The Hope of Christmas - Prince of Peace

It almost goes without saying that the greatest gift.

Most of us could have for our own hearts and our families, especially in our country in the world is a piece of real peace, not just the absence of conflict, but genuine full piece where does it come from, how do you get it that's today welcome to this Edition of Living on the Edge with shipping Living on the Edges of international discipleship Christians what Christian this program chip wraps up his series called hopeful Christmas is been looking at Thomas about Jesus will help. Amazing hope for the future. You missed any of these messages along the way they're available on the chip in your mouth for online anytime@livingontheedge.org just click the broadcast. After the teaching chips got a great application that ties the whole series together.

Sure not to miss that if you can stay with us.

Maybe catch it later on the ship and remap or online at http://livingontheedge.org okay let's get going show. If you have a Bible open it out of first John right there the end of the Bible. Let's join chip for his final message of series Prince of peace want to take a few moments and just make sure that we reflect and pause and think about you know what Christmas really is all about and and if you're a lady you can raise your hand if you're a man, you probably don't want to but how many of you ladies like those Hallmark movies I married one of those ladies and let me just say for the sake of marital alignment. I've watched a few and it early on. It would cause an argument because if you've ever seen a Hallmark movie much you guys will not admit to this.

The story is always the same. Completely the same. The characters are very good-looking 25 to 40-year-olds and within about the first 45 seconds you'll see a guy and you see a girl and I think there'd involved love and not only are they gonna fall in love. But then there can have this really tensioner this moment where it looks like they might not but but about an hour and 45 in its later there going to be kissing and snow will be holy and rumor has it next year they gonna say Hallmark movies 100 days before Christmas because there are the only doing 50 days or 30 or 25 or whatever it is now, here's the confession. However, now that I've made fun of them just a little. I know the story. I know it's can happen. I know that in a kiss. And yet, guys.

I'm sorry about this iconic tear up and feel like oh that's so wonderful.

It makes me feel so good and I have my hallmark moment in my life turns because now isn't that great.

And in my experience probably sees me growing up, but Christmas Eve services for me were a hallmark moment I didn't grow up believing in Christ. Personally I've never open the Bible, but I did go to church on Christmas Eve and it was a lot like a little bit what you've experienced.

I mean there was greenery scandals and the colors in the room, banners, and there's just something like this is awesome. And then you know no matter what was going on in your family you know we had dysfunctional family issues and my dad was a good guy but he was an alcoholic and that boy. That night we all got along you know is great and my concern is that our time together goes beyond just a hallmark moment and that we really ask ourselves so why are we really here. In other words, the question I want to ask is who is this child really mean the hallmark moment is is great that I can't base my hope on this good warm great feeling with Christmas music and a baby in Marion shepherds and Magi opening presents and some good food. I'm living in a world where there's Isis I'm living in a world with there's poverty and disease, and not talked about much, but it's a huge area HIV-positive. I'm living in a world where divorce happens I'm living World War III of my closest friends have for stage cancer. I'm living in a world where one of my very closest friends. His son in a really weak moment after being through horrendous things great Craig killed himself and so I think we gotta pull back and say yes this is an amazing moment, but where's our whole is more than just a hallmark moment is historical reality and what I want to suggest is that we have been teaching.

Thus far, that it's a historical reality. I want you to know that what were celebrating isn't some person that came up with an idea. Let's start another religion 700 years before Jesus was born a prophet named Isaiah would get a word from God and say in chapter 7.

A day is coming when it would be a virgin. Out of the blue prophecy that would be with child and his name would be Emmanuel, God with us to chapters later you mostly got it on your Christmas cards you read this or you saw it earlier for a child is born, to us right a son is given, and the government will rest on his shoulders and he will be called wonderful Counselor, mighty God, eternal father literally father of eternity, Prince of peace and his government and its peace will never end.

He will rule with fairness and justice from the throne of his ancestor David the passionate commitment of the Lord of Heaven's armies will make this happen and here's what I want you to get what we celebrated. Who is this child he's wonderful Counselor prophesied fulfillment 300 specific prophecies, the probability is for even six or seven of those is one with about 30 zeros. This baby was fully man and fully God. He's called the Messiah or the Christ. He came to save his people and us from our sin he saw the humanity and our brokenness and our hurt and every one of us needs wisdom and he's a wonderful counselor. All of us need power. We need the power to live the way we want to but can't and so he's a mighty God and we need someone to carry us along to know that this life isn't all there is is the father of eternity.

We hope you can't live in this world the way you live it in and not know there's got to be something more. And Jesus said not only there is, but I came to die for the sins of all men of all time and I'm preparing a place in his last words to his disciples. I will not leave you as orphans. I prepare a place for you and then finally he's the Prince of peace.

This word for princes.

Literally it's chieftain or leader can be translated. Prince of the King of peace and the peace that he's talking about. It's something way bigger than you and I tend to think pets who were celebrating. It was a historical event on a piece of land in Israel with real people in real space time with struggles and ups and downs of time in the Roman Empire.

That's who he really is.

The second question, why did he come why did he come. We know from what Mary saying what Joseph would say what Sakurai would say she read the New Testament documents he came to save his people.

He came to save. He came to rescue.

He came to deliver but I like to focus on one great thing. He came to be the Prince of peace.

Now when you and I think about peace and wanting peace. The English word basically means to be without conflict or turbulence so it can be external does not know the worth is not chaos at work or there's not turbulence out there in your circumstances or in a relationship.

It's a piece in the other way we apply it in English is that there's not conflict in your soul you not uptight you're not anxious you we say to one another.

I'm not stressed out. I'm at peace, but if our English word for being at peace has this much meaning. The word the Bible uses is this big it's shalom is the Hebrew word in the Greek takes it with all full of its meaning in the word shalom literally.

He's the Prince of shalom in the Old Testament is what God calls himself, but the meaning of shalom is so much bigger than the absence of disturbance or conflict. It has four basic meanings.

The first one. It literally means health.

Another words or wholeness that your whole unit of the word is world is falling there's disease. There's her difficulty and for shalom, it means that things would be right your body and mind and heart and soul. The second meaning of the word has to do with harmony. It means there's harmony between you and God. Harmony between you and other people. It means there's there's no guilt. There's no shame there's no dissonance there's no fear other than a reverential awe that you and God are aligned their shalom between you there shalom in your marriage. Shalom and your friendship. Shalom what work he came to be the Prince of shalom.

The third meaning of the word has to do with fulfillment. In fact, it's translated prosperity or success where his handiwork, he made us, and for God when he, the Prince of shalom is that you would be discovering your design that you would be successful and fulfilled and do what only you can do. In fact, it's translated, and in parts of the Old Testament, as is prosperity.

The shalom the blessing of God that he loves us is for us in the final use of the word is a victor over enemies, enemies like death enemies like the evil one enemies like at times, our own selfishness and our sin. Why did he come he came to give us shalom.

So here's the text question. Where is this piece that he promised right, not a lot of shalom. Is there I got a text from a very, very close friend. His son in a really weak moment after being through horrendous things he could came. I had been in a in and out of drug rehab about three times but was clean for 10 years but did some stuff to his brain and so he was bipolar and had several struggles. This this kid, 30, 32's hearts this big awesome guy had a chance to baptize them over there about four months ago radical change in his life but he so struggle with those dips of depression and in a moment of weakness killed himself. Some of you this Chris minutes is your first Christmas there's no shalom, you were married last Christmas, you're not this Christmas. For some it's a father or son or a daughter, and you've experienced the death or your visitor to the cancer ward and there's no shalom, you say, God, if you came to bring peace and I'm not experiencing it to see that prophecy of wonderful Counselor, mighty God, father of eternity, Prince of peace.

It's a double prophecy. And if you if you can imagine a prophet looking to mountain peaks and seeing how they align the first part of that verse is about Jesus first coming, he's coming. He is the wonderful counselor. He is the mighty God. He raised people from the dead. He brought peace, he would heal this person.

He fed 5000 people demonstrated.

If you see me using the father. I am the peace of God, I'm the branch I will show you this is what life is all about, but you notice it says in the government. The tense changes will rest upon his shoulders. It says he will be on David's throne other words, this is linked to some fairytale. This is linked to a real person who was a king, the God may promise to name David and see his first Advent but the second mountain peak is when he returns.

When Jesus came the first time. His last official act is he came into Jerusalem riding on a colt or a donkey in the Middle Eastern culture. When a king would come and ride on a call colt or a donkey. He was coming in peace looking for reconciliation with the group that he was visiting. He would go to the city and say I don't want to attack. Let's let's have a covenant of peace and Jesus came and was rejected and killed and beaten. When he returns the fulfillment of all those other things, he will not come on a colt to come on a stallion with a host of angels to bring about what you want and what I want no more wickedness no more selfishness, no nations fighting against one another.

He will bring absolute peace and death and sin and sorrow and pain and all of it will be swallowed up but the distance between the first coming in the second he's entrusted to us the message of peace.

In fact, he has this strange thing that he calls Christ followers. He says you are my body you're my hand to my feet. I want you to tell the world that when I die upon the cross I paid for the sins of all people of all time. In fact, peace is a gift you can't earn it.

You can't get it.

You can't be successful enough. You can't do enough. You can't be famous enough. Peace is something that God gives you can actually be in right relationship with him and yourself and others and not have guilt and not have shame not have to impress anyone or not have to get into the school or that school. Kids don't have to be that successful or the successful and you don't need to look a certain way you can be loved for just who you are because you're at peace as a gift from God. That's why he came in.

The reason we don't have it yet is because genuine love never forces itself on anyone.

God says I love you. I make the offer. He comes to us as a Savior saying if you want peace I want to give it to you but I won't force it on a member my old days of college I would talk, especially the young guys who have a crush on a girl and you know she would give him the time of day. She so beautiful and I just want her. And if there's any way I could make her love me like it be great we be talking about that in the relationship with the Lord in a wiser so much evil in the world of civil here's the price tag of genuine love. I said you know what if you could get that gallop in the student union to just sit down with you for coffee or Coke or something. She looked away, if you can get a little blue pill and put it in it and had magical powers and then when she would drink that she would go. I love you and she would just call you and want to do coming every comment sheet you would be it. And then you guys get married to get breakfast and she just looks awesome all the time and I mean you would just be. I mean, she would just love you love you love you love you love you love you and their thinking. Yeah, where's the ice that would be great for two weeks. It might be great for couple months actually for some of us we might be able to endure that for a year. But there'd be a day when you wake up and you'd wonder that she loved me because she swallowed the blue pill or does she love me for me in the high price of God saying no blue pills allowed the price of love is you can receive me or reject me, but the price tag is a world where there sin in their selfishness. And there's hatred and there's war and there's people who choose to reject his love and he's called us to share it. Final question is what do you really need this Christmas, not what you want what you really need.

I doubt maybe some of you will get that new Lexus with the bow on the top when you wake up or maybe get the new tech toy or maybe a coupon for the awesome vacation or a new coat or some closer if grandma's in town, at least in our world. That means there but he gets underwear what what what you need.

See you know what I think has happened, especially for us Americans is we think that what would really satisfy is if we were happy, and happiness revolves around our circumstances changing. I don't have a person in my life. I had a person in my life. I don't have a good enough job I had that kind of job. I don't own a home, but if I owned a home my kids get in the school if we could finally have kids or I'm single and if win if win if, when and then as soon as whatever it is what you know about fleeting happiness. It's been it's the next thing and I don't know why but distant in my line of work I just had the chance last 20 or 30 years to meet people that you all and I would think at least until I got to know them well that they are so pretty and they're so wealthy and they're so famous and the most lonely people I've ever met. Are people that have everything that they thought would make them happy. But they don't have peace and I would like to suggest that what I need and what you need more than any gift or fleeting happiness is a lasting peace.

And so my final little question is will how do you get that piece. Jesus told his disciples the last night I am leaving you with a gift you can't buy gifts. You can't earn gifts their free peace of mind and heart and the peace I give is a gift, the world cannot give no wonderful relationship. No amount of money, no amount of pain. No new job.

The world just can't give it. So don't be troubled or afraid.

I want you to know that I think God wants us to have a Hallmark moment. I think it's great but I think he wants you to rest your hope in a historical reality where the God that made all that there is interrupted human history and took on human flesh to be for you personally. A wonderful counselor, a powerful, mighty God, a father of all eternity. And if you would so choose to be your own Prince of peace.

If you would say not my kingdom, but yours. And if you would turn from your control and yourself and say I need you to forgive me. I believe that when you died on the cross and paid for my sin and what gives us peace with God is not our morality. What gives us peace with God is God looking down on us through the atonement of the blood of Christ, and we receive the gift and the Scripture says that he that has the son has life and he that does not have the son of God does not have life. The Scripture says God will keep him or her in perfect peace his mind is stayed on him. We go in the further today.

I just want to repeat last words of this message is taken from holy Scripture.

The apostle John would say he that has the son has life and he that has not the son of God does not have life being good. Going to church, morality, all those things have a place but if you want peace in your life that never changes.

If you want the Prince of peace, to take up residence in your heart and your life to guide you, protect you live inside of you, then you need to have the son.

The Bible is very clear and explained in this message that Christ died in your place to pay for your sin is a free gift from God. And here's the offer as many as received him, Jesus said them he gave the right literally the authority, the power to become children of God.

Would you like to become a child of God today would you like to experience God's peace you like to know in this chaotic world that no matter what happens, that he's prepared a place for you. They don't never leave you that heaven is a reality.

If so, can I encourage you to turn right now from anything or anyone that you're trusting in to make your life work and say to the God of heaven, Lord God Almighty, I have sinned. I'm not perfect.

I don't do the things I know I should do.

And there's things I know I ought to do that. I've left undone and so I ask you now to forgive me of all my sins come into my life make me your son make me your daughter totally based on Christ payment for my sin and his resurrection to prove it. Lord save me right now. I ask it in Jesus name.

If you prayed that with me right now. This will be by far the best Christmas present you've ever received in your life you been given the gift of eternal life. Can I encourage you right now like never before to take just a moment get on your phone or get on the web go to LivingontheEdge.org and there are some information that's easy to find about the moment after you trust Christ. Here's some resources to help you understand your new life and begin to grow. Binding good Bible teaching church and called the greatest Christian you know today and tell them I prayed to receive Christ in you help me begin to grow.

God bless you and Merry Christmas if you prayed with Chip.

I hope you'll take a minute and call us at triple late. 333-6003. We love to hear your story and get a free resource in your hands that'll help you understand the significance of your decision and then give you a couple of next steps on your journey that same resources available if you tap special offers on the app or go to the new believers tab on our website LivingontheEdge.org. We just want to help you get started and say welcome to the family trip without question 2020 is been one of the most difficult years in a long time regional challenges birth innovation and you did a brand-new thing this year called daily discipleship with Chip where you started meeting with people one on one showing them how to get in the Scripture for themselves and the responses been pretty spectacular of good. You give us a little peek into how that has impacted people's lives. While I love to Dave. In fact, I have stacks literally of emails of people in letters written to me about what it's meant to them in their personal life and growth of just meeting you know maybe 20 days in a row to the book of Ephesians work through the book of Philippians and this lady writes, thank you from the bottom of my heart for providing the online discipleship series discovering your true self. What a blessing is been to watch the videos listen to the online book commentaries and fill out the online worksheets. I'm still reading through the book, but it's really good so far. I was able to complete all of the daily lessons and I'm now doing my best to apply those lessons to my daily life. I prayed that each truth will sink deep in my heart I realize that you provide all of these at no cost, which is phenomenal for someone such as myself who is permanently disabled due to an autoimmune issue. However, I'll try to send you a donation for the book in the future when I'm able. I just want to say I wish you could read the email after email after email like that. We literally gave away almost 10,000 books and we did that. You know why because what we know is that you can inspire people when they listen to people teach, but you help people grow and be transformed when they dig in to the Scripture for themselves. We want people to learn God's word to become self feeders to become disciples, who then become disciple makers and what I can tell you in this last year, despite all the covert and all the challenges we've exploded in our impacted Living on the Edge that testimony represents thousands literally hundreds of thousands of views of people that have met with me personally and are becoming like Christ and then passing it on. Here's my request. I would love to make more of these daily discipleship with chips.

I would love to disciple more people in the years ahead. But it's going to require not just my teaching and our team. It's gonna require you to help us. Would you pray specifically for Living on the Edge and this December which you give specifically would you pray and say Lord what part of the money that you've entrusted to me. Do you want me to give to Living on the Edge and yes I know it gets doubled. Yes I know there's a lot of good reasons but Lord, I want to do this to cause the ministry to happen. In other people's lives like that woman who wrote that email which you stand with us this December, really powerful quick strip all of that mission resonates with you now would be a great time to join the team during the month of December.

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