Christmas Card From Heaven

Thank you for joining us on the CCW podcast.

Make sure you connect with us on social media to stay up to date on ministries and events happening at CCW.

We hope you're encouraged, inspired, and motivated by today's message.

To find out how to connect with us, keep listening after the message ends.

Great job.

Great job, worship team.

And I hope that y'all are ready for what's coming.

I said to some folks in the lobby, that means a lot of things to a lot of different people.

Are you ready for Christmas?

For most children, that is the answer.

Well, here we are, and it's exciting to jump into it.

I wanted to explain the title of this sermon because it's kind of funny.

A Christmas card from heaven was a sermon preached by a pastor on our staff in Connorsville at Calvary Baptist Church.

His name was Jason Hill.

If there's some way that he'll watch this, I'm totally throwing him under the bus.

But Jason Hill preached a sermon around Christmas time called A Christmas Card from Heaven.

I don't recall anything else about the sermon, but Jason Hill went to Crown College, and about the time that he preached that message, it was a few weeks from Christmas, I received in the mail a copy of a book from Heather's Papa, who also worked at Crown College.

And the book was written by Clarence Sexton, the pastor of that church and that college, and the book was called A Christmas Card from Heaven.

I began to open up that book, and I brought that book proudly to my other pastor, and I said, look at Jason's message.

We found that the Christmas card from heaven was actually from Clarence Sexton, but Jason preached it.

And I heard one pastor say, you know, we're all getting the same milk from a cow, but you're supposed to churn your own butter.

So from that point on, if Jason preached whatever holiday was near it, I would say, oh boy, I bet we're getting a St.

Patrick's card from heaven this week.

We're gonna get an Easter card from heaven this week.

And so today I'm going to preach to you a Christmas card from heaven.

And uh I love this season.

I know that most of y'all love this season.

I love the decorations.

Um, I love the carols.

Uh, Mary, did you know?

That was so good.

I love to go see lights.

Me and my family have gone to different places, and you should go do that.

We've been to Alabama Splash Adventure to put some on lights and the Birmingham racetrack, and we went to that German thing that is blown up on Facebook.

I can't say the word, but it's Christmas something in Coleman.

And I love these things.

I love the parties, um, just all of it.

In my house, one of my favorite things that we have that's decor, Heather bought a Christmas uh snow sled.

The snow sled stands up on its own, and every Christmas, what fills that sled, there's little um holders on it.

And as Christmas cards begin coming from people, the sled holds Christmas cards, which now Christmas cards are basically Christmas pictures, right?

Some of you men dread your wife saying what she's gonna say.

Hey, it's about time.

We gotta go take those Christmas pictures.

I have worked into Heather being okay with New Year's pictures, and I'm very okay with that.

But you get on this sled, there's all these pictures, and as it fills in, I love seeing that.

I'm reminded of people in our life and pray over them.

Do you remember growing up, your mom and dad, and the Christmas cards?

If you had a mom like mine, do you remember what the Christmas cards looked like?

I think we've got a picture of those Christmas cards, but my mom would buy a box of two to three hundred Christmas cards, and she would work feverishly to send every person we've ever met a Christmas card, seemingly.

Well, today I want to tell you about a Christmas card.

It's been sent, it was sent two to three hundred years early.

I got one here.

Maybe we should open it up.

Look who it's addressed to.

The church at Chelsea Westover.

That's interesting.

We must see what's on the inside.

It says, Merry Christmas.

And on that Christmas card, it says something to us.

For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given.

His name, wonderful counselor, mighty God, everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace.

Pray with me.

Father, we love you today.

We're so thankful and grateful for this promise of the birth of the Savior of the world that was given years in advance, prophesied over and fulfilled.

And God, we come together today, and all these things are beautiful and wonderful and great, but the real meaning of all of this season is the celebration of Jesus Christ, the Savior, the baby who was born, that was given for us.

So thank you, God, for today.

Thank you for your word.

I pray that as we continue, Lord, that you would speak to our hearts, and God, draw us closer to you through it.

In Jesus' name.

Amen.

Point number one this morning is this the magnificence of how he was presented.

I want you to look there in Isaiah chapter 9, but I need you just for a little bit of background to go back to chapter 8 and see what was going on that led to this promise that seems like it comes out of thin air.

Isaiah 9 · chapter mention

In chapter 8, verse 5 through 8, this is the situation.

The Lord also spoke to me, speaking to Isaiah, saying, Inasmuch as these people refused the waters of Shiloh that flow softly and rejoice in resin and Remelah's son.

Now therefore, behold, the Lord brings up over them the waters of the river, strong and mighty.

The king of Assyria and all his glory, he will go up over all his channels and go over all his banks.

He will pass through Judah, he will overthrow and pass over, he will reach up to the neck, and the stretching out of his wings will fill the breath of your land.

Emmanuel, and it goes on to say, be shattered and broken.

And all of this destruction was coming.

So in chapter 8, if you get to that point, there have been 19 kings in Israel.

There have been 20 kings in Judah.

If you look back in the history, eight of those kings had a season of good.

The rest of the forty all were evil in the sight of the Lord.

Eight of them had a season of good.

And I say season because some were not always good throughout.

Some ended wrongly.

Imagine for us what that would look like.

1920 presidents in and the terms that they run.

Nearly 200 years, and Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord.

And so, balking up to that, the Assyrian Empire is on the brink of attacking the Jewish people, and they are feeling the weight and the pressure of the walls of life closing in as they look towards a bleak and hopeless future.

And it seems, out of thin air, that you get into Isaiah chapter 9, and we see this Christmas card from heaven.

Isaiah 9 · chapter mention

It made me think about all that was going on for them in 2 Corinthians 4, verse 8.

2 Corinthians 4:8

There's a verse that a lot of people read or give out for encouragement at times, and it says, We're persecuted but not abandoned, we're perplexed but not crushed, we're brought against on every side and struck down.

Now sometimes I hear this verse, and maybe I'm cynical, but I go persecuted, perplexed, and struck down, even though I'm not destroyed, that doesn't sound all that great.

Maybe today you're here and you've come in and you're feeling the weight of life.

Maybe you've come in and things feel like they're closing in a little bit.

Maybe you say, I'm breathing, Pastor, but I'm breathing heavy.

I came in walking, but I'm here with a limp.

It's Christmas, but are you stressed?

Be honest.

Maybe out of thin air today, what you need is a word.

Maybe out of thin air today, you need a Christmas card from heaven.

And to me, what was happening up to this point with Israel was that, and God comes in with this.

Let's look at verses 1 through 6 in Isaiah chapter 9.

Isaiah 9 · chapter mention

Letter A, the king came as a child.

It says, Nevertheless, the gloom will not be upon her who is distressed, as when at first he lightly esteemed the land of Zebulon and the land of Naphtali, and afterward more heavily oppressed her by the way of the sea beyond the Jordan, in Galilee of the Gentiles.

The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light.

Those who dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them a light has shined.

You have multiplied the nation, increased its joy its joy, they rejoice before you according to the joy of harvest, as men rejoice when they divide the spool.

For you have broken the yoke of his burden, and the staff of his shoulder, the rod of his oppressor, as in the day of Midian.

For every warrior's sandal from the noisy battle and garments rolled in blood will be used for burning and fuel of fire.

For unto us a child is born, and unto us a son is given, and the government will be upon his shoulders, and his name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end.

So the king that was coming, this promise out of thin air was the promise of a child.

For unto us is born is a promise of a child that would come.

Do you remember your first pregnancy, ladies?

Men, husbands, do you remember what that was about and what that was like?

I mean, they took you in and they gave you books, everything to expect when you're expecting.

They made you, back when we first got pregnant, they made you watch videos that were atrocious.

And it was scary and did not comfort me whatsoever.

And they had showers and people gave us tips.

And I want to tell you, kids, we had no clue.

That did nothing to give us a clue of what we had coming.

What you are getting into.

And each child, Callie, White, West, they're all very different.

Because you had one does not make you an expert in children.

The next one is completely different.

And so there's not a book on how to do this.

And yet we're reading these books, but it was all like I have no idea.

And I thought about what Benji would sing, and I thought about when Mary and Joseph looked into the manger, the thoughts.

Maybe they echoed the words of William Dix, who in 1865 penned, What child is this?

What child is this laid to rest on Mary's lap is sleeping.

What child is this?

Can you imagine the promise of the king that has come as a child?

Well, some things about the child that we need to know.

Why this was so important, why he was the Savior.

The child was flesh.

Why is it important that he was flesh?

Galatians 4, 4 says, But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law.

You see, the law required flesh as a substitution.

Just one problem.

The law's demands are impossible for flesh, for you and I.

We are unable to be without sin.

Romans 5, 2, by one man sin entered into the world and death by sin, and so all men have sin.

We all got to participate in sickness, disease, pollution, and death.

It all brings judgment.

No matter how we try to erase it, we can't.

So there's this flesh predicament.

Flesh failing requires flesh redemption, and we can't redeem our flesh.

Problem.

Genesis 1:6 says, Let us make man in our own image, have dominion over sea, air, everything of the earth.

Genesis 1:6

God handpicked man to rule but put him under the law.

Hang with me.

Psalms 115, 16 says, The heavens are the Lord's, but the earth God has given to men.

We're in a plight.

We are sinful, we are sin stricken, we can't fix our flesh problem, but we have a flesh problem.

Man is stuck as authority on the earth, but he can't redeem his own problem.

He and earth are riddled with sin.

And a Christmas card from heaven came.

Unto us a child.

God sends Jesus Christ.

In Philippians 2, 6 through 8, there's this, it's a theological, a magical passage that if you read it and understand it, there's a word in there from Philippians 2, 6 through 8 called the canosis.

And when you read it, you go, it says, Jesus, who thought himself not to be at robbery to be equal with God, made himself of no reputation and emptied himself.

That little line, emptied himself, is the canosis.

That is Jesus being one with God, saying, I am going to empty my godness.

He emptied himself.

Now, wait.

As a man on earth, he was fully God, fully man.

He never lost being God, but he allowed himself the humanity of manness so that he could feel the weight of everything that we feel.

Hebrews 4:15 says that, for we not have a we do not have a high priest who has not felt the infirmities like we have, but in all points was tempted yet without sin.

Hebrews 4:15

You see, Jesus had this kenosis, this emptying, and Jesus knows weakness, he was tempted, he was hungry, he was sick.

Jesus wasn't a baby who was just impenetrable, he experienced humanity.

He was emotional, tired, saw Jesus taking naps.

And so Jesus, in this moment as a child who grew, allowed the emptying before he left heaven.

That would mean on earth he was finite, he was mortal, he gave up immortality.

Why?

I'm getting to a point.

Because sin needed a worthy payment.

The Bible says in Romans 6.23, for the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life.

The Father can't die because he is eternal and immortal.

There's no expiration before everything was, he was, and after everything will be, he will be.

And so there's this gift.

Jesus was sent to be a child, to be flesh, so that we could have a substitution worthy of the penalty that was made upon flesh.

What child is this onlookers had to think as they first gazed at the spectacular sight?

It wasn't just a baby, it was the God child.

Imagine God in all of his creation, splendor, and glory, wrapped in Jesus, who'd emptied himself in the flesh of a child.

God in a manger.

Can you imagine the sight?

Virgin born, Holy Spirit conceived.

He was Messiah.

The word there is monogenes, and that word means only.

He is the only.

There was only ever gonna be able to be one hope, and he was the only hope.

And that's why John 14, 6 is quoted so often.

Jesus said, I am the way.

I am the truth.

I am the life.

He is the only.

It's not just a trite expression.

He was the only way.

You see, flesh needed flesh, but perfect flesh.

And so unto us a child is born.

Letter be as this the king came for us.

It was a child, but the king came for us.

John 3, 16, you know, for God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son.

It says there that a child is born, a son is given.

This is important.

God would give his only begotten son.

To us, a son is given.

The child refers to the human nature of the exchange, but a son is given refers to the divine nature of Jesus Christ.

A child is born, but a son is given.

He had to be given.

You have to understand this because in eternity past, John 1.1 is still true.

In the beginning was the word, and the word was with God, and the word was God.

And so he says a child had to be given.

It had to be given by God.

And so we got what is called in Isaiah, Emmanuel.

Emmanuel means God with us.

What would Christmas be this season if we would really understand that the greatest gift of Christmas is Emmanuel, God with us.

If the only God we could ever have was a God who was just beyond the stars and who was out of reach, if the only God that we could ever understand was a God that would never reveal himself, he would be a God that is not with us and it would be of little value to us.

But I want to tell you, he's not a God who's distance from his people.

He is God who is with us.

1 Timothy 1 15 says, Christ Jesus came into the world that he would save lost sinners.

Matthew 20, 28 says he came to serve and give his life a ransom for many, understanding that this Son was given to us.

Well, God is simultaneously near and far.

He can be caught on in prayer and he can be unfathomable.

He is near and far.

He is beyond our way of existing, yet he's not distance.

God is with us.

Isaiah 59, 1 says, Behold, the Lord's hand is not shortened that it cannot save, nor his ear heavy that it cannot hear, but our iniquities have separated us from God.

Proverbs 15, 29 says, The Lord is far from the wicked, but he hears the prayers of the righteous.

He is far, but he is near.

Psalms 139, David said, Where can I go?

I can ascend to your holy hill in heaven, and there you are.

I can go to the depths of the sea, and there you are.

There's no place that I cannot, that I can't can go that won't be with your spirit.

I can't flee from your presence.

What about Romans 8?

Paul said, What shall separate us from the love of God?

He says, So distress or peril or sword?

He says, Yea, nothing can separate you from the love of God.

Not height, not depth, not principality, not rulers of darkness.

Nothing can separate us from the love of God.

So he is the king that came for us.

Well, I want to jump into these names that we see of him.

So point number two this morning is this the majesty of his presence.

We're only gonna cover a couple of these names, not all of them, but look at verse six again.

The second part and seven, it says, and his name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace.

The majesty of his presence, his fullness, who he was.

When you think of Christmas, do you think of presence?

When I was in third grade, man, I had my heart and mind set on something that seems strange for a third grade little mind, but I had my heart and mind set that year on what would catapult me to being very favored.

It would catapult me to being cool and accepted.

I desperately wanted some stonewater.

Jeans for Christmas.

Can I get an amen?

I mean, if you had a pair of those, you were in.

Look at that good pleat, too.

Nice and wide-legged.

Could fit two of my legs in one of those.

But when I think about Christmas, I remembered where the package was.

I'd poked a hole in it.

Kids, you shouldn't try this.

But I knew on Christmas when I opened that package what was going to be in it.

And to my delight, I opened it and I couldn't wait to go roller skating in my stonewashed jeans.

Because the ladies were going to see what I was all about in third grade.

Do you think about presents?

One Christmas, we gathered Callie and Wyatt at Graham's house, and Heather and I devised a sinister plot.

We were going to give them some gifts that were fantastic.

And first to open was Callie.

Now I may mix this up, and they hold me to it when I mix things up, so I'm going to say it up front.

But Callie opened up, to her surprise and delight, a jar that was full of leaves from outside.

And she said, No.

And then Wyatt, just after her, opened up his present, which was rolled up in towels, and he pulled out a half-eaten apple.

And he looked at it and smiled from ear to ear.

You want to have a good time this Christmas?

See the little kids are over there?

Okay, I've already told you what you can do.

But an honest question I want you to think on.

How many people are currently stressed?

I asked some folks in the lobby, are you ready?

I want to tell you something today.

Partake in the gift of presence.

Partake in the gift of presence, the majesty of the birth of Jesus Christ and his presence.

Often my kids will tell me about their list, and I will make this statement.

What have you put on Jesus' list this year?

And I'm not saying it to just be rude or anything.

I want them to think, and I want to think about what I can give Jesus?

The majesty of his presence.

What about the majesty of the gift of your circle?

The presence that's right around you.

Have you given thought to that?

Well, this Christmas card from heaven that fell in Isaiah gave further description of the gift, of the presence of Jesus that will be born.

He says in letter A, he is the counselor.

Counselor.

What does that mean?

This child's going to be born and he's going to be a counselor.

The word is Yahweh, and it means plan.

Yahwatz, counselor is a plan.

The similar word in Romans 8.28 says, and we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to those who are called according to his purpose.

Similar word is that word purpose.

He is a purpose.

Psalms 37, 23, another similar word, the steps of a good man are ordered, purpose, ordered, plan.

In our connect group this last week, we presented a question and went around a little bit about it.

And the question was can you see in your life as you look backward the times and seasons where God opened and closed doors to get you where you were?

Can you name a time where God opened a door?

And as we got talking through, it became pretty evident to our group that we can see it all throughout our life.

That God was here in this plan and he was there in this plan, and he opened this door and he shut this door.

And the culmination of where you are today, if you've surrendered to Jesus, is because he had a plan.

And he is working a plan for his ultimate glory.

What as a counselor, I know this counsel rarely works if somebody is not ready for a change.

Like sending somebody to the principal's office for counseling is not very effective.

But somebody who is ready for change and ready to do the hard work of change can often be effective.

Sometimes a last resort, somebody might say, you know, have you thought about seeing a marriage counselor?

And somebody's just about done, and then they get in and do the hard work, and you might see a marriage restored because they went to a counselor or somebody may not be able to kick a habit that's just hampered them for a long time.

And somebody might say to him, Have you thought about going to a counselor?

You see, when Jesus is portrayed as a counselor, I want you to know that Jesus is a great listener.

And he's one who loves me and loves you and loves to hear from me and loves to hear from you and wants to help you.

You ever felt unheard?

You went to somebody, went to a husband, went to a wife, went to somebody, and you thought, they are not hearing what I'm saying.

And you've probably asked that question, are you listening to me?

Do you hear me?

I want to tell you that Jesus listens and he hears and lovingly, not like a professional, because a professional, even a paid professional, can wonder, right?

As a counselor, he is counseling as Abba, Daddy.

Have you ever unloaded your problems to someone and you could look at their eyes and you could tell in their eyes they were someone who genuinely cared about what was going on with you?

And just in conversation, you sought for these people because when you talk to them, you felt cared for, you saw it in their eyes.

Anybody have somebody here or in your life, you feel at ease just because they're near you.

You got people like that?

Just because a person, you a person may walk in the room and they hadn't been in the room, you go, oh, you feel at ease just because that person exists.

I want to tell you, today you may be here and you may physically feel worn.

You may feel unsure of yourself, indifferent.

Jesus is our advocate, the Bible says.

Even better than any advice, what Jesus Christ has to offer is not advice or wisdom, but himself.

You'll feel better just because he's there.

Just because his presence.

And I want to ask today, church, do you need his counsel?

Maybe you're here with something today and you feel like I can't even talk.

You ever got to that point?

I can't, I can't even.

Pastor Pastor, I can't.

Young moms, I think about y'all.

Young moms, I can't.

I can't even.

I remember when Heather was a young mother and just to read her devotions, it was a chore because of all the things that were going on.

She said, I can't get a quiet moment.

I just can't.

Anyone here feel that?

I just can't.

The Bible says a great passage that I'm reminded of in Matthew.

He says, Come to me.

All of you who are weak and heavy laden, who are loaded down with care, I will give you rest.

And maybe today, as we have a time of invitation, that's you, and you say, Man, I I need I need to feel that.

I need to feel different.

I don't want to go about life another week feeling like I feel.

Well, he is counselor, letter B.

He is everlasting father.

Everlasting father.

I almost put on the return address of the card, eternity.

He is everlasting father.

Jesus is the author of eternity.

It's his address.

He is from everlasting.

So when we receive this card, it is from everlasting.

That word is Olam, where we get the name for God, El Olam.

Best described, Olam is a time out of mind.

It is always.

It is perpetual.

This is a difficult concept for a finite mind to wrap our heads around because we can't appropriate.

We exist in a framework, and God both, Jesus existed in a framework, and he exists in a framework, but outside of that framework at the same time.

He's both here and he's there.

He is already, but not yet.

Eternality impacts all of these aspects of his nature.

Because he is eternal, God is omniscient.

He knows all things from the front of the gate to the end of the gate.

He knows, right?

I use this a lot, but if you put in a DVD, you can go to a chapter and you know a scene.

Well, God has been here outside of time and he knows all of the DVD.

He knows what chapter we're in.

And here we are, players within the DVD, acting out part of God's play.

And we have free will within that.

But God is outside of time, and yet he exists, and you hear him and you feel him and you sense him.

He is eternal.

He has no origin, he is the origin of origins.

I remember I had a classmate named Fred.

I have a lot of funny Fred stories.

Miss Crowder, our English teacher, got up one afternoon and she said, I need everybody to go out and I need you to get this book.

Fred came back the next day, and Fred said, Miss Crowder, I looked everywhere for the book that you had said.

And she said, What, Fred, what book was that that you looked for?

He said, I looked for the book you said, the source.

And she said, What?

You said we all needed it for English.

And she said, Fred, what did you say it was called?

And he said, The Source.

And she said, Fred, I said you need a phosaurus.

CCW.

I want to tell you today that God is the source.

There's a lot of people looking a lot of places for meaning and purpose and value in something, and a lot of them are looking for the wrong things.

He is the source.

And by the way, his descriptors could fill up a thesaurus.

And people today, they are debating left and right all over.

All you have to do is a quick Google search, and you'll see that people are looking for the origins of things.

Some say that the origin of all things came from an electric spark.

A.

G.

Smith proposed molecules met on clay and a spark happened.

Some say an act called abogenesis.

You see scientists in London.

There's some that say in the very vast depths of the ocean there are hydrothermal vents in the ocean, and life was brought from that.

Some say that life was brought here from other planets.

Or the Big Bang.

There's a lot of commentating on where the source of life comes from.

And here's the thing about all of those hypotheses: none of them can tell me the origin of the thing that started the thing.

They have no source, they have no capability of being the source.

So for me, I have zero problem unequivocally with the claim that intelligent design came from a creator who is the source.

It takes nothing for me to look at nature and go, that is intelligent design.

It was not happenstance over bazillions of years.

It wasn't a hydrothermal vent that created my child.

You have to have, I feel like you gotta have so much more faith than I got.

I believe in intelligent design by a creator.

And yes, I believe it by faith.

But it came from the complex mind of an everlasting father outside of time.

He is the source.

And he said it too.

Look at this.

When Abraham asked God, who shall I tell Pharaoh that sent me?

He said, Tell him I am.

So, well that what does that mean, Pastor?

I am means to be.

I am means the existent one.

When you think about the year that you've had, there's a lot of things that'll probably fade in the year to come.

There's probably a lot of things for you that faded this year.

The other day I realized that I have lost two shirts recently.

I don't, I have, I don't, I mean, I know that I'm very fallible, but I don't know.

I had them and now they're gone.

I thought a few years ago we went to the beach.

I took three Red Sox hats.

Why I needed three hats at the beach?

I don't know.

I came back and I had zero red socks hats.

I've lost things, they faded.

Matthew 6 tells me that I should not put my energies and investment in things of this life because the earth, it rusts and does corrupt, and thieves break through and steal, but I should lay up for myself eternal inheritance.

I'm gonna lose more, and you're gonna lose more.

And this time next Christmas, somebody's gonna lost their best present, and it's going to fade.

But we have a God, everlasting Father.

He never fades, he cannot cease.

He is always.

And in Colossians chapter 1, he gives us an idea of why and for what he did all these things.

Colossians 1 · chapter mention

He said, by him, for him, and through him all things exist.

So when Mary and Joseph were looking at this baby, they must have wondered what child is this?

He was a baby and an everlasting father.

I know you look at your babies when you have a new baby, you go, the potential of this child.

Oh, look at him.

And every little thing that they do is just amazing each step of the way.

But imagine.

Don't you just wish for a moment you could have been one of the people, one of the shepherds, one of the people that gathered, one of the angels to see the Christ child.

He was everlasting Father.

Let her see.

He was Prince of Peace.

It says, Prince of peace, of the increase of his government and peace, there will be no end.

Upon the throne of David, verse seven, and over his kingdom to order it and establish it with judgment and justice.

From that time forward, even forever.

There's a pause, it seems like, from the end of verse 6 to verse 7, it says he's the Prince of Peace, and then it goes on to talk about the increase of his government one day.

Peace, there will be no end.

There will be a time frame that we have a hard time understanding because we live in an era of fear.

We have a fear-stricken society.

In fact, I was looking at a study, um, a thousand people were tested and asked what are some of the top fears that they have.

And here's a few of them.

Number one, and it goes along with what we're looking at here, number one is corrupt government.

Biggest fears, corrupt government.

Number two out of a thousand people, economic collapse.

Number three and four are nuclear weapons and the possibility of a world war.

And the list rounds out with terrorism and biological warfare.

Now thought about those things.

We live in an era of time where people are jaded, people are easily fear-stricken, and in the middle of the same type of scenario, remember what was happening.

The Assyrians were coming in, and all of a sudden, out of nowhere, this Christmas card from heaven.

When the land lacked all peace, go back to chapter 8.

I want you to see a couple of the descriptors.

Verse 12, 15, 19, but it says, Do not say a conspiracy concerning all this people, nor be afraid of their threats.

There's conspiracy and threats.

Verse 15, and many among them shall stumble, they fall and be broken, be snared and be taken.

Those action words, stumbling, brokenness, snared, taken.

Verse 19 says they'll be seeking witchcraft.

Verse 21 and 22 says the land was filled with anything but peace.

It was tension and depression.

And then this Christmas card falls.

He says, I'm sending.

In the middle of all this strife, I've got the Prince of Peace.

I've got the answer to all of these things.

And I want you to see, because he they took precedence and understanding that the government, the society felt like it was collapsing, and they said, Upon his shoulder, he will carry the government.

And upon his father David, and Luke 1, 31 through 33, the angel Gabriel said this, upon his birth, and behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a son, and he shall call his name Jesus.

He will be great, and he will be called the Son of the Highest.

And the Lord God will give them the throne of his father David.

See, upon his announcement from the angel Gabriel, they're speaking of the government being carried on his shoulders.

There's coming a day, the Bible says, where there's going to be never-ending peace.

The problem for us now is we live in a day that's nothing like that.

And it's hard to understand because we have a life of strife and tension and turmoil, and we feel exasperated.

So God sent to them when the walls felt like they were closing in, this Prince of Peace.

1 Timothy 2 says this about Jesus.

There is one God and one mediator between God and man, the man, Christ Jesus.

You see, Jesus Christ is a picture of a bridge.

He was sent in the midst of everything that was opposite, everything that's opposite of peace.

Jesus was sent as a bridge because man existed over here in sinfulness, in turmoil, and tension.

God was holy, right, and just and it took this bridge of a child.

So when Jesus was born and we celebrate and we sing the hymns and we sing away in the manger and what child, all of these things, it's so much greater and bigger than just a Christmas carol.

The bridge was sent for us.

How do we understand this?

Well, in 2 Corinthians chapter 5, there's a passage that I love.

2 Corinthians 5 · chapter mention

It says, Now all things are of God who has reconciled us to himself through Jesus Christ.

God, because of his love for you and for me and for all of all of the people for eternity, saw our plight and decided to work a work of reconciliation.

And he sent to us this child, and his greatest act of peace would come on the greatest act of his tension on the cross.

He said, He, through Jesus Christ, he is reconciled.

And he has given, listen, church for purpose, and he has given us, you and me, because of our reconciliation through the bridge, he has given us now the ministry of reconciliation.

That is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself, not imputing their trespasses, and has committed to us the work of reconciliation.

Now then we are ambassadors for Christ.

And hear this as though God were pleading through us, you are a bridge.

Jesus Christ was the bridge for you, and whatever you're doing in your circle, in your family, you are the peacemaker for the world.

Send his son to die for you, and if you've received it, he wants you to be a bridge for people who were apart from him.

The word was sending the son so that peace can continue.

We were reconciled, we had peace made by the great peacemaker who walked into our mess and intervened, the Prince of Peace.

Well, how do how do how do we be a peacemaker, Pastor?

Help me.

Make this practical.

Because I'm living and I got a busy schedule and I got a week and I gotta check these boxes.

What do I need to do, Pastor?

Help me practically.

How can I be more of a peacemaker, this bridge maker to people?

Well, the Bible gives us some tips on how to do that.

The Bible says in Psalms 119, 165, great peace have they which love thy law, and nothing shall offend them.

Some people came in and say, You're offended.

If you're not careful, you can come in and somebody gave you a look and you could leave offended.

The Bible says, Great peace have they.

If you will love this book, it's gonna be hard for you to be offended.

Great peace have they.

In Philippians chapter 4, it tells us, be anxious for nothing but by prayer and supplication, let our request be made known unto God.

Philippians 4 · chapter mention

And the peace that passes all understanding will guard our hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

So he says, Know this book.

He says, pray.

You want to be a peacemaker?

Well, you need to pray about the person who you know that needs peace, and then go be peaceable.

He says, pray about it.

Isaiah 26, 3 says, He whose mind is stayed on thee has perfect peace.

Think on the Lord, reflect on the Lord.

We are so burdened with so many things and carried about with so many scheduled things.

And the real thing is that picture.

Who are you gonna see this Christmas that you don't always get to see?

Who is that family member, that friend?

Who are you gonna get to party with in the next two weeks in your office that you don't always have a chance to talk to and love?

When you are peaceful, then people will be drawn to you, and guess what?

You'll get a chance to share a testimony.

You might get a chance to share the gospel.

What child is this?

He's the Prince of Peace.

When that Christmas card from heaven fell, what was it really promising?

One day, church, this, and I'm done.

One day it was promising what's promised us in the end of the book.

Talking about the government on his shoulders, Revelation 21 says this.

Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away.

Also there was no more sea.

Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride, adorned for her husband.

And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people.

God himself will be with them and be their God, and God will wipe away every tear, and there shall be no more death, no sorrow, no crying, there shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.

Jesus was sent and born, and he died on a cross as our Prince of Peace.

And I want to tell you the promise.

One day he's coming again.

There's going to be a trumpet sound, and Jesus Christ is going to return for his bride, and he's coming to set up a kingdom that will be forever, eternal peace.

Will you bow your heads and close your eyes this morning?

He's coming again, church.

He's coming to rule and to reign as wonderful counselor, mighty God, everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace.

And hear me, he will reign forever and ever and ever and ever.

You see, that card that came to the Israelites in the midst of their struggle was a card that's here for you today.

I want to ask you, are you going through something today that is difficult?

Is there anybody here?

You're going through a struggle, you're having stress.

The Prince of Peace is ready to hear your cry.

He's ready to give you counsel.

He's ready to give you the greatest gift, which is presence.

Are you ready for him?

We're excited you joined us for today's message.

Our heart is to connect with others in our community, to grow with one another, and build a bigger kingdom.

If you accepted Jesus today, we want to hear about it.

Take a moment and text CCW Connect to 94,000.

Thank you again for joining us on the CCW podcast.

We hope you'll make plans to join us in person on Sundays.