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The Arrival: Advent Series
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I love the decorations at Christmas—though I'll be honest, I don't enjoy putting them up or taking them down. My kids somehow disappear whenever it's time to set up or tear down. But looking at them? I love that. I really do.
When I look around my house, I notice something striking: the most common word on our Christmas decorations is peace. It's everywhere—on coffee mugs, ornaments, wrapping paper, stockings, Christmas cards, and decorative pillows that appear for 30 days and vanish for the next 11 months.
But here's the question: Why do we see the word peace everywhere on our decorations but don't feel peace in our hearts?
Jesus promised His disciples His peace. In John 14:27, He said:
"Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid."
This is a different kind of peace—one that only heaven can give.
Yet for many people today, it's more common to feel anxiety than peace. It's more normal to be afraid than to have a heart at rest. When you pick up your phone and scroll through the news, you're immediately bombarded with bad news: wars and rumors of wars, global crises, inflation, interest rates, health concerns. You worry about your financial future, your family's future, your own mental health. And somehow, in the middle of all this chaos, you still need to find a place for the elf on your shelf.
Jesus says He's given us His peace, yet sometimes we feel like saying, "Okay, Jesus, if You gave me Your peace, either You forgot to give it to me or I forgot where I put it."
But let me tell you: not only is peace possible for you, but it is a promise that applies directly to your life today.
We're in a message series called The Arrival, part of Advent. Advent is a rich time for followers of Jesus—a tradition going back centuries as people prepare their hearts to celebrate the first coming of Jesus and look forward to His second coming.
For four weeks, we're preparing our hearts to celebrate the birth of Jesus. Last week, we lit the hope candle. Next week, we'll light the joy candle. On Christmas week, we'll light the love candle. And the center candle represents Jesus.
Today, for the second week of Advent, we're lighting the peace candle.
For centuries before Jesus was born, people awaited the Messiah. At the exact right time, God sent His Son. The angels announced His birth and proclaimed in Luke 2:14:
"Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests."
Jesus was promised as peace on earth—not for the first time either.
Seven hundred years before Jesus was even born, the prophet Isaiah gave us a messianic prophecy. In Isaiah 9:6, he wrote:
"For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace."
Jesus doesn't just promise us His peace. He is peace. He is the Prince of Peace. That's who He is. Peace on earth is literally God's Son, Jesus, coming to earth.
In Hebrew, "Prince of Peace" is made of two words: sar shalom. Sar means "the one in charge"—the lord, the chief, the general. It's like a Roman czar or Julius Caesar. It's the one who's in charge. Shalom is a Hebrew greeting meaning rest, tranquility, and wholeness. Shalom is the fullness of peace.
So Jesus is the Lord of shalom—the Prince of Peace.
If Jesus comes as the Prince of Peace, what does that mean for us? What kind of peace does He give?
The Prince of Peace gives us two types of peace:
It starts with peace with God. This is really important.
At Christmastime, we talk about Jesus being born of a virgin, conceived by the Holy Spirit. Why does this matter so much when it comes to having peace with God?
If Jesus had been born to an earthly father, He would have inherited the sin nature of that father. All of us are born with a sin nature—we don't have to teach a child to be selfish; a little baby says "Mine" because it's part of our nature. But Jesus was born of a virgin, conceived by the Holy Spirit. He didn't have a physical earthly father; the Heavenly Father was His father. Therefore, Jesus didn't have a sin nature. He was born without sin, and the Holy Spirit dwelled within Him.
This is why Jesus could be the perfect sacrifice. He was sinless, the Lamb of God slain for our sins.
Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 5:21:
"God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God."
On the cross, Jesus took on our sins.
If right now you're living outside the will of God, maybe you don't have a relationship with God and you don't feel at peace with Him. Maybe you're thinking, "I'm trying to do good, but I don't know where I stand with God. I hope I'm good enough, but I'm not really sure."
If you don't have peace with God, let me explain the good news as simply as I can, using God's Word:
God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, Jesus, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
It doesn't matter what you've done. It doesn't matter how dark your life has been. Whoever believes in Jesus will have eternal life.
Why did God send His Son? Not to condemn the world, but to save it.
God's Word says:
"If you confess your sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive you your sins and purify you from all unrighteousness."
Therefore, according to Romans 8:1:
"Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus."
You're a new creation. The old is gone. God will not hold your sins against you because of Jesus. You can have peace with God. You don't have to worry about where you stand with Him. You don't have to fear what happens after this life. You can experience the forgiveness and grace of God.
Because Jesus was born of a virgin, conceived by the Holy Spirit, had no sin, and became sin for us, the Prince of Peace gives you peace with God.
But Jesus doesn't just give you peace with God. He gives you the peace of God.
When Jesus promises you His peace, it's somewhat a conditional promise. It's like a parent saying to children, "You can open a Christmas gift on Christmas Eve if you don't fight with each other." There's a condition to it.
Isaiah 26 shows us what we must do to experience the peace of God:
"You will keep in perfect peace all those whose thoughts are fixed on you, all those whose thoughts are fixed on you."
What does it mean to be kept in perfect peace? The word translated as "peace" is shalom. But in the original Hebrew, "perfect peace" is actually two words back to back: shalom, shalom.
This is called a Hebraic doubling—a linguistic technique where a word is repeated to convey an intensified meaning. When you see shalom, shalom together, it means:
I don't know about you, but I want some shalom, shalom.
You may think, "If I have this perfect peace, that means I don't have any problems ever again." Not at all. Sometimes you actually need problems to realize you have peace in the middle of the problems.
Perfect peace doesn't mean:
What perfect peace is: Peace is found not in the absence of problems, but in the presence of God.
The Bible calls this in the New Testament "a peace that goes beyond our human understanding."
If you've been walking with Jesus for a long time, you know this type of peace. Your marriage could be struggling, and yet in the middle of it, as you're seeking God, you have a peace that God hears the cries of your heart and will work it out. You may have a child who's walked away from the faith, breaking your heart, but you're praying for them and believe the Holy Spirit will do a work. Even though you don't see it yet, you have peace and assurance that God hears your prayers and is working in your child's life. It could be difficult to pay the bills, and you're nervous about it, but you faithfully tithe, believing God honors your generosity and will meet every need according to His riches in Christ Jesus. And you have peace.
Isaiah 26 tells us the key:
"You will keep in perfect peace all whose thoughts are fixed on you."
The word "fixed" in Hebrew is samak, which means "to lean on completely" and "to fully rest oneself."
You'll be kept in perfect peace all whose thoughts are leaning on God. All whose thoughts are leaning on the truth of God's Word.
Here's a principle: when people fall, which way do they fall? Research shows that 100% of the time, people fall in the direction they are leaning.
So I would ask you: Which way are you leaning?
Are you leaning on the truth of God? Or are you leaning on your own ability, your own knowledge, your own wisdom?
Proverbs 3:5-6 says:
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight."
Don't lean on your own logic, wisdom, or understanding. You can't get it all done. Lean on God's goodness. Lean on God's truth. In all your ways, acknowledge Him. The Hebrew word for "acknowledge" is yada, which means "to know."
In all your ways, know Him. In all your ways, seek Him. In all your ways, let His Word be your truth. Lean on God's goodness. Lean on God's promises. Lean on God's strength. And in all your ways, surrender to Him.
Here's the paradox—and it's true:
The peace of God is found in surrender, not control.
Almost every time you find yourself anxious, afraid, overwhelmed—up at two o'clock in the morning, thinking things through, making pros and cons lists, trying to figure it out, manipulating situations, trying to make everything come out your way—almost every time, you are overestimating your ability to control and underestimating the goodness of God.
You're leaning on your own understanding, and you always fall in the direction you are leaning.
Are you trying to control something that's not yours to control?
A relationship? A person? A financial situation? A health situation? A kid? Your spouse? (I'm saying that twice in case you weren't paying attention.) You can't change them. Only God can.
Surrender, not control. And you'll be kept in perfect peace—all whose minds are fixed on God. All whose minds are leaning on God.
You may say, "Okay, I want perfect peace, but what if I don't have peace?"
Remember, Jesus is sar shalom. He is the Prince of Peace. He is the Lord of Peace.
Because He's the Lord of Peace, that means Jesus can give peace. And what else can He do? Take it away. He's the Lord of Peace.
This is really important and strategic because Jesus loves you and cares about every detail of your life. If you're in a difficult situation and you're leaning on Him, seeking His Word, and crying out to Him, He can give you a supernatural peace that goes beyond understanding. You're like, "I don't know why I feel peace right now. I shouldn't. Things are crazy, but I just do." That's peace from heaven.
But there are other times when you're about to do something unwise, and He removes peace. You're thinking, "Should I go into debt to buy this high-tech smart refrigerator with a built-in TV?" And you just don't have a peace about it.
You may wonder, "I want perfect peace, but what if I don't have peace?" Remember, Jesus is sar shalom—the Prince of Peace, the Lord of Peace. Because He's the Lord of Peace, Jesus can give peace. And what else can He do? Take it away.
This is profoundly important because Jesus loves you and cares about every detail of your life. If you're in a difficult situation, leaning on Him, seeking His Word, and crying out to Him, He can give you a supernatural peace that transcends understanding. You find yourself thinking, "I don't know why I feel peace right now. I shouldn't. Things are crazy, but I just do." That's peace from heaven.
But there are other times when you're about to do something unwise, and He removes peace. You're thinking, "Should I go into debt to buy this high-tech smart refrigerator with a built-in TV?" And you just don't have a peace about it. Why? Because Jesus loves you and He's protecting you from paying 28% interest on a TV you'll never watch.
Or you get a job offer in another city for more money, and you think, "This feels right, there's more money." But something deep down whispers, "I'd have to leave my church and my community." You don't feel at peace about it. Maybe you've been dating someone, and everyone tells you, "You've been going out so long, you should be moving forward." But something doesn't feel right. Perhaps it's the Lord of Peace strategically removing peace to refine us, just as He gives it to comfort us.
Jesus is the Prince of Peace, the Lord of all peace. This is such good news: through Jesus, you can have peace with God and you can have the peace of God. But the world has corrupted this. Our culture has reduced peace to temporary fixes tied to entertainment, self-care trends, and empty promises that always fall short of truly satisfying the deepest part of our soul. We're falling for a counterfeit. We're trading shalom—God's sacred, holy, unending peace—for shallow substitutes and wondering why our hearts always feel fractured.
Whenever peace is disconnected from the Prince of Peace, it becomes a false comfort that never, ever lasts.
The Apostle Paul writes from a Roman prison, chained up and potentially facing death. Under the power of the Holy Spirit, he pens these words to the believers in Philippi:
"Do not be anxious about anything. But in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your request to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 4)
For some of you, this is a word you need right now. Whatever you're anxious about, you're leaning on your own understanding. Don't. Lean on God instead. In every situation, present your requests to God through prayer. Say it with me: "The peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."
When you present your burden to God, when you're leaning on God, it is the peace of God—not the world's peace. The world can't give it, and the world can't take it away. Because Jesus came, you can have peace with God and the peace of God.
I'm getting older. I had a birthday this week—50-something. (congregation applauds) I actually love it. I love getting older with Amy. I'm more in love with her than ever before. I love having years under my belt getting to know the character, the goodness, and the nature of God, because He is so good.
In the first decade, it's enthusiastic excitement. Reality sets in after three or four decades, and you're like, "Yeah, His Word's true. He is so good." Recently, we went through a difficult time. We have six married kids—that's a lot of people, and stuff happens. There are complications in my life, and I experienced deep pain.
In the past, I would have tried to disconnect by finding the latest show on Netflix. But I've walked with Jesus long enough to get down on my knees and lean on Him. Here's what I'm telling you: His Word is true. When I lean on Him, when I don't lean on my own understanding, when I fix my mind on Him, on His truth, on His promises, on His goodness—in the middle of a very difficult, complicated, painful situation—there is a peace that goes beyond my ability to understand.
That peace isn't a promise for me because I'm a preacher. It's a promise for me because Jesus is the Prince of Peace, and that peace applies to you too. Peace on Earth, peace with God, and the peace of God. I promise you: peace is not found in the absence of problems. It's found in the presence of God, and it is a real peace available to you.
If you're leaning on yourself today, lean this way with me. Let's depend on the power and the presence of God's truth.
