Dakota Community Church
December 17, 2006
Peace on Earth
Luke 2:14
"Glory to God in the highest, and on earth; peace to men on whom his favor rests."
Well we all know that this is the announcement that kicked it all off – peace to men.
How would you say that is playing out in your life this holiday season?
If I asked you to describe Christmas with one word, how far down the list would peace be?
This morning I am here to tell you that there is a place of peace for the people of God at Christmas time and all year long.
There is a life for you and I in which we have time for the things that really matter.
- A life that is not pressing in on you from every side.
- A life where you are not a slave to the mall.
- A life where you are not torn over the money.
- A life where you don’t have to check your e-mail, cell phone, or blackberry every 5 min.
This insanely paced life is not what Jesus came to give us.
How do I know?
Romans 14:17-18
The kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and approved by men.
1. The Kingdom of God is righteousness, peace, and joy.
Luke 17: 20-21
Once, having been asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied, "The kingdom of God does not come with your careful observation, nor will people say, ’Here it is,’ or ’There it is,’ because the kingdom of God is within you."
The “Kingdom of God” does not come from careful following of the rules, it is not out there somewhere in some other time.
The Kingdom of God is within you. You decide whether you live in step with it or not.
Read Matthew 13:1-23
Notice how Jesus spoke to the masses. He gave them a riddle and said figure it out.
He wants us to want it. We have to go after it.
We live in a shallow culture; we expect things to be laid out and easy for us.
God isn’t playing that game!
Focus on the seed that choked. – We fall into this category more than any other I think, especially during the Christmas rush.
Matthew 13:22
The one who received the seed that fell among the thorns is the man who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful.
Jesus has told us that He is talking about the Kingdom of God and its secrets, that is what the seed represents. The sower sows the good news of the Kingdom, but some who receive it are choked before they can enjoy fruitfulness.
They hear of it, this place of peace, but they don’t get to enter because of two main problems:
2. Worrying hinders Kingdom fruitfulness.
The Greek word translated worries here comes from the root word (3532) merizo which means divided.
In other words we get choked out of the peace of the Kingdom when we are divided or worried.
I am here with you right now, but I am also at the bank, wondering if the check will bounce.
I am with the family opening presents but I am also at the office closing the big deal.
I am lying in my bed trying to fall asleep but I am also at the hospital hoping the surgery goes well.
Worrying is when I am not fully here. The Kingdom of God is here!
What can we do about it; many of us are consumed with worries of this life. It can seem like a full time job to not worry.
a.) Get it all out of your head by putting it on paper.
Matthew 6:25, 27, 31-34
"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?
So do not worry, saying, ’What shall we eat?’ or ’What shall we drink?’ or ’What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
Do today what you can do today; leave the rest in God’s hands. How often are we in knots over things we have no control over whatsoever.
b.) Reclaim the Sabbath.
Mark 2: 27
Then he said to them, "The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.
The church in North America totally screwed up this whole idea of Sabbath in the previous generation.
It is not about which day of the week we observe it.
It is not about a list of things you cannot do on a certain day.
The Sabbath is a gift from god to each of us.
It is one day in every 7 that is different from the other 6.
When is the last time you took a day to feed your soul?
- For me I instinctively knew it meant a day with no TV.
- No cell phone or e-mail.
- No game time.
The Sabbath is a day when your work is done even if it isn’t.
Do you even know what feeds your soul? Music maybe? Walking in the park? A long drive in the country? A sports event or dinner in a quiet restaurant?
c.) Find the rhythm of His grace for your life.
Ecclesiastes 3:1-8
There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain, a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away, a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak, a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace.
We are not designed to live the way most of us live these days.
We are physiologically not created to race the rollercoaster of emotions that connectivity has created.
What upsets your rhythm?
As a preacher I sometimes feel the highs and lows are overwhelming.
What puts you in the stress zone? Confrontation at work?
Fight with spouse? Kids acting up at school or church?
You cannot live that way 24/7.
What or who are the most important things in your life? Does your daily rhythm reflect that priority? How about your annual calendar?
Over the holiday, how many people have you said, “Let’s get together” to? – DO IT!
3. The deceitfulness of wealth chokes Kingdom fruitfulness.
Matthew 13:22
The one who received the seed that fell among the thorns is the man who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful.
What is the deceitfulness of wealth that causes us to be unfruitful?
If worry is division over not being here, the deceitfulness of wealth is division over not being now!
The Kingdom of God is here and now.
The deceitfulness of wealth says, I’ll be happy when I have (fill in the blank)
Go through your stuff and label everything you would keep, everything you would sell, everything you would give away, and everything you would throw away if you had a great job offer half way across the country and you had leave right away.
All that stuff you wouldn’t keep is choking you.
You had to have it. Remember when you bought it. Now it sits in the closet, storage unit, attic, boxes in the corner of the bed room.
Open your hand and get yourself free!
PowerPoint available on request (free of charge) dcormie@mts.net
Listen to this message and subscribe to the pod cast at www.dakotacommunitychurch.ca
PodCast URL; http://www.sermonplayer.com/decormie2551/rss/
