Essentials Of The Faith / Sunday Morning Sermon Series / Special Services / Advent 2002

12/08/02 Peace

Message Title: 'Finding your PIECE of holiday PEACE'                                                                  Text: Col. 3:12-15

Intro: Perhaps of all the Advent/Christmas themes, peace is the one most longed for. 'Peace on Earth and good will among man' was the song of the angels at the birth of Jesus. Our world culture has relegated that song to once a year Christmas carols, Christmas cards with doves and angels, even to the cessation of wartime aggression in honor of the holiday season. Remember the song 'Snoopys Christmas'?

Was the night before Christmas, 40 below
When Snoopy went up in search of his foe
He spied the Red Baron, fiercely they fought
With ice on his wings Snoopy knew he was caught.

The Baron had Snoopy dead in his sights
He reached for the trigger to pull it up tight
Why he didn't shoot, well, we'll never know
Or was it the bells from the village below.

The Baron made Snoopy fly to the Rhine
And forced him to land behind the enemy lines
Snoopy was certain that this was the end
When the Baron cried out,
"Merry Christmas, my friend"

The Baron then offered a holiday toast
And Snoopy, our hero, saluted his host
And then with a roar they were both on their way
Each knowing they'd meet on some other day.

Christmas bells those Christmas bells
Ringing through the land
Bringing peace to all the world And good will to man.

 Whether in wartime, or when fighting amongst ourselves, someone once said 'Peace is that brief, glorious moment when everybody stands around.... reloading'

 What is peace? For many, even Christians, peace is the absence of anxiety, stress, conflict and trouble. Am I right? And we think to achieve lasting peace we need to get rid of those things in our lives which cause anxiety, stress, conflict and trouble. Right? So what do we do, in the quest for peace? We get rid of our spouse, our kids, our boss, our cars or whatever, or whoever we think is the reason we don't have peace in our lives. The problem is..it doesn't work, as many of you already know.
 
 Listen, as long as you are alive, you will have anxiety, stress, conflict and trouble. I hope you will see this morning that peace does not come by getting rid of our 'problems'. Peace comes when we are rightly related to God by faith in Jesus Christ.

Read: Col. 3:12-15
 Let's break this down.

1. Paul is talking to Believers.
 True and lasting  peace is not available to those who have not accepted Jesus Christ as their Savior. I know it is harsh, but I believe God's Word proves this to be true.

2. Believers are told to clothe themselves:
 That means as Believers in Jesus Christ we are to put on, or model or display some specific characteristics in our lives.

 -Compassion, Kindness, Humility, Gentleness, Patience Longsuffering, (putting up with one another), Forgiveness, Love and Thankfulness.

 When these characteristics are present in a Believers life, there will be peace. How can we have these characteristics?  When we live lives filled with and yielded to the Holy Spirit. In one way or another, these characteristics are all fruit of the prevailing presence of God's Spirit in our lives.

3. Peace is to rule in the Believers heart:
  That means peace is to reign, to guide, to dominate all aspects of our lives  and relationships with others. Why? Because as Believers, we were called, that means we are commanded by God to be at peace with each other.

 Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts. That is the goal,  how do we get there? Let's see what God's Word has to say.

1. When Peace is understood as a possession.
Read: Jn 14:27

 True and lasting peace is a gift from God given by His Son, Jesus Christ. Jesus left us His peace to enjoy. He did not leave wealth or things, He left us His peace as a possession to be treasured.
And if a possession, it is something we can obtain.

How does the peace of Christ rule in our hearts?

2. When Peace is understood as a result of purification.
Read: Rom. 5:1

 To be justified means to be placed in a right relationship with God. This is possible through faith in Jesus Christ.  A right relationship with God means the slate holding the record of your sin, your rebellion against God, has been wiped clean.  Because of acceptance of Jesus death on the cross as payment for your sin debt to God, your sin is no longer counted against you.  Justification makes a guilty, sinful heart pure before God. When our hearts are made pure, we have peace with God.

How does the peace of Christ rule in our hearts?

3. When Peace is understood as an integral part of prayer.
Read: Phil. 4:6-7

 God wants us to experience not just a temporary peace, but a peace that is lasting, a peace that flies in the face of all understanding and logic. Peace that is achieved by taking our anxiety, stress, conflicts and troubles to the Lord in prayer.  And He exchanges them for His peace. Peace is the calming assurance that God will take care of us.

How does the peace of Christ rule in our hearts?

4. When Peace is understood as the result of Power.
Read: Rom. 16:20

 Listen, life is a spiritual battle...Good vs Evil. And the good news is, Jesus has already won the victory! He has defeated Satan and everything Satan can attempt to do in our lives. We find peace when we let Christ be our champion to fight our spiritual battles for us.

Finally, How does the peace of Christ rule in our hearts?

5. When Peace is understood as a matter of Pondering. (sorry, I had to come up with another 'P')
Read: Phil. 4:8-9

 True and lasting peace is a matter of the mind. Paul gives us a list of things we can fill our minds with to have peace. As a thought enters your mind, ask if it meets the standards of this passage. You see, the battle for peace is often won or lost in our minds. Keep your mind on the things of Christ and you will know the peace of God.

Conclusion

 This is all well and good if you are a Christian, but what if you are not? What about if you are not sure about this whole Jesus thing? Can you have the kind of true and lasting peace I are talking about? Yes! But you must understand where this peace is found. The angels at the birth of Jesus sang to the shepherds in the field and they said 'Peace to men on whom God's favor rests.' Lk 2:14

 They didn't say 'Peace to all people who are nice and good and honest.'  They said 'peace to whom God's favor rests'.
God's favor rests on those who are rightly related to him, those who are friends of God, those whose sins have been forgiven.
Without faith in Jesus Christ, being a friend of God, having your sins forgiven and peace with God is not possible.

 In lives struggling to grab hold of true and lasting peace, the Advent season reminds us that Jesus came to be our Prince of Peace. And He wants you come to Him today.

 Ask Jesus his forgiveness,
 Ask Jesus to give you a pure heart,
 Ask Jesus to give you not just a piece of holiday peace...but true and  lasting peace that passes all understanding.

 Ask Jesus to be your Savior and you will know peace this holiday season..and for the rest of your life. Come to the Prince of Peace. Jesus Christ