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Listen to Rick Beaudry, Pastor of Calvary Chapel Bremerton, teach the Word of God cover to cover, chapter by chapter, and verse by verse. Be edified and built up in your faith with solid Bible teaching. New episodes on Mondays in the Pacific Standard Timezone.
Luke chapter 2 verses 1 through 20. And it came to pass in those days that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed.
And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria, and all went to be taxed everyone into his own city.
And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, under the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.
And so it was, that while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.
And she brought forth her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.
And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over the flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them, and they were sore afraid.
And the angel said unto them, fear not For behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
For unto you is born this day in the city of David, a savior, which is Christ the lord. And this shall be a sign unto you. You shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
And suddenly, there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, glory to God in the highest and on earth peace, goodwill toward men.
And it came to pass as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherd said one to another, let us now go even unto Bethlehem and see the thing which has come to pass, which the Lord has made known unto us.
And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph and the babe lying in a manger. And when they had seen him, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child.
And all they that heard it wondered of those things which were told them by the shepherds. But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart.
And the shepherds returned glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen as it was told unto them. Father, thank you once again for the solid foundation that we have in your word.
Thank you that, irrefutable facts of your son, Jesus, the incarnation, being born in Bethlehem as Micah 52 prophesied 500 years before it happened. And Lord, we have the account of of his ministry, three and a half years.
And and Lord, starting in a manger and ending up on the cross. But Lord, ultimately, seated at your right hand, heavenly father. And so we pray evermore that you would teach us today that these truths would just be so precious to us.
Just such a joy and a blessing. The singing, the enjoyment, the food, the festivities, the celebration of your son's birthday, Lord.
And so bless, we pray, just illumine our hearts and minds. Be our teacher. Lead and guide us into all truth, we pray, Lord. In Jesus' name, amen. Alright.
Would you please be seated? Jesus is our prince of peace. In the midst of a fallen world with all the crazy, all this chaos and confusion, the wars and famines, pestilence, economic pressure, the degrading depravity of the human soul.
That's one of them that bothers me the most is is to see the degradation of us as human beings. It's embarrassing, the things within our culture and the things that are happening around the world.
As in the days of Noah, as in the days of Sodom and Gomorrah, humanity needs what? Humanity needs a savior. We need the the peace only that Jesus can provide.
And so in the midst of all this chaos, all this confusion, all this anxiety, political cycles, and drones, and wars, and rumors of wars, and empty shelves in the grocery store and flat earthers and all this other stuff going going on.
You know, where do we find that that, place where we can just chill and not not have it affect our heart rate, not have it affect our outlook? You know, how can we keep the main thing the main thing and and get the gospel out to people?
And so, Jesus provides 3 areas of peace that I wanna bring to your attention as the Prince of Peace. Number 1, Jesus provides the prophetic peace.
Notice verse 1. And it came to pass in those days that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world, should be taxed. And so this is from Augustus. This is a name that he gave himself which speaks of being an emperor.
And so, he's the, nephew of Julius Caesar early on. And, he's a brilliant guy, but he reigned from 27 BC to 14 AD. And, notice how Micah 52 needs to be fulfilled. Isaiah 714, Isaiah 96 need to be fulfilled.
And we've got this woman named Mary, and she's great with child. And she can't just be bought, you know, born and, you know, have this baby in Nazareth because the prophecies don't indicate that the baby would be born in Nazareth.
Alright? Now he'd be called a Nazarene. He'd go back there and live there, you know, afterwards, after Mary and Joseph flee into Egypt when the babe's 2 years old in Matthew's account, Matthew 1.
So we see that account and that's a fulfillment of prophecy. We saw the wise men come from Babylon and, these wise men, you know, brought, gold, myrrh, and frankincense.
And they said, we saw the king of the Jews, you know, And King Herod the Great was really upset, you know. And that's why he wanted to kill all the babes of Bethlehem, you know, 2 years old and under.
They brought gold for a king. They brought frankincense for a priest. And they brought myrrh, for a prophet. And so king, priest and and, and prophet Jesus. And so, we see that part in Matthew's account.
But in Luke's account here, we have a description of these prophecies being fulfilled. In this part, the prophetic piece that we enjoy knowing that God's on the throne and everything's happening, you know, according to plan.
So in Proverbs 21:1, it says the king's heart is in the hand of the Lord as a river is. And he moves that river whether so ever he wills.
So when he bent in the road so Caesar Augustus wakes up and God puts a thought in his heart and mind. I want you to decree a census and a taxation. I want everyone to go back to their their homes.
And so Mary and Joseph being in Nazareth, they gotta travel 80 miles to be in Bethlehem, so that when this baby's born, according to Micah 52, prophesied 500 years before he's born, that 100% accuracy in the Bible, prophetically speaking.
If if if there's ever a time where God says, oops, then he's not God.
You can have a confidence in that his prophecy, his word is 100% yay and amen. And it's always going to be that way and you don't need to fear the lies of the wicked one, the lies of the culture, all these things that are going on.
So from a political standpoint, any politician that's out there, their heart is in the hand of the Lord.
He moves their heart whether so ever he wills. He might move them in a direction where, you know, it's looking bad, but, the Lord is moving it in whatever direction he wants because everything's happening according to his will.
And so you would go presently, you would go maybe to Revelation 1717, where the Lord is putting in the hearts of these globalists, these politicians to do according to his will.
The setting up of the beast system that that the prince of peace is gonna come and, and set up his kingdom. And so and this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.
So, historically, we have a historical document here and we can look back, you know, to Josephus or Phthalo and some of these other historians that record these things and say, yeah.
This happened just as as Luke is pointing out here. In 4 BC, you know, Jesus was born. And all went to be taxed, everyone into his own city. And so every single person's gotta move and and go to their city of birth, if you will.
So where were you born? I was born in San Diego. So you'd have to go back to San Diego and you'd have to go there and and wait for the census and they'd identify who you are.
And nowadays, they just have what? Artificial intelligence and and, facial recognition software and all that. That's pretty crazy. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, under the city of David.
So the David was, from the house of bread. And so Ruth the Moabitess, her and Naomi and Orpah, they went they went in the area of Moab. They left Bethlehem, the house of bread, because there was a famine.
And during that time of famine, we saw Elion and Chilion die and Elimelech die. And so you had these 3 women that were, widows. And, you know the story that Oprah Oprah decided to stay there.
And, and then Ruth the Moabitess, she decided to come with, Naomi back to Bethlehem. But before that, we've got, Lot, of Sodom and Gomorrah leaving the city with his 2 daughters.
And the Ammonites come from one incestuous relationship, the Moabites and the 2nd incestuous relationship. So in Matthew, we have an account of Ruth in the genealogy along with other women in the genealogy.
And so we see that our lord Jesus came through that sort of incestuous, you know, lineage, if you will. So Ruth the Moabite, as she meets her kinsman redeemer Boaz.
And Boaz and Ruth begat Obed. Obed begots Jesse. Jesse begets David. And so the city of Jerusalem, as the Jebusites held it, there came a point in time where David, ruled, first of all, as king from Hebron.
But after about 7 years, Joab, one of his generals, went up the sewer up into the city and took the city away from the Jebusites.
And so David was able to rule and reign from Jerusalem, Zion. And, it's a city of David in the sense of Jerusalem being the city of David, but also Bethlehem, the city of David.
And it's his birthplace and where where he, was born. And so the city of David, which is called Bethlehem because it was the house and lineage of David.
So 80 miles from Nazareth to with a pregnant wife, going from Nazareth to Bethlehem is quite an ordeal, of 80 miles. Maybe maybe she was on a a donkey and that sort of thing, but but going real slow and trying to get there.
And a lot of people trying to travel now to get where they need to get with with all those sorts of means of transportation and it's a nightmare.
It's difficult even today. It's difficult with the airports and all that sort of thing. But, it wasn't an easy trip, especially with a wife that's pregnant.
In Amica 52, but thou Bethlehem Ephrathra, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of these shall come forth unto me that is to be a ruler of Israel, whose going forth have been from old and from everlasting.
So 500 years before, God had prophesized this that the Messiah would not only be from the tribe of Judah, the kingly tribe, but also that the Messiah would be a Jew, root in, the Abrahamic covenant.
And also that the Messiah would be the root in the offspring of David, in the Davidic covenant. But the location would be, Bethlehem, the house of bread.
And so in Isaiah 714, 700 years before Jesus is born, so this prophetic peace, this this confidence that we can have as students of prophecy and knowing that God has fulfilled all these prophecies, and we presently have prophecies in play that he's going to fulfill, and we don't need to fear and be filled with anxiety and be overwhelmed, by the liars that are out there telling us the way it's gonna be.
We know whether it's Klaus Schwab or no Yuval Harari, they've got ideas. Bill Gates got ideas, but it's the Lord.
It's his word. It's his plan. His purpose that's gonna stand. And so a lot of pretenders are gonna come along. So in Isaiah 714, 700 years before Jesus is born, the nation of Israel was given a sign in chapter 7.
The sign that I'm gonna give unto you is behold, the virgin shall conceive and bring forth a son and will call his name, you know, Emmanuel. And, he shall call his name Emmanuel which means God with us.
So today is the celebration of the birth of Jesus, the incarnation we would call it, where God, fully God, the second person of the trinity, he's going to become the son of man.
He's going to become a human being. And so in Hebrews 1, he didn't come as an angel, he came as a man. And so this is the incarnation. So in the beginning was the word. The word was with God.
The word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him and without him was not anything made that was made. So Jesus, in verse 14, it says, and the word became flesh and dwell tabernacled among us.
Tabernacled in a human body. And we beheld his glory as the only begotten son of the father, full of grace and truth in Isaiah 114. That's the incarnation.
That's the the indwelling, where Jesus is fully God and fully man, the God man. He's the last Adam in the sense that he's come to fulfill the law completely with perfection and all of the sins of humanity would be placed upon him.
And, and he that knew no sin would become sin that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. So God with us. You know? So when Pontius Pilate's saying, what is truth?
Right in front of him is incarnate truth. Right? And Jesus said that he came to bear witness of the truth. But what is truth? You know? And, right there, you got him, Pilate. He's incarnate truth right there and, not a liar.
And so so it says to be taxed with Mary as a spouse wife being great with child And, and so we see Isaiah 714 verse 6. And so it was that while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.
And, she's gotta go through a 9 month cycle like all ladies and, don't know what time, you know, Joseph and Mary got there. Don't know how close they were to the 3rd trimester or whatever.
But, we have a we have a a document here that's saying she came to the point of of delivering that child and the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy in Revelation 1910.
And, and she brought forth her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger because there was no room for them in the inn.
And so God's son, God's only begotten son as he's born coming through a woman because Genesis 315 prophesied that the seed of the virgin born son of God, that the seed of the woman, that his heel would be bruised, but that he crushed the serpent's head.
And so the virgin born, son of God born here in Genesis 315 being fulfilled. And, and so we we look at this and there's there's no room for him.
And the swaddling clothes are little strips of fabric that you wrap around the child and the child feels secure in that in that way. And a manger, is a feeding trough for the animals.
So there's a lot of people moving in a direction of Bethlehem, but Mary and Joseph don't have enough relatives or people or room in his relatives or friends' homes in their in their hometown, to be invited into, one of the inns or in anybody's home.
And this was a this was a huge thing. I mean, you were you were friendly towards strangers.
Anybody traveling was part of the culture, part of the hospitality, if you will. And there's no place for him. So some, Irenaeus, I think, who is the one who said that he was born sort of a cave. It could have been like a barn setting.
But nevertheless, the manger is the place, of a feeding trough and kinda kinda perfect if you if you look at it for a little little guy to be in there. Cathy with our little girls had a little bassinet, you know, near the bed.
So same sort of shape and if you will, but certainly a lot cleaner maybe. Unto us a child is born. Isaiah 96, another sign that the Lord was given to the nation of Israel.
Unto us a child is born. Unto us a son is given. And the government shall be upon his shoulder and his name shall be called wonderful counselor, the mighty God, the everlasting father.
And what else? The prince of peace. And of the increase of his government and peace, there shall be no end.
Right? And, upon the throne of David and upon his kingdom and order it and establish it with judgment, with justice from henceforth forever, the zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.
So we're looking back prophetically with a comfort knowing that God fulfilled this promise that he'd given 700 years before he'd given it.
That, in fact, Jesus is born. And now we're looking future that he's going to return and set up his messianic kingdom, his government.
The government's upon his shoulder. So you might be a Democrat. You might be a Republican. You might be into communism, socialism, whatever it may be. But really, you're a monarchist. You believe in a monarchy.
You believe in a theocracy. You believe that, ultimately, God is going to return in the person of Jesus Christ in this new glorified body. He's going to subdue all of his enemies, all those that are trying to stop him from returning.
He's gonna deal with the antichrist, with the, false prophet, even with the devil and all the demons and all those that are in rebellion against him.
And the blood is gonna be as high as the horse's bridle. It's gonna take war to bring peace for the prince of peace to make a lasting peace, you know, upon this planet.
And even after a 1000 years of ruling and reigning and people seeing his his edicts, seeing his, character and seeing who he is and people having to travel to Jerusalem, you know, each year, at least once a year.
You know, at the end of the millennium, God gives an illustration of the heart of man. The Gentiles that begin to repopulate the planet during that 1000 year rule and reign according to Revelation chapter 20.
And God loosed the devil, who's a fallen angel, from the abyss because the antichrist and the false prophet are already taken to the lake of fire. But, the devil's loosed at the end of the millennium for a season.
And then Gog and Magog, Gog, according to Amos 71, is the demonic leader of, Magog in these nations, that are that are gonna come against the Lord. And he just causes fire to come out from heaven and consume them all.
And at the end of the millennium, there there's no end to his rule and reign. We have the eternal state. We have a new heaven, a new earth. And he continues to, rule and reign.
Presently, hopefully, he's ruling and reigning in your heart. And, ultimately, you know, he's you're gonna be in your new new glorified body and living a life of submission unto his his rule and reign, you know, in person.
And, we don't see him now, but we walk by faith, not by sight in the hope of our heart and life as we're looking for Jesus because he we know that he's the great emancipator.
We know that he's the one that's gonna make things right. We know that he's the one, prophetically speaking, that's coming that we're looking for.
Now the Jews, they were looking for their Messiah in the time of his first advent, but they were looking for a conquering king. They were looking for one that would overthrow the Romans and all.
They didn't see a suffering servant. They didn't see that he'd go to the cross, you know, first and all that. And so, very difficult. Even the disciples were confused about, his in his first advent.
He would tell them ahead of time, you know, I'm gonna I'm gonna be crucified and be grabbed hold by the religious leaders, taken before the Gentiles and then I'm gonna be crucified.
His disciples wouldn't weren't able to understand it in John 14.
He says, behold, I've told you before it comes to pass. Prophetically, I'm gonna tell you, you know, what these guys are gonna do unto me. And, in Daniel 92627 in the future, near future here, we know there's another prince.
The prince of Daniel chapter 7, the little horn. And this other prince that comes out of the revived Roman Empire, the prince that shall come is the antichrist.
And the antichrist, according to Daniel 92627, is going to sign a peace treaty, with the nation of Israel. And the whole world's gonna think, great. You know, we we've got, the new golden age in the whole thing.
The nation of Israel and the land and the temple there and and Judaism re you know, restarted and a one world religious system, one world, you know, governmental system, and a one world economic system.
And this antichrist is gonna wind up wiping out 3 of the other horns, the kings, a 10 king, 10 toe, 10 crown ruling and reigning. But the antichrist is gonna come along and, they're gonna give their sovereignty over to him.
So he's going to be a counterfeit Jesus Christ, this prince. But our Jesus is the real prince of peace. And so, one of the things the world, the people that are drawn into this guy is very boastful, very talkative and all.
And one of the things they're drawn into in the day of the Lord in 1st Thessalonians chapter, 5, verse 23, it says that that, in the day of the Lord, when the day of the Lord comes, he's gonna come as a thief in the night.
That day of the Lord.
The day of the Lord is the second coming of Jesus Christ. It's a campaign event that transpires with that revelation, that apocalypse, that unveiling of Jesus in the book of Revelation over a period of time, that 7 year period of time.
And that, ultimately culminating with, you know, his his return in, Revelation chapter 19.
And the church returning with him with 10000,000 of the saints and angels coming back. And he's rescuing the elect. He's rescuing the woman of Revelation 12, the, nation of Israel.
The 1 third remnant of Zechariah 13, 89. He's come to rescue them. But the antichrist thinks that he can rest the kingdom away from Jesus, that he can be the prince, the counterfeit prince.
And, and so Paul goes on to tell the church of Thessalonica, the different pronouns, they, and we or they and us. And so they, don't understand.
They don't see the times in which they're living. They don't understand the prophetic times. The Lord wants you and I to have peace because he's telling us ahead of time, a prophetic peace, before it, you know, before it comes to pass.
And so he's gonna come as a thief in the night to those that are unaware, but it's not gonna be unaware to you and I. We know the times of season. We don't know the imminency.
We don't know the exact moment of the rapture, but the rapture is different than the day of the Lord. The day of the Lord, when we see the beast system starting to develop, we look at the prophecies that project this beast system.
We know the coming of the Lord's near and we're looking up knowing that the rapture of the church is gonna come before God pours out his wrath upon a Christ rejecting world. That should cause great peace in your heart.
And knowing that you're not going into the tribulation period. And knowing the time in which we're living, that that day doesn't overtake you unaware because you're a child of light, not a child of darkness.
And so, when they say peace peace, then sudden destruction's gonna come upon come upon them as a woman in travail and nobody's going to escape according to, 1st Thessalonians 5 verse 3.
And, and that's the, that's the mantra. That's what this antichrist is gonna be. He's gonna be a counterfeit prince of peace, sign a peace treaty, Daniel 92627. He's going to act like everything's good.
In Jeremiah chapter 6, peace, peace where there is no peace. And he's looking like this great guy that's gonna bring peace and yet all hell's gonna break loose when Jesus begins to open the seals in Revelation chapter 6.
And you see a 4th, just the seals, judgment. You see the 4th of the world, population wiped out. So 8,000,000,000 people down to, 6,000,000,000.
Then later, as more of the seals and the and the bowl and the trumpet judgments open, another third. So half the population gone in a very short period of time through what? Through wars? Right around a white horse, a false messiah.
And, and the famine, the pestilence. And and so we're we're on the verge. We're on the very verge of that. And Jesus said, when you, see these things begin to come to pass, then look up knowing that your redemption draws nigh.
So prophetically, he's wanting you to have peace in your heart. He's wanting you to know that let not in your heart be troubled. You're filled with trouble with the circumstances and everything that's going on.
Be a student of prophecy to calm your heart down. He wants you to have that peace as a student of prophecy. So let not your heart be troubled. Do you believe in God? Believe also in me, Jesus said.
In my father's house are many mansions. If it weren't so, I tell you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go to prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you unto myself that where I am, there you may be also.
That should comfort your heart. That's not doom and gloom. That's not doom and gloom like people that study prophecy would like to say to everybody. Well, it's just doom and gloom. It's doom and gloom.
What do you mean by that? What do you mean doom and gloom? Well, it means I might lose my house. It means I got plans, man. I worked my whole life. I got my retirement. I I I really you know, and I got kids to raise.
Well, you got teenagers yet? You know, just, you know, just wait. Just wait. You'll be you'll be looking up. You'll be looking up. And, you know, all these dreams and all these things we have basically come down to a love for the world.
When you let go of the world and as a student of prophecy, there's great joy that fills your heart. I I don't I'm not in control. I can't stop the geopolitical things that are going on in the world today nor can you.
We're stuck. But God is on his throne and he's in control. And as a student of prophecy, if you know that you know that you know that Jesus was born right on time in the place the bible prophesied and the way that he prophesied.
And now you at the in the last days, God who had sundry times and in diverse manners spake, you know, through the prophets has in these last days spoken to us through his son.
Hebrews 1. Right? Jesus is speaking to you and I because the testimony of Jesus is a spirit of prophecy.
He's wanting you and I to hear and to be aware because that day shouldn't overtake us unaware. We're children of light. But for them, it's like a thief in the night because they don't have a clue prophetically of what's happening.
And during the tribulation period, men are men's hearts are gonna fail them for fear. They're gonna have heart attacks. Just fear the things that are coming upon the earth.
And you and I don't need to fear what's coming upon the earth. We don't need to fear what the present governments or globalism or globalists or any of their imaginations or any of that sort of thing. Perfect love casts out all fear.
We should be excited in seeing the dots connecting and we should be looking up every day and just praising the Lord for what's happening. We should be like those in Matthew 25, the wise, virgins who have oil.
We should be saved. Everyone around us should be saved. We we should be sharing the glorious gospel to get people saved. And those 5 virgins that had the oil, not the foolish virgins that didn't, we have the oil of the holy spirit.
We're saved. The holy spirit's dwelling within us. We're marked up by the Holy Spirit. But they're looking. They're watching for the fetching, for the groom to come.
We should be so excited about the doctrine of the pre trib rapture that we should don't cower in fear because everybody's against it nowadays. No. We should be proclaiming it from the rooftops.
You know why? Because there's nothing better. There's no better alternative. If you wanna be a mid triber, then explain it to me. Do a sermon. Give give me the verses. You can't. You wanna be a post triber? Give me the verses.
How do you have imminency if it's mid or post? Because you're in the tribulation period and you can count 12 60 days from the signing of the peace treaty. The midpoint's in chapter 11. You know the rapture is really close there.
If you want it post, you you grab another 12 60 days. You get to the end of the tribulation period, and you can calculate the second coming of Christ. So what? He's gonna rapture you at the end? You're gonna come up with him?
Come to the Bosworth and grab those people, and then he's gonna start his kingdom? What happened to the Bemessate judgment? What happened to being received up to the father's house in the Jewish idiom, the Jewish picture of a wedding?
The betrothal. Mary's betrothed to Jesus. She's pregnant. Right? Conceived by the Holy Spirit. And then there's the fetching of Matthew 25.
She's watching. She's she's waiting. And she's gonna be taken to the father's house. And, and that's the marriage ceremony. And then after the marriage ceremony is what the marriage supper of the lamb.
And so, the return to the earth with Jesus, the home of the bride. And, and so we see it. We understand. We're not children of darkness. We're children of the light. And he's not gonna come like a thief in the night for you and I.
Because we we don't know the exact moment, only the father knows, of the rapture. But we can see the beast system being put together. We can see it as the bible describes in Revelation 13 16 through 18.
No man's gonna be able to buy or sell without a mark on his right hand or your forehead. You're living in the generation where that's possible, and it's happening right now.
Right now, a demonization of cash. Right now, cryptocurrency and artificial intelligence is being implemented, and America is number 1 in the implementing of artificial intelligence.
Now whether we continue as America, I don't know. But we definitely have all the technology, the technocrats and such.
And, so and then you got a one world governmental system that's coming. You got a one world religious system that's coming, the house of Abraham that they're trying to put together.
So you have so many things prophetically. But if you put your head in the sand, say that's doom and gloom and I'm really sad at Christmas because, you know, you're you're taking my joy away.
Well, what could be more joyous than the king of kings and Lord of lords returning to rescue you from all this hell that we're headed into? As pastor Barry Stagner says, what problem do you have that the rapture wouldn't solve?
Right? So that blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and savior, Titus 2 13. It's a blessed hope. And we should be so thankful as we look back to the incarnation, to Jesus being born in Bethlehem.
As we look back to Mary, the virgin, conceiving just as Genesis 3 15 had said, just as Isaiah 714, just as Isaiah 96 predicted, you know, 100 of years before the fact.
If it's not true, why are we here? What are we doing here? You know? I mean, where's your hope?
And so God, the everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace. In Isaiah 26:3, it says, he shall keep the imperfect peace whose mind is stayed on thee. The testimony of Jesus to the spirit of prophecy. You keep your mind stayed on him.
The lord's gonna help you connect the dots prophetically. Your heart's gonna calm down. You're gonna realize these pretenders, these liars are not in control. Caesar Augustus, he might have looked like, you know, he was in control.
But as the proverb says, the heart of the king is like a river in the hand of the Lord and he moves it whether so ever he wills. Right? Cyrus is gonna come right at the right time.
And the Lord, a 190 years before Cyrus even comes on the scene in Daniel chapter 4, God says, I surnamed you. I gave you your name, Cyrus, a 190 years before you even came on the scene as the Medes and the Persians.
Amazing God. I love prophecy. I love it. I can't imagine people treating his doom and gloom. You know? And then Jeremiah 2911, this this prophetic piece that you and I enjoy.
I know the thoughts that I think towards you, sayeth the lord. Thoughts of peace and not of evil. The prince of peace is gonna draw you and and cause for your whole life long to live a life in peace.
He's the prince of peace and not of evil. He doesn't have evil thoughts or evil future for you. But I know the thoughts that I think towards you, thoughts of peace, not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.
In the future, you're gonna be at peace. The whole world's gonna be at peace because he's the he's the prince of peace. The devil can't stop him.
The antichrist can't stop him. And the pretenders, when they shout, peace peace, Jesus said, where there is no peace, they can't deliver. It can be sudden destruction upon them when they start shouting peace peace.
Jesus warned at the midpoint of the of the, tribulation period that the antichrist is gonna go into the temple and declare himself to be God, demand to be worshiped as God, the abomination of desolation.
Well, for three and a half years, there's all hell breaking loose. God's causing his wrath to be poured out.
It's not really a peaceful time but they don't see the true colors of the antichrist just yet. But at the midpoint, he goes into the temple, declares himself to be God, demands to be worshiped as God.
And the second half, the great tribulation as it's called, the second three and a half years are gonna be even more brutal for those upon the earth.
Now the good news, prophetically, I know the greatest revival in the history of the world takes place in Revelation 6 and 7.
Something that looks so bad from here becomes so good as an innumerable multitude of people are beneath the throne of God, crying out how long, oh, Lord, you know, holy and true, till he avenges them.
Revelation 20 verse 4, they lost their heads.
Why? Because they refused to take the mark of the beast. They'd rather starve. They'd rather be inconvenienced than give in to that pressure, that leverage, and also denying God the glory that's due his name.
They'd rather die a martyr than live another day as a as a Judas, you know. They're not gonna deny their Lord.
No way. So Jesus provides the prophetic peace. Secondly, Jesus provides the peace with God. Verse 8. And they were in the same country, shepherds abiding in the field keeping watch over the flock by night.
Shepherds are the lowliest of of the low end of the rung of the ladder. And it's interesting that Jesus describes himself as the good shepherd, the great shepherd, the cheap shepherd.
David's a shepherd. Amos, a farmer. Abraham, a shepherd. Isaac, Jacob, shepherds. You know? Moses tending sheep, Jethro's father. A commendable, occupation, if you will, but very low at the bottom.
Low at the bottom. But, the Lord says, David David writing says, the Lord is my shepherd. I shall not want, you know. And he goes through describing himself as a sheep as he sees the imagery there of God's hand upon his life.
So these these shepherds are watching the flock by night. And lo, the the angel of the Lord came upon them and the glory of the Lord shone round about them and they were sore afraid. The shekinah glory of God is shining around them.
Now the the wise men from Babylon, in another account, Matthew's account, they see his star. They see the shekinah glory of God as a star. And the star is moving and then comes over the house in Bethlehem when Jesus is 2 years old.
And that's why Herod what time did they start to inquire? Where were they here? And so his estimate is, I need to kill all the babies 2 years old and younger. At this point here, he's just the baby.
He's just a little baby. He's just been in the, you know, the swaddling clothes and all that. And that these shepherds are there at the time of his birth and they have an announcement, a birth announcement that's being given to him.
And they're sore afraid when they're around, you know, these angels with that Shekinah glory, the brightness there.
And the angel said unto them, fear not. The only reason an angel says fear not or Jesus says fear not because you're afraid. You're filled with fear and perfect love casts out all fear.
And fear is the opposite of faith. Hard to hear from the lord. Hard to be excited about Christmas. Hard to be excited about his soon return, if I'm overwhelmed with fear. Now one of the greatest fear men have is judgment.
Being an enemy of God. Knowing with the conscience that he's given me that murder's wrong. I don't need to look at the Mosaic Law. I know because of the conscience he's given me that murder's wrong.
Not self defense. Not killing somebody that's trying to hurt you. We're talking murder. Premeditated murder is wrong. Stealing's wrong. Lying's wrong. I know it in my heart. I know it.
God fashioned me that way. I have to resist that voice of the conscience for a long time to reach a place where I'm of a reprobate mind, where I'm past feeling, and no longer is my conscience active. And that's where the law comes in.
The law is there to guard me from hurting anybody around me. The law is good. The law protects us from the law less. Right? But you and I have a walking relationship with the Lord and it's such that we don't fear death now.
Why? We we feared death before. We feared death judgment before we came to Christ because we were enemies of God according to Romans, chapter 5.
We were dead in our sins and trespasses. We before that. And we had no inkling, no drive, or no understanding of the spiritual things until the Lord quickened us and raised us from the dead.
And in doing that, he needed to be able to justify himself. He need to be able to give us eternal life as a free gift, but he also needed to be able to, and I say be able to, like God needs anything.
But from from a redemption standpoint, from a standpoint of being a just and a holy God and the wage of sin is death, but the gift of God's eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord, he has to punish sin.
And how's that gonna happen? How are we can ever reach a place where we're reconciled with God to where we can have access to his throne of grace in our time of need?
And so what happens is Jesus, as the prince of peace, it says that he's the one that's going to suffer, you know, for us.
And the angel said to them, fear not for behold I bring you good tidings of great joy which shall be to all people.
So Isaiah 4822 says, there's no peace, saith the lord, to the wicked. Those who are wicked, there's no peace. They live in turmoil. They live in turmoil presently in their minds, but they live in turmoil also.
The thought of future suffering in the fires of hell for all eternity. Deep inside, they know it to be true. And so they begin to undermine the word of God. They begin to listen to the lies of the wicked one.
They begin to find ways to massage their guilt and their fear and their their neurosis by going to psychiatrists and people trying to remove that guilt by saying, you're not responsible for those things.
It was your mom. She didn't hug enough and you didn't get enough hugs. And, you know, without enough hugs, man, it's drugs and it's just not your fault, you know.
And, you're this raging lunatic and this selfish puke because, society or whatever it may be because you're poor, the color of your skin, or where you grew up, and and that's the blame game.
And that's what Eve tried to do. You know, it's the serpent. Adam tried to do. It's the woman he gave me. And so God says, I'm gonna send my son and I'm gonna punish him in your place. Gonna have to deal with the sin.
We can't play the blame game. We can't cover it. We can't, you know, restore you in your present condition. The solution for you is death. You're gonna have to die and my son's gonna have to live through you.
And so the angel said to them, fear not, for a fold, I bring you good tidings. There's good news. There's a savior. There's a prince of peace. There's great joy. There's great cause for rejoicing, which shall be to all people.
Jesus is the savior of the whole world, but especially for those who believe. This is good news for everybody, but especially for those who believe. Because if you don't believe, you're still an enemy of God. You're still in your sins.
And there's a fearful looking to of judgment. It's appointed unto all men once die. And then the judgment. And contrary to the lies of the globalist today, you're not gonna live forever with a chip in your brain, bro.
They can freeze your brain, freeze your body all they want, but when they thaw you out, you're gonna be dead, dead, dead, dead, dead.
Because God said so. You know? And, well, think of the money you could make lying to people. They're desperate. They're desperate.
They're at the most desperate point. I'm going to hell if I die. Oh, there's no hell. There's no devil. There's no sin. No need of repentance because you've never done anything wrong. Who says what you're doing is wrong?
Who's the authority? Well, Jesus' authority because he's crucified, buried, raised from the dead. He's the big kahuna. He's the one that makes the rules. He's the creator. He's the redeemer. He's the savior, you know, of the world.
And so if you think you are, then you go be crucified, buried, raise yourself from the dead, and they will believe you, Pontius Pilate. Don't you know that I have authority, I have power to crucify you?
Jesus, you have no power except that was just given you from above. This is the delegated moment, Pilate. You're a puppet. You're just doing what prophetically my father had, you know, let people know in Psalm 22.
My God, my God, why has thou forsaken me? Why art thou so far from my roaring? You know. In Isaiah 53 and Isaiah 50, you know, they they pluck the hair off my beard and they put deep furrows in my back with the cat of 9 tails in Isaiah.
He was bruised for our iniquities, you know, in Isaiah 53. So peace on earth and goodwill toward men. Paul deals with in Romans, chapter 5 verse 1. Being justified justified means, just as if you've never sinned.
Being justified by faith by faith by faith by faith. Romans 1 16 and 17. Right? I'm not ashamed the gospel of Christ for it's the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.
For therein, within the gospel, the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith. As is written, the just, those justified shall live by faith. Romans Hebrews 11, by faith, by faith, by faith.
The way that we live our life out. Hebrews 10, again, the just shall live by faith, live that way by faith. Don't go back and fall into following after the law. Don't become a gnostic in Galatians.
The just shall live by faith. And so being justified by by faith, we have peace with God. We're an enemy of God. And Jesus died for us while we were his enemies. He didn't wait for us to be good enough to save.
In our Ephesians 2, in our deadness, in our sinful condition, he quickened us and raised us, you know, from the dead. So being justified by faith, we have peace with God through the Lord Jesus Christ.
By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. So the hope that we have is the glory of God.
The Prince of Peace is gonna return. And we have access, according to Hebrews 4, to come boldly before his throne of, not judgment, but of grace. The veil of the temple was rent in 2. It was cut.
The priest could only go in once a year on the great day of atonement of a onement, the kaphar, the covering of people's sins. But behold the lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world, as John the Baptist described Jesus.
Not covering sin year by year. Hebrews 9, he's smitten once. Moses, smite the rock. Moses, speak to the rock. No, Moe. No, Moe. Don't smite the rock a second time. You ruin the type. You ruin the type. He'd be smitten once.
He doesn't have to keep being smitten at each mass that you go to. Once. And that's smitten, that that being struck, that that being the wrath being poured out upon him, his righteousness is imputed to you by grace through faith.
It's a gift. Salvation is a free gift. And we stand there in that gift. And we rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
Man, we're waiting for the lord to come. All of creation is groaning and travailing, waiting for the Lord to return. That prince of peace is triumphant victory, is triumphal entry into Jerusalem.
And we're gonna be there with him as he moves into Jerusalem. We're gonna be there with him as he sets up his kingdom. Verse 12. And this shall be a sign unto you.
You shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly, there was with the angels a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, glory to God in the highest and on earth.
Peace. Goodwill toward man. Jesus is the prince of peace. He's the only one that can bring the peace. He's the only one that can provide peace with God for you and I because we're his enemy.
We're the enemy of God. And he's the only one. He's the only one who can pay that price, that can pay the price of sins that keep us from him. And so glory to God in the highest on earth.
Peace, goodwill toward men. Romans 5 verse 10. If, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God now reconciliation is a word that's that's very similar to the word atonement, the at one ment.
And in this reconciliation, when we talk about John 17, Jesus praying that we'd be one with him even as he and the father one partake of communion.
Atonement, at one ment. It's bringing us back to that one ment, to that intimacy. So sin was what was in the way. And so you've got the goat and the and the goat, the blood is sprinkling, you know, at the altar.
You have the scapegoat that's sent out to illustrate forgiveness, the sins being separated from the sinner. But year by year, each year, on Yom Kippur, the great day of atonement, this would need to take place.
So God here's a huge mistake we make in our culture within Christianity. We make a huge mistake in thinking that God has wronged us, that we got a raw deal.
And God needs to reconcile with me. God needs to say sorry to me. He's got some explaining to you. No. You're an enemy of his. He's showing you terms of surrender.
The terms of surrender, the terms of peace are absolute surrender on your part. Put your sword down. Put your heart down. Surrender to me in humility. Confess that you are a sinner and I'll forgive you of your sin.
I'll come into your heart and life and I'll quicken you and raise you from the dead. You no longer be body and soul. You'll be body, soul, and spirit. You'll be born again. You have your new glorified body one day.
That's the reconciliation he's offering is that no longer are we at war with him, are we an enemy of his. He's made a way for you and I to enjoy communion. We were enemies. We were reconciled to God by the death of his son.
And much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. So by his death, we're reconciled. But his life, the resurrected life, that drawing near, that communion that he prayed for in John 17, we're saved by his life.
He ever lives to make intercession for you. And he saved us to the uttermost. He doesn't just save us at the point of asking them into our heart.
He is presently saving us to the uttermost. Salvation is in 3 tenses. We have been saved from the past penalty of sin. We're being saved in Romans 6 from the power of sin. Sin shall not have dominion over you.
And in the future tense, we will be saved from the very presence of sin. Man, I'm so ashamed of being a human being. I'm so ashamed. I don't know if Lot was ashamed. You know, it says Peter says that his soul was vexed day by day.
It's just it's just sickening how filthy this world has become. And it's so nice to be with Christians and to be with family at Christmas and all that. And then we gotta go out there in the world.
We're in the world, but not of the world. But we gotta go into that filthy world. And we read and we see the human trafficking and the pedophilia and all those bad stuff that's coming, you know, preying upon the children and all.
We just Lord, come quick. There's no way we can stop it. We need a savior. We need you, Lord. You're the king of kings.
You're the Lord of lords that we're looking for. So no fear. There's no fear of judgment. For god so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believes in him will not perish but have everlasting life.
For god sent not his son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved. There's no condemnation to those who are in Christ.
Those there's no fearful looking to of judgment. There's no fear of, oh, I'm gonna lose my salvation. No. There's a confidence. Being confident in this very thing that he that has begun this work.
I mean, that he's gonna complete it. It's his work. He initiated. He wooed me by his spirit. I was going the opposite direction as an enemy of his. Think of Saul of Tarsus as an enemy of the cross.
And the Lord arrested him on the road to Damascus. Right? Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? Who art thou, Lord? I'm Jesus. Whom you're persecuting. Can you continue to kick against the goads?
Paul, you're you're still tormented by the thoughts of Stephen As you watch Stephen be, you know, be stoned and his face shining bright like that of an angel looking up into heaven, lord, lay not this into their charge.
You're tormented by that man. You're tormented by that moment when they laid the coats at your feet. Why are you resisting my love? Paul, you're gonna be a trophy unto me.
I'm gonna show you what things you must suffer for my namesake. Lord, get somebody else. No. He considered it a privilege. He considered everything as a chief of sinners or as a Pharisee of Pharisees.
Concerning his contemporaries, he exceeded them all. He considered it all, all those advantages, just like Moses in Egypt. He considered it all as dung as refuse for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ.
Why do you know Jesus? Because he revealed himself to you. Why you? Why not your brother or sister or somebody else? At Christmas, you're joyous because you know.
You know? How many years did you go without knowing him? My dad tried so hard to stay married to my mom. And, 12 years of they're tormented. She's a tormented person. And after they divorced, it just crushed him.
Maybe you've been through a divorce and just crushed you being rejected in that way. All your dreams, all your Christmases, everything you you built and wanted, but it it became impossible to maintain, to continue in.
And it took 2 6 packs, a 12 pack each night when he'd come home from work to try and anesthetize himself, to be able to sleep. And then he got saved.
The Lord saved me and the Lord used me to. He says, Rick, you're the one God used for me to get saved. That's a blessing. And he said, Rick, if I'd have known back then what I know now, it made all the difference. Isn't that true?
All those Christmases trying to celebrate, not really knowing the real meaning and not having the power and not having the the Holy Spirit to comfort and change and transform and give us give us the power to say, honey, I'm sorry.
And for the person you're saying you're sorry to to take it in and not capitalize on it, you know, to forgive. We take so much for granted this peace that we have with God.
No longer enemies. God's not angry at you. He says, I know the thoughts that I have towards you, thoughts of peace and not of evil. My good thoughts concerning you are numbered more than all the grains of sand.
My good thoughts concerning you are numbered more than all the stars of heaven. The Lord dotes on you. There's no fear. In Isaiah 535, he was wounded for our transgressions.
He was bruised for our iniquities. The chastisement of our peace was upon him. And with his stripes, we're healed. We have peace with God because Jesus took the punishment upon himself that we deserved.
We've been reconciled under God. God satisfied. He satisfied with the judgment. The wrath that he poured out on his son has paid for your sins and my sins, the sins of the whole world, and especially for those who believe.
What if you have that lottery ticket, but you didn't take it in? You didn't take advantage of it. You're you're a plutocrat. You're very wealthy. You've got this great salvation, especially for those who believe.
It's only operative. It's only active if you believe. Your sins are already paid for, but you need to appropriate the free gift by coming to the Lord and receive him into your heart and life.
Don't go through another Christmas as a stranger, As one on the outside looking in, wondering what it's about? Why did he die? He died for you. He died for me. He died for the sins of the whole world that we might have peace with God.
Jesus provides the prophetic peace. Jesus provides peace with God. And Jesus, thirdly, provides the peace of God. Do you know the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding?
Incomprehensible for the natural man, the natural mind to know this peace. You gotta be a believer. You gotta be a child of God. Be anxious. Be anxious. Hey, Martha, you're really anxious.
You're really worried and cumbered about many things. But Mary is doing that one thing, that best thing, that thing that's necessary. You can't get all the shopping, all this stuff done without feeling the stress of the season.
The stress of the stretching of your finances. Worried about these grandkids coming over and spilling all that stuff on your beautiful carpet and all that.
It just stresses you out, man. There's crumbs. There's crumbs. Well, buy some plastic, you know? I don't know. They're kids. But that stress that's there, the season, I'll be glad when this is over.
You know? It doesn't have to be like that. Be anxious. Don't worry about anything. Be anxious for nothing. But in everything through prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, even all that bad stuff that's going on with thanks giving.
Let your requests be made known unto God. You're not ordering God. There's requests there. And the peace of God you've taken, you've cast it, like Peter says, cast all your cares upon him, for he cares for you.
Just keep casting them. Every time they try to come down and you're feeling the weight of the flat earthers on you, just give it back to him.
Give it back to him. That's not your job. Jesus said, take my yoke upon you and learn of me, all you that are weak and heavy laden. That burden's too great. Come on to me, all you that labor and are heavy laden.
I'll give you rest, peace. Take my yoke upon you. Do what I've called you to do. Keep the main thing the main thing. You can't do it all. And you can't carry the burden of the law, the performance relationship.
There's an intimacy here that I want you to enter into. A fellowship, moment by moment. And you don't need to do it by the sweat of your brow, the sweat, striving, but in the power of the Holy Spirit, as I strengthen you.
For my yoke is easy, my burden is light. So be anxious for nothing, but in everything through prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your request be known unto God.
And the peace of God that surpasses all understanding, the world doesn't know this peace, Shall guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
That worry's in your mind. In Matthew 6, Jesus said, the heathen, the unbelievers, they're consumed with, what am I gonna eat? What am I gonna drink? What am I gonna wear? And we, as Christians, it's like, we worry about that stuff.
I had a hard time this morning finding clothes. I went through 3 different shirts and 3 different jackets. And, man, I wanted to do my best today, but, man, it was hard. If Kathy was there, I probably would have screamed at her.
Right? I was, this is crazy. If you come up and give me a hug today, I'll give you I'll let you know. This church, this shirt is mill dude. I hate that. I hate I hate getting the shirt and putting on, what's that smell?
What's up? I live in the Pacific Northwest. That's what's up. God. Makes me insane. And I'm getting fatter and fatter, and nothing fits, you know? Makes me even insaner. Why am I working out so much?
You eat like a hog, man. There's the problem. I'm in denial. Alright? When's the diet start? Tomorrow. Alright? But it brings anxiety. Some of you ladies tried on a dress. It doesn't fit this year. Some of you try on shoes.
Your feet are too big this year. I'm a have to wear flip flops. No, you're not. It's a tough world out there. So what am I going to eat? What am I going to drink? What am I going to wear? And Jesus Jesus tries to teach him, you know.
I take care of the birds. I feed the birds little worms. Can't can't you trust me that I'll feed you, you know? I I clothe the fields, these beautiful flowers in the spring, all the cherry blossoms. I I clothe it.
Saul, in all of his glory, wasn't narrator dressed like that. What are you worried about? Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these other things be added unto you, he says. Don't live like the heathens.
Enjoy the peace of God that surpasses all understanding. Enjoy the walk of faith. You don't need to know every move. You don't need a 5 year plan that God you're gonna pray God into. God, here's here's the next step.
This is what I planned. Would you follow my plan? What happened to a walk of faith? What happened when he throws a, you know, a monkey wrench in there, or a boomerang? Oh, where'd that come from? We never planned for that.
It's that mold that's killing me, man. I tell you. Yeah. You're gonna get old. You're gonna get sick. It's gonna come out of nowhere. You go one day being healthy. The next day, what happened? It's a chain reaction.
How can we stop this? You know? The pills and the doctors and all that stuff. Well, your plan your plans for retirement, your plans for everything, your plan I I saw a picture of a guy at a restaurant this time of year.
Think of this this time of year being alone. Your spouse has gone on to heaven before you and you're alone at a restaurant, seated at the table by yourself, you know.
And many of us that are widows or divorced, you know, a lot of us, we have friends and family and others to gather with and be with and all.
And those of us that don't, then we have the body of Christ. We have bible studies at home and food and fellowship and prayer.
And you're not alone. Man, I'll tell you. Why did they even mention that? The devil stirred it up. I'll tell you. But you're welcome to come up and give me a nice hug and smell it.
I'll tell you. And it came to pass as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherd said one to another, let us now go even unto Bethlehem and see this thing which has come to pass, which the Lord has made known unto us.
Prophetically, the Lord the Lord is letting you know, hey, this is happening. So 2911 says, the Lord giveth strength unto his people. The Lord will bless his people with peace. You're not his enemy.
You're not his enemy anymore. Psalm 3711, the meek shall inherit the earth and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace. Jesus is the most powerful person on the planet. We're gonna come in meekness, me ich.
We don't need to be worried about being rejected by Jesus. He chose us before the foundation of the earth. He's written your name in the Lamb's book of life as a lamb slain before the foundation of the earth.
Right? That predestination. He selected you. You may have been rejected by somebody or someone or whatever. Not Jesus. Jesus is never gonna divorce you. He's never gonna say, you're too old. You're this, you're that, the other.
He's gonna continue to lavish his kindness, his love upon you in the ages to come. He's just getting started. He's just getting started. Verse 16. And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph and the babe lying in a manger.
There's no room for them in the inn, at his birth. And at his death, there's only room for him upon a cross. Is there room for Jesus in your heart this morning? Do you have room in your heart for Jesus?
Have you kicked Jesus out of your Laodicean church? Is Jesus on the outside knocking on a door to his church? And they're self satisfied, I'm rich and increased with goods and in need of nothing.
I don't need you, Jesus. Jesus said, You're insipid. You're lukewarm. I spew you out of my mouth. There's no power in your life anymore. The church of Ephesus left their first love.
You're gonna leave your first love? Is there room in your heart for Jesus? Do you know Jesus? Do you want to invite Jesus? Receive Jesus Christ into your heart? He and the father wanna come and make their abode in you.
They wanna make themselves at home in your heart. One of the things I'm learning that I need to correct this coming year, I got a new a lot of New Year's resolutions, but one of them one of them is that stinking phone.
That phone, I tell you. Gotta do something. That thing is just just I mean, it's it's an addiction. It's a time waster. Kathy told me last night, you know, when we're together as a family, you know, a lot of times you're on your phone.
No, I'm not. No, I'm not. I I don't think so. Yeah. You are. Rather than talking and and doing stuff together and interacting with the kids and all, everybody's on their phones.
Well, I'm an important man. I'm fixing the flat earth lie. Okay? Leave me alone. I like to throw that thing, then they can never get to me, you know? I gotta think of something, a flip phone, something.
I because I can't handle all that dopamine going off every time you guys give me a like, you know? I wanna post a picture of Ruthie and and I wanna see that you you like it. That makes me feel so good. A dopamine rush.
And that's true science. That's what's happening. A little dopamine here. And you know my fingers? My fingers are like numb because somewhat doing this. A thumb and a finger. And, oh, those things are I'm losing feeling in them.
What's up? You're sticking I always you're addicted, man. You're addicted. If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. If your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out. Get rid of it. And it's gonna get worse.
It's gonna get worse, The tracking and the tracing. You know, I could I could say something like this to you guys, or I could I could God, I could say anything. And I come home, and you you 2, there's ads for it.
They're listening to Cathy and I talk, and there's ads. You know? Mind boggling. The Beast system is here. And my grandkids, when we're out at a restaurant, there's one good aspect of it.
When you're at a restaurant, Papa, can I play a game on your phone? You know, you got these games for them and they're nice and quiet when they're on their games, you know.
And, but you don't get to interact, you know. You don't get to joke and all that with them. And so, they can be used as babysitters and things like that.
But as we're looking forward to Christmas and we're thinking of, alright, Lord, what are these weaknesses in my life that are hindering my walking relationship with you and with those around me? Lord, what are the time wasters?
What are the things that that are keeping me from your word and from prayer and and intimacy and the relationships I do have? And, I like my phone. I call my dad once a week, at least once a week and talk with him. Cell phone's useful.
But, man, you know what I'm talking about. I can see the looks on your guys' faces. How did he know that? How did my fingers hurt too. And, oh, my shirt's moldy too. Oh, yeah. Can he smell me from there? Who who can who can smell me?
They found Mary and Joseph and the babe lying in the manger. In John 14/27, Jesus said, peace I leave with you. My peace. His peace. Peace I leave with you. Who could say that? Peace I leave with you. Peace, bro. Peace.
Get the bong. Peace, man. Peace, love. Jesus said, peace I leave with you. My peace. Special kind of peace. Right? I give unto you. Not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
In Mark 4, the boys are rowing really hard. There's a storm pressing against them. These are fishermen. Strong fishermen. And they're afraid. Sore afraid. So afraid. They think they're gonna perish.
And Jesus is at the back of the boat on a pillow sleeping. Gotta get a few winks, you know, go ministering hard and might as well use this time to get a little sleep for this physical body of mind that's weary.
In John 4 at the at at the well there. He's tired. He experiences. He's tempted in all points like we and yet without sin.
He set aside the free exercise of his deity. He's not gonna just say, I'm God. I'm not tired anymore. No. He's tired. Needs some sleep. Maybe not as much as us but he needs some sleep and he's sleeping.
And they become filled with fear, paralyzed with fear because of the wind and the waves and all. And what did Jesus do? They wake him up, Lord. Wake up or we perish. Real dramatic drama queens, I tell you.
Big, tough fishermen. Let's test that. And he said, peace, be still. Even the wind and the waves obey him. Imagine that. What kind of man is this? They're thinking that even the wind and the waves, you know, obey him.
He's got a peace for you and I. The peace of God is not like the world. The world can't give you that kind of peace. And knowing his sovereignty, knowing his his he's in control.
In John 1633 says, these things I've spoken unto you that you might have peace. So are you a student of God's word? Are you listening? Are you filled with anxiety and trouble and stress?
Read his word. These things have I written unto you, that in me, you might have peace. Not in the world. You can't fix that. You can't make them all listen to you and make it all go harmonious in the way it's supposed to go.
Gonna make you crazy if you try. There's such a rebellion in the church today, the apostate church. It's very difficult to be a leader in the church today. The Laodicea means people rule.
It would be so nice if if the Lord Jesus himself was here. We can just all follow him, you know. There'd be no doubting, you know. No doubting at all. But if we follow his word, he says, if you read his word, you're gonna have peace.
These things have I spoken unto you, that in me you might have peace. Don't put your trust in man. Vain is the help of man. Man's gonna let you down. Put your trust in me.
In the world, you're gonna have tribulation, not the great tribulation. Tribulation is pressure, stress. Men's heart failing them. They're looking up at the things that are happening to the earth. Men's heart's failing them for fear.
Heart attacks, anxiety, panic attacks, drug use, alcohol, gummies. Alright. Take a moment. Take a gummy. Go ahead. To deal with stress, anxiety. This is the Christian one I got from pastor so and so selling weed online now.
You know? Guys are worth $50,000,000 Why are they selling gummies to Christians? You know, come on. Be of good cheer. I've overcome the world. He's already won. You've already won.
He spoiled all principalities and powers. He triumphed over them at the cross. The devil thought, I'm gonna kill God's son. I'm gonna win. But that crucifixion was his victory. His way of redeeming you. His way of saving you.
And when they had seen him, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child. Verse 18, and they they that heard it wondered at those things which are told them by the shepherds. And so they're wondering.
Herod's wondering. Schemes of Herod. Gonna kill all these babes of Bethlehem. Gonna kill them all. But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart. He'll give you perfect peace whose mind is stayed on thee.
Train your mind to stay on him. Don't look at the wind and the waves and the storms all around you in that boat. Jesus is in the boat with you. He's gonna take you through the storm.
You keep your eyes on him. He'll keep you in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on him. Remember his promises. Study his word. Hide his word in your heart. Keep a book of promises. Not Joel Osteen's promises.
Jesus promises. Alright? And as you meditate upon his promises and you meditate upon his word, you're gonna be delivered from the anxiety and the stress and the the voices and the the things of this world that want to steal your joy.
The devil wants to steal the joy of the celebration of Jesus' birthday on Christmas. The devil wants to bring Uncle Nikki, aunt so and so, who just rubbed you the wrong way to steal your joy.
But you have the power of the Holy Spirit. How do you know you can love unless you're confronted and challenged by people that are unloving and unkind.
It's just one day. You can take it. Just take a snort. A couple snorts. I don't know. Just do something, you know. I'm just kidding, you know. But perfect peace is mine that stayed on thee.
And the shepherds returned glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told to them. They're stoked. They're rejoicing. They're so excited. The future looks so good now.
The prince of peace has come. The messiah, the Christ, the anointed one, he's come. He's he's come into the world. God's given us a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son and call his name Jesus.
Call his name Emmanuel. God with us. God is salvation. The rejoicing these shepherds is just amazing. Look at look how privileged we are that the Lord revealed him unto us as lowly shepherds.
How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good things, that publishes peace, that bringeth good tidings of good, that publishes salvation, that saith unto Zion, thy God reigns.
Jesus is ruling and reigning even now. He's almighty. He's he's almighty King of Kings and Lord of Lords, even now. The devil's on a leash. All these pretenders are on a leash.
God only lets them go so far. No further. His plan is is being implemented. His plan for his return is being put in place. But, presently, blindness is part has happened on to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles become in.
And you and I have the glorious privilege and the blessing of bringing good tidings, good news to the whole world. A savior has been born. Do you know him?
Is there room for him in your heart? You shall go out with joy, Isaiah 5512, and be led forth with peace. The mountains and the hills shall break forth before you in singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.
In Romans 8, all creation's groaning and travailing because of the curse that's upon the earth. All creation is waiting to sing like those rocks that Jesus said would cry out.
The trees of the field are wanting to clap their hands. All of creation is wanting to celebrate the king's return and the curse being reversed and everything being made right.
And you and I are part of that eternal kingdom. And we're to go out with joy. We're gonna spread this peace to people that are hopeless, people that are suicidal, who've lost all hope.
The government's failed them. The schools have failed them. The families failed them. They feel like they've been failed in every which way. There's no hope. And so we tell them about our God.
Beloved, now are we the sons of God. It does not yet appear what we shall be. But we know that when he shall appear, we shall be like him. And he that has his hope in him purifies himself even as he is pure.
That's our hope. We don't put our hope in this world. We we don't anticipate or expect perfection in this life. We know there's gonna be tribulation. There's gonna be pressure. That's reality.
But God has a quality of life that he's given unto us where he says, my peace I give unto you. And you'll know the peace of God in Philippians 4 that surpasses all understanding and gonna guard your heart and mind through Christ Jesus.
You're not gonna fail. You're not gonna fall. You're not gonna melt. You're not gonna be a snowflake melting when things get tougher because you've trained your mind to focus on Jesus.
He's got the big shoulders that's gonna get us through. And people need to know him. People need to to to get to know him.
And that's we don't just take what he's given to us, this gift, and bury it. We redistribute this gift, especially at Christmas. We share the glorious gospel, the good tidings that unto us a child is born.
Unto us a son is given and the government shall be upon his shoulder. His name shall be called wonderful counselor, the mighty God, the everlasting father, the prince of peace.
And of his peace and of his government, there should be no end. No more election cycles. King of Kings and Lord of Lords. When the people came to Samuel and they said, Samuel, we want a king.
We want to be like all the other nations. And Samuel the prophet threw the judges, the last of the judges, the first of the prophets, the children of Israel enjoyed a theocracy, where God was their king.
As God brought them out of Egypt. And Samuel was really bummed. His sons weren't qualified. The people didn't want his sons. And they chose Saul, a good looking guy, a head taller than everybody else. A man after the people's heart.
Not a God pleaser, a man pleaser. And God comforted Samuel and said, Samuel, the people haven't rejected you. They've rejected me. How tragic as God would wanna be your king as he wants to be the Prince of Peace in your life.
But in many cases, we want to rule and reign. We want to be in charge. We want to keep Jesus at bay and only rub the genie, call the phone, pray when we're in the hitch, when things are tough.
But what he's talking about here is he's talking about intimacy. He's talking about all that you hope that happens on Christmas with the family.
That every day would be a day of you and I enjoying Jesus, our Prince of Peace, as we go out in a tumultuous world. Stressful, difficult, chaotic, crazy world.
The fear of wars and rumors of wars and drones and UFOs and whatever else is is trying to rob us of our joy and rob us of our peace, he wants you and I to have our minds stayed on Thee that he'll keep us in perfect peace.
Let's pray. Father, thank you of what's up ahead, Lord, prophetically. We're so excited. We look back prophetically and there's a confidence, Lord, a confidence in knowing that you keep your promises.
There's a confidence presently in knowing that, Lord, everything's happening according to plan, your plan, your purposes. We may not always understand. Sometimes, you give us understanding.
Other times, you demand that we walk by faith, not by sight. That we trust you. And when we do trust you, Lord, we experience peace. We humble ourselves and we accept the circumstances that you've allowed.
We, with Paul, say, I'm learning to be content whatever state I'm in. Whether it's Washington or Texas or California. Whether I'm abased or whether I'm abounding. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
So, Lord, we pray that for some of us, as our outward man is perishing, that our inward man is renewed day by day, That the quality of our life is not predicated on the outward circumstances, but there's an inward quality of life, the life of the spirit.
Thank you, Lord, that you're our Prince of Peace. Thank you for the hope that is ours. Thank you, Lord, that you're coming again.
And, Lord, may we pass these truths. May we pass this good news, this relationship under our children, our grandchildren, our families. This may be their last Christmas. This may be the last year they have.
Lord, help us to seize the moment. To to not be sleeping, but to be awake of what times we're living in. That those day, Lord, would not overtake us unaware like a thief in the night. Lord, let us rejoice at what's happening.
It's not doom and gloom. Very exciting. Radically exciting that, Lord, as human government fails, as human beings, we're such failures. And our inability to govern ourselves and to govern the planet, Lord, that you've ordained.
You knew this day was coming. And, Lord, you're going to step back in, and you're going to rule and reign with a rod of righteousness as King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
That's our hope. While your heads are bowed and your eyes are closed as you continue to pray and meditate upon these truths.
Is there anybody here this morning that doesn't know you don't have a relationship with Jesus Christ yet? You've been thinking about it maybe or maybe you weren't.
Maybe it's just Christmas and you came to pacify your mom, your dad. Somebody invited you. And here you are, the Holy Spirit speaking to your heart, pointing you to the cross of Calvary.
The Holy Spirit's convicting you of sin, that you're a sinner, but God's made provision for your sin and sending his son to the cross to die for you. And you're crying out to God, God, be merciful to me a sinner.
Whosoever calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. Are you calling upon the name of the Lord? Do you want eternal life? Just lift your hand up. As many as received him, to them gave he the power to become the sons of God.
A lot of people rejected him but as many as received him, no man can come on to me, Jesus said, except the father who has sent me draw him and I'll lay him raise him up at the last day. But whosoever comes to me, I'll no wise cast out.
It's your choice. Anyone here this morning, it's your choice. The ball's in your court. He respects your free will. He's not gonna force you to love him. Anyone here this morning? Just lift your hand up. We wanna pray with you.
Father, thank you for the assurance of salvation in this room. Thank you, Lord, that we've received that gift. We've received the gift of your son in our heart and life. Thank you for that gift. Thank you for the gift of your son.
Thank you for the gift of the holy spirit dwelling within us. The holy spirit lead and guide us in all truth. Thank you, Lord, for the relationships that we're able to cultivate with the help of the holy spirit.
Thank you for our homes. Thank you for our children, grandchildren, lives, friends, people at work. Thank you for the strength that you give us, Lord, to be in this world, to not be of it.
Thank you, Lord, for the unction of your Holy Spirit. The the empowering of your Holy Spirit to proclaim the good news of your coming kingdom. 1 man sows another waters.
God, you bring the increase. And, Lord, we just revel. We love seeing you save people. And we want to shout from the rooftops your soon return. It's good news. It's not doom and gloom. So bless, we pray, Lord. In Jesus' name. Amen.