Essentials Of The Faith / Sunday Morning Sermon Series / Special Services/Advent2009/A life of Peace

Advent 2009

Message: ‘A life of Peace                                                                     Text: Philippians 4:2-9

Introduction: A few days before Christmas two men in Florida decided to go sailing while their wives went Christmas shopping. While they were out sailing a terrible storm arose. It was all they could do to keep their boat under control. As they maneuvered their way back to land, their boat became grounded on a sandbar. They had to jump overboard and push with all their might trying to get the boat into deeper water. While they were doing this, the wind was blowing, the waves were rushing upon them and they were soaking wet, knee deep in mud. One of the guys looked at his buddy and said, “You know, it sure beats Christmas shopping though.” (M. Murphree)

Some people will do anything to get out of Christmas shopping. Why? Because of the mad house it has become...And the insanity that is the Christmas season, which officially began Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving.

I did it, Black Friday, once. I stood, freezing at 4am, in line, at Staples. When the doors were opened... is was everyone for himself...pushing, shoving, yelling...and that was just to get in the door first so you could get that...thumbdrive, GPS or digital camera at an ‘insanely low’ price. I vowed...never again and I have been true to my vow.

The materialization of Christmas; the battle for the perfect gift at the lowest price, the sales, discounts, and BOGO’s, drives the peace of Christmas right out of us.

Advent is the time of the year that we spend 4 weeks focusing on the reason for Christmas. So that in some way, perhaps in every way, we can regain our sanity, we can have our peace restored...even while we do our best to get the gifts we want for our family and friends. Christmas...the reason is Jesus!

Today is the first Sunday in Advent and Linda and Dolly lit the candle of peace to remind us that Jesus came to a world and lives broken by conflict. The prophet Isaiah spoke of this hundreds of years before Jesus was born, when he wrote:

Read: Isaiah 9:6-7 ‘For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this.’

And Luke wrote about the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophesy:

Read: Luke 2:10-14 ‘But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.’

Yes, Isaiah’s prophesy unfolded just as he said it would. But where do we fit in to the peace Jesus came to restore?

Transition: Open your Bibles to Philippians 4:2 (pg. 895 in the Bibles under the chair in front of you.) For it’s there we’ll discover how to live a life of peace.

I.  Philippians 4:2-3    Peace with one another

Read: Philippians 4:2-3

ILL: For many years a large silver star adorned the top of the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem. One day back in the 1800’s, the Roman Catholic Church, which shares a part of the building with a Greek Orthodox Church, decided to take down the silver star & replace it with their own star. But the Greek Orthodox church refused to let them do that. The Greek Orthodox Church was supported by Russia, & the Roman Catholic Church was supported by France. But it was Turkey who actually ruled over Palestine at that time. When Turkey sided with the Roman Catholic Church, Russia declared war on Turkey. Immediately France & England allied themselves with Turkey, & fought what history calls the Crimean War which lasted from 1853 - 1856. At the end of that war the star came down. (Melvin Newland)

It’s sadly ironic that in the very place of the birth of the Prince of Peace, there has almost always been conflict & war. Why? Because we just can’t get along with each other. It’s true today and it was true when Paul wrote his letter to the church in Philippi where it seems 2 ladies, co-workers with Paul in the sharing of the Gospel, were at odds with each other.

As I read the text it got me thinking, Come on...doesn’t the world outside the church, do enough to discredit the Gospel that we inside the church have to continually give Jesus and His message a black eye every time we fight and argue with each other?

I am not saying we will always agree on everything...but I am saying that as Christians we have a better way of handling disagreements. Matthew 18 for one, but that’s another message.

As Christians we must find common ground and work together to resolve or accept our differences....What common ground? Listen to what Paul wrote:

Read: Philippians 4:2 ‘I plead with Euodia and I plead with Syntyche to agree with each other in the Lord.’

‘...in the Lord...’ Jesus and God’s Word is what we have in common with each other. Let’s put them first and see where the Holy Spirit takes us.

Speaking about peace, Paul also wrote this to the Christians in Rome:

Read: Romans 12:18 ‘If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.’

‘...as far as it depends on you...’ Each of us has the responsibility to do whatever we can to live at peace with one another. It’s not ‘their’ job to make up with me...It’s my job to make it right with the one I’m at odds with.

Folks...it is so important that we promise one another and God, that we will not allow ourselves, to be used as pawns, in the hands of Satan, to divide God’s Church.

We are here to lead people to Jesus, to nourish and strengthen those who are already His and together, bring honor and glory to our Lord.

·       Disagreements over the color of the carpet,

·       Harboring ill feelings because someone used your room and didn’t clean up after themselves,

·       Being angry because you weren’t recognized publicly for something you did.

All this stuff...is just stuff. Never forget the priority: We are here to lead people to Jesus, to nourish and strengthen those who are already His, and together, bring honor and glory to our Lord.

Transition: Jesus, the Prince of Peace has come to bring us peace with one another.

 

II. Philippians 4:4-7    Peace within

Read: Philippians 4:4-7

ILL: The story is told of a pastor who was in the kidney dialysis unit of the hospital and talking with a man who needed a kidney transplant. It had not been the best year for him or his family. With diabetes, and kidney failure and with his daughter being sick. Then came the illness and death of his father in law. It was almost overbearing for the family, it seemed at every turn there was a new distress and crises. For many years he had been awaiting a transplant that wasn’t coming. He was asked how do you do it? How do you keep up? He said it not easy, but he just had this belief that God was going to take care of him, that God would see his family through this. (Eldon Reich)

That’s the kind of peace Scripture talks about. That Guards our heart and mind in Christ Jesus.

·       It guards us against disappointment.

·       It guards us against anger and resentment.

·       It guards us against hopelessness

·       It guards us against hurt.

Some of you have lost a loved one. Some of you have  or are now battling cancer or some other deadly disease...or one of your loved ones is. Some of you have struggled through the heartbreak of a child’s rebellion. Some of you have or are experiencing burdens, that I know nothing about.

Often during our worship celebration, I look out and see tears streaming down your faces, I see eyes filled with grief, and I see confused and frustrated looks that reveal your struggle. Yet....

you still come, you still believe, you still go forward.

·       That’s something that the world just doesn’t understand or experience.

·       That’s something, even with Jesus, that still takes our breath away.

That ‘something’ is the peace Jesus brings...when we, as the text tells us, bring our struggles, disappointments and hopeless situations to Him in prayer, trust Him to hear us, to be near us and to answer, we can experience peace.

Transition: Jesus, the Prince of Peace has come to bring us peace within.

III. Philippians 4:8-9  Peace with God

Read: Philippians 4:8-9

ILL: There is a scene in the Movie Peter Pan where Peter is in the children’s bedroom; they have seen him fly; and they wish to fly too. They have tried it from the floor and they have tried it from the beds and the result is failure. "How do you do it?" John asked. And Peter answered: "You just think lovely, wonderful thoughts and they lift you up in the air." The same is true for the believer. The only way to defeat the thoughts that destroy your peace – is to begin to think of something else. (Chris Talton)

You’ve heard it said that an empty mind is the devil’s workshop. Well, a mind that is filled with the wrong stuff, is one that will rob you of your peace.

In our text, Paul is saying ‘Here are 8 filters, everything you hear, see, and think about needs to pass through them. And if it doesn’t make it through these filters, then it shouldn’t be in your mind or on your heart.’

Paul puts it a little differently in 2 Corinthians 10:5

Read: 2 Corinthians 10:5 ‘We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.’

Pay attention to what you are thinking about. Don’t allow your mind to wander to places that don’t match up to the filters Paul gives us in our text. Paul sets the standard for our thought life very high. Why? Because our peace is at stake.

The battle for peace is won and lost in our minds. But Paul tells us of an ever deer peace, a more important peace, one from which the other two kinds of peace flow. And the Prophet Isaiah wrote about it first.

Read: Isaiah 32:17 ‘The fruit of righteousness will be peace; the effect of righteousness will be quietness and confidence forever.’

What he’s saying is that we can only know peace: peace with one another and peace within, when we have peace with God...that’s what the word ‘righteousness’ means here...’when we are ‘right with God’ then we can experience peace.’

Paul wrote this to the Ephesian Christians:

Read: Ephesians 2:13-14 ‘But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility...’

Our sins have separated us from God. Belief in Jesus removes our sin and unites us with God...Jesus makes peace a reality in our lives. This peace is a deep abiding ‘rightness’ inside...

Knowing that because of our faith in Jesus, we are right with God, and we will remain right with God...forever.

Do you know that kind of peace?

Conclusion

·       On that first Christmas night, God made the way for you to have Peace with Him, through faith in the One He sent, to save you from your sin.

·       On that first Christmas night, God gave us Jesus....Through Him we can have peace with God, peace with one another and peace within.

Shopping for Christmas gifts for others can be fun. Being there when they open their gifts and seeing the smiles on their faces warms the heart. But the greatest gift, the one that keeps the heart warm all year long, is the peace that only Jesus can give.

Won’t you open your heart and lives to the Prince of Peace?