← Church of the Highlands - Sunday Messages - Audio
Church of the Highlands - Sunday Messages - Audio
On Earth, Peace
00:33:18
Part 1 of Christmas at Highlands
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Sa Hi, everyone. Merry Christmas and thank you so much for joining us today. I really hope you're enjoying the service. And before I go any further, let me take a moment and thank the amazingly talented people on our music and creative teams who for months have poured out their heart and soul into this Christmas service. We are so blessed with some of the most talented people on the planet, and I am so proud of them. I also wanna say thank you to the thousands of dream teamers who are serving in these services, who are parking cars and making hot chocolate and serving all of you today. And I also wanna say to the entire Highlands Church family, Tammy and I love you so much. And we want you to know that we are praying for you every day, especially in this season. And finally, to all of you who are here for the first time, let me give you my heartfelt welcome to Church of the Highlands. And if you're looking for a church home, I hope you found one. We would love for you to be a part of this family of faith. You know, almost 24 years ago, when Tammy and I moved to Birmingham to start Church of the Highlands, we had a dream to do more than just start a new church. From day one, we wanted to answer the question that we believed people were asking about their faith life. And that is, is this all there is? I mean, there has to be more to life, to faith and to church. In fact, that's why we named our church Church of the Highlands, because we wanted to give people the picture of going on a spiritual journey to all that God has for them. Now, why do we do that? Because we believe God has more. More for all of us. And we believe that more is found in four things that God wants for you and me. And that is first, to know God. I mean, really know him personally and actually enjoy being in a relationship with him. And then, because you really know God. Secondly, now you can find freedom. I'm talking about freedom from the areas of your life that keep you from being the best version of yourself. And to settle the past once and for all. And then once the past is settled, number three, to discover your God given purpose. I'm talking about the real reason God created you. So finally, you can live your life making a difference, which is the real reason why you exist and the only way to find real joy and fulfillment in your life. And if all of that sounds like what you're looking for, then again, I want to personally invite you to join us in that journey. And the new year is the best time to do that in fact, on the first Sunday of January, January 5th, we're beginning our brand new set of messages that will help us kick off the year the right way. And we begin our 21 days of prayer. Now you can ask anyone around here that has been a part of this church that it's the most life changing way to start a new year. Now, before we go back to another song in our candle lighting time together, I want to take a few minutes and talk with you about one of the main phrases that is highlighted in the Christmas season, and that is the word peace. Now, there's something about the Christmas season where we dream of a better world, peace on earth, and we sing about it and we put it on Christmas cards like these and we try to spread the message of peace around Christmas cards that say peace on earth. And I think everyone likes this message a lot because everybody needs a little peace in their life, right? So I did some study for you on the subject of peace and you're probably gonna be surprised at what I found. I looked up the phrase peace on earth in the Bible and guess what? The phrase peace on earth is only mentioned one time in the Bible and it's where Jesus said this in Luke chapter 12, verse 51. Do you think I came to bring peace on earth? No. So the only place where the phrase peace on earth is Jesus said, I didn't come to bring peace on earth. Sorry for messing up the Christmas cards for those of you who have ones like this one. Well, let's talk about this for a minute. Because I think people not only had the hope of earth being peaceful, I think many people actually thought God made a promise to bring peace on earth. And he never made us that promise. In fact, he makes the exact opposite promise in John 16 where he said, I've told you these things so that in me you may have peace, but in this world on earth you're gonna have trouble. But take heart, I have overcome the world. So Jesus says, earth won't find peace. Earth is gonna be full of trouble, but in me you can have peace. So I know some of you are thinking, I know there's a verse that says peace on earth in the Christmas story, but let me show you what it actually says. Let me show you in Luke chapter two. Now, this is the account of the angels announcing the birth of of Jesus to the shepherds. And the angel of the Lord said in Luke 2:10 says this, do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all people. For today in the town Of David, a savior has been born to you. He is Christ the Lord, and this will be a sign to you. You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger. And suddenly, a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel and praising God and saying, glory to God in the highest. And on earth, peace, on whom his favor rests. So the message from heaven isn't peace on earth, it's on earth, peace. And those two things are completely different. God isn't promising peace on earth. His promise is that on earth, you can have peace. So Earth doesn't experience the peace you do. Now, listen to me. God's promise is that in the middle of an Earth that has wars, bad economies, turmoil, uncertainty, disease, death, trouble, in the middle of all of that, you can have peace. Let me say it this way. Earth may never experience peace, but you can. And I think many of us here today could use a little peace in our life. In fact, I want to ask you a pretty personal question, and that is, how much peace do you currently have in your life? I mean, behind the smile and the Christmas outfit that you're wearing today, what's really going on? What's going on on the inside of your mind and your heart? How much peace do you have today? And the truth is, many of us struggle with real peace. And why is that? Because of what I call the four UN's. And the first UN is unavoidable circumstances. I'm talking about the things in our life that we cannot control that's happening all around us that rob us of our peace. Everything from the wars around the world to being stuck in traffic when things are out of control, we lose our peace of mind. Here's another un, and that is unbearable, people. Now, come on, let's be honest. Sometimes it feels like some people's purpose in life is to destroy ours. We all have people in our life that rob us of our joy. And doesn't it seem like it's highlighted most during the holiday season? And here's another UN that will rob you of your peace. And that's unexplainable problems. And it's the unexplainable part that is so tough, because I just don't understand why. Why is this happening to me? And all of these produce a condition that many of us find ourselves in right now, and that is uncontrollable worry. You know, if there was one great destroyer of our peace, it's the things we worry about. Everything from health issues to financial problems to family crisis. I talk with people all the time, and they're worrying about things like, are my kids gonna be all right? Am I gonna have a job next year? What's the doctor gonna say? In fact, I had a buddy who texted me today who got a bad report, and they did some tests, and he won't find out the results until next week. And if you've ever faced something like that, you just can't help but worrying about it, even though we all know that worrying never solves tomorrow's problems, it only robs today of its peace. And if you can relate to any of the things that I just mentioned, I have a simple Christmas message for you this year. And it's the same message that the angels gave the shepherds 2,000 years ago. And it's for you. And it's on earth, peace. Not peace on earth, but on earth. Peace on whatever your earth has turned out to be for you. God wants you to experience real peace. Jesus says it this way. In John, chapter 14, verse 27, he said, I am leaving you with a gift, peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give isn't fragile like the peace the world gives. So don't be troubled or afraid. Wouldn't you agree, if you're going to receive a gift this year, that the greatest gift we could receive is the gift of peace, the peace of God? In fact, I'll answer that question for you. Of course it would be. And the question is, how do we receive that gift? Well, as Jesus said, it's not attainable. The same way the world tries to find peace, people try pills and pipes, mindfulness and meditation, and it never brings lasting peace. You and I both know that those are just superficial solutions to peace that really is neither real or lasting. So what does bring real peace? Well, the answer is actually found in the verse we already read. Let's look at it again. In Luke 2:14, it says, Glory to God in the highest and on earth, peace to those whom his favor rests. Notice that it says, peace is available to those on whom his favor rests. In other words, you can have the peace of God when you have the favor of God. Which begs the question, how do you get God's favor? And the answer is, you can't. That's right. As long as we exclude God from our life, we can never have the favor of God in our life. As one verse says in Romans, chapter three, we've fallen short of his glory. But that's why God gave his son Jesus, and that's why there's Christmas. God saw Humanity in darkness and earth without peace. And he sent his son, born in a manger, who ultimately would go to the cross to take away the sins of the world, to make it possible for there to be on earth peace. I love the way Romans chapter 5 sums it all up. It says, therefore, since we have been made right in God's sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us. Peace doesn't come from our problems going away. It comes when you and I are made right in God's sight. It's when we ask him into our life and let him wipe the slate clean and give us a fresh start. And that's why I love Christmas so much. Because it's that Christmas time that we remember that God came in human form in the darkest time in history to bring on earth peace. And I want you to listen to me very carefully. And that peace is available for you today, this Christmas. So if you've been around Highlands for any amount of time, you know that I usually announce the focus for the coming year in these Christmas services. And for the past few months, I've asked the Lord to give me a word for next year. And I really believe that 2025 is gonna be a year of new beginnings. I'm talking about a fresh start, a do over. Listen to me. There is nothing more peaceful than a clean slate. And I believe it's time for many of you to start fresh, to begin again, and to enter the new year with a fresh focus for your life. And I wanna say to you what I've said to people for nearly 24 years at Church of the Highlands. For 24 years, I've asked every person who's walked through these doors, give us a year of your life. Give us a year where you go all in, attend church, attend our conferences, get involved in small groups, find your purpose, serve people and make a difference with your life. And I promise you, it won't even take a year if you choose to start fresh and go all in with God and decide to make 2025 the greatest year of your life by making it the greatest year spiritually, you're going to have peace regardless of what your earth looks like. And I guarantee it. And honestly, what do you have to lose? Now you might be thinking, why is this preacher challenging me like this at a Christmas service? And it's because this was my story. 46 Christmases ago, I was 15 years old, going through an incredibly dark time with no peace and no purpose. And someone invited me to church at Christmas time. And like many of you, I've been in church my whole life, but this was so different. God showed up, and I felt his presence, and I felt the knock on the door of my heart. God wanted in my life. He wanted to give me a new beginning and a fresh start. And I let him in. And my life has never been the same. And I believe that there are some of you here in this service who, like me, are experiencing the presence of God in this service. You feel him knocking on the door of your heart, and you need to do the same thing I did 46 years ago. You need to let him in your life. So here's what I want to do. Before we light candles together, I want our team to sing a prayer over you. A prayer that has been prayed for thousands of years. A prayer that I've been praying for you. For you to have the peace that God so desperately wants you to have, that you can have if you give him your life. Our team is going to sing it over you, and I want you to receive it. It's time to say yes to God and let him give you his peace.