Peace

[00:00:00] Lord Jesus, we just want to thank you for this time. We want to thank you that we can come here in peace and freedom and with security. [00:00:08] Lord God, we just want to acknowledge that our faults and our flaws this morning. [00:00:14] And we thank you, Lord, that you love us unconditionally, that you sent your son to die for us so that we wouldn't be separated from you. And Lord, we just pray that you'd wash us whiter than snow. We just pray that you would fill this building, this presence with your presence, Lord, and that you would guide us and lead us this morning. We just pray that whatever your will is for us, may it be so, you know, whether it's to bless and encourage, whether it's to challenge and convict, but guide us through this time together, protect us and watch over us. And we just pray that your name be praised in Jesus name. Amen. [00:00:51] So the Advent theme this morning was peace. [00:00:56] And the message will tackle that theme directly as well. [00:01:02] Throughout the whole Christmas message, you see this constant theme and this use of the word peace. You know, in Hebrew, the word is shalom. And Jesus is referred to as the Prince of peace. And you know, when we sing Christmas carols, we'd already talked about sleep in heavenly peace. When the items were done, there was the mention of peace on earth. When we sing the. [00:01:26] The song Hark, the herald angels sing peace on earth and mercy mild. It is all throughout the Christmas message. And yet when we look at history and when we look at the world around us, it seems to be anything but peaceful. And so that leads us to question, you know, is the Bible lying? Was it just an exaggeration? [00:01:47] Are these falsehoods that were, you know, just designed to make us feel good? Or is the peace that has been talked about something different to what the world sees? [00:01:58] And if there is a real peace, you know, a genuine peace, and the Bible talks about a peace that transcends or passes all understanding, how do we obtain that? How do we get that? What is that through, you know, to get that sort of peace? [00:02:16] We'll finish up. So the message, looking at a story that happened after the Nativity scene, after the Christmas story about a righteous guy called Simeon and how he saw the Messiah and how that flooded him with the perfect peace that passes all understanding, and then closed just with some questions, some prompts, some things to think about. [00:02:41] You see, with the Christmas story, this was prophesied more than 700 years before Christ's birth that he would be the prince of peace. And the astounding thing with this Is, you know, the critics of Christianity say it's all myths and legends and fairy tales and Chinese whispers, but these very words were written 700 years before he was born. And you might say, well, where's the proof of that? Well, I've got the proof for you. And it's thanks to archaeology. You know, they discovered in what's called the Qumran Caves in the Dead Sea area of Israel, these old scrolls, ancient scrolls. And they found an entire manuscript copy of the Book of Isaiah, you know, and they dated it, they sent it with the archeologists and the paleontologists and all the experts, and they dated the scroll as being about 100. [00:03:35] So it probably wasn't original because the prophet Isaiah lived around 700 B.C. but without a doubt, we have a scroll that had these words written, dated before Christ was born. And it's incredible. [00:03:51] And I'd challenge anyone to then tell me that these words apply to anyone else other than Jesus Christ. [00:03:59] And this is what, you know, this portion says in Isaiah 9, verses 6 and 7. For to us a child is born, to us a son is given. And the government will be on his shoulders. And he'll be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace, of the greatness 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. So straight away, 700 years before Christ is even born, 700 years before the Christmas story, we are told to expect peace. The Prince of Peace. When Jesus was born, you know, as was mentioned already in the service, there was a. It says in Luke's gospel that a great company of the heavenly host angels appeared proclaiming glory to God in the highest heaven and on earth. Peace, shalom to those on whom his favor rests. [00:05:09] And so, all throughout this Christmas message, peace, peace, peace. And yet in history, in the current day, in the future, there is anything but peace. Is there really peace on earth? The answer is, no, there is not. [00:05:25] We just have to look around. The war still rages in Ukraine, war in the Middle East. [00:05:32] What a lot of people are less aware of is the continent of Africa. [00:05:36] And so this is a picture from Nigeria. And just this year alone, 7,000 Christians have been killed. And when I say Christians, some of them would be genuine believers. Some of them, it's more a cultural tribal affiliation. [00:05:51] But 7,000 Christians killed. And since 2009, the sources I looked at estimate between 50 and 60,000 killed in Nigeria, in northern Nigeria and even in the middle belt now. And primarily there's three responsible groups. One is the Fulani, an ethnic group, some of whom have been radicalized and have sought to target Christians. [00:06:18] The other is Boko Haram, translated literally means anti Western education. I guess they're an offshoot of Al Qaeda in Africa. [00:06:27] And then you also have the Islamic State in West Africa as well. And these guys have been causing chaos and havoc, and yet this is barely in the news. We don't see weekly protests about what's going on in Nigeria, you know, and I remember over the years Jan posting on her social media, and I hope I've got the details right there, Phil and Jan. But you know, she would post articles like this and say, this is Nigeria because so many people just weren't aware of what's going on, you know, so too, in Sudan, it's been struck by civil war again. The last few years. At least 150,000 people have been killed and millions displaced in a country about the size of 50 million people. [00:07:12] There is not peace in Africa. [00:07:15] There is not peace in Ukraine. There is not peace in the Middle East. And even closer to home, Taiwan is watching cautiously what that the Chinese Communist Party under Xi Jinping will be doing in the not so distant future. Because China historically sees Taiwan as part of its territory and has said we will take it back by force if necessary. And that will have implications for Australia if that goes down. There is not peace in Asia and the Indo Pacific. There is not peace in Myanmar. There is not peace all around the globe. [00:07:49] And then in our own nation, our laid back, chilled out country, you know, just within a week or we're a week on now, and our hearts have been shattered, you know, our lives have been shattered. People are heartbroken and hurting and devastated and fearful after what took place in Bondi. [00:08:11] And we're reminded again that, you know, this was a targeted attack on the Jewish people. [00:08:16] Jesus was a Jew. The gospel started in Judea, in Israel. [00:08:21] You can feel free to disagree with me on what I'm about to say. But the reason for this is spiritual. It goes beyond Israel and Gaza. This is an ancient demonic hatred of the Jewish people. Why? Because they are the chosen people. They are the covenant people. And God in his sovereignty, chose them. And yet they rejected him. They turned their back on him for sure. [00:08:45] But in Romans, Paul says that God's gifts and his calling are irrevocable. [00:08:51] Because if God would turn his back on the people of Israel, on the Jewish people, then what's to say that our salvation is guaranteed when we stuff up, when we sin, when we are disobedient, when we turn our back on God? And so this attack, you know, there's been at least a 300% increase in anti Semitism over the last two years in Australia alone. [00:09:14] And you look at what's happening all around the world, this hatred for the Jewish people is spiritual, and it's because they are the chosen people. [00:09:24] And as a nation, we stand grieving with them because it's not just an attack on them and it's an attack on all of us. And in the lead up to Christmas now, Australians, the most laid back, chilled out people on the face of the planet, are now fearful, are now anxious. Even in Launceston, Tasmania, I had colleagues this week saying it has changed the way they think about being in open spaces. One guy talked about going to Federation Square in Melbourne and he's like, I think differently already about security and people being around. There is not peace around the world. There has not been peace in Australia this week, you know, and it feels depressing and it feels discouraging. [00:10:11] And even when we look at things at an individual level, you know, there are people potentially in this church, but definitely that we're connected with who are experiencing relationship breakdowns or there's issues at home, or they've witnessed the loss of a loved one this year or in previous years, or they're lonely or. Or they're stressed or they are anxious or they are depressed, or they are fearful, or they are undergoing financial difficulty or they are contemplating suicide. There are so, so many things where people lack peace. [00:10:46] And again, we read this Christmas message and we hear the word peace, the word shalom continuing to echo throughout the songs that we sing and throughout the Christmas message. And we go through Lord Jesus, where is the peace? [00:11:02] And so we need to grapple with this and unpack. What did Jesus mean? What did the scriptures mean? What were the prophets referring to when they kept banging on about prince of peace, about peace, about shalom. [00:11:16] And maybe it isn't what the world expects. You have to remember that even when Jesus came, you know, they were looking for this warrior king, this messiah that would free them from the bondage of Rome. [00:11:29] And Jesus didn't give them that. He gave them peace of a different sort. He gives us a hint in John's Gospel of the peace that is being referred to when he's speaking with his disciples, his followers, whom he loves dearly. He says, peace, I leave with you my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. [00:11:51] Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. What a wonderful encouragement as we stand here a week on from Bondi. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. And it's clear that the peace being referred to is not the peace, the utopian vision that maybe the world has. [00:12:12] So let's unpack it further. [00:12:14] You know, therefore, this is in Romans 5:1. Since we've been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. [00:12:32] We have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. See, the ultimate peace actually comes from what is said in Hark. The herald angels sing peace on earth and mercy mild. The explainer then is God and sinners reconciled. That is the ultimate peace. That is the best gift we get from Christmas. As Michelle talked about, you know, the fact that the heart of the gospel message is that God gave us agency over our own lives. We have free will. We have choice. And we rejected God. We disobeyed God. [00:13:12] We sin in what we think, in what we say and what we do. And a perfect, holy God cannot be in the presence of sin. And unlike every other world religion that says do, do, do, when you die, the balance of good must outweigh the bad things in your life. And that's what gives you the ticket to eternity or salvation or paradise. God knew that we would fail that test abysmally. And so we launched the greatest rescue mission known to man. He sent his son down to us. Rather than us trying to climb up the ladder of good works, he sent his son down to us as a child, you know, born of a virgin, fully God, and yet fully man. And he lived among us, you know, and at around 30 years of age, he launched the greatest man, most impactful ministry that the world has ever seen. [00:14:06] And for those of us, you know, when he went to the cross and it was our sin that held him there, you know, for any of us who choose to repent and believe and put our faith in Jesus Christ, we have peace. [00:14:23] Because even despite the storms and the challenges and the trials of life, we know the end game, we know the end state, we know the end result. And that is an eternity spent with God in perfect peace. There is not a promise that there is peace, you know, that is going to eradicate conflict and eradicate corruption and famine and poverty and make people perfect and do everything right. [00:14:51] The peace is knowing that God has got this and God has got us, not because we are worthy or deserving, but because he loves us unconditionally. And there will come a time when the Prince of Peace will return once again and he will make all things new. And then we will see a perfect peace. [00:15:16] And so what does it look like to have the peace of God in our lives? [00:15:21] Here's that, that classic verse when Paul was writing to the church in Philippi and he said, don't be anxious about anything. Maybe there are people anxious this morning, and this message is a reminder. But in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your request to God. And the peace of God, which transcends, which passes, which goes beyond the limit of all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. [00:15:52] You know, what a wonderful thing for us to hold onto despite all the background noise in our lives. [00:16:00] And in two Peter, you know, it says to those who, through the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ, have received a faith as precious as ours, grace and peace be yours, not just in a small measure, but in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. See, as we grow in our knowledge of God, in who he is, in what his character is, then our peace should increase too, because we know, again, you know, that he's got plans to prosper us and not to harm us, plans to give us a hope and a future. Yes, that verse was speaking about Israel in context at a time. [00:16:39] But the same sort of thing, thing can be applied, the same sort of wavelength can be applied to us. As you know God better, your peace should increase knowing who he is and that he is good. Yep. There's danger, there is risk, there is storms, there are fears, there are anxieties. [00:16:58] But there is a peace in being in the presence of Jesus. [00:17:03] And to reinforce this point, you might think this sound shallow because of what I'm going through today or what has happened to me over the last few months, or that 2025 has sucked. This all sounds like warm fuzzies that mean nothing to me. But there are people all throughout the scriptures who were in the presence of God and they went through tough times, times of trial and hardship, and God carried them. [00:17:31] And, you know, at this time, there's an animated movie that's just been released on David and on Amazon prime, you know, this year they released a series called the House of David. And I'll put a caveat here, that Christian tv, it's a portrait, not a photograph. You know, it should point us towards the scriptures. It is not the scriptures themselves, but I've loved watching this and bringing the story again of David to life. Remember, as maybe a 16 year old shepherd boy, he was courageous. No doubt he had killed lions and bears defending his flock, but he was just a shepherd boy. He was not a warrior, he was not trained in combat, and he was the one of all the warriors in Israel. This boy stepped forward to face the giant, someone who stood about the size of a basketball hoop. And Goliath is there, taunting King Saul, taunting the armies of Israel, defying the one true living God. And David stands before him as a boy and he says, you come against me sword and spear and shield, but I come against you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the Lord of the angel armies, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. [00:18:50] And when we go through the Psalms and we think about David's story, David did incredible things, but his life was fraught with hardship and difficulty all the way through from a youth to his old age. [00:19:04] When you think of that Psalm, the 23rd Psalm, he says, even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil. [00:19:15] Not because the danger is gone, not because the risk is magically disappeared. Why? Because you are with me. [00:19:24] Your rod, your staff, they comfort me. And then he goes on to say, you prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. [00:19:34] And think of the situation there. Being in combat, having an adversary facing off against you, the danger, the fear. Your heart rate goes up, you should be locked in, you should be alert. You are probably trembling very possibly as well. To prepare a table before you in the presence of your enemies implies calm. It implies shalom, despite the chaos. [00:20:00] And that's what David is saying, the presence of God does for us. [00:20:04] The danger is still there, the chaos is still there. But God's peace gives us presence. And you know, I committed to trying to learn, pardon me, learn some of the Psalms. [00:20:17] Because of this very nature, you know, David had faced incredible dangers, and yet God continued to carry him and give him peace. [00:20:27] Psalm 91, you know, he who dwells in the shall shelter of the Most High, will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I'll say of the Lord, he's my refuge and my fortress, my God in whom I trust. Surely you know he won't forsake you, he won't leave you. It goes on and it talks about, you know you will not be harmed. You will not experience the crushing effects of the arrows or the plagues or the darkness. And I remember speaking to a Filipino army or who I'd done a course with, and he was down in the south of the Philippines hunting down some of the terrorists there. [00:21:05] And he said, so many times I was deployed with my soldiers and we were surrounded, you know, and if the bad guys knew how undemand we were, they would have attacked us and we would have been crushed. And he said, I held on to that verse, that Psalm, Psalm 91, you know, God being our reference and our fortress, even amidst the trouble. [00:21:29] So read the Psalms and think of David. His life was not easy, but the peace of God covered him because he put his trust in Christ. You think of the story in Kings of Elisha and his servant Gehazi, the king of Aram had come after Elisha. And I think Elisha got caught unawares. One day, I guess he. He woke up and he went to the top of the walls and he looks out and he sees an army, an enemy, a threat that has come to get him. And Gehazi, his servant, is understandably petrified, you know, and the fear would be coursing through his veins because these guys would not just come for Elisha, they would destroy the entire city. They would lay waste to everyone in it. And while Gehazi is fearful, Elisha's first response is to pray. Why? Because he knows the peace of God. And he says, lord, open his eyes and let him see. [00:22:29] And Gehazi gets a glimpse into the supernatural, and he sees the chariots of fire all around them. And he's given that encouragement that those who are for them are more than those who are against them. And in that moment of fear and danger and chaos and peril, there is peace once again because God is working and God is moving. [00:22:53] Even when we look at the story of Peter being asked to walk on the water, we all focus on the fact that he sank. Remember, he actually did the impossible. He got out of the boat and he walked on water. And the reason was because he's. His trust for a time was in Jesus. His eyes for a time were set on Jesus. [00:23:14] And it was only when he got enveloped by the darkness, he got distracted by the wind and the crashing of the waves and the rain and the storming and the thunder and took his eyes off Christ and his faith wavered that he began to sink. [00:23:30] Remember, in the midst of the storm, there is peace in the presence of Jesus. There is peace in trusting in Jesus and who he is. And he can bring you through the storm. The waves didn't go away. The storm didn't go away, but for a time, Peter walked through it because he was trusting God for that window. And when that trust was broken, that's when he sank. [00:23:59] When we bring it back to the Christmas story as well, we think of this wonderful episode after Jesus is born with Simeon. And this is found in Luke, chapter two. So the gist is, Jesus has been born, he's gone home. But according to custom, all children need to be consecrated to the Lord. And so Mary and Joseph bring Jesus to Jerusalem. You know, Jerusalem, the city of peace. [00:24:28] And it says, I'll start at verse 25. Now, there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was on him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord's Messiah, the Anointed One. [00:24:48] Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the law required, Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying, sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you may now dismiss your servant in peace. [00:25:08] For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all nations, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and the glory of your people, Israel. [00:25:20] The child's father and mother marveled at what was said about him. [00:25:24] This sounds so cliche, and yet it is such a fundamental truth. The peace we seek, the peace that is referred to in the Scriptures is not the absence of trouble. It is found in the presence of Jesus. Simeon got the that. You know, Simeon in his old age had seen brokenness in this world. He had seen political turmoil. His people were under the yoke, under the occupation, under the oppression of the Roman Empire. [00:25:55] You know, he had seen because of the. The culture of Judea at the time, he probably hadn't seen relationships break down like we do, but because of the cultural expansion, expectation of arranged marriages and not marrying for love, I'm sure he had witnessed people unhappy in their relationships. He had seen friends betray him. He would have lost loved ones. He had experienced hardships, and he would have seen hardships that other people had gone through. But when he laid his eyes on this God child, on Yeshua Hamashiach, Jesus the Messiah, the spirit within him gave him the discernment. This was the chosen one, the anointed one. And God's peace overwhelmed him in that moment. Oh, Lord, dismiss your servant in peace. I am good to go, and I've seen Believers, you know, ready to enter into God's presence who have that peace. I remember Elizabeth Spencer and being at the hospital, she had the peace of God with us. She was ready to go. I remember John Greeney. I remember my mum. You know, the peace of God that passes all understanding means we know that this world is not the be all and end all. There is eternity with Christ, not because we are worthy of it, but because of his love and what he's done for us on the cross. And there is a perfect peace coming that he will establish with a new heaven and a new earth. [00:27:31] This story really gets me that for Simeon, just to lay eyes on Jesus, there was the peace. There was the shalom for Peter walking on the water, there was the peace in the midst of the storm. For David facing the giant, there was fear. I have no doubt his heart rate was probably up. I have no doubt. There was uncertainty. I have no doubt. But there was peace in the presence of God. [00:28:02] And so how do we get that shalom, that peace in our own lives? [00:28:07] We've got to keep remembering. It is not a utopian vision. The world's vision of utopia, a conflict free world, will never happen. [00:28:16] A world free of poverty will never happen. Why? Because people are inherently sinful. We are corrupt. We do the wrong thing, we abuse power. [00:28:28] So Utopia, unfortunately, is nothing but a fantasy. It is not through that that we get peace. [00:28:36] We don't get peace through pursuing wealth or status or accomplishments or achievements. I've seen, seen people say, if I just have this amount in my bank account, I will be happy. And then they're always chasing the next thing. If I just tick this off on my bucket list or if I just reach this promotion or this level, I'll be okay. It doesn't happen. It doesn't bring the peace and the satisfaction that people are yearning for and craving for. [00:29:03] Peace is not in the absence of trouble or chaos or. Or misery or suffering or turmoil. It is found in the presence of Jesus. You know, and I think Mattie preached on this many years ago, and it was when Claire was pregnant. And there are a few things we were a bit worried about, and she really hung onto this. Peace is not the absence of conflict or the absence of trouble or the absence of hardship. It is found in the presence of Jesus. [00:29:34] Why? Because he promises he doesn't leave us or forsake us. The storms are still raging, the hardships are still there, the troubles are still going. But he's the one carrying us through all that navigating. And we trust in the one who steers the ship. [00:29:52] Reminder. [00:29:53] The key reminder is that the true peace, the peace referred to in the scriptures, in Isaiah, in Luke's gospel, in the Christmas message, is being reconciled to the Father through the Son. The worst possible outcome for us as human beings was that we stand in enmity with God, separation from him for eternity. When Christ came and died for us and his final breaths, you know, in his final breaths, he said, it is finished. [00:30:25] You know, the cross created the bridge. We are no longer cut off from the Lord. Those of us who choose to put our faith in him and who choose to repent and believe there is the true peace because we know the end result. You know, in 2018, West coast was in the grand final against Collingwood. I didn't get to see it, so someone taped it for me. But before I watched the replay, I knew the end result. The game was tight. I don't think west coast was up the entire time, you know, but I was peaceful watching the whole thing because I knew the end result. [00:31:00] The end result for us as believers is an eternity in the presence of God. [00:31:06] There's the perfect peace that passes understanding. [00:31:11] Eternal peace will be a reality for those of us who choose to put our faith in Christ. [00:31:16] And I've made a typo there with Isaiah. You know, it talks about the wolf and the lamb lying down together, the lion and the ghost and a young child leading them along. It talks about a new heaven and a new earth where there is no more tears or crying or death or pain or mourning, because the old order of things has passed away. [00:31:37] Shalom. [00:31:39] And so this morning, where are you at? You know, I always pray. Nothing I'm saying here is particularly academic. It's nothing you don't know already. But where are people at in their lives, you know, in what way or ways is your life lacking peace today? [00:31:59] And when trouble comes, do you fix your eyes on Jesus and you can navigate the storm as Peter did, for a time, for a window of time? Or do you find that the storm. Storm overwhelms you and consumes you, and you take your eyes off Christ and you sink? [00:32:15] What have you done or encouraged others to do to pursue peace? And I know the cliche answer, there is Jesus. We've just been talking about that. [00:32:23] But have you been pursuing Jesus? Have you been handing those anxieties and those troubles to him? Or you've been looking for peace through other means and other ways and are coming up short? You know, what has still left you without peace? What do you need to do? [00:32:39] To have that shalom. [00:32:42] And just as we finish up, you know, the key answer here is peace is found in Jesus. The best gift of Christmas is the presence of Jesus. In Jesus, we have peace. It's not the removal of the troubles, the hardship, hardships, the trials, the tribulations. It's the fact that we know he carries us through those times. And we know that when he comes again, then there will be perfect peace. The answer to seeking peace is found in Christ alone. And maybe I'll just call the band back up to the stage and I'll read the lyrics of this first verse and then pray the priestly blessing from the Book of Numbers. [00:33:29] In Christ alone my hope is found. He is my light, my strength, my song this cornerstone, this solid ground Firm through the fiercest drought and storm. What heights of love, what depths of peace? When fears are stilled, when striving cease My comforter, my all in all Here in the love of Christ, I stand now for all of us. But for those needing peace this morning, let's just pray the priestly blessing from the Book of Numbers. [00:34:03] May the Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord make His face to shine upon you and be gracious unto you. May the Lord turn His face towards you and give you peace. [00:34:14] Amen.