Advent Week 1 • Romans 5:1-10

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Good morning.

We've been asked to read a little scripture to you all, and we're going to be coming from

Luke chapter 1, verse 26 through 38.

Luke 1:26–38

I'm going to begin.

Oh, I'm Jason Bush.

Sorry.

This is my wife, Leah, Avery Bush, Elena Bush, and my man, Adam.

All right, let me begin.

Verse 26.

In the sixth month of Elizabeth's pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a village

in Galilee, to a virgin named Mary.

She was engaged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of King David.

Gabriel appeared to her and said, Greetings, favored woman, the Lord is with you.

Confused and disturbed, Mary tried to think what the angel could mean.

Don't be afraid, Mary, the angel told her, for you have found favor with God.

You will receive and give birth to a son, and you will call him Jesus.

He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High.

The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David, and he will reign over Israel

forever.

His kingdom will never end.

Mary asked the angel, But how can this happen?

I am a virgin.

The angel replied, The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will

overshadow you.

So the baby to be born will be holy, and he will be called the Son of God.

What's more, your relative Elizabeth has become pregnant in her old age.

People used to say she was barren, but she has conceived a son and is now in her sixth month.

For the Son of God will never fail.

Mary responded, I am the Lord's servant.

May everything you have said about me come true.

And then the angel left her.

Amen.

Amen.

There we go.

Set this right down right over here.

So we're doing something a little different as we get into our Christmas season with having

a different family each week come up and read for us the Christmas story.

You know, it's interesting.

We watch a lot of Christmas movies.

We read, some of us, Christmas books.

And so it's just wonderful to start off and just remind us of the true, the original, the

one and only Christmas story.

So I just want to say good morning to all of you and thank the Bushes for being the guinea

pigs and starting off for us.

You guys did a fantastic job.

We appreciate y'all doing that.

Well, if you've got your Bible, go ahead and open them up to Romans chapter 5.

Romans 5 · chapter mention

That's where we're going to be as we begin our Christmas series.

Now, last week we had a missionary that was here with us that was able to share.

And so it feels like we're a little slower than normal of getting into the Christmas season

around here, even though the trees and the church was decorated, but really beginning our Christmas

series a week later than how we normally do it.

And so I'm excited as we kind of dive in over the course of this series, while we're having

the traditional story read to us, we're going to do something maybe not as traditional and

look at some different passages of scripture that remind us about the different aspects of

the Christmas season and who we are in Christ and what Christ came to do, right, as he was

sent by the Father, born of a virgin, right?

And so we're going to celebrate those together.

A couple reminders and one may be kind of something new for you.

As we continue our celebration, our Christmas Eve service will be at 5, Christmas Day service

at 10 a.m., right?

So Christmas Eve, 5 p.m., Christmas Day, 10 a.m., worshiping together.

They're identical services for both of those, and we're excited about that.

But something new that we're doing.

So once every seven years, we have happened what is happening this year, which means Christmas

Day falls on a Sunday, which also means New Year's Day falls on a Sunday.

And so several months ago, we began to brainstorm as a staff about that and to see, God, what

would you have us do?

Do we come out with our normal worship service that we always do as we gather together or something

special?

And so we begin to pray and think about that.

And it's where we end up landing with our worship service that's going to look like a prayer

breakfast.

And so if you look around you, you've got these cards that are going to be there.

And let me kind of explain to you what our New Year's Day worship service is going to

look like.

We're going to gather together a little earlier.

You can start showing up at 930 that morning, so don't stay out too late, all right?

You're going to gather together a little bit earlier at 930 that morning.

And part of our worship that we're going to have together is going to be a fellowship time,

an extended fellowship time of breakfast together as a church family.

And we are super excited about it.

Brian Smith, one of our church members who works for Lizard's Thicket, has been able

to work out and coordinate with us as we're going forward with this.

And so Lizard's Thicket is going to cater that for us that morning.

We're going to have a nice, wonderful carb and protein loaded breakfast of grits, pancakes,

eggs, sausage, and bacon.

There's no better way to start off the New Year than the Lord and sausage, bacon, and pancakes.

Amen?

So we're going to have that.

We're going to come together for a time of fellowship with that.

And so here's what we need for you.

You'll notice there is a place on a website where you can go and you can register, but there's

also a little QR code that you can scan.

And here's why we're asking for this.

We want a rough number of how many people that we need to plan for and that we need to coordinate

with.

So here's what that does not mean.

All right.

If you think you're going to be out of town and you're not, we still want you to show up

that morning.

Okay.

Whether you register or not, we want you to be there.

We don't want you to hinder it for you inviting someone to come and to be a part of the service.

All right.

So this service is still open.

This is not a ticketed event or RSVP only.

We're just hoping that this can give us a rough estimate of who all is going to be there

so that we know who to plan for with that.

But if you know anything about us, there will be plenty of food.

And so we want to have everybody for that.

Anyway, after we have our time of breakfast together, we're going to come together for

a time of worship and music together.

We're going to come time for opening God's word.

But the main focus that day of how we respond with the Lord is going to be an intentional

time of prayer.

And that's where the heart of this kind of came for us is when we begin a new year, we

begin a new season.

We begin to look at all the things, all that we're going to want to do, all that we're going

to want to accomplish, all that.

And that goes from church to your family, to your own personal life of what's there.

And so what we wanted to begin with is say, you know what, let's just begin this new year,

let's begin this season by coming before the Lord and taking all that he's burdened our

hearts with, all that he's given us to contemplate and to think about, and just begin the year

by bringing them to him and laying them down before his feet.

So I'm excited that day.

We should run kind of our normal time, but we'll start, like I said, a little bit early

at 930, and then we'll go from there.

All right?

So if you've got any questions afterwards, please grab one of us.

We would love to answer any questions that you have about that service.

So before we get started, let's go to the Lord in prayer.

God, I thank you so much for this morning, for this time that we could be here.

What I thank you for the story that we just heard, and it was a story while recorded,

while written down, isn't just a story that came from a thought, but it's a story

that comes from fact, from real life, from actual history.

So Lord, as we dive into your word this morning, we thank you of the miracle of that first Christmas

season, where our Savior, Jesus Christ, was sent to be born of a virgin, to live a perfect life,

to die on the cross, to be resurrected.

And Lord, today we celebrate because we find our peace, our hope, our joy, and our love in him.

And it's in Jesus' name we pray.

Amen.

Amen.

Before we jump into Romans chapter 3, I want to read to you, probably outside of the Gospels,

Romans 3 · chapter mention

I would say, is the verse that's most attached to, most related to the Christmas season.

It's an Old Testament passage from the prophet Isaiah, Isaiah 9-6.

And it says, "'For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government shall

be upon his shoulders, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting

Father, Prince of Peace.'"

What we just sang together, right?

The Word of God there for us.

And this is a passage of Scripture that we see all the time during the Christmas season.

And we see, and it's in this one verse, we understand the Christmas narrative that's going

to unfold, but also within this, the work and the embodiment of who Jesus is.

And we're given the four titles, four titles of Christ, that he's Wonderful Counselor, he's

Mighty God, he's Everlasting Father.

But what I want to focus on this morning, what I want to look at is those, that last title,

those last three words, Prince of Peace.

I don't know about you, but this season always feels chaotic.

The balancing of schedules, the parties that we have to go to, whose Christmas gifts do

we have to get?

Oh yeah, we forgot about that, Ant, we got to make sure that we get that, right?

Like, if you have that moment, we celebrate the fact that as we're driving to a get-together,

when you remember you didn't get that gift, there's something out there called a digital gift

card, right?

But it seems to be, in the hustle and bustle of this season for us, that it feels like peace

is not there.

And so I wanted to open up this series as we walk through the different aspects of Christ

and talk about that.

So what does it mean that Jesus Christ, that he is the Prince of Peace?

Well, it means that Christ is the embodiment of peace.

That when we look at him, this is what we see in his life.

It means that as he rules as the Prince of Peace, that his kingdom is one of peace.

But that for all of us who are searching and looking, he is also the means of peace.

So he is peace.

His kingdom is one of peace.

And if we want peace, if we want true peace, it's only going to happen through Jesus.

And so, as we sit here this morning, and as we wrestle with what we see, what we experience,

and oftentimes in our lives even feel, we're like, man, I want that.

I want that.

I think across the board, if we were to go out and pull 100 people, both believers and

non-believers, if we were to say, do you want peace?

I'd be willing to bet at least 99 out of 100 would say yes.

But the question that I have for you this morning is what peace?

What peace do you want?

What peace are you looking for?

Are you looking for the peace of this world?

Are you looking for this peace that the world provides, that the world tries to sell, which

is counterfeit peace?

And I would say that this peace, this worldly peace is kind of, when I think about it, it's

three things to describe this peace.

It's emotionally centered.

When we think of worldly peace, it's emotionally centered.

And so we ask ourselves, how do I feel in this moment?

That's worldly peace.

I'm going to give an example here in just a second that I think walks us through this.

The second thing about worldly peace is it's not only how do I feel, but it's circumstantial.

So it's found in the feeling of the circumstances that you're facing in that moment.

So it is a feeling, emotionally centered, that's circumstantial, that's found in the experiences

that you have at that time, and it's temporary, right?

Just as fast as it came, it can leave.

And so the peace of this world, and that's oftentimes what we're living in and what we're

thinking through right now.

It's emotional, how do I feel?

It's circumstantial, it's based in the moment, and it's temporary.

It comes, it leaves.

Let me give you an illustration of this type of peace.

Y'all remember summer?

Y'all remember that?

Before you had to put on sweaters and coats and all those things?

It was 115 degrees in the shade in South Carolina.

Y'all remember?

Y'all remember summer?

Here's a life view, I'd like to paint a scenario for you that most of us, if not all of us,

have probably experienced during the summer.

I'd like to describe to you a peaceful trip to the beach.

So think about this.

You're out there in the warmth of the sand.

You've got your favorite chair.

For me, it's one of those that's got the real short legs, you know, where you're all down

into the sand, and you can lay it all the way back, and you don't care if anyone hears

if you're snoring, right?

So you're there, you're in your chair, kick back, and you hear the waves just coming up

onto the shore.

That's my impression of waves, all right?

Just get with me on that.

And then you hit this moment where you do something you haven't done in a long time.

You relax.

And as the tide comes in, you're feeling the heat of the sun, but the coolness of the water

is coming up and just touching your feet.

And between the right amount of sun that's touching your feet, but there's still the right amount of sun

that's keeping your body warm, you enter into this stage where you go in and out of consciousness,

of sleep.

And all that feels good, right?

Anybody else want to experience that?

I would.

Let's do that, right?

Now, that's peaceful, right?

But then, in that moment, right as you fall asleep, you realize, I got to reapply the suntan lotion

on my kid that doesn't want me to touch them at all right now, right?

And then, because it's got to set in, like, they've got to sit in the shade for the next

15 minutes as it absorbs.

Right as you have that thought, the wind picks up from that gradual breeze that's keeping you

nice and content on the beach to all of a sudden it's rolling through like a hurricane's there

and your umbrella that is buried six feet under the sand so that it wouldn't do this catches

that and plows in to the people that are next to you.

And then, and then if it's not, couldn't get worse, the people next to you break out the

Bluetooth speaker.

Y'all know, right?

And they're not playing what you want to listen to.

Whatever it is that you don't want to listen to, that's what they're listening to and they've

got it maxed out.

And then you hear that phrase, I'm bored.

Come from your kids or your husband, right?

Like, y'all know where we're at, right?

How's that peaceful feeling now?

Gone.

Gone.

In a matter of time, that which you felt, that which you were experiencing is removed

from you.

And we use this illustration this morning.

But how many times have you woken up and said, I'm going to face today differently.

I'm going to live in the peace of the Lord.

And then you walk into the office and it's gone.

How many times have you said, I'm going to have the right mindset.

I'm going to have the right perspective as I go home this morning.

And then you walk in to the chaos of the scene that you face.

Gone.

How many times have you said, I'm not going to lose my temper and I'm going to be kind to

everyone I see at Walmart, Target, in the mall.

And then you walk in and it's gone.

You know, the problem for us with peace is that we're searching for and longing for the

peace that the world provides, which is a feeling, which is circumstantial, which is temporary.

But what we find in the chaos and in the confusion that the people in the story that the Bushes

just read about must have felt as a virgin teenage girl finds out that she's pregnant with the

Messiah.

But what flows from that is the peace of the Lord.

Over 429 times in the Old Testament and in the New Testament, peace is talked about in the

Bible.

In the Old Testament, it's a word that you've probably heard.

The word most commonly used for peace is the word shalom.

It's a relational peace that is discussed and is talked about in Scripture.

And it is defined as a peace between people, a peace between nations, but most importantly,

a peace between God and man.

The shalom, the peace of God, used as a greeting.

In the New Testament, most commonly used is the word arene, which is a state of peace, a state

of rest, a state of tranquility.

And that in this, what we find, this is the peace that Jesus is.

This is the peace that's found in him.

This is the peace that's through him.

And this peace is why he is the prince of peace, as he embodies all this.

So how do we experience this?

How do we live in this?

How do we, how do we obtain this type of peace that is not dictated by the circumstances, the

feelings, and the peace that won't leave me when it truly rests in me?

And this is what brings us to Romans 5.

So let's read verses 1 through 10.

Paul writes and says,

Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus

Christ.

Through him, we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand and

we rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and

endurance produces character, and character produces hope.

And hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through

the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

For while we were still weak, at the right time, Christ died for the ungodly.

For one will scarcely die for a righteous person.

Though perhaps for a good person, one would dare even to die.

But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Since therefore we now have been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him

from the wrath of God.

For if while we were enemies of God, we were reconciled to God by the death of his son,

how much more now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life?

So what Paul is writing to, what he begins in verse one, is talking to the group of people

of understanding about their salvation.

This is like Jesus is our source of peace.

We have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

This is what Paul begins with, and then he begins to talk through this passage of scripture.

And so what we're going to do a little bit differently, and I was thinking about this this morning,

I think I've preached through this passage of scripture at least five times, and every time

I've preached through this passage of scripture, I work backwards.

And so here's what it means.

We're going to start in verse 10 and work our way all the way back through so that we can

understand the peace of God and the peace with Christ.

So in order to understand the peace of God, we have to understand why we lack peace.

We have to understand this desire within us and why it's not satisfied.

We have to understand when we talk about biblical peace, why there seems to be a lack of it.

So look at verse 10.

For if while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his son, much more,

now that we are reconciled, we are saved by his life.

Look at those first few words.

See, the desperate need for us to gather in a room and read a story about a virgin who gives

birth to this savior named Jesus is this.

Now, we were enemies with God before Christ.

This is how the Bible describes us, that because of our sin, what we see is that we are alienated

enemies of God.

And this isn't just from Romans 5.

This is what we see consistently in scripture.

In Colossians 1.21, it says, and you who were once, who once were alienated and hostile

in mind, doing evil deeds.

Ephesians 2, 1 through 3, and you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once

walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit

that is now at work in the sons of disobedience, among whom we all once lived in the passions

So this is the state, this is the condition that Jesus comes in to save us from.

This is the state, this is the condition that Jesus comes in to save us from.

This is the conflict, this is the turmoil.

This is the circumstance into which peace is brought.

But for us, I think it's sometimes difficult to see our sin in the offensive way that God

sees it.

Sometimes we feel that our sin, that the sinful state of man is less than it truly is.

Our sin, as we stand before the Lord, is more than a disagreement.

It's more than a misunderstanding or an isolated incident of conflict.

Our sin removes us from God.

Our sin, what we just read, causes us to pursue the ungodly.

Our sin makes us enemies of God, and our sin condemns us to hell.

And Paul says that apart from Christ, that that's our nature, that that's the nature of mankind.

This raging war of godlessness that the creation has with its creator.

And so Jesus came.

And Jesus was sent to die so that that conflict can be resolved through him.

Look what Paul says in Romans 5, 6 through 9.

For while we were still weak, at the right time, Christ died for the ungodly.

Let's just pause there for a moment.

Who would you die for?

Who would you die for?

Well, there's a group of people called my family, right?

And you probably jumped there with me.

Maybe not you for my family, but you're like, no, I'm not for my family.

Yep.

Well, then there's those other family, probably not them.

But you know, for them, yeah.

Right?

Christ, at the right time, Christ died for the ungodly.

Verse 7, for one will scarcely die for a righteous person.

Though perhaps for a good person, one would dare even to die.

But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Verse 9, since therefore we now have been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God.

And so what we see in these few verses is that Christ was sent, right?

What we celebrate, born of a virgin, laid in a manger.

The shepherds will come.

The wise men will journey.

All of this, the angels will proclaim that Christ was sent, but that Christ will die.

And in that Christ justifies and he saves.

You see, if Christ was just sent, but then didn't die, then there'd be nothing for us to celebrate.

But he was sent and he died and he justifies and he saves.

Has somebody ever come up to you and said, hey, let me explain this situation?

And they begin to walk through.

And they begin to walk through a problem that they face.

And immediately what you begin to feel in your bones is the moment I respond, I'm in it.

Right?

And you're like, man, not my problem.

Right?

You got to figure this out.

Not my problem.

Right?

We have a problem.

And God has the solution.

And so God sends Jesus.

And he doesn't say, not my problem.

Right?

But he says, I'm the solution.

Jesus was sent to redeem us.

And this required his life.

He came to die.

The story of Christmas is not just the manger, but it's the manger to the cross.

John 3, 16 and 17.

For God so loved the world that he gave his only son that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

For God did not send his son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.

So he sends him.

And he dies.

And then what Christ does, what Paul tells us in Romans, is that he justifies us.

And this word justifies.

It's a legal term that would have been used.

It's a legal act.

And theologically, here's what it means quickly, is that when Christ comes, that our sins are forgiven.

When he's our Lord and Savior, our sins, all our past, all our present, all of our future, every sin made clean by the blood of the Lamb.

This is who we are.

Forgiven.

And that in that, that his righteousness, his perfection to every command, every calling from God the Father, every moment of obedience to him, now belongs to us.

It's given to us that when we are justified, what makes him right is imparted, is given to us.

And then as a result of that, we are made righteous in the eyes, in the sight of God.

This is now who we are.

So all the good, all the perfect, all the work, every bit of that is not just there.

And we can claim it as something we can run up to and hold on to and wave it as a trophy before God.

But that when God sees us, when we are found in Christ, the righteousness of him rests on us.

And so he does not see our sin, our depravity, our filth, our evil.

What he does no longer see is that we were enemies.

And what he sees is that we are right-standing children of his.

The righteousness of God.

And that Christ saves us.

So we're no longer enemies.

But the peace that we long for, the peace that we desire, is there.

So how does this peace shake out in our life?

Because you're like, well, I'm saved.

I'm saved.

I know without a shadow of a doubt all those things that you just said.

I know all of that.

But there still feels like there's some chaos.

There still feels like there's some difficulties.

So let's read verses 1 through 5 again.

Therefore, since you have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

And through him, we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand.

And we rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings.

Knowing that suffering produces endurance.

And endurance produces character.

And character produces hope.

And hope does not put us to shame because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

And here's how we live in peace.

In a restored relationship of peace.

Paul talks about this in Colossians 1, 21 through 23.

And you who were once alienated and hostile in mind doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him.

If indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister.

So let's talk about this peace for just a second.

Number one, the peace that Christ gives us does not mean easy.

It doesn't mean easy.

There's a false teaching that exists in this world by people who claim to be Christians that promises that with Christ, what is obtained is the ease of life here.

And that if you have faith, true faith, saving faith, then the struggles or the issues of this world would just disappear.

So let me kind of ask you all here who claim to be Christians, has that rung true for you?

It didn't ring true for Jesus.

It didn't ring true for Paul.

It didn't ring true for Peter.

It didn't ring true for Mary.

It didn't ring true for any.

So oftentimes what we feel is peace means easy.

Kick back in our chair, letting the breeze hit and the water touch our toes.

But peace in the relationship with Christ does mean process.

And this is the goodness of God.

In Romans, what Paul just told us in chapter 5, is that in this relationship with God, the peace that we now have with God, that there is suffering.

And no one's signing up for that.

No one's saying, I want that, bring it, right?

But what suffering brings, Paul says, is endurance.

I think the most damaging thing that we do oftentimes with suffering in the Christian life is that we are so long to get out of the suffering that we miss what God's trying to do in the suffering.

And that God is working in the suffering and God is building in the suffering.

And what God is doing in that, in the life of the believer, where God continues to have points and places and callings and commands, is he's building in the life of that individual something wonderful called endurance.

Endurance in this life.

Because the suffering is going to continue.

The suffering is going to be there.

So it produces something special.

It produces something unique.

It produces something wonderful in us.

That what happens is a suffering that produces endurance.

So that in the suffering, when it begins to happen, in our very fiber of our being, when we walk into work, when we walk into home, when we walk in wherever the places are,

where suffering is going to pour onto us, when we get the criticism that comes with this life, when we get the doctor's appointments that come with this life,

when it all culminates to, and the endurance of that is a character that is built inside of us that is godly and that is good.

And this is that this circumstance right here does not define the joy that I experience in my heart and that I have the character of Christ that rests in me.

And so the endurance produces character and that in that moment, because the situation isn't good, the character produces something.

It produces hope.

It produces hope.

Now, let's talk a minute about hope.

Let's look at how we use the word hope.

You ever been late to work and speed?

Not me.

I don't do that.

And you think, as you're going down the road, and you see that highway patrol officer, right?

Or that Lexington County officer there.

What comes to mind?

I hope they didn't get me.

I mean, they probably did.

But I hope they didn't, right?

Cut on college football.

You're going to watch your team.

You're going to be on.

And I know all too well this feeling.

Man, I hope we win.

What do we mean by that?

I know there's a good chance we won't.

But I hope we do.

Right?

That hope in there is I'm not confident what the outcome will be.

But I can at least hope that the outcome is what I desire for it to be.

That's not biblical hope.

Biblical hope is not that one day I stand before the Lord and I really hope I get in.

But was he with me on XYZ?

I really hope I get in, but I don't know if I did enough good works.

I really hope I get in, but I don't really feel like I know enough scripture.

That suffering produces endurance.

And endurance produces character of who we are in Christ.

And character produces hope.

And what Paul says is that this hope does not put us to shame.

So this hope

is confidence.

This hope

is certainty.

This hope is

defined

and divine of who we

are in Christ.

So I hope

for the day

when I stand before the Lord

because my hope

is not rooted

in me

but my hope

is rooted in him

and he has made a way

through the blood

of Christ

for me

to stand before the Lord.

And in him

and in him alone

do I find my hope.

And folks

that's peace.

That's peace.

That's peace.

So in the

moments of chaos

and the moments of confusion

and the moments of suffering

the closer and the more you walk with the Lord

the more that's produced in you

as an endurance

was produced in you

as a character

and in that becomes hope.

I want to read to you

in closing

the words of Jesus

in Matthew chapter 11

Matthew 11 · chapter mention

because maybe you're here this morning

and you're not a follower of Christ.

Maybe I'm in this

this peace

that you're talking about

and there's

I know that there's more

than what I've settled for.

Here's what Jesus says.

Verse 28.

Come to me

all who labor

and are heavy laden

and I will give you rest.

Take my yoke upon you

and learn from me

for I am gentle

and lowly in heart

and you will find rest

for your souls

for my yoke

is easy

and my burden

is light.

In this

Jesus describes

the shalom

found in him

that it is through him

and through him alone

that we can have peace with God

and that we can even hope

for peace with another

but that also

that in him

and in him alone

we find the irony

through him

we find the rest

for our soul

for all of eternity.

Would you pray with me?

God we come to you

this morning

Jesus Christ

you are our prince

of peace

Lord we thank you

that the peace

that you bring us

is not a peace

that fades away

but it's a peace

that's everlasting

it's not a peace

that comes and goes

as the tide

it's not a peace

that changes

with a new day

or a new season

but it's a peace

that's found in you

and you alone

and moves us

from enemies

to children

from objects

of wrath

to recipients

of righteousness

and Lord I pray

that on this

day

when we think about

the sending

of your son

he did not

come into

a world

of peace

he did not

come into

a setting

of peace

so he came

as those means

God I thank you

that your word

is true

stands today

Lord I thank you

that while

suffering

and difficulties

and persecutions

are not relieved

of us

in this life

but Lord

they are

useful

and they have

purpose in them

and you're

working in them

to create

something

in us

that can only

be found

in you

and in you

alone

and so Lord

I lift up

every single

person

in this congregation

right now

who is facing

that battle

right now

of the difficulty

of this world

and God

may they know

through the power

of your spirit

that dwells

in them

may they know

the goodness

of your nature

that is with

them

Lord that they

can not only

get through

this season

but they can

endure

and they can

be stronger

and that

that strength

will produce

in them

character

godliness

they'll more

resemble Christ

because of what

they face

right now

and then Lord

what comes

from that

is hope

not that I may

but that I am

this is who

I am

in Christ

Lord if there's

anyone here

this morning

Lord and they're

chasing after

a righteousness

that's found

in a train

of thought

in a list

of rules

in their own

character

in their own

works

Lord may they

know

that peace

is only

found

through Christ

and that he

came

to die

for them

to reconcile

them

and to be

their Lord

and Savior

Jesus we love

you

we thank you

and let's

hear me

pray

amen

thanks again

for listening

to the

Willow Ridge

Church weekly

podcast

we hope

that you

enjoyed

listening to

this week's

message

if you'd like

to learn

more about

who we are

or explore

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