#176 The Superior, Hopeful, Violent Peace of Jesus Christ (Special Christmas Episode)

Peace is a major theme around the Christmas holiday. For the Christian, we know that Jesus is not only the reason for this season but He is our peace. What does it even mean to say, "Jesus is Our Peace". How then should we live based on this reality? How does it play into this sin-ridden world of egos, wokeness, justice seeking, idolatry, pain and immorality? Do we see peace through the proper lens?

I pray that you are edified in this special Christmas episode as I walk through how peace is seen from Heaven's eyes. How it is truly available to us...and just how superior, hopeful, and violent it really is.

Key Passages:
Luke 2:8-14  (Luke 1:76-79)
Job 38:2-7


What is the Gospel - Voddie Baucham

Music|| Hypersonic Music - Last Resistance (Dan Thiessen) - Universal Production Music (i do not own the rights)

Transcript

Transcript

Hey, guys. Here. Another PSA. But guess what? This one is an actual episode. But I'm just going to reiterate what I shared in the last announcement that I just want to keep on the forefront of your minds as we go into celebrating Christmas and the birth of the Savior, the light of the world. Coming into the New Year as Lord allows, we are planning to. I am planning to enter into full-fledged ministry and preparing to plant a church in Baltimore. I'm going to be sharing a lot of that journey with you. How I got here we've referenced church. Plant we were part of Dan and I and I'm just going to take you on a journey with me, but then also send out an invitation through this through through that episode on how you can partner with me as a missionary here in Baltimore. And if the Lord. You to partner with. How you can actually go about doing that? But then I'm also going to follow that up with an opportunity to be able to just speak with you either personally or through a private link that I'll send to people who reach out and say they want to hear. More and they can do it as a group and ask questions and and things like that interact with me. Be able to lookout for that. Be able to look out for new content coming in the New Year. And and also I pray that you listen to this episode.

Uh.

Contemplatively, I don't mean that in the new age sense. I mean that in the thinking world sense that you would dwell on what's true, what's normal, what's honorable, what's praiseworthy, what's morally excellent is Paul says in Philippians 4 that whatever it is you're bringing into this Christmas. Holiday, be it a a disturbance of what we would call peace, I pray that you would sit with me and listen to this episode as we dwell on what it actually means, that Jesus is our peace. And. That what those implications are the the ultimate result is good news, I promise. So I pray that this episode is deeply edifying to you. Encouraging, and I also ask that you would share it. Share this episode. Share it personally. Share it publicly. Social media pages, whatever it is. Is so that this understanding of where peace actually comes from and what peace actually is can go out to Christchurch as an encouragement and a reminder. But then also it can go as good news to those who are hopeless and in despair and need this good news for the salvation of their souls. So Merry Christmas to you and we'll catch you in the new year.

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome back to Black and Blurred. Guys here we are at Christmas again. It's the Christmas holiday. And you know. You're familiar with the content creator space and social media. You see all the typical iterations, right? Reiterations of things that happen, you get to Christmas and you have people who are saying Christmas is Pagan. I personally hold the stance that Christmas is not Pagan. There's much evidence to show for this. I think one of my favorite presentations comes actually Tytus mentioned on our podcast episode a few episodes ago. A few episodes ago. But bill? William Federer does a great kind of traversing through history on how we got. Santa Claus that even though there are Christian origins, it has been secularized. But it's just a good thing to. I think you should watch that in something you can teach your children, and if you want to uphold the tradition of Santa Claus while linking it to the true. Giver of gifts, the Lord Jesus Christ, and he is not only a giver of gifts, but he gives gifts to bad children. Yikes. He gives gives the bad children you want to link that and raise your children the knowledge the Lord look up Bill Federer in the history of Christmas and you'll be blessed by that. But we see. Those reiterations the reiterations come. Yeah, Christmas is Pagan and I guess that's the more popular one around Christmas. And but but you also have very popularized passages. You, your services, your sermons. You'll probably be in Luke or. Maybe in? Wow, I can't think right now. Matthew. Ones that are popular as regarding the Nativity and the birth of Jesus. And and what we're going to, I want to highlight a very popular passage that's in Luke. When we think about Christ. And if you're not a Christian, you're listening to this and praise God for. I'm glad that I hope you stick with me, because something that we all want is peace. We all want peace. I haven't forgotten the passage. I'm going to read that passage in Luke. Going to come out of Luke 2. So if you are believer, if you're not a believer and you have a Bible flip, flip with me to Luke 2. But I want us to think about peace. Actually. Did a little PSA on Facebook. I'm not on Facebook like. I have a a account personal 1:00 and we have a podcast account, but we're just not active on Facebook. For whatever reason I don't know. But I did a personal question on my personal account to people and I asked them when you hear the word peace, what comes to mind? Man got some interesting answers too. And I want to read. Of those to you. Let me see. So one of those answers I'm going to read off people's responses. Some of definitions once said contentment, another said vigilance. Was interesting to me, another said serene. And then another said. When Christians stopped prostituting the word of God for power, control and bigotry. That was his true. That's a family member of mine that you guys have. Actually, if you've been tracking our podcast for awhile, you've met him. He's a progressive pastor or progressive. I I I I was very explicit with him on our episode and and also personally that we have two different faiths. Believe two different gospels and that you know time is of the essence and he needs to repent. But neither here nor there. Actually it is here now there in this episode, you'll. Why? But that was his. Answer Another answer said, lighter. Another answer. This is actually from our sister Monique from Center for Biblical Unity, she said. Song it is well with my soul. Another answer was full contentment and trust in God's word. Another answer was knowing yourself a lot of people would probably relate to that in this world. That that's where true peace is. Knowing yourself, your inner self as a matter of fact, we found a lot of that DNA of thinking in our sermons today. Today, you. So we think about these answers. And even as a Christian, if you're a mature believer and you think about the the question, what is peace? You know enough to be able to answer it with a good biblically Christian response. I think practically what we end up doing. To show our real definition of peace. Is that if people were to look at our lives, they would believe that we believe peace is one. It's personal and two, it's directly linked to some form of affluence. Peace is personal and it is. This is coming out of what Francis Schaeffer was talking about in his work. How are we then to? Or how then are we to live? Where he talks about the Western mind and the the ultimate goal of the West. His personal peace and affluence. And in some type of way what I mean by our definition practically shows that we believe that peace is. That and it's linked to affluence or wealth or materialism. Is that one. It involves us when it comes down to our view of peace. The most significant aspect of our of that view. Is centered on us. Me. Sure I can include other people in it, but at the center of it is me. That I if if I'm not OK, then it doesn't matter if the things around me are OK. Because nothing is OK until I'm OK. Nothing is peaceful until I'm peaceful. And even if we try to fight against this, we end up slipping into that mindset when we see personal peace being disturbed or disrupted. What do I mean by? That's also connected to affluence or wealth or? Is that in order to have peace, it's linked to me having certain things. Obviously that main thing would be financial security money. And if you'd ever made that statement out loud, then you can at least notice it demonstrably so that when you lose finances or when you lose wealth, it is a disturbance of your peace, is it not? To understand peace. What is it? How do we protect as Christians from just uttering the words? Jesus is our peace while practically ignoring it completely? This is December in 2024, y'all.

Run.

There have been a lot of examples of peace leaving our lives. From the meta narrative of our politics here in America, the meta meta narrative of the world in geopolitical politics and things going on in Syria, things going on in Israel and in Palestine, the warring happening, rumors of wars between. Russia and everywhere else. Everywhere else. The NATO powers and those Eastern powers. How are we to understand peace? I've had multiple conversations. You'll actually listen to a conversation in the new year with a sister in Christ, TC Cannon. But the believers don't feel at home in their church because the zeitgeist has plagued their church. The spirit of the age, the divisiveness among skin color. Were social and Marxist and secular ideologies have usurped the authority of scripture to the point where professing Christian and professing Christian are pit against each other based on worldly philosophies? How are we to understand peace? When, because of the vitriol surrounding the election of a thing that has been happening in our country for ages now, but magically. When there's a specific candidate up to bat, if you vote for that candidate, then you will be ostracized from your family, from your church community, in your marriages. Know marriages that have ended. As a result of the critical theory rhetoric, critical race theory rhetoric. How is there to be peace in a country that supposedly fights against racism and recognizes the horrendous? Ind Despicable nature of racism and vows to never go through it again, only to turn around and wield it in reverse. In the name of justice. How are we to understand peace? And what does it mean that Jesus is our peace? Leaving the destruction of our own. Think about those who are disturbed in peace. So many women think that the happiness of life means that you get to live licentiously. And promiscuously and at an interruption of peace means pregnancy, and in order to maintain that peace, you have to get rid of the results of that pregnancy. What about the disruption of peace that says? I say explicitly that that the result is called a baby. That will disrupt some peace. People will be angry. They'll slander me. What about those who believe that peace is an aesthetic? But I feel like I'm wrong. In the wrong body. And that in order for me to have peace, I need to mutilate my body to catch up to my mind. Even though biologically it'll never be so. What about outside of even the transgender conversation? Just mere aesthetics? The size I am I'm unhappy with and it's disrupting my peace. My skin tone I'm unhappy with. I think some of the most. Rabid. Racists in the conversation of race. Would identify as black American. A lot of them are lighter. Maybe there's a disruption in their piece of identity. Maybe they think they have to go hard as. Form of penance. That's not just lighter tone black Americans. It's white Americans, too. That feel that they have to commit penance in order to be justified. So therefore they have to jump 2 feet in to the conversation on race. About them seeking peace. How are we to understand it? What if instead of viewing peace from a self-centered lens, we viewed it from a heavenly lens? Because that's the lens to which Scripture presents it. See, it's through our Western mind that has turned it to be self-centered. That has turned it to be linked to affluence. So now we have reasons for when we have such deep anxieties, such misery, such depression. Hey and and and I hope that you hear my heart when I'm speaking on this. I'm not speaking. I'm speaking across to you. This podcast is coming off of the back of a sermon that I preached, which came off of the back of conviction. In love by the Lord. To remind me of what peace is. In how I need to understand it in order to actually have peace. And when we understand this piece that is not from a self-centered lens, that it's not a possession, it's not an aesthetic. But we also can escape the pangs of the world that says hey, here are the 10 steps to gain your peace and you end up in some new age rabbit hole. I used to eat at the breakfast bar.

Whole Foods.

Their breakfast, depending on the whole. I I I've realized they're not consistent. You know, I have that gripe. This I hold against you Whole Foods. Yeah. But yeah, I used to eat their breakfast and and what inspires me, especially when I'm writing sermons or anything else, is people watching. A little creepish, but it inspires. I love seeing humans interact with each other while I can sit. Secluded in my own little section. And I would do. But after I would get my breakfast, I would get into the line and I would look at all the different magazines in the checkout and it's filled. Filled with. Full intellectualism. Rooted in how to get peace. Whether it's in the aesthetic form, this is how to get peace because you can lose weight. Whether it's in the ethereal form, this is how you actually gain peace. Is how you can breathe. Excuse me? How you can breathe differently? You need to do these yoga practices in order to have a more peaceful lifestyle. All these things you must do in order to get peace. It isn't to be seen as an object to wield. So how could we possibly have peace as we celebrate Christmas? There are people who I know personally and people who I've heard of, who are going into this Christmas morning. Coming into this Christmas holiday with grief. How are we to have peace? You've lost a significant other. Lost a? You've lost a parent. How are you to have peace? It possible? Is that event a true disruption of your peace? And here's the hopeful good news. Biblically speaking, it is not. And as a matter of fact. Based on the way Scripture reveals peace to us. Can be maintained. Amidst genuine grief. And mourning and sorrow. And frustration. Those church members that think that you're the bad apple, although you just want to see the bride of Christ shine in her glory from fidelity to the Scriptures and glorifying God. Yet you're seen as the disruption of peace in the congregation. You can still have peace amidst that turmoil. So I want to point to a some guys. Let's look at Luke 2 together. This is a popular Christmas. Luke 2, I'm going to start at verse 8. See it in nativity scenes. Heard it in Christmas plays. It's a very significant passage. But I believe the the the central focus of peace biblically dwells here in this passage. Now the Scriptures mention peace over 340 times. And I believe it's centered here. First aid. I'm reading from the ESV. And in the same region, there were shepherds out in the field keeping watch over their flock by night, in an Angel of the Lord appeared to them in the glory of the Lord, shone around them. And they were filled with great fear. And the Angel said to them, fear not. For behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David. Who is Christ the Lord? And this will be a sign for you. You will find a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a Manger. 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. Earth peace among those with whom he is pleased. OK. Now, if you've been in any type of Christian context during Christian context during Christmas, you're familiar with that passage. Context surrounding this is that you have the birth of Jesus. Before that, you have the birth of John the Baptist who comes before Jesus. And you have Zechariah in in, in Luke 1. Briefly, who in this prophecy. Says this about John the Baptist. Because the. Sorry that his son that his son, John the Baptist, will be a child called the Prophet of the most high, for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways to give knowledge of salvation to his people in the forgiveness of their sins because of the tender. Of our God, whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high to give light to those who seek. In the shadow of death and listen to this to guide our. Feet into the way of peace. So John the Baptist is a prophet of the most high, guiding our feet. Into the way of peace. Keep that in mind. And think about this. The context. Have you ever heard of this phrase, Pox Romana? If you're a nerd like me, then yes. It's Roman peace. It has a roughly 200 year period of peace in Rome. Now what's odd is that within that 200 year period towards the latter end, you had three wars. Within 60 years of of one another. Like through a 60 year. Three wars through a 60 year span of Jewish rebellion, right there was Jewish revolt of Rome against Rome. On the latter end. More towards the front end of it, or yeah, I would say more towards the front end of it. You had Jewish provinces that were serving as. Is. Just kind of territories in flux. Over several decades, really. And so Rome. Allowed the British provinces to exist, but they were just territories and they were in flux as a matter. Fact. Kings were expected to come to Rome's aid whenever Rome called, and those kings ought they. They were not to expect anything in return.

This.

Is the Roman. This is peace in Rome. And like I said, those territories were in flux. So at any point you could not be a sovereign place and they weren't truly sovereign anyway. Taxes on Jewish people were unfairly placed and maintained. But then you have this prophet of God whose father Zechariah was just prophesying about who grew up in he actually. What's what I'm looking for, admonished, rebuked. Head. And had his head chopped off for. And the guy who's. The guy who John the Baptist was pointing us towards this poor Carpenter from Nazareth. He was beaten, slandered, strung up on a cross. And in his disciples were brutally killed. And then their disciples in the early church. Were brutally killed. In different sporting events, they were cut in. They were thrown to lions. All of this happened within the roughly 200 years of Pox. Romana, it brings you to question, what did Rome believe peace was? So what it ought to bring to our. Is that hey, peace. Has a cost. It most certainly has a cost. We don't think of it that way because we think of it from a self-centered point of view that there are things that need to conform to my reality in order for me to have peace. And so we don't often think about what the cost of that piece. More on that later. But I want to give us some clarity. Into recognizing that our view of peace is deeply flawed. And guess what? Biblical view is not just in is not just correct. It's better. It's far better. Christians were a disruption of Pox Romana. As a matter of fact. Christians didn't get persecuted for worshipping Jesus. There were a host of different religions in Rome. But the assumption was that your religion will submit for the sake of unity, centered on the worship of the emperor. But unfortunately. When one comes to Christ as Francis Schaeffer says, he doesn't merely reject false religions. He or she rejects the culture built on those false religions ideologies built on those false religions actions built on those false religions. Because Christianity isn't a religion, it's a message. It's news and that news is there is a king and there is only one and there is a mediator through which man is united to his God. And it is Jesus Christ. And there is no other. Sorry Emperor, my worship belongs to him and only him. And that is a disruption of the peace in Rome. Christians can feel that today. Isn't that the essence of the coexist sign? You. Coexist on people's car bumpers and they have all these different religious symbols. It's a message to Christians only. People aren't going to Buddhists and Hindus, and they're not even going to Muslims. To say coexist. They're too afraid of that. They're talking to Christians. Because we are a disruption of the peace by nature in a world that serves its gods and its a. Ideologies and its actions that pour from that service. We rebel against it. So that makes us natural rebels, even if you're not trying. That's why Paul says hey. A godly life is tantamount to a persecuted life. If you desire to be godly, yeah, you're going to be persecuted. We are inherently rebels. We can do away with the kind of passive bullying done by other Christians that says that you're not being nice. You're not being like Jesus. At the end of the day, being like Jesus gets you strung up on a cross during a period of peace. So what does being like Jesus actually mean? And here we are, the Christmas season where it's typically been filled with an. You got the holidays. You got the lights, the cookies, the aromas, the tree, all that stuff, and that any of that stuff. Like if you had end up getting sick. I shared about this on a podcast last year. If you can't be with family, if or if there's a disruption in your expectations for a peaceful holiday, we get angry and upset and claim that our peace has been disturbed and it hasn't. It hasn't. We've just forgotten what our peace is. So here we are. At the scene of the shepherds. Where Jesus is being born. And I want to put a pin in that and I want to take you on a very short journey. It's going to seem like it's.

A.

Far Detour, but it's significant. I want you to travel to job with me. I want to say job 38. Job 38 if you're not familiar with the story of job, job is one who is faithful and who God permitted to go through suffering. A it's. It's a troubling book, but a hopeful book. It's one of the wisdom literature. And and. Allows for job to go through suffering because he trusts his fidelity. He trusts his faithfulness. But Job's weakness is that he gets to a point where he, he feels deserving of a reason for his suffering, something we can all relate to, that when we endure suffering in this life because of our expectation to go through life untouched, unscathed, that when there is. Disruption of our peace. We demand an answer from God and some of us go even further to say I'm no longer worshipping you. Secret of that is you never did worship him. If you ever come to that place. You never saw him as judge. You were the one who was. You were judging his deeds all your life, waiting for him to mess up so that you could condemn him to a figment of your imagination. Not a God. That's a product. That's a figment of your imagination. I digress. So job got to that place. And God answers him in job 38. And this is what the Lord says. He. Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge? For action like a man. I will. You and you make it known to. Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell me if you have understanding who determined its measurements. Surely you know who stretched the line upon it, or what words basis sunk and who laid its cornerstone. Listen to this. Who laid its cornerstone? When the morning stars sang together. And all the sons of God shouted for joy. Here's the conclusion. Or out to. Here's the inference. The interpretation what we are to take from that. That when God laid the foundations of our world. This physical realm he had created siritual beings already that we believe in. We call them angels is. Too, too narrow. That's a job title, but I have episodes on that already. Go see our my divine council. Go look at eyes on the right with Amy in that podcast we have a long conversation. But this this phrase, beneath Elohim, sons of God, shouted for. That means that when he was creating the foundations of the world and us, they were watching. When God was doing this amazing thing that we call creation. They were there watching. And worshipping him. Can you imagine just sitting on the side watching your father do amazing things? And they're shouting for joy. And if that's the case, then this is what we can gather from that. That they watched him take this erect the earth and form man from it and watch him take man and form woman from it and watch them walk in peace in harmony together in his counsel in Eden. That they were his. Viceroys that they were his royalty on Earth Co ruling together as humanity, man and woman made in the image of God. Watched it all and we were in communion with the Lord. And if they saw that? Then they saw us tear it apart too. If they saw that. Then they saw the beauty and glory in love and patience of the creator of the universe. Be doubted by the ones he made from dirt. They saw the wisdom and love of this God be doubted by the ones he made from dirt. They saw the relationship between God and his creation from the Earth be severed. And they saw murder on the earth. They got invitations from some of these humans to be worshipped, and even some of them actually accepted that invitation. These heavenly beings being beckoned by humans to be worshipped, obviously faithful ones like we see the Angel in Revelation. Whenever man wants to worship and they say no, don't do that. I'm a created thing like you worship the one true living God. All you worship. They saw that they saw the Tower of Babel where they're creating this thing, trying to connect in a human way, heaven and earth, in order to invoke worship of divine beings. Rebelling against the one true living God, they saw that they saw the dis inheriting of the nations that God did as a result of the Tower of Babel. They saw God in his grace and patience and mercy. Try. And and and make things right in immediately. I say try colloquially tongue in cheek. He already had his original plan, but as from an observational standpoint, they're watching it. And they saw that in God's grace that he took his remnant, Israel. And through Israel, they were going to be priests to the nations that the rest of the world would come to know. This creator again, at some point that they would all be priests to the nations. But in it was in this little Kingdom of priests there was going. Be a priestly class. But before all that, they watched their family members have to leave the house. They watched Adam and Eve get kicked out. They watched their children war with each other. And he watched that all throughout humanity. Even up to the point where the Lord chooses his remnant, his inheritance in Israel. He watches how the Lord creates this system out of his loving grace because this system needs to be in place because there's no peace. Between God and his creation. There are floods, there are storms that the Lord is doing on the beauty of this creation that they watched him make. They watched him paint the sky with the stars and paint the moonlight and the sunlight in the sky. Just a tail of his passing glory. All creation. They watched it. And now it gets destroyed through winds and. Destruction that the Lord himself does on this earth because there's no peace on this earth. And he creates this intermediate system. Will mail through errands bloodline. There's gonna be these guys who have to do all this stuff and they have to dress a specific way and they have to do it the way the Lord has told them to do it. And they have to do it. The Lord tells him to do it, and that where has. Be. Specifically, how the Lord told them to build it because it needs to be the closest resemblance to the place of peace that it can be. There is no actual peace. If you mess up. You'll die. And then there's this one high priest that every single year, only one time will go inside. And he has to do special duties and wear special things in a special place that was built in a special way, and he must do it all correctly or he'll die. Because there is no peace and you can't see the Lord and live. Because there's no peace. They watched that. And they watched for millennia. As the result of there being no peace on this earth make itself known. In real time, what's happening is. The Lord is preparing. For the introduction of something very special. He has prophets here on the earth that are announcing this very special introduction. Like like Isaiah in a very popularized Christmas passage for to us, a child is born in Isaiah 9 to us, a son is given, and a government shall be upon his shoulders. His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor. Why is he a wonderful? Because he even know the people from the dirt rejected his wisdom. He is the wealth of all wisdom and understanding. The one you should seek. He'll be called mighty God. Mighty. Well, because these nations who now reject the one true and living King of kings, they've turned to these false kings that have been men of renown, the men of old. Phrase in Genesis 6 is the gubern. Ator. The mighty. One, if you've got your Roman deities and your Mesopotamian deities, and you think that because you're a king in those nations that you come from a line of beauties, no, they are just rebellious children of the mighty God, El Gabor. He'll be called everlasting father because his father. Has never had a beginning. Nor an end. And he always has existed all throughout time. And he is the Prince. Of peace. In the same way. These mysterious creatures like the. Prince of Israel. That's who Michael is called. Or the Prince of Persia. These angelic beings. These territorial principalities that Paul references. That there is an ultimate principality of all principalities. What's his territory? Peace. Of the increase of his government and of peace, there will be no end. The trumpet is sounding from Isaiah that there is going to be this introduction. And so we're still waiting with the anticipation, with the sorrow, with the grief, with all of the hope that the people of God have lived up to and and have sought to live for faithfully, have waited patiently. Now in Luke 2, something very significant happens and it happens from the perspectives of those who saw it unhappened. These angels. They meet with shepherds to let them know. You need to understand. What just took place? Peace. Is finally on Earth. In this baby. That Jesus. Yes, I get.

Run.

The example there a lot of sermons and illustrations that look at Jesus's life. As the one that we should look up to and we should try to live like and that is true. Collected along. Way is who Jesus is for us. And what it means that Jesus is our peace is just that, that the biggest issue on this earth is that there is no peace between God and his creation. And through Christ, now there is. That's the biggest issue. That we, as Paul says, were children of wrath. Dead in our trespasses. Yet through Christ we have been brought near that time when people could not see God. 'S in us we commune with him. Because there's peace. You see remnants of this lacking of peace even in scripture with those who are with God. Even Isaiah, in the very popular throne room scene where he is taken to the throne room of God's Divine Council in the only overwhelming thought that he has, is I don't belong here. I'm a man of unclean lips dwelling amongst the people of unclean lips. Get Me Out of here. There's no peace. This is actually the significance of. Some of the thing interactions that Jesus has with his disciples. That's how we can know that peace is not circumstantial. You think that it's your surroundings that disrupt your peace? Doesn't. You know the story of Jesus being asleep on the boat and there's a big storm going on and the disciples are are afraid because their their peace is disturbed. There's a huge storm and the boat is rocking and the guy that they hope can do something about it is sleep. And they actually even. Presumptive question like hey, do you not care? But this is what's interesting about Mark. That passage in Mark 5 where? Jesus calms the storm. And the very next thing that happens is the disciples are afraid. It's because two things were realized. That if Jesus is calming the storm, then that means that he is Lord of the storms and in ancient near Eastern religion. It was always a competition of the storm. God, Marduk, Baile and even going into Greco Roman. The pantheon with Zeus and Jupiter. It's always the. God, that's the head honcho. But now this dude from Nazareth just told the storm to chill, and the storm said OK. That's the first. He's the storm God #2. I can't be in his presence. You see the same reaction from Peter. When Jesus meets Peter, he gets onto his boat. He tells Peter to cast down his net and Peter pulls back the biggest yield of fish he'd ever had. After being out there all day and catching nothing. And after Peter pulls back the biggest yield of fish he tells. To get away from me. Because whoever you are. The only feeling I can't shake is that there's enmity between you and me. Not because of a decision that I made to hate you, but because of my very nature. That is why. In order for there to be peace. Natures had to be addressed, not deeds. That there is no action you can do to make peace between you and the God and God the creator of the universe, the one true living God, the Lord of all things. There's nothing you can do that should be good news, because every time you do something, you're always going to ask yourself that I do enough. And the only worst possible thing you could think is that you did do enough and you go stand before this judge. With enmity between you and him. Nature's need to be. He who knew no sin was made to be sin, so that we would become the righteousness of God, Paul says in Ephesians. For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh to dividing wall of hostility, that wall of hostility is between God. Man. He broke it down in his flesh. Jesus tells his disciples peace. I give to you my peace. I leave with you that peace is not our personal thing. Not a personal possession to wield and. He is a person and it is the supreme peace. That we can have that Paul says, surpasses understanding. That's why he has the deepest prayer he has in Ephesians 3. He. Hey, look, this is the reason why I'm bending my knee for every family or I love fatherhood. What it literally translates to every fatherhood. Fatherhood, from whom? I'm sorry. Before the father, I bend my knee before the father, from whom all fatherhood in heaven on Earth is named. But according to the riches of the glory that he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his spirit and in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell richly in your hearts through faith, that you being rooted and grounded in love, that you would have the. To comprehend just how vast. Christ's Love is for you. Because that is at the heart of all anxiety, all worry and all doubt. Is a question of Christ love for you? And at the root of a question of his love is a question of your standing with your maker. Piece. So now take this why does a podcast like Black and blurred exist? Why is it necessary for Christians to fight against the war being waged on the bride of Christ and the unity that she inherently shares through the blood of Christ? And the broken body of Christ that has made us as individuals whole, that has given us peace with God and peace with one another is because if he has established peace through Christ, then who are we to sow discord? Do you see what the enemy is doing when it comes down to believers that say, hey, you know, you should focus on your superficial differences, this skin color thing. You nasty white people, I get it. This is in the Christian. These are Christians who say these things that you nasty white people, in addition to needing. The sacrificial lamb you also need to do some penance. You need to do some soul searching to create peace between you and your neighbor is because you're nasty whiteness. There's extra steps that you need to take, and as a matter of fact, black people. If you dwell in white spaces, you need to leave loud. When Jesus is our peace. And that peace is established between God and man. It is gospel treason to sow discord. It is gospel treason to identify as anything else that therefore creates division. It is gospel treason to therefore put forth other necessary actions or requirements, or sanction or otherwise, or those who have been united in Christ. It's gospel treason. That's why we fight against it. That's why it belongs nowhere in the church. That's why I don't care what type of books are being written about it. If at the crux of it, there's division and there's not an identification of peace through Christ, then it doesn't belong in. Church. It doesn't matter if it has good stuff in it. If it is genuinely good, that means it's biblical. It's biblical. Get it from the scriptures. We don't need pH D's to teach us how to be the church. His divine power is granted to us. Things pertaining to life and godliness. We have everything. There's genuine peace. Jesus is that peace. Who are we to sow discord? Who are we to say? Oh, we're divided because of this difference, this superficial difference. If you don't know what I mean by superficial difference, I'm going to say this before we get to the cost. My blackness, my black skin, my culture that I may even share in that kind of transcend skin color will be honest with you. Let's just, for the sake of the argument, my skin color is a superficial similarity I share with other black Americans. It's an even more superficial similarity. Have with Africans. They probably call me white, but let's just stick with black Americans. The superficial similarity that we share is our skin color. The fundamental difference, who we call Father. Christians are fundamentally united in Christ. That it doesn't matter what skin color you are. It doesn't matter what cultural background you are. We, as Peter calls us, are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation. And why are we that in Christ? There's peace between God and man. When peace has been established between you and God, all those who also have peace. Have peace with one another. That's what the heavenly host meant when they said glory to God in the highest and on Earth, peace among those with whom he is pleased. Well, who is the Lord pleased with? Guess what? He's pleased with one person, his son. His beloved son, his begotten son, and all those who trust in Jesus Christ are given his identity. The fancy word being imputation that his righteousness is imputed to us his righteousness. And the pleasure that he enjoyed with his father is given to us. Yes. So therefore, we have his pleasure. So when someone comes to you and says that you need to do extra steps in order to be reconciled with your brother and sister, they're wrong. There's peace. So on the flip side, if you genuinely are racist. Which your skin color does not prevent you from being racist. Your skin color does not prevent you from being prejudice or hateful. If you have that living in your heart, then there isn't anything you need to do with your brother and sister. First, you need to go to your father. If you call him that. And if you don't call him father, well, then there's the issue. There's no peace between you and your neighbor, 'cause. There's no peace between you and your. Maker the Center and core of it is peace with God and Jesus. That peace and that peace has a cost. Why are there guns in my house? All the anti gun people would say that's so bad. You have guns in your house, you have. In my house well. Temple atmospheric peace insurance. How do I ensure that my wife and children can have temporal peace in this house? Well, it's to make sure that I'm willing to get violent with anybody who's willing to disrupt it. That's what that means. When we have this self-centered view of peace. We think that when our immediate environment gets disrupted or the things we have get taken or the things we want, we don't get. That there's a disruption of peace and then we think that when we finally get peace, we really care. What's it really, what it costs. We just have it because it's a self-centered perspective. This is the heart of so many questions regarding God and justice and. How could he be so? And there be so much evil, it's rooted in the fact that there is so little peace on this earth, and they ask. How could God be good? Look at. Lacking of peace, this earth is because they're thinking of peace from the self-centered perspective. Here's an example to exemplify that or not an. Let me flush that out to exemplify, in order for there to be peace on Earth, God has to rid the earth of evil. And no one ever considers that him riding the earth of evil. Includes them. No one considers that. No one ever has the thought that hey, maybe I am the cause of Earth's lacking of peace. You ever considered that? In your own house. In your own marriage. Toward your parents, toward your children, toward your coworkers. Toward your siblings in Christ, have you ever considered that you are the cause of the lacking of peace temporal peace? We have a self-centered perspective on peace. There's an upside down to. So you have the thing that you're seeing that you would call peace, but then there's the. Upside down realm. There's something else that's. Here's an example of it on Friday night at 6:00 PM, Me and my wife could easily have peace in our house. But in the upside Down realm, my boys are probably sitting in their room angry because they had to go to bed early in order for us to have peace. There's a cost. It's that same cost in the parks Romana that. Yeah, we'll call this peace will just kill everyone who disrupts it. And that's. That's the parks Romana. The cost of our peace with our maker. Is the death of that baby who was born. How do I know that peace transcends our current circumstance or our desires, or our, I guess, temporary happiness? Is because Mary was presented with the opportunity for that peace. And they could not have been talking about her current circumstance. They could not have been talking about Mary's current circumstance when they said, hey, blessed and favored, are you, O Mary, the Lord has looked with favor upon you because you get to be the mother of the one who is going to be stripped naked. Have his body torn to shreds where the bone is exposed, and he will be propped up on a cross after carrying that rugged cross. Oh, mother. You're gonna watch your son naked, carrying that rugged cross through his ripped flesh. And he is gonna sit on that cross and be humiliated and mocked as a king for all to see. Oh, blessed and highly favored, are you? You get to be the mother of him. No. That was not. The crux of her peace. That was very unpaceful I imagine. So peace has to transcend that. And it's the fact that she was the one through whom peace entered the world. Peace between God and man. And the cost immediate was for her to have to endure it as a mother. But the cost eternal. Was for our king to endure it for us. And it's by his stripes. We are healed. And This is why that's good news. Because the biggest issue we have in this world. Is no peace with God. I don't care what you. A big injustice is I don't care what you think. The biggest evil is the biggest. The biggest worry any human has in this world is that he would not have peace with his creator. Because the wages of sin is death. And as the author of Hebrew says that it is, it is prescribed for man to live once and then after that be judged. And because you have peace with your maker. Now you have the strength to endure disturbance in this life. Because you have a heavenly creator who through Christ Jesus calls you daughter or son, you can be slandered by your neighbor and have joy in your heart and forgiveness. Because you have peace with your. Maker you can lose everything and remember that the Lord is my light and my salvation. That the Lord is my shepherd. I want for nothing. That the Lord who made the birds of the sky, the beasts of the field, and the lilies and the flowers of the field, and clothe them in splendor. How much more does he give his children and provide for them? Because you have peace with your maker. Rather than going through the garb and the dress and all the rituals, you need to go through in order to present yourself to him or you'll die. You now get to go to the throne of grace with confidence. Because you have peace with your maker. That. That's weighing you down. You can take it to your father with confidence in knowing that he nailed it to Jesus cross. You confess it to him. You repent. Knowing that that peace is undisrupted. It can't be severed. That is Christmas. That peace has entered the world. And it is to all who God is pleased with. The source of that is Jesus Christ. So whatever your sorrow, your grief, your disturbance. Just know that you've been granted the strength to go through it, to endure it and the peace to have joy in your heart and you have access to God, as Paul says. To fall before his feet to be comforted by him as your father. That's what peace did. That's what Jesus did. And this is what we need to understand about sharing the gospel. You cannot share the gospel without relaying the violent nature of peace. Going back to that. Everybody loves revelation 21 when it talks about the new. And new earth. They love when it talks about how the Lord will wipe tears away from the eyes. That will dwell in perfect harmony that he will be our God. We will be his people, that he will be the light of the earth, that we won't need sunlight. That's all fine and good, and that's because true peace exists. Guess what? That peace has a cost. And the cost is violent. What do I mean by that? Well, let's just read it. Verse. Revelation 21. And he, who was seated on the throne said, behold, I am making all things new also, he said. Write this down for these words are trustworthy and true. He said to me it is. I am the alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end to the thirsty. I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment, and the one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will. Madden. He will be my son. Guys, that's genuine peace between God and his people. How do we ensure that peace? Verse 8. But As for the cowardly, the faithless. The detestable As for the murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars. Their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death. Because peace has a cost. Those who want to disrupt peace cannot be where peace dwells. So we in this world have eternal peace between us and our maker through Jesus Christ, who himself is our peace, and because we have peace with God, we will dwell in true shining. Peace, environmental, atmospheric peace with our maker, and anyone who wants to disrupt that can't be there. One of my favorite gospel presentations is vodi balcom. What this good news is, and what he says is that we're not just saved from the penalty of sin. We're not just saved from the power of sin, but we're saved from the very presence of sin. And do you know what the upside down version of that is? That all of sin must be destroyed. That's what it means to trust in Christ. That you trust that he became sin and was destroyed on your behalf, that you would become a daughter and a son. And if you reject Christ, then you stand before your judge as sin, and it must be destroyed. So this Christmas week. Or before Christmas week, I want us to reflect on the beauty of what it means that Jesus is our peace. I want you to listen to this gospel presentation by Vodafone, my favorite gospel presentation as of late. Anytime the gospel is presented. It's a favorite of mine, but this is just an anointed delivery. And he outlines the existence of peace, the destruction of peace, and the RE establishment of peace through Jesus Christ and Jesus alone. Merry Christmas, you all.

When people say no, our problem is. Our problem is that we say no, no, no. Problem is. That God created the world. And God created men and he put man in the garden to keep the garden, and he gave the man a command. And he held that man to perfect perpetual obedience to that. And he promised in life if he kept it in death, if he didn't. And he didn't keep it. He ate. And because he. Because of that, one man, sin entered the world and. Death through sin and everyone born from that land through ordinary generation inherited that man's sin nature. And because of that sin nature, sins precede from it and our world is broken because of that sin. And we stand guilty before a holy and righteous God. And we know that he's holy and we know that he's righteous and we crave justice. But the problem is that if God gives us justice, we all die. And so that God in his goodness and in his mercy, sent forth his son, who was not born of ordinary generation, but was born of a virgin. The virgin birth matters. Why? Because if he's born of ordinary generation, he's born in sin. But because he's not born an ordinary generation, he's not born in sin. He's clean of sin. Record is clean and he keeps his record clean. And he obeys God's law. Because he's fully God and fully man, he embraced the law of God on our behalf, and his active obedience. And then in his passive obedience. God made him who knew no sin to be sin for us all. Like Sheep had gone astray. Each of us had turned to his own way, but God laid upon him the iniquity of us all, and Christ died for sin once for all. The just for the unjust and God imputes our sinfulness to him and he nails our sinfulness to the tree. And Christ dies and races again on the third day for our justification. And there's another imputation the righteousness of Christ is actually imputed to us so that God can be both just and the justifier of the one who places faith. In Jesus Christ.

So.

That all those who come to Christ may enter in so that all those who place faith in Christ might be saved, but not only saved. But sanctified. Because he's the first born of many brethren were justified and were adopted into the family of God. And were. And as his children, we began to bear the family resemblance and were further sanctified throughout this life by the very same gospel that saves us until one day when it's all said and done. We're not just saying from the penalty of sin. We're not just safe from the power of sin, but one day we're glorified and saved from the very presence of sin. That's the gospel that we preach. That's the gospel that we read, and that's the gospel. That's more than enough.