WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.359 Now, before you guys are seated today, I want to try something out. 00:00:03.600 --> 00:00:13.039 So traditionally, you know, we greet each other with a peace, and someone will say, The peace of God be with you, and you would respond with, and also with you. 00:00:13.199 --> 00:00:15.599 Alright, so the peace of God be with you. 00:00:17.120 --> 00:00:18.000 Thanks, I appreciate that. 00:00:18.160 --> 00:00:19.760 Go ahead and take a seat. 00:00:22.480 --> 00:00:23.600 Good morning. 00:00:24.160 --> 00:00:25.440 My name is Ben Carruthers. 00:00:25.519 --> 00:00:28.000 I'm the director of student and family ministry here. 00:00:28.239 --> 00:00:29.920 And uh I feel pretty lucky. 00:00:30.000 --> 00:00:32.560 This is the second week I got to do this, deliver the word. 00:00:32.880 --> 00:00:34.799 Uh Ryan uh is still out. 00:00:34.880 --> 00:00:36.719 Uh he'll be back in a couple weeks. 00:00:36.880 --> 00:00:50.240 And but we're still in this sermon series called Story Context Symbol, where we take a story from scripture, we dive deep into the context of it, which is extremely important, and then we talk about the symbol, what this kind of story means. 00:00:50.399 --> 00:00:59.200 And you heard that we're wrapping up in a couple weeks, and I'm gonna be honest with you, like we might ex that might even extend because every time we say we're gonna end this, we're like, well, this is a great story, we should do this. 00:00:59.280 --> 00:01:04.400 And it should have ended like three weeks ago, but we're just loving this series so much, and so hopefully you are as well. 00:01:04.560 --> 00:01:07.200 The piece of this that's really important to me is the context, right? 00:01:07.280 --> 00:01:09.200 Like, what's going on in the scripture? 00:01:09.359 --> 00:01:12.799 Because we are people really not of context, we just kind of want the information. 00:01:12.959 --> 00:01:14.640 We want we want that Bible verse. 00:01:14.799 --> 00:01:17.439 I have a my oldest son Isaiah is great at this. 00:01:17.680 --> 00:01:21.840 He will start telling me a story, and I have no idea what he's talking about. 00:01:21.920 --> 00:01:25.040 He's like, man, Timmy, he shouldn't have done what he did at school today. 00:01:25.200 --> 00:01:27.280 All right, who's Timmy and what did he do, right? 00:01:27.359 --> 00:01:31.359 Or like, man, you dad, like today at school, I got an F. 00:01:31.760 --> 00:01:33.359 Okay, well, what did you get an F in? 00:01:33.439 --> 00:01:34.159 Or what are you talking about? 00:01:34.239 --> 00:01:35.439 And he just stops his whole story. 00:01:35.519 --> 00:01:37.760 And I'm like, buddy, I need some context here. 00:01:37.920 --> 00:01:39.599 It's the same thing with scripture. 00:01:39.760 --> 00:01:46.560 We take a piece of scripture, a verse from scripture, and we just we put it on bumper stickers, we put it on t-shirts, but there's so much more. 00:01:46.640 --> 00:01:51.920 And in this passage that you heard, we're gonna go back a few chapters today to really see what's going on. 00:01:52.079 --> 00:01:56.480 But the symbol of what we're talking about is this idea of peace. 00:01:57.200 --> 00:01:59.760 This peace that comes from Christ. 00:01:59.840 --> 00:02:02.239 And the sermon title is called Peace Really? 00:02:02.480 --> 00:02:07.760 Because so many of us are here today, and we hear the word peace, and we're like, man, you have no idea what's going on in my life. 00:02:08.000 --> 00:02:10.319 Peace is so far away from me. 00:02:10.560 --> 00:02:13.520 I haven't been at peace for years dealing with this. 00:02:13.759 --> 00:02:14.800 So, peace really? 00:02:14.879 --> 00:02:16.159 Yeah, that's what Jesus is talking about. 00:02:16.240 --> 00:02:18.560 He's talking about this peace that comes from him today. 00:02:18.719 --> 00:02:23.680 So I want to ask you this question, and the question is this what does this mean to you? 00:02:23.759 --> 00:02:26.400 What does the word peace mean to you? 00:02:26.879 --> 00:02:28.400 What does it mean to you? 00:02:28.639 --> 00:02:31.360 And I think it mean it can mean something different to a lot of us. 00:02:31.520 --> 00:02:33.360 Peace looks different to a lot of this. 00:02:33.599 --> 00:02:40.400 I found out very early in my marriage to my wife that we I have a different idea of what peace means between the two of us. 00:02:40.639 --> 00:02:41.919 I am an early riser. 00:02:42.000 --> 00:02:49.919 I get up early in the morning, uh, thanks to my kids who, since they were little, got me up early, and my wife always pushed them off on me, like, you got this, you know, you got this. 00:02:50.000 --> 00:02:52.319 So I'm used to getting up early, 5:30, 6 a.m. 00:02:52.719 --> 00:02:56.400 My wife loves to sleep in, and we know this in our house. 00:02:56.479 --> 00:03:00.159 And it's, you know, it could be 8 o'clock in the morning, and I'm like, honey, it's time to get up. 00:03:00.240 --> 00:03:01.680 And she's like, no, I don't think so. 00:03:01.759 --> 00:03:04.000 You know, like it's time for you to get up, right? 00:03:04.159 --> 00:03:05.759 Her favorite, like she's got the snooze thing. 00:03:05.919 --> 00:03:06.879 She doesn't have a button anymore. 00:03:06.960 --> 00:03:09.280 It's more like, Alexa, five more minutes, you know? 00:03:09.360 --> 00:03:11.199 And it's just, she doesn't like the mornings. 00:03:11.360 --> 00:03:14.400 And this gene has gotten into our youngest son, Ezra, by the way. 00:03:14.560 --> 00:03:17.439 Ezra, it'll be 8:30 in the morning, and no one's waking him up. 00:03:17.599 --> 00:03:22.639 No one's in his room, and he'll just yell out, I'm not getting out of bed today. 00:03:22.960 --> 00:03:25.759 And I look at my wife and I'm like, that sounds familiar, right? 00:03:25.919 --> 00:03:28.319 And she's like, go get him, you know. 00:03:29.120 --> 00:03:30.479 We deal with peace differently. 00:03:30.560 --> 00:03:34.719 And we were on vacation, and so my wife is not an early riser, so I'm like, finally, on vacation, right? 00:03:34.800 --> 00:03:35.840 I'm gonna be able to sleep in. 00:03:35.919 --> 00:03:39.439 And so for our honeymoon, we went to Jamaica, and uh, it's beautiful, right? 00:03:39.520 --> 00:03:45.280 We're in this beautiful bungalow, it's absolutely gorgeous out, and I hear I feel this poke at like 6 a.m. 00:03:45.439 --> 00:03:47.039 And she's like, it's time to get up. 00:03:47.280 --> 00:03:47.599 What? 00:03:47.759 --> 00:03:48.960 First of all, what are you doing awake? 00:03:49.039 --> 00:03:49.840 Like, this has never happened. 00:03:49.919 --> 00:03:50.639 Like, we need time. 00:03:50.879 --> 00:03:51.280 We're on vacation. 00:03:51.360 --> 00:03:53.360 It's like, I know, let's go, but enjoy the day. 00:03:53.599 --> 00:03:55.520 It's like you're never this excited in the morning. 00:03:55.599 --> 00:03:56.479 And it's 6 a.m. 00:03:56.719 --> 00:04:03.759 on vacation when we're supposed to be sleeping, when I'm supposed to be peace, that's when she's full of joy and full of energy and she's ready to go. 00:04:04.000 --> 00:04:07.199 Peace looks different for all of us. 00:04:07.520 --> 00:04:11.039 But in your minds, when I say the word peace, what does that look like for you? 00:04:11.360 --> 00:04:18.720 The second question I want to ask you is what would life look like right now if you were at peace? 00:04:19.680 --> 00:04:25.680 What would your life look like right now if you felt at peace? 00:04:26.240 --> 00:04:29.680 And this is where the sermon title comes in, because you can be like, man, peace really? 00:04:30.240 --> 00:04:32.720 You have no idea of the struggles. 00:04:33.279 --> 00:04:47.120 Last week we talked about um the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and we talked about fire being suffering and about how we all deal with suffering, but we don't walk through it alone, and we're there with each other and with Christ in the fire. 00:04:47.279 --> 00:04:51.120 And so you're right, I have no idea what fires are going on in your life right now. 00:04:51.360 --> 00:04:52.000 I have none. 00:04:52.079 --> 00:04:58.879 And peace may seem so far away, and it has for so long that this message just is just feels like complete garbage to you. 00:04:59.040 --> 00:05:00.319 And I get it. 00:05:00.800 --> 00:05:02.720 Because we all walk through fires. 00:05:02.879 --> 00:05:07.920 We all have times in our life where the anxiety, the fear, the worry, it's just too much. 00:05:09.199 --> 00:05:23.759 And I want to share with you this passage this morning because we are in good company because the disciples in this story are dealing with fire after fire after fire, and it's then where Jesus says, Peace be with you. 00:05:23.920 --> 00:05:27.360 My peace I give you, and I do not give as the world gives. 00:05:27.600 --> 00:05:31.600 You see, things aren't going all honky-dory for the disciples in this passage. 00:05:31.839 --> 00:05:34.879 The walls of their lives are closing in around them. 00:05:35.120 --> 00:05:42.639 Jesus is speaking about all of these things that are to come, and he's pulling the bricks out of their walls, and the bricks are tumbling down upon them. 00:05:42.720 --> 00:05:45.839 There's fires everywhere, and it's in the midst of these fires. 00:05:46.000 --> 00:05:50.879 While they're going to be going through these fires, Jesus says, My peace I give to you. 00:05:51.759 --> 00:06:01.279 So if you're here this morning and you feel, man, like you are going through the fire, when Jesus says, Peace be with you to his disciples, he speaks that word to you this morning as well. 00:06:01.920 --> 00:06:05.519 And this is a peace that passes all understanding. 00:06:06.079 --> 00:06:13.839 So our prayer this morning is truly that we can feel at peace, but even more so, and we'll find out through the scriptures today, it's more than that. 00:06:14.000 --> 00:06:24.560 Not just that we receive the peace of Christ, this peace that passes all understanding, but we become the peacemakers of those around us and the peacemakers of the world that we live in. 00:06:24.800 --> 00:06:31.839 Because I think as we go through this story, we see that maybe true peace is found in serving and loving others. 00:06:32.079 --> 00:06:33.439 So that's our prayer this morning. 00:06:33.519 --> 00:06:35.040 So will you pray with me? 00:06:37.279 --> 00:06:44.399 Heavenly Father, Lord God, we do give you thanks and praise for an opportunity to gather and to worship and to be part of these sacraments like baptism. 00:06:45.040 --> 00:06:53.279 Lord, we come today with each of us a different idea of what peace looks like, a different idea of what it would mean to be fully at peace right now. 00:06:53.680 --> 00:06:58.879 And so, Lord, we thank you for this passage that you speak about peace, this gift of peace that comes from you. 00:06:59.120 --> 00:07:10.079 I pray, Lord, that whatever the fires are in our life that we're walking through, maybe some really intense and great, some very minor, but Lord, we just do pray for that spirit of peace to fill this room right now. 00:07:10.560 --> 00:07:17.199 Give us peace of mind, peace of heart to hear your word this morning, and help us to be the peacemakers in this world. 00:07:17.519 --> 00:07:18.879 It's in your name we pray. 00:07:19.199 --> 00:07:19.839 Amen. 00:07:20.319 --> 00:07:23.360 So the story and context of this passage, right? 00:07:23.439 --> 00:07:34.000 So we we heard that the disciples are gathered together, and Jesus is speaking, and he says, Peace be with you, the gift of peace I give you, I give like the world does not give, right? 00:07:34.079 --> 00:07:34.639 So we hear that. 00:07:34.720 --> 00:07:36.160 That's a great word of encouragement. 00:07:36.240 --> 00:07:37.439 But let's go back. 00:07:37.680 --> 00:07:39.279 Let's go in the context of scripture. 00:07:39.360 --> 00:07:40.560 What exactly is going on here? 00:07:40.639 --> 00:07:42.480 Because this is the stage that is set. 00:07:42.720 --> 00:07:45.439 Jesus and his disciples are gathered in the upper room. 00:07:45.600 --> 00:07:47.199 This is the week of Passover, right? 00:07:47.279 --> 00:07:51.920 This is the big celebration of Passover that's going on, which we refer to as holy week in the church, right? 00:07:52.000 --> 00:07:55.519 So this is the week that is leading up to Christ crucified. 00:07:55.600 --> 00:08:00.959 And so they are gathered together, uh, sharing a meal, and Jesus is speaking to them. 00:08:01.199 --> 00:08:08.079 And this conversation that is being had where he talks about peace is a small part of a much larger conversation. 00:08:08.240 --> 00:08:14.720 And it's that larger conversation that we need to look at to realize the importance of these words, truly this word peace. 00:08:14.959 --> 00:08:15.759 So let's go back. 00:08:15.839 --> 00:08:21.839 This is John 14, but let's go back to John 12, verse 27, where Jesus says this. 00:08:22.160 --> 00:08:24.959 Now my heart is troubled, and what shall I say? 00:08:25.279 --> 00:08:27.439 Father, save me from this hour. 00:08:27.680 --> 00:08:31.680 No, it was for this reason I came to this hour. 00:08:32.000 --> 00:08:39.600 So he's speaking to the disciples here, and the disciples are probably confused, but what Jesus is saying is that I am going to die. 00:08:40.399 --> 00:08:44.240 My time on this earth is coming to an end. 00:08:44.960 --> 00:08:51.200 Now we have to remember the disciples in Jesus have been together for three years, doing life together. 00:08:51.360 --> 00:08:55.440 Man, when you had a rabbi, when you had a teacher, you followed their footsteps. 00:08:55.519 --> 00:08:57.279 You live together, you walk together. 00:08:57.519 --> 00:09:00.480 These guys have uh been learning from him for three years. 00:09:00.559 --> 00:09:03.360 This is one tight group of people. 00:09:03.679 --> 00:09:06.320 They love Jesus and Jesus loves them. 00:09:06.639 --> 00:09:10.879 And the one of the first things he says to them is, Listen, I'm about to die. 00:09:12.000 --> 00:09:15.519 This is not a peaceful statement for the disciples to hear. 00:09:15.919 --> 00:09:18.399 The bricks are starting to fall down. 00:09:18.879 --> 00:09:24.240 A few verses later in John 13, verse 21, Jesus says this. 00:09:24.559 --> 00:09:30.399 Now Jesus was deeply troubled, and he exclaimed, I tell you the truth, one of you will betray me. 00:09:31.279 --> 00:09:32.639 One of you will betray me. 00:09:32.720 --> 00:09:33.679 This is not good news. 00:09:33.759 --> 00:09:36.320 This is not a peaceful message that Jesus is bringing. 00:09:36.480 --> 00:09:39.200 This is another fire that he's lighting to his disciples. 00:09:39.360 --> 00:09:41.840 Not only am I about to die, they don't really know what that means yet. 00:09:41.919 --> 00:09:42.799 What do you mean you're about to die? 00:09:42.879 --> 00:09:44.000 You're the Messiah. 00:09:44.159 --> 00:09:46.320 You're supposed to save us from this Roman Empire. 00:09:46.399 --> 00:09:47.360 You're supposed to deliver us. 00:09:47.519 --> 00:09:49.120 You are supposed to deliver God's people. 00:09:49.279 --> 00:09:50.320 You're not supposed to die. 00:09:50.480 --> 00:09:51.360 That doesn't make sense. 00:09:51.519 --> 00:09:56.240 And now you say that one of us who love you is going to betray you. 00:09:57.039 --> 00:10:00.399 Jesus is lighting another fire in the disciples' lives. 00:10:00.480 --> 00:10:01.679 And he continues to go on. 00:10:01.840 --> 00:10:03.679 John 13, 36. 00:10:04.480 --> 00:10:06.799 Simon Peter asked, Lord, where are you going? 00:10:06.960 --> 00:10:10.879 And Jesus replied, You cannot go with me now, but you will follow me later. 00:10:11.360 --> 00:10:15.120 Remember, these they've been following Jesus for three years. 00:10:15.360 --> 00:10:17.440 What do you mean we can't follow you? 00:10:17.679 --> 00:10:19.440 Where you go, we go. 00:10:20.159 --> 00:10:21.360 This is their leader. 00:10:21.440 --> 00:10:23.039 This is the Messiah. 00:10:24.000 --> 00:10:26.879 This is heartbreaking for these disciples. 00:10:27.200 --> 00:10:29.840 This is not a message of peace. 00:10:29.919 --> 00:10:31.679 And now, Peter, of course, mean I love Peter. 00:10:31.759 --> 00:10:33.120 Peter's like, what are you talking about, man? 00:10:33.279 --> 00:10:34.480 Wherever you go, I'm gonna go. 00:10:34.559 --> 00:10:37.440 No one's gonna hurt you, no one's gonna harm you, I'll protect you. 00:10:37.600 --> 00:10:39.200 I'm your boy, I got you, right? 00:10:39.360 --> 00:10:44.000 Then just a few passages later, after Peter has this great stance, like, oh no, no one's gonna hurt you. 00:10:44.080 --> 00:10:44.639 I got this. 00:10:44.799 --> 00:10:46.159 Peter says, This. 00:10:47.039 --> 00:10:48.480 Jesus answered, die for me. 00:10:48.559 --> 00:10:50.240 Because I'll die for you, Jesus. 00:10:50.399 --> 00:10:51.840 No one's gonna harm you. 00:10:52.080 --> 00:10:53.840 Jesus answered, die for me. 00:10:54.000 --> 00:10:55.200 I tell you the truth, Peter. 00:10:55.360 --> 00:11:00.320 Before the rooster crows tomorrow morning, you will deny three times that you even knew me. 00:11:01.759 --> 00:11:04.879 It's after Jesus says, Hey guys, listen up. 00:11:05.120 --> 00:11:06.879 I'm gonna die soon. 00:11:07.600 --> 00:11:09.679 One of you will betray me. 00:11:10.000 --> 00:11:13.519 I'm gonna leave you, and where I'm going, you cannot follow. 00:11:14.000 --> 00:11:19.919 And Peter, one of the you know the top three guys in the group here, you're gonna say you don't even know me. 00:11:21.440 --> 00:11:29.840 And then after all of these happy go-lucky sayings from Jesus, he says, Peace be with you. 00:11:31.120 --> 00:11:32.000 Peace, Jesus? 00:11:32.320 --> 00:11:33.519 What are you saying? 00:11:33.840 --> 00:11:34.879 How can we have peace? 00:11:35.039 --> 00:11:37.200 You just said our whole world is falling apart. 00:11:37.360 --> 00:11:38.879 You're gonna die, you're gonna leave us. 00:11:39.039 --> 00:11:42.559 Peter's gonna Peter's gonna say this, no, you one of us is gonna betray you. 00:11:42.720 --> 00:11:44.639 How can we have peace here? 00:11:46.080 --> 00:11:47.919 It's the same thing that we say. 00:11:48.960 --> 00:11:50.480 Jesus, are you kidding me? 00:11:51.360 --> 00:11:53.039 I lost my job. 00:11:53.759 --> 00:11:58.399 I'm watching my children make decisions that I can't stop and they're ruining their lives. 00:11:58.960 --> 00:12:00.799 I can't afford to put food on the table. 00:12:00.960 --> 00:12:02.480 My car won't start. 00:12:02.879 --> 00:12:03.679 Peace? 00:12:04.320 --> 00:12:07.679 How am I supposed to have peace with all of these fires in my life? 00:12:07.840 --> 00:12:10.559 And yet Jesus says, Peace be with you. 00:12:12.159 --> 00:12:13.360 Peace, really? 00:12:14.639 --> 00:12:19.840 But then he says something that changes the way we view about peace. 00:12:20.480 --> 00:12:22.240 He says, Peace I give you. 00:12:22.399 --> 00:12:24.080 My gift of peace I give you. 00:12:24.159 --> 00:12:32.000 And then he says, What I give, the way that I give peace, is not the way the world gives peace. 00:12:32.399 --> 00:12:34.080 And that's crucial here. 00:12:34.879 --> 00:12:39.440 Because if we go back to those questions that I asked in the beginning, what does the word peace look like for you? 00:12:39.519 --> 00:12:41.919 And and what would it look like if you felt peace? 00:12:42.080 --> 00:12:47.759 I bet many of you, myself included, would say, like, well, I would feel peace if my bank account number was a lot bigger, right? 00:12:48.159 --> 00:12:50.960 I would feel peace if I had a better car. 00:12:51.279 --> 00:12:53.519 I would feel at peace if this and if that. 00:12:53.679 --> 00:12:54.960 Those are the world things, right? 00:12:55.039 --> 00:12:57.279 Those are the things that the world says brings us peace. 00:12:57.440 --> 00:13:00.159 And Jesus says, No, my peace is not like that. 00:13:00.960 --> 00:13:02.480 It's different. 00:13:03.440 --> 00:13:04.399 So, what does that mean? 00:13:04.639 --> 00:13:07.919 What are ways that the world brings us peace that Jesus is saying, no, this isn't it? 00:13:08.080 --> 00:13:13.600 And the first thing that I think that we as people believe is this idea of getting away from it all. 00:13:13.759 --> 00:13:14.559 Vacation. 00:13:14.720 --> 00:13:17.519 Right now, vacation, you hear me, vacation is good, right? 00:13:17.679 --> 00:13:19.519 Take vacation, go with your family. 00:13:19.600 --> 00:13:21.360 That's it's a good thing. 00:13:21.679 --> 00:13:24.720 But is that where we find true long peace? 00:13:25.039 --> 00:13:25.360 No. 00:13:26.000 --> 00:13:28.080 But the world says that's it. 00:13:28.320 --> 00:13:30.879 You go on vacation and you have this peace. 00:13:31.039 --> 00:13:38.799 So there's actually a clinical thing where people, their physical body goes through symptoms where the doctor will say, Man, you just need to get away. 00:13:38.960 --> 00:13:40.320 You need a vacation. 00:13:40.480 --> 00:13:40.720 Right? 00:13:40.799 --> 00:13:42.639 And some of these symptoms are like this. 00:13:42.799 --> 00:13:43.679 So it's anxiety. 00:13:43.759 --> 00:13:46.399 I I look, I researched a medical journal on Google. 00:13:46.480 --> 00:13:47.600 Uh I don't know what this. 00:13:47.679 --> 00:13:52.480 So it's anxiety, increased irritability, difficulty sleeping, and general discomfort. 00:13:52.720 --> 00:13:53.039 Right? 00:13:53.120 --> 00:13:57.840 So if you go to the doctor and say, Man, I'm experiencing these things, they might tell you you need to get away. 00:13:58.080 --> 00:13:59.519 You need a vacation. 00:14:00.320 --> 00:14:01.840 So you go on vacation, right? 00:14:02.000 --> 00:14:09.919 You have a blast, whatever that looks like, going to the beach, going to a cabin to read, or in my case, Disney World, because I'm a giant child, right? 00:14:10.000 --> 00:14:11.840 Like whatever it is, like that's your thing. 00:14:12.000 --> 00:14:17.360 You go away, but then there's this other real thing that we deal with that people deal with, and it's called this. 00:14:17.440 --> 00:14:20.720 It's called post-vacation depression. 00:14:20.960 --> 00:14:23.279 And some of you know what this feels like, right? 00:14:23.600 --> 00:14:26.559 It's like you come back and you're like, I don't want to be here. 00:14:26.879 --> 00:14:28.320 Go bring me back, right? 00:14:28.399 --> 00:14:31.919 And it's so bad that the very last day of vacation, and you know what I mean, right? 00:14:32.000 --> 00:14:34.399 You're on vacation, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, it's awesome. 00:14:34.559 --> 00:14:40.480 Thursday is your last day, and your last day on vacation is awful because all you can think about is packing up and leaving, right? 00:14:40.639 --> 00:14:43.440 And you come back and you have this post-vacation depression. 00:14:43.600 --> 00:14:51.600 These also have symptoms, and these are the symptoms: anxiety, increased irritability, difficulty sleeping, general discomfort. 00:14:51.679 --> 00:14:57.919 Now, in case you missed it, here's a side-by-side comparison between pre and post-vacation. 00:15:00.000 --> 00:15:01.360 Vacation's great. 00:15:01.519 --> 00:15:03.279 Take vacation, go away. 00:15:03.519 --> 00:15:06.080 But the fire is still here when you come back. 00:15:07.440 --> 00:15:10.240 What you left is waiting for you. 00:15:12.320 --> 00:15:15.120 See, the peace is not just found in that. 00:15:15.360 --> 00:15:21.440 The peace that Jesus offers says, man, the fire might still be there, but you're gonna be okay. 00:15:22.320 --> 00:15:24.559 That's the peace that Jesus offers. 00:15:25.279 --> 00:15:28.559 The world says, vacation, get away from it all. 00:15:29.120 --> 00:15:32.720 We do, and then we come back, and the anxiety level is even higher. 00:15:33.279 --> 00:15:36.720 That's one way the world says that it will give you peace. 00:15:36.879 --> 00:15:39.039 The second is this through success. 00:15:40.159 --> 00:15:46.000 Through success, through having the most money, the best job, the better the best car, all of these things. 00:15:46.159 --> 00:15:49.759 If you can just be successful, you will have peace. 00:15:50.240 --> 00:15:53.360 This morning, uh, my daughter Maya played in a soccer tournament. 00:15:53.440 --> 00:15:54.080 I think she's here now. 00:15:54.159 --> 00:15:54.799 I don't know where she is. 00:15:54.879 --> 00:15:56.000 Hi, Maya, if you're here. 00:15:56.159 --> 00:15:59.679 Um, she played in a soccer tournament this morning, and uh she's great. 00:15:59.759 --> 00:16:00.879 She's a great soccer player. 00:16:00.960 --> 00:16:08.320 And my older two boys, they also play soccer and football, and they're very different athletes and they're different people mindsets. 00:16:08.559 --> 00:16:12.320 My daughter can go out on that soccer field and give it her all, right? 00:16:12.399 --> 00:16:13.200 She's a good player. 00:16:13.519 --> 00:16:15.360 She doesn't take any garbage either from the boys, right? 00:16:15.440 --> 00:16:16.960 The boys come up and right back at them. 00:16:17.039 --> 00:16:18.080 I'm so proud of her, right? 00:16:18.159 --> 00:16:18.639 She's top. 00:16:18.720 --> 00:16:22.000 She goes out there and plays, and she'll score goals, she won't score goals. 00:16:22.159 --> 00:16:26.799 But no matter what happens during that game, she'll come off feeling at peace. 00:16:27.120 --> 00:16:33.519 Win or lose, score five goals or zero goals, she'll come off and she'll just have the smile on her face and be at peace. 00:16:33.679 --> 00:16:35.120 It's incredible. 00:16:35.440 --> 00:16:40.879 My boys, on the other hand, they'll go and play soccer, they'll go play football, and they'll have a great game. 00:16:40.960 --> 00:16:45.279 They'll score touchdowns, they'll win the game and they'll come off and they'll tell you all about it. 00:16:45.519 --> 00:16:47.440 They'll tell you about all of their successes. 00:16:47.679 --> 00:16:51.840 I got this many touchdowns, I got this many outs, I pulled this many flags, I scored this many goals. 00:16:52.000 --> 00:16:54.320 And they're excited and they're at peace. 00:16:54.639 --> 00:17:05.200 But if they lose that game, if they don't have success, as the world would say successes, they come off that field and they tell me about all the things they did wrong. 00:17:05.440 --> 00:17:12.160 All the shots that they missed, all the flags that they missed, all the passes that they threw bad. 00:17:12.400 --> 00:17:14.880 And it'll stew in them all day. 00:17:16.000 --> 00:17:20.240 Because for some reason, peace in the world is measured by success. 00:17:21.759 --> 00:17:24.400 That's not the peace that Jesus is talking about here. 00:17:25.599 --> 00:17:40.559 There's a third, even more impactful thing that the world says will give you peace, and it's very fleeting, and it's for those cases where the fires in our lives burn so hot, and there's so many of them, and we feel there is no hope that we turn to substances just to find a bit of relief. 00:17:41.200 --> 00:17:53.920 We turn to alcohol, we turn to drugs, we turn to sex, we turn to all these different things of the world that says, just for a minute, life is so hard, the fire is so hot, that they just want to have a minute, a moment of peace. 00:17:54.160 --> 00:17:55.680 And that's all they need. 00:17:56.559 --> 00:18:05.200 And that moment is gone, and they keep going back to that substance, to that person that they will never find peace at. 00:18:06.720 --> 00:18:18.160 The world will tell you peace comes in these different forms, in getting away from it all, in vacation, in money, in power, in success, even from the bottom of a bottle. 00:18:19.440 --> 00:18:23.440 But this is not the way that Jesus describes peace. 00:18:23.920 --> 00:18:29.759 This is not the peace that he promises to his disciples, it's not the peace that he promises to you. 00:18:30.000 --> 00:18:33.680 Jesus' peace looks different than the way the world looks because here it is. 00:18:33.759 --> 00:18:34.559 Here's the kicker. 00:18:34.720 --> 00:18:41.839 It's not about anything that we do or we can gain, but it's about everything that's been accomplished through Jesus Christ. 00:18:42.319 --> 00:18:46.640 It's about everything that's been accomplished on that cross for us. 00:18:46.880 --> 00:18:49.039 That is where we find peace. 00:18:50.319 --> 00:18:55.119 We never find in Scripture a promise from God that says you will never have fires in your life. 00:18:55.359 --> 00:19:04.319 You will never go through a life without trials, without tribulations, you will never have hurt, you will never have pain, you will never find that spoken by Jesus because it's just not true. 00:19:04.480 --> 00:19:13.200 But what he says to you is that when you go through those fires, when you do hurt, when you do have pain, my peace is there for you. 00:19:14.240 --> 00:19:16.319 And that doesn't make any sense to us. 00:19:17.039 --> 00:19:19.680 How can we have peace while in the fire? 00:19:20.160 --> 00:19:23.759 The fire is what's causing the hurt and the pain. 00:19:24.880 --> 00:19:28.000 We have peace because of what Jesus has accomplished. 00:19:28.079 --> 00:19:40.880 Because no matter how great that fire gets, no matter how hard this world hits us, no matter how much pain or suffering we go through, even if that leads to death, our death leads to new life in Christ Jesus. 00:19:42.000 --> 00:19:44.160 And that's where we find peace. 00:19:45.599 --> 00:19:47.920 But we don't understand it, and that's okay. 00:19:48.240 --> 00:19:51.680 This message today is not about understanding how this can be true. 00:19:51.920 --> 00:19:56.799 Because uh Paul himself writes, this is the peace that passes all understanding. 00:19:56.960 --> 00:20:00.960 In Philippians 4.7, he says this, and I probably jumped all over the place. 00:20:01.119 --> 00:20:01.680 Sorry, Sarah. 00:20:01.839 --> 00:20:03.119 Philippians 4.7 says this. 00:20:03.200 --> 00:20:08.240 Then you will experience God's peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. 00:20:08.400 --> 00:20:11.839 His peace will guard your hearts and guard your mind. 00:20:12.319 --> 00:20:17.200 You see, we don't understand this because peace from Christ comes in a different way than the world. 00:20:17.279 --> 00:20:22.160 It comes from sacrifice, it comes from the word and sacraments. 00:20:22.400 --> 00:20:23.519 This is one beautiful thing. 00:20:23.680 --> 00:20:26.319 We gather weekly to hear God's word. 00:20:26.559 --> 00:20:27.039 Why? 00:20:27.200 --> 00:20:30.079 Because peace is found in the words of Christ. 00:20:30.319 --> 00:20:34.559 We gather each week for the sacraments, this baptism and holy communion. 00:20:34.720 --> 00:20:37.359 We do this because peace is found here. 00:20:37.839 --> 00:20:41.680 Because in baptism, there's a promise of forgiveness of sins. 00:20:42.319 --> 00:20:50.240 When we watch baptism happen and the water is poured over those babies or adults' heads, we are reminded in the forgiveness that we have in our sins. 00:20:50.880 --> 00:21:01.759 When we gather at the table and have this meal together in communion, we were reminded of God's love for us, that that peace is for us and has been paid for by Jesus. 00:21:03.359 --> 00:21:05.119 We can't understand it. 00:21:06.000 --> 00:21:08.559 But that's the peace that we have. 00:21:10.079 --> 00:21:25.279 Now, another thing about this peace that is passes all understanding is if we go back to the context, and when Jesus is offering his disciples peace during all the fires that are about to happen in their life, what's going on in Jesus' life at that moment? 00:21:26.400 --> 00:21:30.240 Just hours from when he says this, he's about to be arrested. 00:21:30.799 --> 00:21:35.599 He's about to be tortured, he's about to be crucified on the cross. 00:21:36.319 --> 00:21:42.400 You see, when Jesus says, My peace I give to you, he himself is walking through the fires. 00:21:42.960 --> 00:21:49.920 That beautiful passage from Philippians by Paul when he said, The peace that passes all understanding is for you. 00:21:50.079 --> 00:21:54.640 Do you know where Paul was when he wrote that to the church in Philippi? 00:21:55.039 --> 00:21:56.400 He was in prison. 00:21:57.920 --> 00:21:59.519 He was dealing with his own fire. 00:22:01.440 --> 00:22:08.880 You see, Central, we are not supposed to sit back and consume God's peace as easy and as great as that would feel, right? 00:22:09.039 --> 00:22:11.119 Just to sit back and be like, man, I get it, right? 00:22:11.200 --> 00:22:12.960 Man, God's peace is flowing through me. 00:22:13.119 --> 00:22:14.240 I get it, I understand it. 00:22:14.400 --> 00:22:15.119 That's not our job. 00:22:15.200 --> 00:22:18.720 We're not supposed to just sit on the sofa and be like, ha ha ha, this is great. 00:22:19.839 --> 00:22:22.559 Jesus didn't do that when he was walking through his fires. 00:22:22.960 --> 00:22:25.039 Paul didn't do that when he was sitting in prison. 00:22:25.200 --> 00:22:28.319 Through the fire, they are still spreading peace. 00:22:29.359 --> 00:22:31.200 It's the peace that passes all understanding. 00:22:31.359 --> 00:22:42.319 So now, not only does this weird idea of how we can have peace without it being attached to something, without being attached to a physical thin or success, by what Jesus has accomplished, which is crazy. 00:22:42.400 --> 00:22:47.440 But now you're saying that as we walk through the fire looking for peace, we give it to other people. 00:22:47.920 --> 00:22:49.839 That's what Jesus is doing here. 00:22:50.079 --> 00:22:51.920 And that's what we're called to do. 00:22:52.960 --> 00:22:57.279 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they are the children of God. 00:22:58.960 --> 00:23:09.680 Maybe one of the most amazing things about the peace that comes from Jesus is that we feel it and understand it more when we give it away. 00:23:11.039 --> 00:23:13.680 Maybe that's where peace is truly found. 00:23:14.960 --> 00:23:19.759 And maybe that's why Paul writes it's a peace that passes all understanding. 00:23:21.119 --> 00:23:27.200 Because when we finally feel that peace, Jesus tells us to give it away. 00:23:28.160 --> 00:23:30.799 Because maybe that's where peace is truly found. 00:23:32.559 --> 00:23:37.839 So, people of Central, I pray that we understand God's peace. 00:23:38.480 --> 00:23:49.680 The peace that passes all understanding, the peace that does not come from anything of this world, but the peace that comes from the accomplishments of Jesus through confession, through forgiveness, through the sacraments. 00:23:50.160 --> 00:23:54.400 But our larger prayer is that we are people who do not hoard that peace but give it away. 00:23:54.640 --> 00:23:57.039 And I want to close with this quick story. 00:23:57.680 --> 00:24:00.480 Over the past two weeks, man, my life has been a whirlwind. 00:24:00.640 --> 00:24:01.839 Just nonstop. 00:24:02.079 --> 00:24:03.440 It's been incredibly busy. 00:24:03.599 --> 00:24:04.720 All good things. 00:24:04.880 --> 00:24:11.359 That's the other thing about, you know, fires and peace is that life, you could be involved in really, really great things. 00:24:11.440 --> 00:24:14.880 And the things can be life-giving, but they can still bring fires. 00:24:15.039 --> 00:24:16.880 They can still bring anxiety and stress. 00:24:17.119 --> 00:24:23.839 Over the past few weeks, last week I was I'm in seminary right now, and I had to go to an intensive, which is I go to campus, which is down in St. 00:24:23.920 --> 00:24:28.319 Paul, and from eight in the morning till five at night, I'm in class Monday through Friday. 00:24:28.480 --> 00:24:29.440 And which is fine, right? 00:24:29.519 --> 00:24:30.400 People do it all the time. 00:24:30.480 --> 00:24:34.319 At the same time, though, we were planning for vacation Bible school, which was just this week. 00:24:34.480 --> 00:24:37.680 And so I was at class and I also preached last Sunday. 00:24:37.759 --> 00:24:41.039 And so I was at class and we had a VBS and I had a prepare sermon. 00:24:41.279 --> 00:24:42.880 All amazing things. 00:24:43.039 --> 00:24:44.319 But it wore me out. 00:24:44.480 --> 00:24:45.440 I was tired. 00:24:45.680 --> 00:24:47.200 But we didn't have time to be tired, right? 00:24:47.279 --> 00:24:48.400 Because man, Monday kicked off. 00:24:48.480 --> 00:24:56.000 We had over 170 kids in this building for vacation Bible school, all ready to hear the words of Christ and the love that Christ has for them. 00:24:56.079 --> 00:24:57.359 And so it was top energy. 00:24:57.440 --> 00:24:57.920 Let's go. 00:24:58.079 --> 00:25:00.640 And so we had vacation Bible school all week. 00:25:00.799 --> 00:25:03.920 And we had a youth event on Wednesday night where we had kids come out and it was awesome. 00:25:04.000 --> 00:25:07.839 We played gaga ball and we had a had food and we shared a message. 00:25:08.000 --> 00:25:11.440 And then VBS ended, and I had to write another sermon. 00:25:11.599 --> 00:25:13.519 And all these things had to come into play. 00:25:13.599 --> 00:25:18.160 And Friday around like Friday at noon, I was like, oh yes. 00:25:18.400 --> 00:25:20.720 I felt like the end of like Breakfast Club, right? 00:25:20.799 --> 00:25:24.079 Where the guy walks up and just like throws his hand up, like, you're done, right? 00:25:24.240 --> 00:25:25.039