PRINCE OF PEACE

What an appropriate song. I know that our hearts are heavy this week know that the

Kirksey family they're here and they have

Experienced the worst that this world has to offer this week where they have they have lost their son

Christopher Hadden whom they were going to call Hadden after Charles Hadden Spurgeon Christopher Hadden was

Delivered this week and is Not with us Christopher is in a better place

Christopher is in the arms of the Savior we

Live by faith Little Hadden did not have to live by faith.

He lived by lives by sight This morning and we mourn with that family we grieve with them because of the great loss and Death is not a good thing.

It's not a natural thing. It is not the circle of life It is the enemy But as we've sung this morning

Christ came to defeat that enemy and bring peace

So, please continue to keep the Kirksey family in your prayers many of you are out there volunteering ready to serve them and Mourn with them and care for them during this time and we will continue to pray

For peace and Comfort as they await that day where they will be as as David said

I will be able to go to him he can't come to me, but I can go to him and they will one day be reunited and Their their son will get to introduce them to their

Savior. I Have no doubt So, please continue your prayers.

What an appropriate song when peace like a river attendeth my way The God of peace will give us peace.

That's what we're here to declare today So if you wouldn't mind we're gonna do something a little different this morning, please stand with me for the reading of God's Holy Word This is such a common

Christmas quintessential Christmas passage from Isaiah chapter 9 that I thought we would read it together

Before we begin the sermon so please read with me there on the screen for to us a child is born and to us a son is given and the government shall be upon his shoulder and His name shall be called wonderful counselor mighty

God everlasting Father Prince of Peace and of the increase of his government and of peace

There will be no end on the throne of David and over his kingdom

The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this The zeal of the

Lord of hosts will do this and he did didn't he and we are seeing it come into fruition

As the days draw near more and more for his return that we wait for this is the reading of God's Holy inspired

Word Please pray with me know that our hearts are heavy and that you weep with those that weep father, you know that It is hard for us to lose

Lose sight of the reality of this present time and Lord that is why you give us your words

So that our minds may be renewed in this present time And that we may be we may have hope and peace during this so that we await

That day when you make all things new Lord this promise that was given long before the

Messiah arrived Was was a guarantee and you fulfilled that promise and you continue to fulfill the promise that that Has begun more we thank you for it

Lord. I pray that your words would penetrate into our hearts and minds Lord I pray that you would

Mold us through your words conform us more and more into the image of your son and Help us to push push into and press into the peace that is ours to have in Christ Jesus We pray all of this in Christ's name and all

God's people said you may be seated Well, the desire for peace is of course deep within the

DNA of all of humanity Right. Everyone is longing for inner peace

We want peace within ourselves There's this conflict that goes on in our minds and in our soul at times

And and we just we long for some type of peace with ourselves. We long for peace within our homes

Nobody wants to go to a home That's that's in conflict when the spouse when your spouse is in conflict with you your children in conflict

No one wants that we long for peace within our homes We long for peace in our workplace with our co -workers

We long for peace in our communities and our nation and our world and that's right

We should long for peace and and here's the thing. There's no shortage of philosophies as to how we are to obtain this peace

That we long so dearly for naturally

As a matter of fact, I shared these quotes a couple of years ago during Advent season And I thought they were appropriate to help us categorize in our own minds

How the world Longs for peace and how the world perceives their ability to Obtain that peace.

I wanted to share these quotes with you again If you have no peace

It is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other Sounds sounds pious doesn't it?

If we if we have no peace if there's no peace in the world if there's conflict and difficulty

It's simply just because we've forgotten that we belong to each other and that if we were to remember that we belong to each other

Then we could obtain peace. This is Mother Teresa It seems wise, but it completely misses the mark

Peace comes from within do not seek it without Says the great Buddha, right?

Peace comes from within I don't know about you But every time I've looked in here, I'm left with darkness and despair

But the world keeps saying no, no, no, we got to find an inner peace

You got to find it within yourselves And we can never obtain peace in the outer world until we make peace with ourselves as the

Dalai Lama says and Then we have the great 20th century poet

John Lennon You remember him saying imagine all the people living life in peace

You may say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one I Hope someday you'll join me and the world will be as one

Sounds lofty, right? Sounds good. They are longing for peace.

You can hear that internal passion and desire for Some type of peace both inwardly and outwardly in this world and why do they long for it?

So because they were created for it.

We were created for peace. Who was our first ancestors? Adam and Eve, right?

Adam and Eve and what did God say before he made Adam? What was what was the the statement that was made amongst the triune

God God the Father God the Son and God the Holy Spirit Before he made Adam. He said let us make man in our image after our likeness

Why? Where Adam and Eve created in his very image because unlike the rest of creation

He created them to be in relationship with him. God would even come in and walk with Adam and Eve He communed with them.

They were at peace with each other. They were at peace with all of creation. They were at peace with him

We all know what happened, right? You notice I go back to this Account many times in my sermons

I want that to resonate because everything stems back from that creation account because it all shows us why we've come to where we've come and why

Christ had to come but will they eat the fruit and They cast out of the garden.

What is the significance of being cast out of the garden? They're cast out of relationship with him.

He no longer walks with them in the cool of the day Not only that But they are left to live a life that they were never created to live a life of slavery

To sin and death a life at enmity at war Not only with the rest of creation

Right, they're left at enmity at war with each other. They're left at enmity at war with themselves internally

They're left at enmity at war with the ground that they're trying to grow their food from Because of the thorns and the weeds and the thistles and all that comes with it

They will they will eat bread by the sweat of their brow. They will be at odds with all of creation, but ultimately

Ultimately That is just a byproduct of the fact that they are at war with God They are at enmity with God and we know at that moment all of mankind

Being born into this slavery every single child by default at war with God and war is the antithesis it is the opposite of Peace however as we've seen in those quotes that I shared a moment ago

Man simply suppresses the truth in his own unrighteousness grasping for hope

Grasping for peace that can never be obtained Here's the thing.

It doesn't it doesn't stop them from blindly Seeking after it. I've used the analogy before, you know that in the world

People are who are outside of Christ. They're blind They're dead in their trespasses and sins

They are simply walking around in this present darkness with zero light Completely unable to see where they're going and they're grasping for whatever hope whatever peace whatever comfort whatever that they feel

Internally that they absolutely have to have because they're bearing the very image of God though it is marred

It is still there and they're longing and they're there They're trying desperately to find it as you can hear in those quotes

And they say things like if we meditate if we could just meditate we will make peace within ourselves if we medicate

Then I can find some type of internal peace after all my peace Must be just a chemical imbalance or whatever.

It might be we we try all of these things We simply act peaceably. Maybe peace will manifest itself into our lives

Karma, right? That's how we we long for it in the world. And though those things sometimes give us a

Short -term relief in a moment. It's just that it is short -lived and still wantingly inadequate

Yet here's the thing this shows the utter foolishness of man's blind grasping for peace that he longs for There's another example an extreme perspective of obtaining peace and one that shows the the utter foolishness and futility of mankind's efforts of ever achieving any type of peace on their own and is those

That believe it or not, you know, I'm right. There are those that believe we can achieve peace through means of war

It's the foolishness of man

You've got one side that that is peace and love and and and passive and they think we can find peace within ourselves

And you've got others that stand there and go well No, peace can't be found within ourselves We the strong must overtake the weak and then we will legislate peace and then we can have peace

What do all of these worldviews have in common

It's the idea that peace is somehow attainable through means within ourselves

But you see the problem is that man has tried this for 6 ,000 years roughly have we succeeded

We've tried these these means have been tried different ways backwards and forwards up and down Time and time again

And yes, we have maybe seen momentary glimpses of Peaceful times as as King Solomon wrote in Ecclesiastes, right a time for for love a time for hate a time for War and a time for peace.

There are moments that we experience yet Even then these peaceful times are very fragile and extremely short -lived

I point this out to us today because we are in the

Christmas season right the holiday season our culture loves this time

We love to hear about peace We'll hear about it more and more in the month of December than you hear about it the rest of the year combined, right?

The world keeps pointing to peace they celebrities usually come together I guess back in the 80s and they would sing songs about it and try and obtain love and peace and hope and all that comes with this particular season but we must as Christians be discerning

We must be careful to guard ourselves and our minds and the minds of our family and our children and those around us

Because most of what we hear about of peace is actually as I said a moment ago the opposite of peace it is completely void of true peace in any way

And because of that people get themselves worked up throughout the the month of December we we have all the

Christmas Decorations out they get hopeful building up to Christmas. And then what happens we get let down Come January Once you got to take the tree down you pull the lights down Downtown doesn't look so fancy anymore

You never know how bland your house looks until you pull the Christmas decorations down. Do you? You dread pulling those things down because the promise of of this peace and fulfillment.

It simply failed once again It was just a facade No one had peace.

No one had hope. I can't think of any better example of this than Christmas Eve of 1914.

I've shared this story before It's such an extreme perspective and understanding of Humanity's drive and striving for peace here in the

Christmas season War war one is being fought and if you're a history buff and or if you study the wars, you know, what a brutal

Massacre World War one was somewhere between 15 to 22 million people.

I believe estimated dead during this war They they used Means of war that even the whole world came together afterwards and said we will not do that.

We can't do that again That was inhumane. That was brutal. It's a brutal war. But here's the thing on Christmas Eve 1914 you've got

German French and Scottish soldiers out on the battlefield all of them in their foxholes Every once in a while popping up lobbing bombs shooting bullets throwing chemicals over there.

They are just brutally Massacring each other and you've got this this muddy bloody

Disgusting war being fought right here on a battlefield but on that night

All of those soldiers decided to do a ceasefire they came out of their foxholes and They began to celebrate together

They exchanged chocolates. They had champagne They played cards

They they Were exchanging pictures of their wives and kids like showing and showing off their families

They were celebrating together on Christmas Eve of 1914 right in the midst of this terrible battle

Well, it sounds promising and peaceful, doesn't it? You say well see pastor. There's the light of humanity

Right there you see it There they're able to come out of the war and actually celebrate during the time of Christmas There's some type of hope there yet.

Do you know what happened once Christmas was over that war?

Continued that didn't bring peace

That war continued that horrific war Continued on as if it didn't skip a beat

If there was ever a false sense of community and peace amongst mankind it was here

This is one of the clearest pictures of the world's concept of peace Let's just get along at least until I'm not getting what

I want James actually summed that up didn't he in James chapter 4

What did he say? He said what causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? What's the problem guys?

Why are you not able to get along? Is it not this? That your passions are at war within you not that that war is out there

Not that that war is is something that is External and outside of you that you could find your internal peace and shine your peaceful light into it as an unbeliever

But that it is within you you desire and do not have so what do you do you murder?

You covet and cannot obtain so you fight and quarrel You see this is precisely why we can have no peace because our natural default

Sin our natural default sin and because of this default of sin the spirit of this world and the evil one

Seemed to be widening this gap between humanity and lasting peace

The more we strive for it in our own power and in our own means the further it gets from us

It truly seems as though the evil one is winning when you look out and then on the news, right?

You look at the world After all they have all the nations. They have the armies.

They have the media. They have the celebrities They have all the powers that be if you think about it.

It's really no different than during the time of Isaiah and this prophecy that we read together a moment ago this this wonderful Christmas passage

Is given in the midst of this Darkness and brokenness

Lack of hope lack of peace lack of joy lack of love and This This prophecy is given as an announcement when you read it.

You see it's an announcement. We are looking back at it We're like, oh, yeah. Well, that's that's already happened. But you got to understand when this is presented.

This is this is God Declaring a wonderful amazing truth to the people

God speaking through the prophet Isaiah Responding to the state of the powers of this world all of the nations outside that are trying to obtain peace within the means of war or any other means that they're trying to conquer each other and overcome and the wickedness and the brokenness all around He gives he responds to the state of it.

And how does he do it? How does God respond to the darkness of this world that is striving for peace, but cannot obtain it?

Does he does he do it through an army? Does he do it through an earthly government?

No, he he gives that announcement through the announcement of a birth

It's Just like God to respond to the powers of this world with their armies and their Kings and their their pomp and circumstance and their their struggle and arrogance for power and all that comes with everything out in the world

God responds with the birth announcement of a child Isaiah 9 right there in verse 6

For to us a child is born to us a son

Is given what you think about those words for a moment?

Notice this announcement doesn't it doesn't come with a command It it doesn't come with with an enlistment

It doesn't come with a set of blueprints in order to achieve

Peace and comfort and all that they're lacking but internally desiring

No, it's announced as a fact And as a gift the gift to us.

Oh, this is good news If you've got your

Bibles with you turn over there to Isaiah, but I want you to look at chapter 9 verse 2 and Isaiah chapter 9 verse 2

Says the people who walked in darkness those who walked in Darkness have seen a great light

It's kind of like the passage from Ephesians that pastor Keith read from a moment ago, right that we were once in darkness

But these people who walked in darkness They have seen a great light those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness on them has light shown

What is that light? What is he speaking of? It's the light of life

The one that is being prophesied to come we were in darkness But that promised light it came and it came as a gift in the form of a child

What does it say about this child and the government

Shall be upon his shoulder. I want you to notice something in that It's not governments plural

It's the government You ever noticed that before I used to read that passage and think oh

He's talking about all the all the governments of the world like the whole world. They'll be on his shoulders He'll be he'll be the one to bear everything in the whole world, but there's a detachment here

He speaks of a singular government. What is that government his government?

It's the kingdom of God all the other governments that he has conquered in his death and resurrection

That should bow the knee to him as king. All of those will be burned up.

There is no more America There is no more China. There is no more any external government

Those should bow the knee to Christ kiss the Sun or they will perish and when

I mean by those I don't mean the government I mean the people within that government But there is one government is the kingdom of God as Jesus continued to warn in his earthly ministry

Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. It is the only source of peace

Israel wanted to find peace through External means through earthly means they wanted to find peace with bringing in another

David That's what they longed for they want a king and they want a king that will rule and conquer and cut the heads off the

Enemies, that's what they want. They don't realize that this child that is being prophesied to come would cut the head off of the serpent which is

The ruler over those kingdoms and his kingdom shall be upon his shoulder

How can he carry this government upon his shoulder?

Look at the text and his name Remember there's there's meaning in names when you see names in Scripture There's always purpose and meaning behind that name when a name is given it carries significance of the very

Character and identity of that individual that is being named and his name shall be called and there's a list here wonderful counselor

I Think this is in the midst of peace talk That he's he's referring to him as the wonderful counselor

What do so many of us? Try and do when we don't have any peace or hope

We seek counsel, right? And there's a place for counsel, right? There's safety in a multitude of counselors

But what what is being portrayed here in this wonderful counselor, I believe is

Is if you if you want things made new if that internal longing that is in you as the image bearer of God If that is to be fulfilled the perfect counselor is the only one

It's his truth He is the only source of truth. That's why we go to the Word of God.

Don't we? Why do you think we're using the Word of God this morning? Why don't I just get up here and give you a nice little Nathan speech?

It'll be of no value to you. You might as well just wad that up and throw it in the trash.

That's Nathan's opinion But we go to God's Word because he is the wonderful counselor

He gives us the the truth that will renew our minds the truth that will drive us to peace

The truth that will drive us to understanding What he's here for the mighty

God his power and his might are

Infinite, how can he bear this government upon his shoulder because he is mighty God the only source of power

He is the one and only God He is the second person of the

Godhead the mighty God everlasting Who has created you?

He's created you for that very peace with him everlasting father

There's obviously some Confusion as to why Jesus will be referred to as the father.

I think what is being Pointed to here is his union with the father his power

Is one of one God he is everlasting the only source of eternity

He what's being said here at the beginning of this prophecy Showing that the one to come is not going to be a created entity that will carry the power of God but will be one with the one

That is the one true God he may be the second person of the Godhead, but he carries the authority of God He is the everlasting father from from beginning to end

All things were created through him and nothing that nothing was created outside of him was it he is the everlasting

God But here's the phrase that I want us to see today's this name.

Oh He's the prince of peace. He reigns as the only source of peace

Christ Jesus Our peace why was it so important to identify him in these three these four names

Why did why did God Speak to the people of Israel through Isaiah and point out these four

Identifying markers of name for the Messiah to come. Well one this is who he is

But two to support and confirm this next truth Look at verse seven

This this mighty God this everlasting father this prince of peace of His of the increase of his government the kingdom of God, right and of peace

There will be no end. Would you think about that phrase for a moment those fleeting moments of peaceful times in the goodness of God he allows us to have

They're just a blip on the radar, right They're a drop in the bucket actually not even the bucket they're a drop in the ocean

They're so short -lived and small They they elude us more often than not but in his kingdom

Peace will never end Not only that but it says it it will even increase

We're striving for peace We want peace so desperately and then it eludes us

More often than not so not only does it not increase it actually decreases So whatever small amount of peace that you and I try and obtain in this world for any other means from any other source or for any other purpose it just it

Disintegrates but his peace his peace just continually expands

It grows it Increases it continues to increase more and more if this and this is only possible if he is the wonderful counselor mighty

God everlasting father prince of peace Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end on the throne of David and over his kingdom

Look at what he says to establish it and To uphold it

Only the mighty God can do that, right? To establish this peace to establish this kingdom and then to uphold this kingdom and any and it says with justice and with righteousness

You see this world cannot offer you peace. You cannot offer you peace your internal Meditations cannot offer you peace.

Why is that because of injustice and unrighteousness? Injustice and unrighteousness cannot produce peace only his justice and righteousness

We can't trust anything in this world including ourselves so every time it promises peace we know it won't last it cannot

But look at what it says next in the text of hit this piece that he upholds justice and righteousness from this time forth and Forevermore the peace that eludes us

It's not peace at all. His peace is everlasting to everlasting

It is forever. It is eternal why because he's eternal

Because he is everlasting This is the peace that Jesus spoke of in John 16 33 when he says in me

You may have peace He said he goes on to say in the world.

You will have tribulation Why Because of injustice and unrighteousness, right but take heart

I have overcome the world What did Jesus mean when he said in me you may have peace?

Was Jesus saying if you follow my ways it will lead to peace

Just do as I do and and live as I live and peace will follow

That's why I was born To be an example to you of how to find peace like some sort of hippie peace guru sent from God, right?

That's how many perceive Jesus we come into the Christmas season and many will perceive

Jesus as well He was the great example for us We just got to do as he did.

We just got to live as he lived and Then we'll be okay. We can find that peace that's already within us somewhere

Is that what Jesus means when he says in me you may have peace? or the opposite extreme example as many of the people of Israel were hoping for when this announcement came and even when the birth of Jesus arrived and when he says in me you may have peace meaning

I will enforce peace as an earthly King Is that what he meant?

I don't believe Jesus meant either of those things or any variation of like fashion

The arrival of Jesus was for the purpose of going directly after the root cause of our lack of peace

That is as I said a moment ago at the beginning. What is our problem sin?

subsequently that leading to our enmity with God our lack of an internal peace or lack of of peace with one another when we're trying to live life and in a community and together our lack of peace our lack of peace with the whole of creation is merely a

By -product of our lack of peace with the Creator. We have broken his law. We have rejected him wholeheartedly

And that is why it is unto us a child is born to us

A son is given as a gift a gift that that will purchase true

Peace for us when Jesus said it in John 16 and me you may have peace He is speaking of what

Paul later wrote as a matter of fact Look with me at Romans chapter 5 turn into the

New Testament book of Romans in chapter 5 and verse 1 as you're turning there I'll kind of lay the groundwork and in chapter 4

Paul had just spoken about the faith of Abraham That he was fully convinced that God would was able to do what he had promised for him

Even though it seemed physically impossible and that and that is why his faith was counted to him as righteousness

He had been gifted faith and that faith it was counted to him as righteousness

And so that that also it will be counted to us who believe as Paul says Believe in who in Christ who raised?

from the dead Jesus our Lord Who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our?

justification Being made right with God Once for all and there in chapter 5 verse 1 therefore

Since we have been justified by faith Not by our works not by our obedience not by baptism not by any other thing

Paul Specifically says by faith we have peace with God through our

Lord Jesus Christ Our unrighteousness separated us from peace with God And Christ righteousness given to us through faith faith in the perfect life lived by that child that was given

Faith in the death that he underwent in our stead faith in the resurrection defeating death once for all

That faith in his finished work justified us and brought peace with the

Creator You see if you were in Christ today you have access to a peace that surpasses all understanding with your holy perfect mighty gracious Creator and ultimately an ever -increasing perfect abounding peace

Just as just as John wrote right in the the famous text for God So loved the world that he gave his only son that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life

Ongoing continual life. How do we know this with certainty? We'll look back at our text in Isaiah 9

How does he close out this this prophecy here? He says the zeal of the

Lord of hosts Will do this the God who cannot lie and he promised and he did do it

He prophesied that he would send the the child that would represent us that would purchase that peace for us

His son Cain in the perfect time was born in obscurity lived the life

We could not died the death we deserved rose from the grave and defeated death and brought us.

Peace with the Father and Peace with each other

If you are not in Christ this morning, I would be a fool to think that everyone in this room is in Christ that has faith in Christ the true

Christ Not just someone named Jesus not just someone that you claim as the Christ that did not finish the work for you

Wholeheartedly completely that is not Jesus at all The only Jesus that that can bring peace the only

Jesus that can represent is the one true Jesus Rome their version of Jesus is an idol it has he has no power to say because he's not real

Orthodox that is not the true Jesus. He has no power to save any group that claims

Jesus But does not have the one true biblical Jesus the one that finished it all for you

The one that you will have faith in his righteousness in his work and his finished work

If you do not have faith in that Jesus, you are simply following someone with the same name, but Not the same essence if you're not in Christ this morning you will never find peace outside of him

You only find death Destruction heartache and pain hatred and bitterness war and chaos and ultimately eternal judgment

So I plead with you to call out to him. Well, you still can Rest in the peace of the

Savior, but for those of us in here who have tasted and seen that he truly is good

Let us rejoice today This is a day of rejoicing the

Lord's Day gathering where where God has set aside a day for us to be Reminded of his goodness and his grace and his mercy and his kindness upon us to remind us that I told you

I was sending him and I did and He is redeeming you. Amen But we get to be the peacemakers

Until he returns and makes all of this new we get to be his Representatives until he comes back.

We are his body and Where we fail at maintaining peace his perfect righteousness covers even that doesn't it?

We can find great comfort in that because you and I do not live peaceably perfectly, do we

We don't even have internal peace all the time much less peace with one another Because of this wretched flesh that is at war within us that is fighting against us

If you think that your ability for God to love you and for you to be peaceful Can buy you anything?

You're gonna be miserable If you think that your ability to live peaceably this week with everyone around you to live peaceably within yourselves

Perfectly this week is some sort of some sort of sign that you are in Christ and that you're okay and If you don't do it that it's some sort of sign that you're not in Christ You're gonna be left feeling hopeless

Aren't you do you ever feel that I do I start looking at my own self -righteousness.

I start looking at oh man, where's the fruit? Where's the fruit and then I spiral into this idea that I'm looking to myself and looking to myself and I'm forgetting that a

Child was given The son was given And the government's on his shoulder and There's no end to his peace.

There's no end to his justice and his righteousness and he's given that righteousness to me

And I may not live it out perfectly, but I have faith in what he did

And it leads me to want to love him. It leads me to want to be peaceful It leads me to want to have internal peace

It leads me to want to have the peace that is in me That is that is in the the image bearer

That is Nathan because I was created for it and I'm going to distort it and distort and destroy it at times in my own

Life. Oh, but his goodness and we return to him. So we pray prayers of confession and assurance

I continually confess seen I fall short, but your righteousness covered even that There's therefore now no condemnation for those that are in Christ Jesus We have perfect peace with the

Creator who is perfectly content with you You realize that right when

I cause disunity with a brother because of my sin Christ is in no way

Discontent with me you realize that The father is in no way discontent with me.

I see some of you look at me with confusion like what so He's just okay with you sinning. No, he's not okay with me sinning

That sin was already paid for you realize that right?

Now here's what that will lead me to That will lead me to his goodness

When I remember that when I'm confronted with that truth that God is not discontent with me at all

He is perfectly content with me. You know why? Because he's perfectly content with his son who represents me.

It's a different way of thinking, right? Sometimes we we don't have that peace and we go.

I'm God must not be happy with me. I Can't say it enough. God is never not happy with you

If you are in Christ, he is perfectly happy in his son and his son is who he sees when he looks at you

That should lead you to want to be peaceful That is what will lead you to live a life of righteousness and holiness through Christ because God the

Father is perfectly perfectly appeased and That never ends and never stops and his son has promised to return and so we await his arrival, right?

We await the arrival as we as the Old Testament saints awaited the arrival of of the

Messiah the child to be born We await for that reigning King to return and in our waiting he's given us a meal

He gave us a meal together together around right one that shadows the great wedding feast to come

When the new heavens and new earth are established and there's no there's no more War, there's no lack of peace and it will increase and increase and increase and continue on It reminds us of his body given for us his blood spilled for us in our perfect peaceful Unbreakable union with him.

So please bow with me as we prepare our minds and hearts to go to the table

Lord, we come to you now and we we so desperately need to be reminded that it is not us it is not me that has to Do the right thing

Be the right way. I long for peace.

I Have since my conception I've longed for peace and hope and unity and all that is good and right

I've longed for it internally, but I had no ability to achieve it and that is why a son was born son was given to us a child that would represent us and today we get together as as your children covered by the blood of the

Messiah the one that will That will bring about eternal peace

May we rest in his righteousness? may we eternally turn to his goodness and his grace and his mercy and turn away from the

The flesh that is warring within us but all the while knowing that you are good and that you are you are loving us because of your love for Christ and that as we

Partake of the wine and the bread that represents the book the body and blood of our Savior given for us.

I Pray that we would be reminded of that truth. Oh That we have a union through his sacrifice

Union with each other we have perfect peace with each other. We have perfect peace with you the

Creator and We await As we get but a taste right now

We await that day when you make all things new and that that kingdom that righteousness that justice that goodness

Will continue to increase more and more and more as we bask in your glory