Celebrate the True Meaning of Christmas with Us
This special Christmas service at Middletown Baptist Church centers on the profound theme of peace, as articulated by Pastor Josh Massaro. He emphasizes that true peace can only be found through a relationship with Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace. The sermon underscores the importance of having peace with God, which is essential for spiritual fulfillment and joy. Pastor Josh encourages listeners to reflect on their personal relationship with Christ and to embrace the peace that follows this connection. As the congregation celebrates the Christmas season, the message serves as a reminder that amidst life's challenges, the gift of peace remains accessible to all who seek it in faith.
The Christmas service at Middletown Baptist Church on December 15, 2024, led by Pastor Josh Massaro, revolves around the central theme of peace as embodied in the story of Christ's birth. Pastor Josh draws upon the familiar narrative found in Luke 2, where the angels declare, "Peace on earth, goodwill toward men," to emphasize the significance of this message during the Christmas season. He invites congregants to reflect on the nature of peace that Jesus brings, contrasting it with the fleeting peace often sought in worldly pursuits. Through his message, Pastor Josh illustrates that true peace is a gift from God, accessible to those who have faith in Jesus Christ. He passionately communicates that this peace is foundational for a fulfilling and joyful life, especially in a world marked by chaos and uncertainty.
Throughout the service, the congregation engages in worship through song, featuring performances that celebrate the joy of the season. Pastor Josh's sermon is interspersed with moments of prayer and reflection, fostering an atmosphere of community and shared faith. He emphasizes the importance of a personal relationship with God as the means to experience the peace He offers. By sharing personal anecdotes and scriptural insights, Pastor Josh connects with the audience on a deeper level, encouraging them to embrace the peace of God in their lives.
As the service draws to a close, Pastor Josh challenges attendees to consider how they can be vessels of God's peace in their families, workplaces, and communities. He highlights the transformative power of joy that comes from knowing Christ and encourages everyone to carry this message of peace beyond the church walls. The service is not just a celebration of Christmas; it serves as a powerful reminder of the hope and peace that Jesus brings into our lives, inspiring the congregation to live out their faith with renewed vigor and purpose.
Takeaways:
- The true meaning of Christmas goes beyond gifts and decorations, focusing instead on Jesus Christ.
- Pastor Josh emphasizes the importance of having peace with God through faith in Jesus.
- Real peace isn't found in circumstances but through a deep relationship with Christ.
- The peace of God can transform our lives, even amidst difficult circumstances we face.
- Christmas is celebrated not just as a holiday, but as a time of salvation and hope.
- Believers are called to live in joy and peace, sharing that message with others.
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This podcast is produced by Ralph Estep, Jr., host of the Ask Ralph Podcast, a daily podcast on Christian Finance you can find it at https://www.askralphpodcast.com/
00:00 - None
00:00 - Introduction to the Middletown Baptist Church Podcast
01:59 - The Gift of Peace
19:02 - The Birth of the Messiah
26:30 - The Gift of Peace
33:19 - The Joy of Peace with God
35:14 - The Joy of the Lord: A Reason to Rejoice
40:04 - Living in the Peace of God
45:25 - The Gift of Peace
48:21 - The Gift of Grace and Mercy
51:45 - The Peace of God
55:25 - The True Meaning of Christmas
59:06 - Finding Peace with God
Pastor Josh
Hello and welcome to the Middletown Baptist Church Podcast, where we are proclaiming the truth to the world.
Pastor Josh
My name is Pastor Josh, and I want to thank you for listening to this podcast.
Pastor Josh
I hope that this podcast can be a blessing to you and strengthen you in the word of God.
Pastor Josh
Now come along, let's look into the Bible and see what God has for us here today.
Pastor Josh
Welcome to Middletown Baptist Church.
Pastor Josh
We're so glad that you're here to worship the Lord together with us on this special Sunday that we are going to be celebrating Christmas here.
Pastor Josh
And this is our special service where we're going to have music from all different ages.
Pastor Josh
We're going to have our young people singing to you and our adult choir, and we're so excited to hear from them.
Pastor Josh
We're also excited to hear from the Word of God at Christmastime.
Pastor Josh
One of the most popular passages, the most popular passage is Luke chapter two.
Pastor Josh
And I want to go ahead and read a portion of Luke Chapter two here this morning as we get started.
Pastor Josh
All of you know that Jesus was born in Bethlehem in a manger.
Pastor Josh
And that's what we celebrated last night at our live Nativity scene.
Pastor Josh
And verse number seven says in Luke 2, 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.
Pastor Josh
And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.
Pastor Josh
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.
Pastor Josh
And the angel said unto them, fear not.
Pastor Josh
For behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
Pastor Josh
For unto you is born this day in the city of David a savior which is Christ the Lord.
Pastor Josh
And this shall be a sign unto you.
Pastor Josh
You shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
Pastor Josh
And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of heavenly hosts praising God and saying, glory to God in the highest and on earth.
Pastor Josh
Peace, goodwill toward men.
Pastor Josh
I want you to think about that last phrase there.
Pastor Josh
Peace, goodwill toward men.
Pastor Josh
Today we're going to be talking about the gift of peace.
Pastor Josh
We're going to go ahead and open up with a word of prayer.
Pastor Josh
And then after that, we're going to sing some congregational songs praising our Savior.
Pastor Josh
Then we'll go ahead and start our program here today.
Pastor Josh
Let's pray.
Pastor Josh
Lord, we do thank you for this opportunity today to worship you to celebrate this season of Christmas.
Pastor Josh
Lord, we know that it's more than just receiving presents from our loved ones and getting around the dinner table and just having a great time.
Pastor Josh
Lord, it's about celebrating the love that you showed us through your son, Jesus Christ.
Pastor Josh
Or the fact that we know that we have an issue and that issue is the issue of sin, Lord.
Pastor Josh
And you, out of love for us, sent your only begotten son so that we might have life through him.
Pastor Josh
So, Lord, I pray that we can understand what that means to have that gift of peace here.
Pastor Josh
Lord, I pray that you be with all the folks that are going to be singing, conducting, playing instruments.
Pastor Josh
Lord, I pray that you calm their nerves, allow them to be able to glorify you through these ways.
Pastor Josh
And I pray that everyone here today can leave with the understanding of who Jesus is and what he has done for us.
Pastor Josh
Lord, I pray that you bless us in this time.
Pastor Josh
We thank you and we love you in Jesus name, Amen.
Worship Leader
Well, good morning.
Worship Leader
This morning, if you're all able, will you please stand and worship the Lord together with us as we sing.
Worship Leader
Hark.
Worship Leader
The herald angels sing Hark.
Worship Leader
The herald angels sing Glory to the newborn King Peace on earth and mercy mild God and sinners reconciled Joyful all ye nations rise Join the triumph of the skies with angelic hosts proclaim Christ is born in Bethlehem Hark.
Worship Leader
The herald angels sing Glory to the newborn King Christ by highest heaven adored Christ the everlasting Lord in time behold him come Offspring of a virgin's womb Veiled in flesh the godhead see Hail the incarnate deity Pleased as man with men to dwell Jesus our Emmanuel Hark, the herald angels sing Glory to the newborn king Hail the heaven born Prince of Peace Hail the Son of righteousness Light and life to all he brings Risen with healing in his wings Mild he lays his glory by Born that man no more may die Born to raise the Son of earth Born to give them second birth Hark, the herald angels sing Glory to the newborn King let's continue worshiping as we sing.
Worship Leader
O come all ye faithful O come O all ye faithful Joyful and triumphant O come ye O come ye to Bethlehem Come and behold him Born the King of angels O come let us adore him O come let us adore him Adore him O come let us adore him Praise the Lord Sing choirs of angels Sing in exaltation O sing all ye bride in the highest O come let us adore him O come let us adore him O come let us adore him Christ the Lord Yea, Lord, we Greet thee for this happy morning Jesus to thee be all glory again.
Worship Leader
Word of of the Father now in flesh appearing.
Worship Leader
O come let us adore him.
Worship Leader
O come let us adore him.
Worship Leader
O come let us adore him.
Worship Leader
Christ the Lord.
Narrator
And bring the good news so that all can I hear the bell song?
Narrator
The time has come, the people are gathered.
Narrator
We welcome everyone.
Choir Member
The Christmas bells are shining.
Narrator
The chases are shining.
Narrator
As the excitement is growing as the killers are going.
Choir Member
Christ the Lord is here.
Choir Member
He's done.
Choir Member
Can you hear the bell?
Choir Member
He's done.
Choir Member
Earth, can you hear the mouth?
Choir Member
You are king.
Choir Member
Hail the Heaven Prince of Peace.
Choir Member
Hail the son of righteousness.
Choir Member
Light and light to all degrees.
Choir Member
Prison healing in his wings how he raises glory high.
Choir Member
For that man no more may die for to raise the sons of earth born to give a second birth for their old angels sing glory to the new Lord day.
Choir Member
Sing choirs of angels sing in exultation.
Choir Member
O sing all ye bright of heaven above.
Choir Member
Glory to God.
Choir Member
O glory in the highest.
Choir Member
O come let us adore you.
Choir Member
Oh come let us adore him.
Choir Member
O come let us adore him.
Choir Member
Christ alone.
Choir Member
Rejoice, rejoice.
Soloist
Reach through the darkness.
Soloist
Shine across the earth.
Soloist
Send the shadows to flood.
Soloist
Light of the world from the beginning the tragedies of time were no match for your love.
Soloist
From great heights of glory you saw my story, God you entered in and became one of us.
Soloist
Sing hallelujah.
Soloist
Sing hallelujah.
Soloist
Sing hallelujah for the things he has done.
Soloist
Come and adore him.
Soloist
Bow down before him.
Soloist
Sing hallelujah to the light of the world.
Narrator
Crowning an angel torn for the clock.
Soloist
To suffer to say our king of heaven that is the forever we are the river for the price that he paid.
Soloist
Oh, sing hallelujah.
Soloist
Sing hallelujah.
Soloist
Sing hallelujah for the things he has done.
Soloist
Come and adore him.
Soloist
Bow down before him.
Soloist
Sing hallelujah to the light of the world.
Soloist
You are the light of the world.
Soloist
Light of the world.
Soloist
Soon we come again.
Soloist
With fire in his eyes he will ransom his own through clouds he will lead us straight into glory and day we shall reign forevermore Forever more.
Soloist
Sing Hallelujah.
Soloist
Sing hallelujah.
Soloist
Sing hallelujah for the things he has done.
Soloist
Come and adore him.
Soloist
Bow down before him.
Soloist
Sing hallelujah for the things of the world.
Soloist
Hear the light of the world.
Choir Member
World.
Soloist
Light of the world.
Narrator
Traded a crown for a cross.
Narrator
Laid down your life for a stranger and forever you are broken and lost.
Narrator
You came down from the heavens so we would know how deep, how high how long and how wide and how far love goes.
Narrator
You went through the darkest of places, Walked down the loneliest throes.
Narrator
You looked into lost empty faces and told us we're never alone.
Narrator
You who came down from the heavens so we would know how deep, how high, how long and how wide and how far love goes.
Narrator
To the end of the earth you have been, you have searched for the ones so far from home.
Soloist
Jesus, you paid the price.
Narrator
What a great satisfice you have made to call us your own.
Narrator
You came down from the heavens so we would know how deep, how high, how long and how wide and how, how far love goes.
Narrator
You came down from the heavens so we would know how deep, how high, how long and how wide and how far love grows.
Narrator
How deep, how high, how long and.
Choir Member
How won.
Narrator
And how far love.
Choir Member
Go.
Guest Performer
Glided, breaking in a stable for a throne.
Guest Performer
And he shall reign forevermore, forevermore.
Guest Performer
And he shall reign forevermore, forevermore.
Guest Performer
Unto us a child is born, the King of kings and Lord of lords.
Guest Performer
And he shall reign forevermore, forevermore.
Guest Performer
If I were a wise man, I would travel far.
Guest Performer
If I were a shepherd I would do my part.
Guest Performer
But poor as I am, I will give to him my heart.
Guest Performer
And he shall reign forevermore, forevermore.
Guest Performer
And he shall reign forevermore, forevermore.
Guest Performer
Unto us a child is born, the King of kings and Lord of lords.
Guest Performer
And he shall reign forever more, forever more.
Guest Performer
Here within a manger lies the one who made the starry skies.
Guest Performer
The baby born for sacrifice Christ the Messiah.
Guest Performer
Into our hopes, into our fears the Savior of the world appears the promise of eternal years Christ the Messiah.
Guest Performer
He shall reign forever more, Forever more.
Guest Performer
And he shall reign forever more, forever more.
Guest Performer
He shall reign forevermore, forevermore.
Guest Performer
And he shall reign forevermore, Forevermore.
Guest Performer
Unto us a child is born, the King of kings and Lord of lords.
Guest Performer
And he shall reign forevermore, forevermore.
Guest Performer
He shall reign, he shall reign and he shall reign forevermore forevermore.
Choir Member
Lord is home.
Choir Member
Let us receive our and heaven and nature sing.
Choir Member
And heaven and nature sing.
Choir Member
And heaven and nature sing.
Choir Member
He rules the world with truth and praise and makes the nation's growth the glories of his righteousness and wonders of his love and wonders of his love and wonders, wonders of Worthy of all our praises.
Choir Member
Amen.
Choir Member
You will Amen.
Choir Member
You will.
Choir Member
Come, have your way among us.
Choir Member
We welcome you here, Lord Jesus.
Choir Member
Come, have your way among us.
Choir Member
We welcome you here, Lord Jesus.
Choir Member
God is with us even now.
Choir Member
His love is here.
Choir Member
Come and worship.
Choir Member
Worship Christ the newborn King.
Choir Member
God is with us even now.
Choir Member
His love is here.
Choir Member
His love is here.
Choir Member
Emmanuel.
Choir Member
Emanuel.
Choir Member
And you will.
Choir Member
You are the God who saves us, worthy of all our praises.
Choir Member
Amen.
Choir Member
You will.
Choir Member
Amen.
Choir Member
You will.
Choir Member
Come have your way among us.
Choir Member
We welcome you here, Lord Jesus.
Choir Member
Come have your way among us.
Choir Member
We welcome you here, Lord Jesus.
Choir Member
Amen.
Choir Member
You well.
Choir Member
Amen.
Choir Member
You out.
Choir Member
Amen.
Choir Member
You well?
Choir Member
Joy to the world.
Pastor Josh
As you've been hearing these songs about our Savior who came to this earth to live that perfect life for us and to give his life for us so that we might have life, we've been given a lot of gifts as believers in Jesus Christ.
Pastor Josh
And the Bible tells us that one of those amazing gifts is the gift of peace.
Pastor Josh
The Bible said there in Luke chapter two, when the angels are giving their praise to the Lord as we read this morning, that God is a God of love, but he's also a God of peace.
Pastor Josh
And I think that's important for us to understand when we live in this world that is seeking after peace.
Pastor Josh
Certainly there are people that want peace in their life.
Pastor Josh
But you know what?
Pastor Josh
The truth is that many people are looking for peace in all of the wrong places.
Pastor Josh
They're looking for some peace and quiet in the midst of circumstances in our world that, you know, certainly we can't get rid of.
Pastor Josh
There are a lot of things in our world that we wish we could get rid of.
Pastor Josh
But the truth is that it's out of our control.
Pastor Josh
And Luke chapter two tells us that Jesus comes to be that tiding or that news of peace, says in verse 13.
Pastor Josh
And suddenly there was with an angel, a multitude of heavenly hosts praising God and saying, glory to God in the highest and on earth, peace, goodwill toward men.
Pastor Josh
The Bible tells us that Jesus brings peace.
Pastor Josh
But if we look out into this world today, we might say, well, what's Jesus doing?
Pastor Josh
Why isn't there peace?
Pastor Josh
And I want to challenge you today with the understanding that there is peace to be found in Jesus Christ.
Pastor Josh
Maybe not the peace that we're expecting here and now, but what we can know is that the Bible tells us that he is the Prince of Peace.
Pastor Josh
Centuries before Jesus came to this earth and was born in a manger.
Pastor Josh
Isaiah chapter 9, verse 6 describes who the Messiah would be.
Pastor Josh
It describes his character, it describes his work.
Pastor Josh
And it says, for unto us a child is born, and unto us a son is given.
Pastor Josh
And the government shall be upon his shoulder.
Pastor Josh
And his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace.
Pastor Josh
We know that when we refer to Jesus, we can refer to him in many names because of his character.
Pastor Josh
We know that Jesus is wonderful.
Pastor Josh
We know that he is the counselor.
Pastor Josh
But what we see here is that he is the Prince of peace.
Pastor Josh
Now, you that are sitting out there today, me as I'm up here, anyone in this world can understand this peace.
Pastor Josh
The Bible actually says that.
Pastor Josh
Can we as human beings can be at peace with now, with that being said, the Bible actually says that when we are born into this world, we are born into sin and we are enemies with God.
Worship Leader
So.
Pastor Josh
So we're not at peace with God until we come to him in faith.
Pastor Josh
A wonderful passage of scripture that describes that is Romans, chapter five.
Pastor Josh
We're going to spend our time, the rest of our time in the New Testament.
Pastor Josh
We're going to look at Romans chapter five, and we're going to look at Philippians, chapter four.
Pastor Josh
We're going to look at two different elements of the peace of God that's extended to all mankind.
Pastor Josh
Number one, we're gonna talk about the peace with God, which is the most important peace that we could ever have.
Pastor Josh
Because before that, we are not at peace.
Pastor Josh
We are not at one with God.
Pastor Josh
We are enemies of God.
Pastor Josh
But there is a result that comes after the peace with God, and that is the peace of God.
Pastor Josh
I want you to think about those two things here this morning.
Pastor Josh
The peace with God and the peace of God.
Pastor Josh
In Romans chapter 5, verse 1, it says, Therefore, being justified by faith, that word justify means to be declared righteous.
Pastor Josh
We as Christians are saved by faith.
Pastor Josh
When we put our faith and trust in, as it's going to say here, Jesus Christ, we are justified, we are declared righteous.
Pastor Josh
And the result of that is this, we have peace with God.
Pastor Josh
Now, I don't know about you, but if there's one person in this world that we want to have peace with, that is the creator of this universe, the Bible says that that is the most important decision that we could ever make to have peace with God.
Pastor Josh
And so I want you to see the necessity of this gift of peace that is this.
Pastor Josh
We need God for salvation.
Pastor Josh
We need God for everlasting life.
Pastor Josh
It's not just something that we add on to our lives.
Pastor Josh
It's not just something that we sing about at Christmastime.
Pastor Josh
It's not just something that we do on Sunday mornings.
Pastor Josh
We need peace with God.
Pastor Josh
We are in desperate need of that.
Pastor Josh
The Bible says that all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.
Pastor Josh
The Bible says that we cannot have access to God outside of a relationship with Jesus Christ.
Pastor Josh
So it says, therefore, being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Pastor Josh
That's why we celebrate Christmas.
Pastor Josh
That's why we celebrate that baby in the manger.
Pastor Josh
Because we know that baby didn't stay in the manger.
Pastor Josh
We know that baby grew up.
Pastor Josh
We know that baby grew in the knowledge and in physical nature.
Pastor Josh
But we know that Jesus didn't just stop there in Bethlehem.
Pastor Josh
We know that he continued on to live that perfect life.
Pastor Josh
As the Bible says, the one who knew no sin became sin for us.
Pastor Josh
He did not sin.
Pastor Josh
And that is why he was able to offer that peace of God to a lost and dying world.
Pastor Josh
So I hope that that's something that you first and foremost can understand as a person here today, that you have peace.
Pastor Josh
And the only way that you can find peace with God is by what John 14:6 says.
Pastor Josh
Jesus says, I am the way, I am the truth, I am the life.
Pastor Josh
No man cometh unto the Father but by me.
Pastor Josh
Folks, the greatest decision that we can make in our lives is to come to the understanding of who Jesus is and what he has done for us so that we might have peace with God.
Pastor Josh
Now the peace with God stems out into other elements of peace in our life.
Pastor Josh
And so we have the peace with God.
Pastor Josh
And it says in verse number two, by whom also we have access by faith into this grace.
Pastor Josh
So the Bible says that when we have peace with God, we now have access to him as our Heavenly Father.
Pastor Josh
What an amazing truth that is.
Pastor Josh
Hebrews chapter four tells us that we can come to him boldly or confidently.
Pastor Josh
We can come before the throne of grace.
Pastor Josh
You know what?
Pastor Josh
Before we were saved, before we came to know Christ and have a relationship with him, we did not have that access.
Pastor Josh
We did not have that way to find peace and to find comfort and to find hope.
Pastor Josh
And the Bible says that through this relationship with Christ, through this reconciliation of God and man, we can now have access to him by faith into this grace wherein we stand.
Pastor Josh
Folks, if you are a believer this morning, we can stand in the truth that you have access to the Father because of the peace with God.
Pastor Josh
And then what can we do from that?
Pastor Josh
Well, we can rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
Pastor Josh
The Bible says that that peace with God brings joy.
Pastor Josh
So it brings us access to God, but it brings us joy.
Pastor Josh
Folks, there's many reasons for us to complain in this world.
Pastor Josh
There's a lot of reasons for us to be upset.
Pastor Josh
But there's one reason for us to have joy, and that is the fact that we can have access to the Father we can know what it means to have everlasting life through faith in Jesus Christ and so we can have peace with God.
Pastor Josh
That brings access, grace and joy.
Pastor Josh
And it says that that joy brings hope, that that hope is an important thing to have in our lives.
Pastor Josh
Folks, if we lose hope, we lose everything.
Pastor Josh
What is hope?
Pastor Josh
Biblical hope is this confidence in knowing that God is going to keep his word.
Pastor Josh
Confidence in knowing that when God says something, he is truthful.
Pastor Josh
He says he loves us.
Pastor Josh
He proves his love.
Pastor Josh
Romans chapter 5 tells us just in a few verses in verse 8.
Pastor Josh
But God commendeth or demonstrated his love towards us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
Pastor Josh
God says, I love you.
Pastor Josh
He proves his love.
Pastor Josh
God says he's going to hold us fast.
Pastor Josh
He's going to be with us.
Pastor Josh
He's never going to leave us nor forsake us.
Pastor Josh
He means that his presence is with us, even if we don't feel that.
Pastor Josh
I know that sometimes in the Christmas season, it can be a time of joy.
Pastor Josh
But for others, it could be a time of pain because of a lost loved one or maybe because of difficulty in your life that you're facing.
Pastor Josh
You know what?
Pastor Josh
The truth is that we are going to face difficult circumstances.
Pastor Josh
There are going to be some things in our life that are going to tempt us not to have joy, not to have peace, not to have that comfort and hope in Jesus Christ.
Pastor Josh
But what we have to do is we have to go back to what we know about him, that he is a God who loves us.
Pastor Josh
And it says that we have access and we can have joy and we can have hope in knowing that he is good, knowing that he is with us, knowing that we have Emmanuel.
Pastor Josh
The word Emmanuel means God with us.
Pastor Josh
We have a God who wants a personal relationship with us.
Pastor Josh
There's gonna be a lot of people that teach you that God, he might be real, but he is personal.
Pastor Josh
He's not gonna want to be in your life.
Pastor Josh
Folks, God wants to have that personal relationship with you.
Pastor Josh
And that's where it starts.
Pastor Josh
But where does it go?
Pastor Josh
I want you to turn over to Philippians chapter four.
Pastor Josh
Because we have the peace with God, which is exciting.
Pastor Josh
That's.
Pastor Josh
That's our salvation.
Pastor Josh
Salvation brings us peace with God.
Pastor Josh
We are no longer partners with the enemy.
Pastor Josh
We are now on the side of victory.
Pastor Josh
And so the Bible says that that is an amazing thing.
Pastor Josh
From darkness to light, from hopelessness to hope, from death to life.
Pastor Josh
And so we are saved.
Pastor Josh
And we are equipped with good works so that we can serve our Savior.
Pastor Josh
But then Philippians chapter four tells us the product of this peace with God.
Pastor Josh
And folks, I want to challenge you this morning if you have experienced the peace with God in salvation, the challenge sometimes is to live with the peace of God in your life.
Pastor Josh
Philippians chapter four.
Pastor Josh
We're going to start.
Pastor Josh
In verse number four, Paul reminds us the importance of rejoicing.
Pastor Josh
We just sing joy to the world and sometimes we sing joy to the world and mean it.
Pastor Josh
When things are going well, yes, we've got joy in this world.
Pastor Josh
Yes, we're excited for what God's doing for us.
Pastor Josh
But the challenge is, are we going to rejoice when things are not the way that we expect them to be?
Pastor Josh
By the way, most of you know in context what's going on with Paul.
Pastor Josh
Paul is in prison for doing right.
Pastor Josh
And he says, rejoice in the Lord alway.
Pastor Josh
And again, I say rejoice.
Pastor Josh
Folks, I don't know about you, but in this Christmas season we have a reason to be joyful.
Pastor Josh
We have a reason to praise him.
Pastor Josh
I'm going to say, even after Christmas, when it gets to the doldrums of February and January and it's cold outside and you might have, you know, a lot of difficulties going on in your life, you have a reason to rejoice.
Pastor Josh
When you're in the summertime, you have a reason to rejoice.
Pastor Josh
It's not just Christmas that we need to celebrate the joy of the Lord.
Pastor Josh
It's year round, 24, 7, 365.
Pastor Josh
The Bible says that we have a reason to rejoice.
Pastor Josh
And Paul says, you have a reason to rejoice.
Pastor Josh
Verse 5, Let your moderation be known unto all men.
Pastor Josh
The Lord is at hand.
Pastor Josh
Allow yourself to live in such a way that people can see what the Lord has done in your life.
Pastor Josh
Folks, Christmas time is a wonderful time to point people to Christ.
Pastor Josh
You hear Christmas carols, Most of the Christmas carols, at least the traditional Christmas carols, have the message of the gospel right in them.
Pastor Josh
It's an opportunity to point people to Jesus Christ.
Pastor Josh
It was an amazing thing to see last night.
Pastor Josh
As we were having the live nativity scene, the cars would come and Blair was out there in her angel costume and she says, follow the star to see baby Jesus.
Pastor Josh
And then, you know, some of the other kids were calling out and it just warmed my heart to see the young people, not, they were unashamed.
Pastor Josh
Some of us adults are probably like, oh, we don't want to offend these people.
Pastor Josh
You know, the truth is these children were so Excited to let people know about baby Jesus.
Pastor Josh
And the truth is, as Christians, we should be excited to tell people about what Jesus does for our life.
Pastor Josh
He doesn't just make our life better, he saves our life.
Pastor Josh
He gives us hope.
Pastor Josh
He gives us peace with God.
Pastor Josh
And so the Bible says here, let your moderation be known unto all men.
Pastor Josh
The Lord is at hand.
Pastor Josh
And then it says, be careful or anxious for nothing.
Pastor Josh
Some of us, including myself, if we're not careful, can be plagued by anxiety in our life.
Pastor Josh
We can be plagued with the concerns of this world.
Pastor Josh
And the Bible says, don't allow that anxiety, don't allow that anxiousness.
Pastor Josh
Don't allow the cares of this world to weigh you down.
Pastor Josh
Says, this is what you do when you feel that coming on, when you can recognize that pressure.
Pastor Josh
But in everything, everything in prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your request be made known unto God.
Pastor Josh
What is it saying here?
Pastor Josh
Says this, turn your cares over to God first.
Pastor Josh
Peter, chapter five tells us, cast your care upon him, for he cares for you, he loves you.
Pastor Josh
He wants to hear your burdens.
Pastor Josh
He wants to take those burdens from you.
Pastor Josh
And what happens is, there's so much, at least in my life, it's the selfishness and the ego that says, you know what?
Pastor Josh
I'm going to handle this myself.
Pastor Josh
I'm going to try to deal with this on my own.
Pastor Josh
I want to have control.
Pastor Josh
And the Bible says the more we do that, the more we fall into that first category there in verse six, being anxious for everything, being burdened with everything.
Pastor Josh
And the Bible says, yes, we can have burdens as Christians, but we take those burdens.
Pastor Josh
We take those anxieties, we take those care, and we lay them at the foot of the cross and say, lord, you've got this.
Pastor Josh
We believe in thanksgiving.
Pastor Josh
We know that you're going to handle this for us.
Pastor Josh
And then the product of that, the product of the prayer, the product of the casting of our cares to him, is this in verse number seven.
Pastor Josh
And the peace of God.
Pastor Josh
So we've had the peace with God, but the peace with God brings the peace of God.
Pastor Josh
Folks, as Christians, we should be living with the peace of God all over our lives, by the way that we deal with other people, by the way that we deal with our family, by the way that we deal with all of the things at work and all the things at home and all the things in between.
Pastor Josh
Folks, we should be living a life characterized by the peace of God.
Pastor Josh
But yet, so many times in our life, we live in conflict, we live in anger, we live in bitterness, we live in anxiety.
Pastor Josh
And the Bible says, if you have peace with God, the natural outpouring of that should be the peace of God in your life.
Pastor Josh
And it says this and the peace of God which passeth all understanding, meaning the world does not understand this type of peace.
Pastor Josh
The world who is not at peace with God cannot understand this type of peace that isn't predicated upon my circumstances, my income, my health.
Pastor Josh
Folks, the Bible says that all those things can fail us and will fail us.
Pastor Josh
But the one thing that will not fail you is that relationship with Jesus Christ.
Pastor Josh
That is the one thing that cannot be taken away from you.
Pastor Josh
And I would encourage you to think about that from the concept of, hey, you know what?
Pastor Josh
I might have some issues in my life, I might have some struggles in my life, but what do I do?
Pastor Josh
I turn that over to the Lord and allow the peace of God that passeth all understanding to rule in my life.
Pastor Josh
And so I want you to see that progression from the peace with God when you come to him in faith, and then that peace of God that lives out in your life, life.
Pastor Josh
What does it say there?
Pastor Josh
Says it shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ, Jesus.
Pastor Josh
The idea there is this.
Pastor Josh
As a believer, we don't allow.
Pastor Josh
We don't allow the circumstances, our emotions, our pain, our suffering to dictate to us what we think or what we feel about God.
Pastor Josh
It's so very easy to allow what's going on on the external side of things to dictate what we believe about God, what we think about God.
Pastor Josh
And the Bible says, no, no, no.
Pastor Josh
Allow yourself to believe and to think and to live in the truth of the peace of God in your life.
Pastor Josh
So what does that look like?
Pastor Josh
That looks like this.
Pastor Josh
When I wake up in the morning and I don't feel like a million bucks, and I get out and I get into my vehicle and it's cold, and my vehicle's not the vehicle that I think I should have.
Pastor Josh
I think I should have a nicer vehicle.
Pastor Josh
Then I drive to work and there's traffic, and then I get to work and someone says something negatively about me.
Pastor Josh
And then by the end of the day, I'm worn out and I say, you know what?
Pastor Josh
Does God even love me?
Pastor Josh
Because it doesn't seem like that.
Pastor Josh
What I have to do is I have to go back and say, it's not about what the outside is telling me, it's about what the inside is telling me in the truth of Jesus Christ.
Pastor Josh
The peace of God which passes all Understanding.
Pastor Josh
What does it say there?
Pastor Josh
It says, rules your hearts and your minds.
Pastor Josh
And so I want you to think about that in your idea of hope, your idea of peace.
Pastor Josh
For me, a lot of times I'm just seeking some peace and quiet.
Pastor Josh
I've got a house with a nine year old, a six year old and a ten month old.
Pastor Josh
Okay.
Pastor Josh
I'm sometimes just looking for some peace and quiet.
Pastor Josh
I'm not gonna lie.
Pastor Josh
And Alicia's like, well, I would like that too.
Pastor Josh
Okay, you need to get here and get these kids.
Pastor Josh
I said, I understand that there's a lot of times in our life that we're looking for circumstantial peace, and that's good.
Pastor Josh
We should have those times.
Pastor Josh
Get to a place in your life where you can get away.
Pastor Josh
I'm all for that.
Pastor Josh
But there are going to be times when we can't get away from the struggle.
Pastor Josh
For me, sometimes I want to just wiggle out of the struggle.
Pastor Josh
I want to get out of there.
Pastor Josh
I want to say, you know what?
Pastor Josh
I don't know any of you men have ever done this.
Pastor Josh
Ladies, I know you don't do this, but sometimes us men, we get through struggles and we're like, I'm just going to get away.
Pastor Josh
I'm going to go do this.
Pastor Josh
I'm going to.
Pastor Josh
I got to go do my hobby because that's my me time, folks.
Pastor Josh
There's a time and a place for that.
Pastor Josh
But when sometimes that pressure comes, we've got to embrace that and say, lord, Lord, get me through this.
Pastor Josh
Allow me to be able to lead and to guide and to think biblically about this issue that's at hand.
Pastor Josh
And the Bible says that is the peace of God that he promises us.
Pastor Josh
Here in this passage, it goes on to talk about thinking about those things which are true.
Pastor Josh
Whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report.
Pastor Josh
If there be any virtue, which there is, that's a rhetorical thing.
Pastor Josh
And if there be any praise, think on these things.
Pastor Josh
And so the Bible says that this is the way to live a life.
Pastor Josh
With the knowledge of the peace with God that God has given us in salvation.
Pastor Josh
But then living with the peace of God in our lives, then he says, those things which ye both have learned and received and heard and seen in me do.
Pastor Josh
And the peace of God shall be with you.
Pastor Josh
He says, live this way and the peace of God will be with you.
Pastor Josh
It will guide you.
Pastor Josh
You.
Pastor Josh
It's the Holy Spirit.
Pastor Josh
The Holy Spirit convicts us.
Pastor Josh
The Holy Spirit comforts us.
Pastor Josh
The Holy Spirit teaches us.
Pastor Josh
The Holy Spirit leads us to a place in our life where we can have perfect peace in God without having all the things aligned what we want to happen in our lives.
Pastor Josh
I know that there's a lot of people in this world that are speaking of, hey, if we just do xyz, we'll have world peace.
Pastor Josh
Now, I need to explain a little bit more about this, because the Bible does say that there will be peace, one ultimate peace.
Pastor Josh
Right now.
Pastor Josh
Jesus extends peace through salvation.
Pastor Josh
But we do know that one day we are longing for that day where Jesus is going to come and rule and reign on this earth, and he's going to be the prince of peace.
Pastor Josh
Not just in what we believe here now, in faith, that it's going to happen one day, but we're going to see it, it's going to be real.
Pastor Josh
And the Bible says that he's going to make all things right.
Pastor Josh
And that's the day that we're longing for.
Pastor Josh
But until that day, what we have to understand is that the only way for peace in this world is that people come to Jesus Christ for people to see the truth of God and to live the truth of God out in their own life.
Pastor Josh
And so the peace of God is a gift.
Pastor Josh
It's a gift that we all need.
Pastor Josh
You know, growing up, I used to think I needed gifts.
Pastor Josh
I tell my parents, guys, I need this this year.
Pastor Josh
I need this basketball hoop.
Pastor Josh
You don't understand.
Pastor Josh
All of my friends have this basketball hoop.
Pastor Josh
I have to have this basketball hoop.
Pastor Josh
My parents would say, okay, we're gonna go to get this for you.
Pastor Josh
You need it.
Pastor Josh
Okay?
Pastor Josh
Okay.
Pastor Josh
And I would get it and it would be like, great.
Pastor Josh
Now, next year, guys, all of my friends have PlayStation.
Pastor Josh
I need a PlayStation.
Pastor Josh
I need this gift, right?
Pastor Josh
It's a video game console.
Pastor Josh
I need this.
Pastor Josh
And I thought I needed a lot.
Pastor Josh
But the truth is, we sometimes want.
Pastor Josh
We want and we still receive.
Pastor Josh
But I'm gonna tell you that the one gift, the one gift this Christmas season that you need, that I need, that all of us need, that the world needs, is the peace of God.
Pastor Josh
And the peace of God comes through the peace with God.
Pastor Josh
And so what do we do as a church?
Pastor Josh
Well, we say, you know what?
Pastor Josh
This world is terrible.
Pastor Josh
We're going to shut the doors.
Pastor Josh
We're going to, you know, lock in.
Pastor Josh
No, the Bible says for us to go.
Pastor Josh
The Bible says for us, as it said in Philippians chapter four, to live with that peace at hand so that people can see that hope, so that People can see that we're different.
Pastor Josh
Folks, you know what?
Pastor Josh
One of the things that challenges me the most is that if I was to ask people that I came across on a daily basis, do they see anything different in me, you know, there might be someone that says, I didn't see anything different.
Pastor Josh
He was just like everybody else that came through the drive through.
Pastor Josh
He was just like everybody else that came through Wawa.
Pastor Josh
He was just like everybody else.
Pastor Josh
Folks, we should strive and ask the Lord to give us the strength and the wisdom.
Pastor Josh
And really what I would say is the motivation to live differently in this world, live so much that.
Pastor Josh
That peace of God is so clear.
Pastor Josh
You know what?
Pastor Josh
I've been able to sit with families that have lost loved ones, and, you know, certainly that is a difficult, difficult place to be.
Pastor Josh
But to hear someone's testimony, to say, you know what?
Pastor Josh
I don't understand this.
Pastor Josh
I don't like this.
Pastor Josh
It hurts.
Pastor Josh
But I still love the Lord.
Pastor Josh
I still know that he is good.
Pastor Josh
I still know that he is my Savior.
Pastor Josh
Folks, that is what the Bible is talking about there.
Pastor Josh
The peace of God, which passeth all understanding.
Pastor Josh
Because the world doesn't understand that.
Pastor Josh
Because for the world, that is it.
Pastor Josh
You've lost everything.
Pastor Josh
God's taken it away.
Pastor Josh
So why do you still love Him?
Pastor Josh
That's a good question.
Pastor Josh
I still love him because he's good.
Pastor Josh
And because he gave me peace with God.
Pastor Josh
He gave me the opportunity to know him and be a part of his family.
Pastor Josh
I don't know about you, but there's been times in my life where someone's invited me.
Pastor Josh
Right there was the cool crowd in high school or college, wherever you were at.
Pastor Josh
And when they said, hey, do you want to come with us?
Pastor Josh
I was like, wow, I'm privileged.
Pastor Josh
I get to sit at the table.
Pastor Josh
I get to be a part of this.
Pastor Josh
And that's silly.
Pastor Josh
We go through that.
Pastor Josh
But really what's happened is that we have the Creator of the universe, the One who has control over everything, the One who is all powerful, the One who is all knowing, the One who is all present.
Pastor Josh
And now he extends a gift to us.
Pastor Josh
The gift of grace, the gift of mercy, the gift of peace, so that we can, when we believe in him, come sit at his table to be part of his family.
Pastor Josh
That is the greatest privilege that we could ever ask for.
Pastor Josh
And it is a privilege and an honor to be part of that family.
Pastor Josh
But as a Christian, so many times we live with excitement, with the peace with God.
Pastor Josh
But we don't always live in excitement for the peace of God in our lives.
Pastor Josh
And I would challenge you to think about that.
Pastor Josh
Is this something that I'm longing for?
Pastor Josh
Is this something that I'm striving for, as Paul says there in Philippians chapter four, if you follow these things, this is the idea of the peace will be with you.
Pastor Josh
It will continue on with you.
Pastor Josh
It will live within you.
Pastor Josh
And so that is the understanding of the peace of God.
Pastor Josh
And so here this morning, there's really, really basic message.
Pastor Josh
The basic message is this.
Pastor Josh
Number one, are you in the understanding that you have trusted in God as your savior so that you can have peace with God?
Pastor Josh
God.
Pastor Josh
The worst place to be is as an enemy of God.
Pastor Josh
Now, now, that might sound like strong language to you.
Pastor Josh
You might say, what does that mean?
Pastor Josh
If I'm not a Christian, I'm an enemy of God.
Pastor Josh
The Bible actually says that is the case whether you know it or not.
Pastor Josh
And that's a hard thing for me to say because there are some really, really good people, people that I love that, you know, they say I don't need Jesus.
Pastor Josh
Right.
Pastor Josh
The truth is, is that in their minds, they don't.
Pastor Josh
But what we have to understand is that everybody who is not in Jesus Christ, meaning they have not trusted in him as sav.
Pastor Josh
The Bible says, are not at peace with God.
Pastor Josh
And the Bible says that there will be judgment.
Pastor Josh
There will be judgment.
Pastor Josh
And so the case for us this morning is, have we come to the place in our life where we have trusted in him and him alone, as the Bible says.
Pastor Josh
Romans, chapter 5.
Pastor Josh
By Jesus Christ through faith.
Pastor Josh
Ephesians, chapter 2.
Pastor Josh
By grace through faith.
Pastor Josh
The Bible says in John 14, verse 6, in him he is the way, the truth, and the life.
Pastor Josh
If you have not come to Jesus Christ in salvation, the Bible says.
Pastor Josh
Says you need to find peace with God through Jesus by trusting in him, by calling upon the name of the Lord.
Pastor Josh
For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.
Pastor Josh
How many of you don't raise your hand?
Pastor Josh
How many of you told your kids, if you're not good this year, you're not gonna get any presents?
Pastor Josh
Okay?
Pastor Josh
How many of you have never.
Pastor Josh
Don't raise your hand, please.
Pastor Josh
How many of you said, okay, you guys weren't good this year, so you're not getting any presents?
Pastor Josh
Most of us would say, even though they've messed up, we're gonna extend grace to them and give them presents this year.
Pastor Josh
That's what happens with us.
Pastor Josh
It doesn't mean that when we get saved, all of our sin goes away.
Pastor Josh
I wish that was the case, I wish I no longer had that sin nature.
Pastor Josh
But the Bible says that even as we're wrestling with that sin, it's not though now our strength that's saving us.
Pastor Josh
It's now the strength of Jesus Christ.
Pastor Josh
It is the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Pastor Josh
It is the grace of Jesus Christ upon our account.
Pastor Josh
And so when we're sin and we're broken, God extends that grace to you.
Pastor Josh
He extends that forgiveness to.
Pastor Josh
He extends that peace to you.
Pastor Josh
So this isn't about living a life of perfection.
Pastor Josh
This is about living a life of humility and receiving the grace of God in faith and saying, lord, I trust in you for my salvation and not in what I'm doing.
Pastor Josh
That is salvation.
Pastor Josh
Trusting in God and not yourself, believing that he is the only way and that there is no other way, no religion, no path, no any other route can save you other than Jesus Christ.
Pastor Josh
And so I hope that that is something that all of you, you can think about here this morning.
Pastor Josh
But I would say, number two, most of you have a profession of faith.
Pastor Josh
The second question would be this.
Pastor Josh
Am I allowing the peace of God to rule my life?
Pastor Josh
Am I allowing the peace of God to characterize the way that I deal with my family, the way that I deal with my workplace, the way that I deal with my enemies, the way that I deal with my own struggles, my own issues, my own physical ailments, my emotional struggles, my spiritual struggles?
Pastor Josh
Am I allowing the peace of God to rule that in my life?
Pastor Josh
Am I thinking the right things about God?
Pastor Josh
Or am I allowing these issues in my life to dictate my truth?
Pastor Josh
That's a phrase that you'll hear a lot in this world, right?
Pastor Josh
My truth.
Pastor Josh
My truth about this is this, and my truth is about this.
Pastor Josh
You can say whatever your truth is if your truth is not what's seen in the word of God.
Pastor Josh
It's not truth.
Pastor Josh
It's contrary to truth.
Pastor Josh
And so the Bible says, it's not about how I feel today.
Pastor Josh
It's not about what I believe.
Pastor Josh
It's about what the Bible says about God, what the Bible says about his love, about his peace and about his grace and his truth.
Pastor Josh
And folks, I would encourage you to base everything that you do, your joy, your peace, your hope, your comfort, your passion, your love, everything must be wrapped around what's told to us in this Word about the Lord.
Pastor Josh
Because if we start allowing anything, the media, people that we know, our own agendas, if we allow those things to take over, what's the truth, then we've allowed ourselves to open Up a gateway to lies.
Pastor Josh
And those lies will lead us away from the peace of God.
Pastor Josh
Satan is the accuser of the brethren.
Pastor Josh
He is the father of lies.
Pastor Josh
And what the whole purpose of his mission is, is to make us think bad things about the Lord, to think untrue thoughts, to allow ourselves to think things that are not aligned with Scripture.
Pastor Josh
And what I would challenge you to do this Christmas season is to think about the scriptures.
Pastor Josh
Think about what the Bible says about this.
Pastor Josh
And the Bible says that you can have peace with God and the peace of God ruling and reigning in your life.
Pastor Josh
And that is why I believe Jesus initially is the prince of peace.
Pastor Josh
He's extending peace here today.
Pastor Josh
But just know that when all things come to pass, and we know that Jesus came to this earth as a baby, but he's not going to come back the second time as a baby.
Pastor Josh
You guys realize that he's coming back as a conqueror.
Pastor Josh
He's coming back as the one who is going to rule and to reign.
Pastor Josh
And so let us be those ones that are on the side of victory so that when Jesus comes back as the conqueror, we can celebrate with him in victory.
Pastor Josh
That's what we're longing for.
Pastor Josh
That's what we're excited for.
Pastor Josh
That's what we are looking toward.
Pastor Josh
The Bible says to keep our eyes fixed on those things which are above.
Pastor Josh
The Bible says that we should look upon those things of his kingdom, of his purpose, of his eternal plan.
Pastor Josh
And so I would encourage you to think not about the struggles that we're facing now.
Pastor Josh
Okay?
Pastor Josh
These are the struggles that are happening today.
Pastor Josh
But guess what?
Pastor Josh
If you live long enough, your struggles are going to be different next year.
Pastor Josh
I had struggles two or three years ago that I thought I was never going to get through.
Pastor Josh
You know what?
Pastor Josh
God got me through those.
Pastor Josh
But you know what's happening now?
Pastor Josh
I'm on the new struggles.
Pastor Josh
And those new struggles just keep coming.
Pastor Josh
And that's.
Pastor Josh
That's life.
Pastor Josh
But the good news is that God is walking with us through that.
Pastor Josh
He's giving us that peace of God in our lives.
Pastor Josh
And we.
Pastor Josh
And we look, what do we do?
Pastor Josh
We don't look to the struggle today.
Pastor Josh
We look to the hope that we have in Jesus Christ that he is going to come back and we are going to be with him.
Pastor Josh
And that's that eternal life.
Pastor Josh
That's that eternal purpose.
Pastor Josh
So that's why the angels were saying, this is good tidings of great joy which shall be to all people.
Pastor Josh
This child is going to be a child of peace, the Prince of Peace.
Pastor Josh
That's the message of Jesus Christ.
Pastor Josh
That's the message of the gospel.
Pastor Josh
That's the message of Christmas.
Pastor Josh
Christmas is more than just, you know, wise men, shepherds, donkeys.
Pastor Josh
We had a real donkey here last night.
Pastor Josh
I'm not against real donkeys.
Pastor Josh
They're pretty neat.
Pastor Josh
Okay?
Pastor Josh
But that's not what Christmas is all about.
Pastor Josh
Christmas is not about your favorite cartoon or your favorite Christmas movie.
Pastor Josh
That's fun.
Pastor Josh
Okay?
Pastor Josh
We're not against watching Christmas movies in my house.
Pastor Josh
It's not about the Christmas tree.
Pastor Josh
It's not about the meal that you're gonna eat.
Pastor Josh
It's not about, you know, even the gifts that you will receive.
Pastor Josh
That's not the main purpose.
Pastor Josh
Right?
Pastor Josh
We have all of those things because of what Jesus Christ did for us.
Pastor Josh
And so I would challenge you as a family, as an individual, to think about Christmas differently this year, to think about the why behind it.
Pastor Josh
You've seen that, the reason for the season, right?
Pastor Josh
But to really think about that, to really allow yourself to be the gospel message through the Christmas season.
Pastor Josh
And for me, that's always a challenge.
Pastor Josh
It's always a challenge because there's fear there.
Pastor Josh
But the Bible says that that perfect love casts out fear.
Pastor Josh
So the more you rest in the love of Christ, the more you're willing to share that love with other people around you.
Pastor Josh
And so this Christmas season, may we all be like those little kids out there at the live nativity scene.
Pastor Josh
Point people to Jesus Christ.
Pastor Josh
Point people to the one who came in the manger but didn't stay in that manger.
Pastor Josh
He went to the cross.
Pastor Josh
That's why the live nativity scene.
Pastor Josh
We didn't stop at the manger.
Pastor Josh
We put up a cross and we put up an empty tomb.
Pastor Josh
Because he didn't stay there.
Pastor Josh
He went for that, for his love for us.
Pastor Josh
He went to that cross, but that cross didn't defeat him.
Pastor Josh
That cross was just a conduit to our salvation.
Pastor Josh
And then he goes in the tomb.
Pastor Josh
That tomb did not hold him.
Pastor Josh
That tomb is empty.
Pastor Josh
And we have victory because of his victory.
Pastor Josh
So Christmas is a story of victory.
Pastor Josh
And that victory is the victory that we can all be a part of here this morning.
Pastor Josh
Well, I'm going to ask if you're able to stand with me, every head bowed, every head closed.
Pastor Josh
As the music plays, you have an opportunity to respond this morning.
Pastor Josh
The peace of God, does it rule and reign in your life?
Pastor Josh
Peace, comfort, joy.
Pastor Josh
That's all.
Pastor Josh
What should describe a Christian?
Pastor Josh
The true question here this morning is this.
Pastor Josh
Are you, number one, a believer in Jesus Christ, are you at peace with God?
Pastor Josh
That's the first thing we have to handle here this morning.
Pastor Josh
Is that something that you said?
Pastor Josh
You know what?
Pastor Josh
I have trusted in Jesus Christ as my Savior.
Pastor Josh
I know without a shadow of a doubt that I'm not trusting in anything else other than him for my salvation.
Pastor Josh
If that is the case, fantastic.
Pastor Josh
If that is not the case, I encourage you this morning to take care of that.
Pastor Josh
But if that is the case, if you have trusted in Jesus Christ as your Savior, I would say this.
Pastor Josh
Are you living a life characterized by the peace of God?
Pastor Josh
Are you living a life characterized by thinking and believing and resting in his truth?
Pastor Josh
Are you thinking about other things?
Pastor Josh
Could your life as a Christian.
Pastor Josh
Could my life as a Christian be characterized by joy, by strength, by comfort, by peace, by prayer?
Pastor Josh
Or would it be characterized by other things?
Pastor Josh
Anxiety, chaos, pain, suffering, hopelessness?
Pastor Josh
Folks, if you are a believer today, that should not be the case.
Pastor Josh
Take all of those burdens, take all of that pain and lay those at the foot of the cross.
Pastor Josh
The Bible says in Philippians, chapter four, cast your cares, take away those anxieties from your account and give them over to the Lord, because the Lord is willing and ready and desiring to take those cares from you.
Pastor Josh
Ask him with prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known unto God.
Pastor Josh
Maybe it's been a while since you've had a real conversation with Jesus Christ, this Christian.
Pastor Josh
This Christmas season is a wonderful time for Christians to come back and have that renewed relationship restored in the truth of Jesus Christ.
Pastor Josh
Are you at peace with God?
Pastor Josh
Are you at peace with his truth?
Pastor Josh
Are you at peace with His Word?
Pastor Josh
Or do you feel that inner conflict?
Pastor Josh
If you feel that inner conflict this morning, go to him.
Pastor Josh
Allow him to take that conflict away.
Pastor Josh
Allow yourself to be fully surrendered to him today so that you can rest in that peace that passeth all understanding.
Pastor Josh
How different will we be as a church?
Pastor Josh
How more effective would we be as a church if we were willing to say, lord, let your peace rule and reign in my life life.
Pastor Josh
Don't allow those inner conflicts and those and those outward conflicts dictate my life, but allow the peace of God to rule and reign so that I can be a joyful Christian, a prayerful Christian, a Christian characterized by comfort and strength in the truth of Jesus Christ.
Pastor Josh
That's what you want here this morning.
Pastor Josh
I encourage you to come forward or you can kneel in your pew and you can turn it over to him and have that peace with God here today.
Pastor Josh
Lord, we thank you for this time.
Pastor Josh
We thank you for this opportunity to respond to your Word.
Pastor Josh
We thank you for the peace with God, and we thank you for the peace of God in our lives.
Pastor Josh
I ask that you work in hearts and lives here this morning.
Pastor Josh
In Jesus name, Amen.
Pastor Josh
As the music plays, follow as the Lord leads today.
Pastor Josh
Thank you again for listening to the Middletown Baptist Church Podcast.
Pastor Josh
I hope that this sermon has been a blessing for you.
Pastor Josh
If you would like to find out more information about our church or this sermon, you can find us at middletown baptist church.org or find us on Facebook or YouTube.
Pastor Josh
You can also email me directly@joshmisaroiddletownbaptistchurch.com if you've enjoyed this podcast, please subscribe and follow along for future podcast and updates.
Pastor Josh
Thank you so much.
Pastor Josh
God Bless.
Pastor Josh
Have a wonderful day.
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