.
WE have access to the throne room of God, we have the Holy Spirit living inside us, and yet we are waiting for the full revelation of the Glory of God
So we take this season and reflect on what his birth meant to those who had been waiting and what it still means for us today
So we’re focusing on how the Lord works In the Waiting. In those times when we have yet to see the fruit for what God has been doing in our life… when we feel like we are in the between time...
Today we are talking about Peace in the Waiting
Our verse from today is one of the most misquoted and misunderstood texts. For as much as it’s used, you would think people knew what it means
The misquote that we hear all the time is Peace on Earth and goodwill toward men
This is a quote from the King James version of our passage
This quote is not as accurate as what the greek actually says on the earth peace to mankind who pleases
The common understanding in the world is that since Jesus was born there should be peace on earth
but there is that connotation that the peace that is on earth is for those whom God is well pleased
So the confusion comes in the KJ translation in the thought that if the angels proclaimed peace on earth… how come there has been non-stop war?
Or in the new translation… why are christians being persecuted if there is supposed to be peace on those whom God is well pleased
Aren’t we the ones who operate in the favor of God as followers of Christ?
If that’s the case why does Jesus tell us in John 16 things like
The world will rejoice but you will weep and lament. People will beat you and kill you. In this would you will have trouble or tribulation
There is an issue here
What the angels say and what Jesus says seems to conflict
OR What the angels says and what we experience in the waiting.. in the between time… is different
Could the issue actually come from the fact that we view peace incorrectly
Peace can be defined as the absence of conflict. Time of tranquility or absence from disturbance
The problem is that the absence of conflict or disturbance for the believer is not speaking about conflict with others but conflict within
Scripture helps to clarify itself
So if you read something and it seems like its contradictory… do yourself a favor and read it in context. That means with in the context of the immediate text 20/20 rule
If that doesn’t work, read it in the context of the whole chapter
book
Bible
So for example the word peace… Look for other times the word peace is used in scripture and how it is used
Isaiah 26:3 says You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.
Psalm 119:165 Great peace have those who love your law; nothing can make them stumble.
Philippians 4:7
And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
John 16:33
I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”
Colossians 3:15
And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful.
What we see throughout the testimony of scripture is that the peace of God is different than the peace that the world gives
We are not talking about an absence of external conflict, but a single heart that is absent of conflicted and divided affections
God brings his peace by the power and presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives that sustains us and keeps us even when the world is confusing and strange to us
The peace of God takes our focus off of out there and puts in on him
The Peace that the angels fortell and forthtell is the peace that only comes by living in active relationship to the Son of God by way of the Holy Spirit of God
This is the peace that is now on earth
So what does this look like?
I know you’re sitting at home asking that right now
If you’re like me you are in the waiting in this season. Waiting for life to get back to pre-covid normal, waiting to be able to travel and see friends and family, waiting to just go out to a movie without fear.
I wish I could tell you how long that waiting is going to last… I can’t do that
I can , however, tell you what peace looks like in the waiting
God is not waiting for things to change to bring peace into your life
He is simply wanting you to surrender and refocus your attention on him
That passage form Isaiah tells us that we will be kept in peace when we keep our mind on the Lord
That means that instead of filling your life with the latest conspiracy theories, celebrity gossip, political nonsense, distraction, entertainment, … maybe you fill your mind with the Word of God
Instead of worrying about how long we wait, you take advantage of the time you have now to spend with Jesus . To converse. To listen. To seek. To be transformed.
Aren’t you done with fear. frustration. Anger. Anxiety?
Peace is what we are called to in the waiting
And we don’t get peace when the waiting is over, but while we are waiting. In the midst of the waiting.
This holiday season you have a choice. You can either let the world steal your peace by filling your life with fear and angst
Or you can experience the peace in the waiting.
The peace that is a product of the Holy Spirit lving inside you and producing the fruit that you were called to exhibit
As the people of God, let’s have peace in the waiting
Lets’ live markedly different lives as we are waiting for Christmas to celebrate the birth of the Christ child… we can also deomonstrate a different type of peace for the world as we are in the waiting for the revelation of our coming king.