Peace on Earth; click here to listen

Jesus masculine using hand one feels more like a losing battle when something last night and now welcome messenger you were glad to have Smith's addition Robby what day is it that it is New Year's Eve EBV review for suppressing that six days before New Year's. So hopefully you find in the 20s we doing this we just left you do it's in the actual topic today is was right in our intro. That was how do you lose heart.

My feels Mark a losing battle.

Something worth dying for.

Part of it and run away worth living for all. Yes and asked about the topic today with no further ado is peace on earth you know you hear a lot in the Christmas season Microsoft as it in their commercially probably seen the wonderful song that there be peace on earth and let it begin with me so what is that me how that worked out know doesn't work with their windows but that's probably why the plan is now your one mouse click away from no peace green Merry Christmas if you stop you if you're not will pray for a really good place to talk about so as we were talking about this topic and and I think it's a wonderful thing to ponder this time of year and we are thing about movie clips and I came across this movie on Netflix. Actually a couple months ago.

It's called the Emperor and it's the story of what happened to the Japanese emperor at the end of World War II, but actually, MacArthur was sent over there with you to investigate the Emperor to see if he was guilty of war crimes and of course if you're the Emperor they really considered him to be a deity, and so there are all sorts of rules and regulations, like if you're going to meet this Emperor.

You couldn't shake his hand.

The last thing you would ever do is take a picture with a guy you couldn't looking dead in the eye and these were all the traditions of what it meant to be a Japanese emperor, but what they needed at this point time with the whole world needed was peace on earth you know at the end of World War II, and I think the posture that you see that the Emperor took illness and if you listen closely something happens is MacArthur goes up against all those traditions to see where the Emperor actually does in fact surrender and is somewhat his Majesty's hand is not just you may not shed his Majesty's. We have arranged picture is here in the library, you must. Mike's is 12 is this punishment, this is nothing to do punishments. I need you so this is so you see there's a lot of stuff: on their MacArthur certainly challenges all those traditions is he reaching out to grab the Emperor's hand took the picture and then add all the people he and so the Emperor found himself in a really unusual position of throwing back all his tradition and completely humbling himself to the point of surrender and that surrender was significant in that MacArthur was actually would've done a lot of political pressure in order to person. He was he was supposed to try the Emperor and war crimes, but he he chose to a different method of actually allowing the Emperor to have this face-to-face confrontation or with the Emperor did was completely say let the punishment of Japan fallen me just like you know that the life of Christ, you let the punishment punishment fall on me and got so honored that when you look at how Japan got on its feet. You can see that the Emperor clearly bared his cross in a way that brought peace in a phenomenal way and not a Microsoft and and to me it illustrates the idea of shalom, and we hear the word shalom is the Hebrew word for completeness and that completeness is illustrated so beautifully in Isaiah when they're given the seven spirits of God and Isaiah 12 where he talked about that the spirit of God would be upon the Christ, and that would be the spirit of wisdom and the spirit of understanding in the spirit of knowledge and the spirit of the fear the Lord and my favorite part, the last on the seventh spirit of the spirits of God is a delight in the fear the Lord and that is a point of complete surrender to God is that you got this man I know were going to win this and if I would just completely surrender their and lay down in the father's arms.

There's peace) and we see such a magnificent way that happened in world history there at the end of World War II, which just adds delighted in that particular scene in the movie Rob if you would've asked me three years ago five years ago.

Whatever might've been what piece was that would've not been the answer I that's not was what I ever thought what I was taught in school. What piece was out in the remember originally what you thought peace was what that meant. As your growing up, or even not that long ago. I just remember the symbol. I didn't know what it meant there was a lot of peace in my life early on, but the quiet, still quiet moments where I wasn't under persecution. I loved it when nobody was angry everybody was calm and we were all in separate rooms and I can just breathe a sigh of relief for me. I guess always believe that in order to have peace. There had to be an absence of conflict that now I understand that's what that's what it seems like that's what I did exactly what I feel felt life always has conflict so how do you find peace when not having conflict is not an option.

As we talked about last week there was a promise. Lots of good things Robby talked about it they were going to happen to us, but there's also a promise of persecution. Absalom writes from from the gospel tells us were going to have conflict, yet were told to have peace as well is one of the ways you talk about Robby is the surrender. So what's it look like if not, the Emperor of Japan. While that delight in the fear the Lord to me is such a phenomenal concept of completely having such a faith to know I am my father's favorite kid.

There is like, you know that the story the airplane pilot but wise a kid not worried of the planes but my dad's. The pilot and so since our dad is the pilot there's a matter of faith that can permeate us when we truly lay down and say okay got.

I know you got this. Where do I go from here and begin to take his marching orders in this battle that that it is that were fighting and resting in the father is is is that place for me is that something for most people out there that they can just do all one time or is it something that happens in that sanctification process or that walking Christ process Audi when you think you think I'll believe it or not I would love it when we talk about fear. There's two types, and there's Jesus talks in one section about fear as an intimidation, you should be intimidated by God to certain aspects only talk about fear the Lord and that whole fear of the Lord term, it means awesome wonder, and in Robby said it so well that when you're an awesome wonder the God loves you that you're his favorite and he's gonna work everything for good.

That is a feeling of peace in the midst of the war. It's a feeling of trust in the midst of a war in its spirit being spiritual in the midst of the world and the cool thing is you is your treatment out for me is that verse in first John that says perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment, and now compare that to what the Emperor said that the punishment and then what MacArthur said which this is all historically accurate cool stuff he's this doesn't have to do with punishment, your Majesty and and we quite often think that why were experiencing the blues at Christmas or whatever is it what I understand, I fall short. And now, this is some kind of punishment. Perfect love drives out that you can't have peace in that type of fear right.

We can still have a fear of the Lord when it's an awesome wonder Breck and so in that humbling process and I can only speak for me. I've had to learn it the hard I you know I think I you prayed a lot better job of getting a lot more to God than what I have done over the years, you know minds kinda been a given pullback give it full of back pain a relationship and on and you kind of just lay it all out there and I think as we can begin to get more comfortable with God and trust in that relationship with you that more and that's we find more peeps talk about how do you have that these in the midst of war even when you trust God even when you know he's there with you were still surrounding you. How you can have peace and backward until you have any radios listed are supported very thankful for every dollar but I wanted to take a moment to share a really easy way to support its use Amazon to purchase things you need to do is smile.amazon.com is a charity contribution site from their slick good heart ministries and Amazon will donate 5% of your purchase, donate or watch a video on how to do this under the radio that's messenger the radio alert domain here for messenger and radio show are so often focuses on healing and freedom found her walking more intimately with father no one wants to see a counselor, but often times I find myself stuck needing a little bit more help my friends and seasons of the heart human catheters. Counselors help you find healing through the father. For more information on seasons of the hard mask. That's messenger the radio.org that is about the music I last had a good deed is easy to dance to my wife but I love that song. That's the first one the first clips on my playlist but that's taken from Henry Wadsworth home they put the music and I love the. The fact that it starts out with the cynic right there.

But then he hears the bells and the bells are ringing peace on earth, and that comes from the Lord Jesus Christ that comes from our father in heaven.

And then once he hears that he starts to feel that that peace comes over him. God is not dead or does he sleep to me that so encouraging.

I just love that line because for me. I've been through the difficult times and you know it all comes down for me to Hezekiah.

He laid it all out. He took all the things were written his fears and struggles.

He laid them out before God.

God took care of it and the more I lay out the more he takes care of it. A course, the more he sends for me to lay out which oftentimes is a struggle but for me it's just you know I can't take the burden the cake. It's too heavy. So that's where I got casting crowns cracked those names on I heard the bells now. It's hard sometimes not be the cynic I mean I don't want to keep.

When you know it's our eyes are I see the world our ears hear the world and it controls our minds off and all those nerve endings going to our brain, but inside our brain is our solar personality is that we have to transcend from everything we see and have faith in our father in heaven that there is a bigger plan and there is a bigger purpose for us to overcome the struggles just like Jesus overcome overcame all of our struggle and you know we need to guard our heart is a wellspring of life but life keeps coming at us and so when all those bombs are going off around her return, and there's another one he turned and there's another one. It's easy to kinda become a cynic. Sometimes see the tank in the rearview mirror and so you gonna be able to have faith in something since we have a clip actually that is about war, and in bombs going on literally around these people and they're still trying to find a way to have peace in the midst of know it. Sam and I had a conversation earlier in the week we were talking about different places you can find peace any said something that just struck me was peace in the midst of war, and I was like I gotta find a clip on peace in the midst of war because if we can all find peace peace in the midst of war, and we can start to let the bombs go off focus on where were at. Focus on God and so the first thing I thought of the movie you haven't seen yet I seem clips from that I've read about it.

I want to see so bad but it's faith of our fathers, and this is about to fathers that are in in Vietnam, but they're in a foxhole, I think it is. Haven't seen the clips I don't know but you know it in one of the one of the men's fear no he bears it in the other one in his eye will see fear. But in his distress.

He gets an opportunity to share his faith, which I think takes them both to a better place.

As it says if you see Jesus you guy's selflessly the separation is just like you would think me since she is faithful and just to forgive us of our sins here temporary. You actually now have the longest clip we ever put that shell yeah it was really good and what you can't hear their dear in Vietnam there in the bush in their sleeping know they slip back to back, and when these guys are doing this you don't hear the bombs exploding around them which you hear is the bombs in their hearts going off the fear, the concern, the doubt. You know those of the bombs I was speaking up and the foxhole we call the foxhole when we're together is friends buddies partners that are foxhole so as you listen to that though we share this, we get there we share our heart we open bear sole and were there for each other. We share do we get irritated with each other. Sometimes in sometimes say the wrong thing.

Yeah we stick together as friends and I love that peace on earth that one friend could share with another member of a part of this when you hear in this clip really ties back into what we are talking about the first part of the show in order for this gentleman to find peace is to do something similar to what their printed doubt has said it's a surrender thing. There's a fascinating thing I came across. Actually this morning that in Hebrews 11 Sarah is talked about her great faith. And when you think about the story of Sarah and she was can have a baby at 100. She didn't seem to have great faith actually laughed. Now that yet. It says in Hebrews 11 that because of her great faith. You know she was the mother of a multitude that end up obviously even being in Christ, and the thing about that is it's faith the size of a mustard seed of a really small faith. God honored tremendously way above and beyond and so when he says that if you have faith the size of a mustard seed it will move mountains, you can say for this mountain for that man in the foxhole as well as for me when I my faith was at its smallest point. When I asked Christ to forgive me when I really had no understanding of even what all that was about that little bitty size of a mustard seed moved the whole mountain of sin off my shoulders and provide the piece that now is available, and so that poor Emperor when you listen to his surrender.

It looked really really small, but God made it absolutely.

What if you're one of those people like me that have trouble surrendering. Sometimes I guess the question that I would ask is when Robby is asked before.

How's that working out for just a question not surrendering what are you fighting for you.

Probably it's more stubbornness and control. Sometimes you know you just don't want to have to have help and I think that's an arrogance thing be quite honest, I can only speak for me and unintentionally want to feel that way.

It really does know the words to describe it when you really get down to you with the truth of it is at some level of that ordered some beliefs. Honestly, for me it's probably some believe I'm not trusting God's heart fully knowing God continues to come after that. Work on these patient with me he loves me through it and I am getting so much more than I ever have, and see the humility of that is cell Sam is huge because obviously we all struggle there. I do it out of I say I don't. I'm completely public. I struggle all the time and and praise God I got friends like you to say Robby think through that and you know that's what happened. All these brothers and sisters and mothers and fathers is about us and say Sam, you know what you just said you can look at me and now I'm looking a guy I know what you just said but you do the same thing for me and you do the same thing for Al that is part of what it means to be a band of brothers is that you don't just have the momentary piece of understanding who Christ is, but you're in a battle together and your your lock arms because you know that were all frail and we all find ourselves the point struggle. So what if you're somebody out there that isn't a place where they have a band of brothers or band of sisters or whatever they wanted: how do they still find peace in the midst of that when the ECMA okay you put though not I would just say that I know in your case, and I know in in Darren's and in several other men that they first went to God, but then really ask him to bring those people in the life you know ultimately sometimes God says hey it's me and you for a while till we get this figured out.

Robby, it's this it's gotta be the point where you go to him first and then he'll open the doors for the rest of that and so that's part of what if your to place today were you don't have peace. Ask yourself, my really humbling myself in front of God really given those things to him my really trusting his heart in my being arrogant or are you trusting that he will take care of you to provide your friends and support in the love that your heart needs and the peace in the midst of war