This second Sunday of Advent, Pastor Jonny came with a message all about Peace.
6For 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,d Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
7His 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 9:6-7)
3You will keep in perfect peace
all who trust in you,
all whose thoughts are fixed on you!
(Isaiah 26:3)
As we looked at last week, Isaiah is a major prophet sent from God with a specific message for a specific time and a specific people. These people were Israel, and God was telling them that the Messiah was coming, and they needed to be ready for Him.
Of course, the Israelites misunderstood this and they believed the Messiah was going to come as a conquering warrior, leading Israel into battle against enemies. By the time Jesus did come, they believed the Messiah would lead them into battle against the Romans. Due to Jesus’ ministry being one of teaching and peace, they didn’t associate Him with the Messiah they had come to imagine.
But Jesus is the Prince of Peace. Peace is His. He owns it, and it’s His to give.
When you read the gospels, you’ll notice that it’s very common for Jesus to greet people with “peace be with you” and say farewell to them with “go in peace”. He brings peace that only God can bring, not peace that the world can offer.
By forgiving the sins of everyone who comes to Him in faith and repentance, He enables them to be in right relationship with their Creator. He grants us peace with God. He reigns over peace, and so true peace can only come from Jesus.
The Gospel is all about peace. Without God, we will spend eternity in a place called Hell, where there is a lack of peace. In eternity with God (Heaven), there is no more crying or pain or suffering or death.
On one occasion, Jesus was asleep in a boat in a raging storm. The disciples panicked and Jesus woke and commanded “peace, be still”, speaking peace into the waters around them. In doing that, Jesus declared His deity; the Romans saw the ability to command nature as the quality that only a god could possess.
In life, there are weather storms, and two other types of storm: storms in our circumstances and storms in our hearts.
In all types of storm, this is a truth we need to bear in mind:
Peace isn’t found in the absence of problems, it’s found in the presence of God.
In the Bible, we are told that we can have a peace that surpasses understanding. That’s because Jesus is God, and the introduction of the Prince of Peace is the gift that was given to us in the first Christmas.
6Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. 7Then 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.
8And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. 9Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me—everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you.
(Philippians 4:6-9)
So many areas in our lives can have storms and trouble, but we can find peace in all circumstances with Jesus.
You might have marriage issues, health issues, or addictions, and while these can be overcome by the power of the Holy Spirit, who is living within you, you can still experience God’s peace that passes understanding by coming to God in prayer.
In addition to prayer, studying the Bible and memorising applicable verses is incredibly helpful too. This means that if you’re in a storm, you can call the Scripture to mind when you don’t have a Bible to hand. Remembering God’s promises and reminding yourself of them is incredibly powerful, especially when going through stormy seasons.
We all need to fix our thoughts on Jesus. Not just on a Sunday morning, but all throughout the week.
Remember, peace is not found in the absence of problems, the presence of God.
We pray that you will come to know Jesus and His Peace this Christmas.
35Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? 36(As the Scriptures say, “For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.”o) 37No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.
38And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,p neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. 39No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.
(Romans 8:35-39)