Jesus, Our Peace

I want to start in Isaiah chapter 9. If you have your Bibles — this is just a good verse to reflect on, to meditate on, and many of you are probably somewhat familiar with it. If there was a list of Christmas verses, this is definitely on the list. Isaiah chapter 9, starting at verse 6. It says, “For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful.” Everybody say, “Wonderful.”

How many of you know when we see Him, we should be in wonder? And if you aren’t really in wonder about the Lord — it’s like, “Well, I’ve heard all the stories, and I know the verses, and I’ve said the prayers” — if you are here today and you are not in wonder of the Lord Jesus, I would argue you’re not actually seeing Him correctly. Because when we see the Lord, it is a constant state of wonder. “Lord, I cannot believe what You have done for me. Lord, I’m so thankful for who You are. I’m thankful for Your love.” And so we need to be in wonder. Lord, give us eyes to see You. Amen.

His name will be called Counselor. In other words, He will be the one who has the right thing to say at the right time. We all need a little bit of direction and a little bit of help. We need wisdom from the Lord. He will be called Mighty God. In other words, there is never a time when He comes up short. He is Everlasting Father. He is a good Father who knows how to keep you, protect you, and raise you up. He is Prince of Peace. His kingdom is marked by peace. Everybody say, “Peace.”

“And of the increase of His government there will be no end.” Not talking about political government, although that’s what people assumed. The people were in bondage at this time, and they were anticipating someone to come and deliver them from the bondage that they were in. They were prisoners of war, basically slaves, and they were expecting a political king. But how many of you know the King does have a kingdom, but it’s the kingdom of heaven? Of the increase of that government there will be no end.

What is Advent?

So what is Advent? It sounds like a fancy word, and I would say it is. It comes from the Latin word advent, which means coming or arrival. It’s really a both-and. It refers to the coming of Jesus in two senses: first, His coming, His birth in Bethlehem; but it also refers to His future coming, His promised return as King, His second coming. How many of you know Jesus is coming back? Amen.

And we want to be ready. We want to have eyes that are available. We want to have hearts that are pure. We want to live lives that are holy to the Lord. And I would argue it is more important than ever to live lives that are holy to the Lord. Scripture says that as the day approaches, darkness will continue to increase. But also, as the darkness increases, Scripture says the light will increase. And Jesus said, “You are the light of the world.” And so there is an importance. People are watching your life. Amen. Our life is to be a witness to the people around us that we have something, and someone, different — that our hope isn’t in what everybody else’s hope is in.

Aren’t you thankful that your hope doesn’t need to be based on what you can do? Because I don’t know about you, but I have a lot of shortfalls. I have a lot of things that I’m not very good at. But how many of you know we serve a faithful God who loves us, who is our refuge, who is our protection, who is our salvation? And as we put our trust and our hope in Him, He comes through every time. And so Advent really is a celebration, but it is also an anticipation at the same time.

Last week we lit the candle of hope. This week we are going to be lighting the candle of peace. And that’s what I want to talk to us about today: Jesus, our peace. Everybody say that: “Jesus, our peace.”

Peace that holds in the middle of trouble

Listen. If there is an absence of peace in your heart, the only source, the only true avenue to a life and a heart that is filled with peace, is the Lord Jesus Himself.

Now, it’s interesting, and we’re going to find this out. When Jesus came to the earth, as He was teaching, there were things that He said that seemed counter to that. Let me give you an instance. When He was about to ascend into heaven, Jesus said, “Let your hearts not be troubled. You will face trouble in this world.” You see, many of us would define peace as the absence of conflict. Or we would say peace is, everything’s going good in my life. But how many of you know things can actually be going really bad in your life, but on the inside you still have peace? Do you see what I’m saying?

You will face trials. There will be tribulations. But Scripture also says, “I’ve never seen the righteous forsaken.” Aren’t you thankful that the Lord never leaves you? Even in the midst of trouble, even in the midst of difficulties, in the midst of the chaos, there can still be a peace on the inside.

And so if there is a lack of peace in your heart — if there is concern that you have, anxiousness, covetousness, if there’s just a sense that I don’t have enough, I’m not happy enough, I’m not fulfilled enough — if there is a lack in your heart, I would say there’s probably a lack of the person of Jesus in your heart. Because He provides that. In fact, He’s the only true source of that. The world cannot provide it. I promise you, the world cannot.

Let’s look at this. Okay, I’m getting ahead of myself. Can we just do this? Can we just lift our hands to the Lord and begin to thank Him for His Word? Lord Jesus, we thank You for Your Word. We ask that You would bless, Lord, Your Holy Scriptures, that we would see You, that You would speak to us by Your Spirit today, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

I want to look at Luke chapter 2, starting at verse 10. We’re talking about Jesus, our peace. And this is the angel speaking to the shepherds. Luke chapter 2, starting at verse 10, says this: “Then the angel said to the shepherds, ‘Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.’ And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host” — in other words, some versions will say there was an assembly of an angel army; multitudes of angels — “praising God and saying: ‘Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men!’”

How many of you know that in order to celebrate Christmas correctly, we must first understand what the human condition really is? Many people have their definitions of what Christmas is or what Christmas should look like. If you watch Christmas movies, it’s all about family, right? It’s about being kind towards others. It’s about giving gifts and giving more than maybe you receive. It’s about the Hallmark romance, right? There are all these different identities of what Christmas really is.

But if we don’t actually understand the human condition, we don’t really have a good biblical understanding of what Christmas is. How many of you know Christmas really was a rescue operation? It was boots on the ground. It was God invading earth to turn your situation around. Because we were all on a path of destruction. And I’m not just saying things were going to be difficult in life. No, we were on a path to an eternity apart from God, which is an eternity of darkness, an eternity of torment. But because of Him, and because of this rescue operation, we can have life eternally with Him. Amen.

And so when we consider Christmas, if we don’t really appreciate where we are, we won’t really appreciate what the Lord is actually coming to do — that the Lord really has a plan and a purpose for your life.

“Not peace, but a sword”

I want to look at Matthew 10:34. This is Jesus speaking to His disciples. So we just read this huge pronouncement of the angels saying, “Peace on earth, goodwill toward men.” And in Matthew chapter 10, Jesus is speaking to His disciples. He says, “Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth.” Well, that sounds contradictory. Jesus said, “Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword.”

This really does sound contradictory, but it is really not contradictory at all. Jesus was, in this case, speaking specifically about family relationships. He was saying that if you really do put Me first in your life, there will be people in your family who are not happy about that. It should be no surprise to you that when you really give your heart and your allegiance to the Lord, and you follow Him to the best of your ability — meaning you’re going to church, you’re spending time with Him, seeking Him, listening to Him, walking it out — there will always be people in your life who will try to get you to stop, to get you to quit or to back down.

And Jesus was saying, this is just the reality. The only way that you can have His presence in your life is by putting Him first. And so this really does say that Jesus is willing to actually cause disruption in the family unit in order for Him to have His proper place.

Now, this is necessary, because how many of you know the Lord’s not going to force anybody to do anything? The Lord has made Himself available. He died for us. He’s given us eternal life — but only to those who would actually choose His way, who would confess Him and receive that salvation. And there are many who have rejected that salvation.

And it is so interesting that the Lord will actually use the family unit to bring about the expansion of the kingdom of heaven. What do I mean by that? It means that if you really are willing to endure the discomfort that comes from family rejection because you’re following the Lord, it is a sign and a witness to those in your family that Jesus is worth living for.

If you back down and you say, “I’m just going to cool it a little bit. I’m just going to be a normal Christian. I’m going to be an American Christian” — because that’s really what you’re saying: “I’m going to be an American Christian who goes to church on Sundays, but then I’m just doing my thing” — let me tell you, it is going to be lukewarm. It is going to be miserable, and you will quit. Jesus said you cannot be lukewarm: “I would rather you be cold or hot.” You cannot have it both ways.

I’ve seen it time and time and time again: people who have given their life to Jesus, and the Lord met them in a powerful and meaningful way, and they chose to follow Him. And they get home, and their family begins to talk them down and out of it. And I’ve seen it to the point where it is relentless, and I’ve seen people just say, “I’m just going to back down a little bit.” And in those instances, none of them end up following the Lord, because you cannot have it both ways.

Listen, your life and your decision to follow Him is to be a sign and a witness that even in the midst of difficulty, even in the midst of chaos, even when you don’t approve, I’m committed to following Jesus. And that is worth something. That is worth my life. That is worth dying for. Because how many of you know Jesus gave everything? The Father gave everything. Somebody say amen. When the Father gave Jesus, did He give everything? He gave everything. And so what is He asking? For eternity, He’s saying, “Would you give Me everything?”

I love that story our worship leader shared about giving to the Lord something that is precious. And the most precious thing that you can actually give Him is your heart. That’s really what He’s after. And if you would actually give Him your heart, it will cost you something. But how many of you know what you receive in Him is so much greater? Come on, somebody say amen.

And His will is that none should perish, but that all should enter into eternal life. And that means that those family members you have that don’t agree with your theology, that don’t agree that Jesus is Lord, that don’t want anything to do with church or with the Lord Himself — listen, the Lord is using you and your life to be a sign and a witness, to see His kingdom come into their life.

And here’s the better thing: you don’t need to make it happen. The Lord wants to do this. Don’t think for a second that the Lord’s given up on anybody. He never gives up. The Lord is pursuing those that you love. He is drawing them. But the Lord uses people who have seen Him, who have received Him, to come to know Him. Somebody say amen. So Jesus was saying, “I’ve come with a sword.”

“Not as the world gives”

In John 14:27, Jesus says to His disciples, “Peace.” Everybody say, “Peace.” We’re talking about Jesus, our peace, right? He says, “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you.”

Jesus is speaking to His disciples right about when He’s about to be crucified on the cross, and He’s telling them, “Listen, I’m going to be going away, but I’m giving you something called peace. But it’s not the peace that the world offers you. It’s not the peace that the world gives. It’s not the peace that the world can provide.”

The word “peace” is akin to the word “shalom” in the Old Testament. In fact, the word “shalom” was used as a greeting. When people would both come and go, they would say, “Shalom.” And really what it was, was a blessing, or a proclamation, saying, “I am declaring the Lord’s peace on your life.” So if my son comes and enters the house, I can say, “Shalom.” And what I’m really saying is, I’m making a declaration of blessing, and I’m saying the Lord’s peace, order, and blessing on your life — that He would set all things straight in your life. And that’s really what Jesus is leaving. Jesus’ impartation of peace is Him saying, “I am bringing My kingdom and My righteous rule into your life.”

And so Jesus brings something called peace, but it’s not the peace that the world gives. Listen to 1 Thessalonians 5:1. This is talking about the peace that the world has to offer. “But concerning the times and the seasons, brethren, you have no need that I should write to you.” This is Paul writing to the church at Thessalonica. He’s talking about the return of Jesus. And he says, “For you know yourselves perfectly that the day of the Lord” — when Jesus returns again — “so comes as a thief in the night.” Meaning, we don’t know when. We don’t know the hour.

Okay, listen. I’m just going to give you a little hint. If you are on social media and someone says, “I know when Jesus is coming back,” don’t listen to that. Because Jesus said, “No one knows. Not even I know. Only the Father knows.” Okay? What we do know is He is coming back, but we don’t know the hour or the day. He comes as a thief in the night.

Verse 3: “For when they say” — when who says? This is talking about the world. When the world says — “‘Peace and safety!’ then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape.”

Listen, the world wants peace. There is nobody in this world who really wants to live a life of chaos. Everybody wants peace, and the world will promise it. The world will say, “Peace, safety, everything’s good. Don’t worry about it. Just take it easy.” The world wants peace. But according to Scripture, the world cannot bring about peace in and of itself. It will not be able to bring peace to itself, because, how many of you know, we need outside help.

Can the world know peace? Yes, it can. It just can’t be the source of peace. What do I mean by this? If we are saying, “Don’t turn to the world for your peace,” what are we actually saying? Really, what we’re saying is, you don’t need to live life trying to make it happen for yourself. You don’t have to have this fear of not being seen or not being heard or not being loved. You don’t have to live that way, because in Jesus we have our security. We have peace with God.

And so can the world know peace? Yeah. It just can’t be the source of it, because Jesus is our peace. To know Him is to know peace. To know Him and to have Him is to have peace.

We may think that peace is — you know, we’re going through life, and I’m kind of looking and seeing what the status of my life is. And I look at it and everything is pretty good, right? Could things be better? Sure. But I would say overall there’s a measure of peace. But if it is according to the system of the world, it is available to be torn down. It is available to destruction. And so Jesus, our peace, is saying, “Listen, if you would just choose Me, if you would consume Me and not consume the world, then your world will be changed. But if you try to change your world, you won’t have the resources to do it.”

I think sometimes there’s a dissatisfaction in us, and oftentimes we misinterpret a dissatisfaction that comes from not actually following the Lord as really a dissatisfaction with life. And when there’s that dissatisfaction, what do we do? We often try harder. We often do more. We often say more. And we try to make it happen for ourselves. But how many of you know that’s not what the Lord is saying? He’s saying, “Listen, if you have Me — I’m making Myself available — if you have Me, you will have peace.” Somebody say amen.

Peace with God for those on whom His favor rests

And so, as we just read in Luke 2:14, the host of angels sang, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men.” Now, this peace is not just the absence of chaos. It’s not just things going well. No, Jesus said there will be trouble in your life. This peace is reconciliation with God Himself. There does not need to be enmity between your spirit and the Lord. In Christ Jesus you can not only know Him; you can be one with Him. This is a reconciling peace. It is the solution of peace that the world cannot provide. It is the peace that sets things right and sets us on the course of everlasting life.

The NIV says it this way, and other versions are similar. It says, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace” — that reconciling peace — “to those on whom His favor rests.” Listen, I just want us to sit on that for a moment. Peace to those on whom God’s favor rests.

That means that God saw your condition, and He decided to favor you with a solution. God saw you in your weakness. He saw you at your weakest point, and He decided, “I am going to favor you and give you a way out. I’m going to bring favor and grace to your life, and I’m going to turn this situation around.” God’s saying, “I’m favoring you, and I’m choosing you. I’m favoring you, and I am blessing you. I am picking you.” And if you are here today, I need you to know that God saw your need, and He sees your need, and He is saying, “I will favor you. I will bless you. I will choose you again and again and again. When you don’t choose Me, I will choose you again.”

Glory to God. Peace on earth and goodwill toward men. That’s a loaded statement. Can you not see the heart of the Father in that one, saying, “Behold, your King is coming”? Why? Because He chose you. Because He saw you, and you could not save yourself. The world could not do it. Scripture says there’s no one righteous, not one. You can’t earn your way. You can’t say, “I’m just a pretty good person,” and expect to be good. No, there is only one way, and His name is Jesus. And He is the one. He is the person of peace. He is the embodiment of it.

We’ve done events in the community before, and I’m reminded of what some of the people would say. I can’t tell you how many times I heard this. We would do celebrations, events at parks, or drive-up movies, whatever. And people would come up to me and say, “It just is so peaceful here. There’s just something about this atmosphere.” How many of you know that’s us? That’s the light of the world being out in the dark places, being the light that He intended us to be, bringing peace wherever we go. Why? Because He is peace. He is peace.

Now listen, you might be here and you might be agreeing, “Yeah, I know Jesus wants peace in my life.” No, listen: Jesus wants you to have Him and His peace. If your objective is just to have more peace in your life, you are going to leave here and miss it. The object, the desire, the target is always to have more of Him, because He is our hope, because He is our joy, because He is our salvation, and He is our peace. Amen.

If you have peace, you’ll live right

So how do we receive peace? Romans 5:1 says, “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through the Lord Jesus Christ.” We have peace with God through Jesus. He is our peace. Jesus is the source of peace. In fact, Jesus even calls Himself — “I’m the door. I stand at the door; I’m knocking. I am the door.” He is the doorway to all things of God. He is the doorway to heaven and earth. He is the doorway for earth to get to heaven. And so to embrace Him as the one who is peace — doesn’t Scripture call Him the Prince of Peace? — to embrace the Prince of Peace leads to becoming a partaker of peace.

You know, our world system is set up in such a manner, and we’re conditioned to live life, so that if I perform, I will be rewarded, right? So growing up, if you made your bed, you could go outside and play. If you didn’t make your bed, you had to stay inside, and you were grounded, right? If you study for the test, you’ll get an A. But if you don’t study for the test, you’re going to have to take the class again. If you do well at your job, you’re going to get promoted. If you don’t do a good job, you’re probably going to get fired.

Our world’s system is set up in a performance-based manner, and we often bring this performance-based system into our walk and relationship with God. And we think that in order to have peace, we have to earn it. In order to have peace, I have to try harder. In order to have peace, I have to deserve it. I have to be good enough. But how many of you know that through Jesus we are awarded favor and blessing not based on our performance? Somebody say amen. We don’t earn God’s favor. He’s chosen to give us His favor. We don’t earn God’s peace. It’s freely available to us through Jesus.

Now, I mentioned holiness, which I believe is more important as the days go by — to live a life that is holy to the Lord, in a way that honors Him. Should that be our goal? Yes, it should. Our lives are to be an offering and a fragrance to the Lord. But I would argue that holiness is a byproduct of His peace.

You see, when I don’t have peace with God, oftentimes I overcompensate with — let’s just call them, for lack of better words — medications. I medicate my life because there is a lack of peace. I can’t stop. I’m not happy and I’m dissatisfied, so I’m going to work more. I’m unhappy and dissatisfied, so I’m just going to zone out and binge Netflix. I’m unhappy and dissatisfied, so I’m going to invite substances to make me feel better.

But if you have peace, there’s no reason to do those things, because I don’t need them. When we’re at peace in our heart and we have peace with the Lord, all of a sudden there’s something in us that’s like, “I already have what I need. I don’t need to do anything else. I don’t need those medications in my life.” And so peace becomes a component of my life that brings order and delivers us from destruction.

So it would be improper to say, “If you live right, you’re going to have peace.” The proper way is: if you have peace, you’ll live right. And so when we embrace Jesus, who is our peace-giver, your life becomes full of peace. It’s available to you. It’s available to us.

It’s not because He moved

And if there is a dissatisfaction in your heart today — and I feel like there are many here who have a dissatisfaction, and maybe you even blame the Lord — I would say that it’s very likely that you have lost sight of Him. Because when we see Him, not only are we filled with wonder; we’re filled with everything that He is.

Suzie mentioned this in the online teaching, but next year we’re going to be going through the names of God and doing a study on that, understanding that everything that He is, is available to you in Christ Jesus our Lord. He’s not holding anything back. And oftentimes that gap that we feel, that discontentment — it’s not because He moved. It’s because we moved. Maybe our heart and our affection started going to some other things. Maybe because we were dissatisfied, we gave our heart to someone or something. But listen, the only place our heart should go is Him. And when we do that, we’re embracing everything that He is. And one of those things is, “Jesus, You are my peace.”

“Lord, there’s some chaos going on around me, but I will not be shaken, because You are my firm foundation. Lord, ten thousand may fall at my right and a thousand at my left, but it won’t come near me. Why? Because You are my refuge. You are the one who protects me.” Listen, it just is a totally different mindset. Does it mean that bad things don’t happen to you? No. But when bad things happen, you are unwavering, because you have Him. He has fully made Himself available.

I mean, just think about what the Lord did for you. Think about what God did. The Father saw us in our state. God saw us where we were, that we were separated from Him. There was no chance. There was only a promise. That’s really what there was: this hope that there’s a Deliverer who’s going to come. And so we celebrate this Advent season with hope. And then when He comes, what does He do? There’s this huge declaration of peace. Your life doesn’t need to be destroyed anymore. You aren’t on a path of destruction anymore. Somebody say amen.

You’re on His path now. Those who are in Christ Jesus are now on His path, and it is a path of eternal life. It is a path of the kingdom of heaven. It is a path where we can come into His presence with joy, with thanksgiving and gladness. He has everything that we need. And so the peace of God, when we embrace Him — the peace of God will bring order that will override the chaos. The peace of God overcomes our bad behavior. And the peace of God will bring His rule, the kingdom of heaven, into your life. Somebody say amen. Amen.

Coming to the table

So this is what I would like for us to do. We’re going to go back into an atmosphere of worship, but receiving from the Lord. We’re going to receive the body and the blood of Jesus, and we’re going to come to the table.

And again, if you are here and you’re saying, “Lord, I just want Him. I want to know this peace,” I want you to know that He’s available, and He’s finished the work, and that is available to you today. And if you’ve not given your life to Jesus, I want to encourage you: give your life to Him. It’s very simple. Scripture says that if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. It’s the prayer of faith that brings salvation — believing in your heart that Jesus is real, that His love for me is real, that He has done it. “I’ve tried to do it myself. I’ve tried to do it my way.”

Maybe you’re here and you gave your life to the Lord, but you kind of pulled back, and you’re saying, “I’m just going to do it my way,” and it doesn’t seem to be working so well. Listen, the Lord is calling you back to Himself and saying, “Would you trust Me today? Would you embrace Me and all that I am? And I can pour out and bring peace and order to your life.”

And so, as we receive these elements today — the crackers, which are His body, which was broken for us, and the juice, which is His blood that was shed for us. His body makes us whole. His blood washes us and cleanses us. This is a powerful gift from the Lord that we are entering into. It’s a powerful meal. And so don’t take this lightly, but I am inviting everyone to come and receive.

We’re going to just line up, take the cracker and take the juice, and go to our seats. And I’m going to say, don’t receive Communion alone today. Pray with someone and receive it with somebody today. And as you do, just do this very simply: “Lord, I thank You for Your body that was broken so that I can be whole. Lord, You’ve given me everything that I need. Lord, in You there’s no lack. There’s nothing missing. Lord, that feeling of desolation, that feeling of discontent — that’s not from You.” And I would encourage everybody to give your heart to the Lord today.

And then, as you receive the juice: “Lord, I thank You for the blood that was shed, that washes me and cleanses me, that I can have new life.” How many of you are thankful that the Lord gives us new life? Listen, He doesn’t just make you a better person. He will replace your life with His own, if you will let Him. It requires trust. How many of you know that requires trust? We like to be the lord of our own life. We like to be in charge. We like calling the shots. But to give your life to Him, it takes trust. And it takes humility, saying, “I can’t do this. The world can’t do this. The world won’t give me the peace that I need.” But it’s who Jesus is. Somebody say amen.

So we’re going to go into a time of worship. We’re going to line up. I’ve got to light these candles. I don’t know the actual order here. Do I have to pinch the wick? Let’s try that. Here we go. That’s the candle of hope. He is our Deliverer. Amen. And the candle of peace. The Lord is our peace. He’s the peace-giver, to all who would receive Him, and receive all that He is. Amen. Go ahead and come on up, and let’s receive Communion with one another.

If you’re still receiving, you can continue just to pray over one another. But everybody else, can we just stand together? Let’s just lift our hands to the Lord. Just begin to thank Him right now. Just repeat this. Say, “Lord Jesus, I receive You today. Lord, in the midst of my chaos, in the midst of disorder, Lord, I receive You today, Jesus. All of You. All of You, Lord. Lord, You hold nothing back, but You’ve given all of Yourself to me. I receive Your peace, in Jesus’ name.”

Now let me pray over you. Let’s just lift our hands to the Lord. I just sense the Lord in this place. Lift your hands to the Lord. Let’s just receive. Lord Jesus, I pray Your perfect peace, Lord, over every heart and over every mind in this place. Lord, You are the Prince of Peace. It is who You are. It is Your kingdom, Lord. It is proof, Lord, of Your righteous rule in us: a heart that is yielded to You, a heart that trusts You, Lord.

And so, Lord, I just declare Your peace over every person, Lord, over every home, in Jesus’ name. Lord, that we would have eyes to see You, Lord — to see You this season, to see You today and tomorrow, Lord, every day. Lord, You are the only thing that matters. You are the one thing that is needed, Lord. The world cannot offer it. The world promises, but it’s not there. And so, Lord, we put our trust in You. And I declare, Jesus, You are the Prince of Peace over every heart in this place.

Come upon us by Your Spirit, Lord. Fill us now as we go from this place. Lord, we thank You that Your favor is on us, Lord, that You’ve chosen us, that You’ve called us by name, Lord, that You know every hair on our heads. Lord, You know what we need. You know what we face, Lord. And yet You never fail. You are faithful, Lord. And so we receive Your peace today, in Jesus’ name. We receive You today, in Jesus’ name. We all said amen. Amen.

Can we thank the Lord this morning? Thank You, Jesus. Thank You, Lord. Amen. Amen. Well, isn’t the Lord wonderful? Are you filled with a little sense of wonder? Listen, we just do the best we can here to talk about how good He really is, but my prayer is that each one of you would taste that reality for yourself. It’s one thing for one person to say it and you hear it. But I do believe the Lord, in His grace, was speaking to hearts today, saying, “Would you invite Me in? Would you trust Me again? Would you choose Me, because I’ve chosen you? I chose you. I came for you, and I’m coming again.” We thank You, Lord. Amen. Amen. Can we thank the Lord one more time? Amen.

Transcribed from the message recording and lightly edited for reading.