Christmas Peace

Just this week, we had a judges mother shot by thugs trying to steal cars in a neighborhood. When some people came out to confront them, one yelled at the others, shoot those people. That’s not peace on earth.

In the face of all the conflict we see in our culture, there can be peace, but there are basically two types of peace.

There are two types of peace … Personal Peace and Corporate Peace

Here is what I mean. If we can’t get along with our family, or with our co-workers, our friends, or our fellow students… How in the world do we think we can have peace on earth? IOW

There will never be peace on earth until we have peace in our nation. There will never be peace in our nation until there is peace in our homes. There will never be peace in our homes until we have personal peace.

Corporate Peace is often seen as the absence of conflict. That’s peace at a basic level. Personal peace is not just the absence of conflict,

Personal Peace is the presence of a positive quality of life that includes the freedom from fear and anxiety, the outpouring of love and the calmness that comes from a purposeful life.

Let’s break it down even smaller…

Series of Pics of a tree being decorated progressing along

Talk about decorating a tree and how often there can be conflict about how to do it, when to do it and what goes where.

Pics of family decorating a tree and maybe having some drama… try for funny

It’s hard to imagine a world of total peace isn’t it? Even when the focus is on your family… people you love dearly, it can be difficult to imagine a conflict-free week of peace… or even a day sometimes. It’s even harder to imagine a world filled with peace.

As our example of decorating for Christmas shows, even the simple tasks often dissolve into conflict and frustration. So, whats the trick? What’s the remedy?

Would you be surprised if I told you that peace resides in Jesus? Well it does.

Peace resides in Jesus

Isaiah 9:6–7 NLT

6 For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7 His government and its peace will never end. He will rule with fairness and justice from the throne of his ancestor David for all eternity. The passionate commitment of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies will make this happen!

Isaiah is prophesying about Jesus… this time calling him wonderful counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father and Prince of Peace. The government that Jesus is in charge of will never stop growing and will never run out of peace. In a world filled with conflict, this is obviously hard to imagine. So, what does this mean? And how can we embrace Jesus in the middle of all of this?

Let’s learn from what Jesus says.

1. Jesus said, in this life you will have trouble

John 16:33 NIV84

33 “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

Jesus has been telling the disciples about how he has to leave them and how there is so much more that he wants to teach them, but he doesn’t have the time. So he tells the that he will send the Holy Spirit, which they don’t understand, to teach them.

Jesus is telling them what is fixing to happen to them, and it’s not nice. He tells them there will be trouble ahead. there is trouble for us as well, so don’t act surprised when we go through trouble. Jesus said it would be here while we live in this world. But take heart because He has overcome the world.

Jesus shared these words with his disciples over 2,000 years ago and they are still as relevant today as they were then . The advantage we have today is that we know Jesus is correct and we understand that Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to teach us. We know that yes he died, but we also know that he rose again, ascended into heaven and defeated death.

Having peace at Christmas means believing in and trusting all Jesus did.

It doesn’t mean that you will have a conflict free life or a problem free life. In fact, your allegiance to Jesus and the KOH puts you in direct opposition to the world. You can expect trouble to come.

It means that you can have peace deep down in your soul no matter what comes your way.

2. Jesus’ peace exceeds understanding.

Deep and abiding peace is something that’s difficult to understand or to explain. Paul gives a glimpse of a peace filled life in Philippians.

Philippians 4:4–7 NLT

4 Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again—rejoice! 5 Let everyone see that you are considerate in all you do. Remember, the Lord is coming soon. 6 Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. 7 Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.

In every situation, whether good or bad, we present our requests, with thanksgiving, to the Lord. As we let go of things and give God the power something amazing happens in us, and more often than not, in the circumstances themselves.

We trade anxiety for peace. Fear for rejoicing. Suspicion for faith. And amazingly, divinely, miraculously, the peace of God we have in Christ guards our hearts and minds. Folks, this is a deeply personal, difficult to articulate, peace.

The peace of Jesus exceeds anything we can understand or explain

This is why I gave my life to Christ. I did not have peace. I was frustrated, anxious and hot headed. I wanted a peace that I saw in a man named Jon Elder and I found that peace in a relationship with Jesus.

3. Peace is Jesus’ gift to you and me.

Have you ever read the Gospels and seen all the situation Jesus was in and been amazed at how he kept is cool? I have.

Think about it. He was repeatedly interrogated by the leading Jewish leaders of the time. On Multiple occasions, the crowds tried to grab him and kill him. And to top it off, he willingly chose to travel day i and day out with a man he knew would betray him in the end causing him to be put to death.

What did Jesus know that we don’t?

Jesus had complete and total trust in who he was and what he was doing. He trusted the Father, and because of this trust, because of his faith, he was able to have peace in any and every situation. That’s powerful. The great thing about this is that Jesus has this kind of peace for you and me. Jesus wants to give you and I his peace.

John 14:27 NLT

27 “I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.

Listen to me.

Peace is a gift from Jesus!

It doesn’t come because things got better. It comes from Jesus. It doesn’t come from anything the world offers. It comes from a relationship with Jesus. And just like any other gift, you have a choice to receive it or not.

Unfortunately we receive things from the world all the time. Things that cause anxiety and depression and hopelessness. Let me ask you, Are you ready to receive peace today?

Conclusion

4. The best Christmas ever will be marked by peace

As we discussed last week, we have hope because of who Christ is and what He’s promised to do in and through our lives. He is the light that shines in the darkness and we can share the light of Christ with others by sharing the hope we have.

But today, we know that we can also have a peace that exceeds or transcends understanding by letting go of all that troubles us and giving them to the sure hands of Jesus.

In return, His gift is peace...divine peace...soul-satisfying peace.

If we are going to have lasting peace, we’re going to have to make peaceful people who are peacemakers.

And peaceful people are not the norm in our world. We have to go through a heart change.

2 Corinthians 5:17 NLT

17 This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!

We need to be made new.

When you let Jesus have your troubles, He gives you His divine peace

What do you need to let go of today?

What do you need to place into the hands of Jesus today? What do you need to do, today, to receive His gift of peace?

Once we receive his peace, we can be peacemakers… not disrupters.

Prayer Time

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