WEBVTT 00:00:00.860 --> 00:00:05.660 So Merry Christmas, everyone. It's great to see you here today. Oh, thank you. Yes. 00:00:07.240 --> 00:00:11.519 It's great to see all of you here today. If you've been with us the past few weeks, 00:00:11.640 --> 00:00:16.820 you'll know that this is the verse that we've been talking through, looking at the different 00:00:16.820 --> 00:00:22.460 names of Jesus, the Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and today we're on to 00:00:22.460 --> 00:00:29.740 Prince of Peace. And if you have looked at the news this week, this might seem like a weird topic 00:00:29.739 --> 00:00:36.079 to talk about. Because the news headlines in the world this week include terror attacks in Berlin, 00:00:37.159 --> 00:00:43.399 Russian ambassador murdered in Turkey, complaints about China militarizing the South China Sea, 00:00:44.420 --> 00:00:49.119 Donald Trump putting tension on US-China relations before he even takes office, 00:00:49.840 --> 00:00:56.379 more violence in Aleppo. The list could go on and on and on. I even saw an article this week about a 00:00:56.380 --> 00:01:01.580 man who murdered his stepmother because she was cheering for a sports team and he felt like she 00:01:01.580 --> 00:01:09.799 was rubbing it into his father. He got very angry and killed her. We live in a world that is full of 00:01:09.799 --> 00:01:15.740 violence, that is full of discord, and where peace seems to be the furthest thing from reality for so 00:01:15.740 --> 00:01:21.180 many of us. And it's not just something on the world scale. It's something on an individual level 00:01:21.180 --> 00:01:26.360 too. I've talked to numerous friends this week who are like, well, I was planning to have a little bit 00:01:26.360 --> 00:01:36.200 of a vacation, a holiday, a break, and then work. And I have to work through the holiday. I have to, 00:01:36.380 --> 00:01:43.719 I'm just overwhelmed with work. I can't, I can't do it all and have a break right now. 00:01:44.520 --> 00:01:49.840 I have other friends who are getting hard times from their family because of where they're choosing to 00:01:49.840 --> 00:01:57.140 spend Christmas, not with that part of the family. And then I'm sure there are probably people in here, 00:01:57.240 --> 00:02:03.380 hopefully not, but possibly some children or spouses or friends in here who are a little bit 00:02:03.380 --> 00:02:07.359 upset at each other because of certain gifts that weren't included under the tree this morning. 00:02:08.319 --> 00:02:13.180 Or maybe even a spouse who's upset because of the amount of money that was spent on the gifts that 00:02:13.180 --> 00:02:21.319 were under the tree this morning. We live in a world full of tension, full of strife. And we come 00:02:21.319 --> 00:02:29.580 here to talk about Jesus and about peace. And it can feel like, is this just a sick joke? Is peace 00:02:29.580 --> 00:02:40.960 possible? But I'm here today to tell you, yes. Yes, peace is possible because Jesus came as our Prince of 00:02:40.960 --> 00:02:47.800 Peace. And he offers each and every one of us a peace that cannot be found anywhere else. And the 00:02:47.800 --> 00:02:54.280 reason that he's able to be our ultimate hope for peace is because our problems go way deeper than we 00:02:54.280 --> 00:03:00.439 realize. So I have a question. I'm going to throw it out there. And I think if we took a poll of everyone 00:03:00.439 --> 00:03:05.260 in here, we'd get at least dozens of different answers. But I want you to think about how you would 00:03:05.259 --> 00:03:11.539 answer this question. What is the biggest problem in the world right now? And how do we solve it? 00:03:16.159 --> 00:03:18.199 Good job. You're way ahead of the game. 00:03:20.539 --> 00:03:25.479 So I think if we were to go around, there are lots of different answers that we could get. But there 00:03:25.479 --> 00:03:32.060 are probably a few that would be a little bit more prevalent. Maybe some people would say it's education. 00:03:32.060 --> 00:03:37.300 That we need more schools. We need better schools. If we could just educate the world, 00:03:37.520 --> 00:03:43.319 then everything would be okay. Other people might say the biggest problem is war. If we could just get 00:03:43.319 --> 00:03:51.360 rid of the weapons, stop the fighting, bring peace, we'd be good. Other people might say it's overpopulation. 00:03:51.520 --> 00:03:55.300 There's just not enough resources to go around. We need to either increase our resources or 00:03:55.300 --> 00:04:03.740 lower the population and everything's going to be okay. But I think our problems run deeper than this. 00:04:05.280 --> 00:04:12.800 I think our problems go deeper than simply education, war, overpopulation. These things, 00:04:13.020 --> 00:04:17.680 maybe they see parts of the problem and address it, but they miss the heart of the problem. 00:04:17.680 --> 00:04:24.280 See, I'm going to throw out there for your consideration that the biggest problem in the world today, 00:04:24.360 --> 00:04:28.600 the cause of all of these problems is selfishness. 00:04:31.840 --> 00:04:37.579 And here's where I'm coming from. If you think that education is the biggest need in the world today, 00:04:38.160 --> 00:04:44.180 I agree with you. Education can fix a lot of things. But the 2008 financial crisis 00:04:44.180 --> 00:04:50.860 was not caused by a lack of education. It was caused by a bunch of very highly educated people 00:04:50.860 --> 00:04:55.060 manipulating a system for their own gain at the expense of the rest of the system. 00:04:56.840 --> 00:05:02.660 Education would not have fixed the 2008 financial crisis. There's something deeper going on in the world. 00:05:04.300 --> 00:05:10.100 If you think that the problem is war, what causes war? At the core, it's that they have something 00:05:10.100 --> 00:05:14.960 that I don't have and I want it from them. And they're not going to give it to me, 00:05:15.040 --> 00:05:21.200 so I'm going to go take it by force. It could be land, it could be resources, it could be basic human rights. 00:05:21.600 --> 00:05:25.700 But at the core of war is someone has something that someone else doesn't have, 00:05:26.000 --> 00:05:28.980 and we're going to take it by force because we want it. 00:05:28.980 --> 00:05:36.340 Or if you say overpopulation, we need either less people or more resources, think about this. 00:05:36.420 --> 00:05:43.620 The world produces enough food to feed 10 billion people, which is far more people than we have on the planet. 00:05:44.400 --> 00:05:49.540 In fact, the world produces enough food that we could feed every person on the planet 00:05:49.540 --> 00:05:53.280 a 2,800 calorie diet every day. 00:05:53.279 --> 00:06:00.279 And yet there are still billions of people starving on the planet. 00:06:01.579 --> 00:06:05.500 Because what happens is food gets wasted. 00:06:06.279 --> 00:06:12.459 The UN says that if one quarter of the food lost or wasted on Earth each year was saved, 00:06:13.279 --> 00:06:17.239 we could feed 870 million people with that food. 00:06:17.699 --> 00:06:22.359 Which means that if we took all the food thrown out in the world every year, 00:06:22.360 --> 00:06:26.100 we could feed 3 billion people with it. 00:06:28.220 --> 00:06:29.740 There's not a lack of resources. 00:06:30.220 --> 00:06:32.100 The problem is people like me, 00:06:32.800 --> 00:06:34.960 who go to the grocery store on the weekend 00:06:34.960 --> 00:06:37.759 and stock up their fridge with food for the coming week 00:06:37.759 --> 00:06:40.660 and then go eat out multiple times during the week 00:06:40.660 --> 00:06:42.240 and get to the end of the week and realize, 00:06:42.480 --> 00:06:45.220 oh, all the food I put in my fridge at the start of the week has gone bad, 00:06:45.300 --> 00:06:46.439 it needs to go in the trash. 00:06:46.980 --> 00:06:48.060 Can anyone relate to that? 00:06:48.060 --> 00:06:53.660 The problem is people like me who stockpile resources 00:06:53.660 --> 00:06:58.819 until they rot and then throw them out rather than being generous. 00:06:58.959 --> 00:07:01.340 The problem is selfishness. 00:07:03.420 --> 00:07:06.259 And as we go throughout each different topic, 00:07:06.360 --> 00:07:11.019 we can see how our selfishness brings these problems into the world. 00:07:11.019 --> 00:07:16.620 And the problem with selfishness is it's not an easy fix. 00:07:16.879 --> 00:07:19.839 Because if I go to try and fix your selfishness, 00:07:20.359 --> 00:07:22.359 any attempts at me fixing your selfishness 00:07:22.359 --> 00:07:24.399 are going to be shaped by my selfishness. 00:07:25.359 --> 00:07:27.699 And any of your attempts to fix my selfishness 00:07:27.699 --> 00:07:29.500 are going to be shaped by your selfishness. 00:07:29.500 --> 00:07:34.779 We can't have a simple, easy, band-aid solution 00:07:34.779 --> 00:07:36.300 to the problem of selfishness. 00:07:36.379 --> 00:07:39.379 No, we need someone from outside the situation 00:07:39.379 --> 00:07:43.420 to step in to bring us our solution. 00:07:44.319 --> 00:07:47.740 And that is why Jesus is, 00:07:47.819 --> 00:07:50.579 as one of the very brilliant kids pointed out earlier, 00:07:50.980 --> 00:07:52.699 the solution to this problem. 00:07:52.699 --> 00:07:57.000 See, the Bible tells us 00:07:57.000 --> 00:08:02.360 that each of us was created for a relationship with God. 00:08:03.939 --> 00:08:06.319 And that in this relationship with God, 00:08:06.399 --> 00:08:08.599 we were supposed to find perfect joy, 00:08:09.500 --> 00:08:11.159 perfect peace and contentment, 00:08:12.680 --> 00:08:13.620 perfect love. 00:08:14.500 --> 00:08:17.079 And each of us has a longing in our hearts 00:08:17.079 --> 00:08:19.899 for these things that we were created to experience. 00:08:19.899 --> 00:08:24.639 And yet, as the Bible story continues, 00:08:24.779 --> 00:08:27.759 we see that each of us rebels against God. 00:08:27.879 --> 00:08:30.079 Each of us forfeits our opportunity 00:08:30.079 --> 00:08:31.779 to have this relationship. 00:08:32.120 --> 00:08:34.220 And as a result, we forfeit the benefits 00:08:34.220 --> 00:08:35.919 that come out of this relationship. 00:08:36.899 --> 00:08:38.699 We forfeit perfect peace. 00:08:38.799 --> 00:08:40.360 We forfeit perfect love. 00:08:40.459 --> 00:08:42.939 We forfeit perfect joy and contentment. 00:08:44.480 --> 00:08:47.539 But each of us still has a craving 00:08:47.539 --> 00:08:49.419 and a longing inside our hearts 00:08:49.419 --> 00:08:50.659 for all of these things. 00:08:51.579 --> 00:08:53.419 And because we've severed ourselves 00:08:53.419 --> 00:08:55.000 from the true source of them, 00:08:55.419 --> 00:08:58.099 we grasp for other things 00:08:58.099 --> 00:09:01.039 that we believe can give us hope, 00:09:01.379 --> 00:09:03.319 joy, peace, love. 00:09:05.579 --> 00:09:07.979 We say, I think that money 00:09:07.979 --> 00:09:09.519 is going to buy me happiness. 00:09:10.240 --> 00:09:12.879 And so we stockpile all the money that we can, 00:09:13.120 --> 00:09:14.980 even if it comes at the expense of others, 00:09:15.799 --> 00:09:16.740 because we want it. 00:09:16.740 --> 00:09:20.159 We want to get back to what we were created for. 00:09:21.820 --> 00:09:24.580 We think that power will bring us 00:09:24.580 --> 00:09:26.200 this peace and contentment. 00:09:26.940 --> 00:09:29.120 So we work our way up the corporate ladder 00:09:29.120 --> 00:09:31.240 and we trample other people under our feet 00:09:31.240 --> 00:09:32.340 if they get in our way, 00:09:32.899 --> 00:09:36.500 because we're craving the security 00:09:36.500 --> 00:09:37.799 that we're supposed to find 00:09:37.799 --> 00:09:39.620 only in a relationship with God. 00:09:39.779 --> 00:09:41.399 And no matter how hard we try, 00:09:41.460 --> 00:09:42.919 no matter how much we grasp, 00:09:42.919 --> 00:09:45.679 we always come up empty. 00:09:48.699 --> 00:09:51.779 And when Jesus came to the earth, 00:09:52.459 --> 00:09:55.419 when Jesus was born in a manger, 00:09:56.120 --> 00:09:58.620 he came as God 00:09:58.620 --> 00:10:01.599 in human form, 00:10:02.079 --> 00:10:05.740 which is mind-boggling if you think about it, 00:10:05.779 --> 00:10:06.959 that the creator of the universe 00:10:06.959 --> 00:10:09.819 who spoke the universe into existence 00:10:09.820 --> 00:10:11.760 would step into the creation 00:10:11.760 --> 00:10:12.940 that he had made 00:10:12.940 --> 00:10:14.800 as one of the creatures 00:10:14.800 --> 00:10:19.200 to live a life among them. 00:10:21.540 --> 00:10:23.760 But he did it because of his love for us. 00:10:23.820 --> 00:10:24.620 He came down, 00:10:24.940 --> 00:10:25.920 and the Bible tells us 00:10:25.920 --> 00:10:28.000 that Jesus was the only one ever 00:10:28.000 --> 00:10:29.840 to live the perfect life 00:10:29.840 --> 00:10:30.800 that we were supposed to live, 00:10:31.020 --> 00:10:33.860 to live in this perfect relationship with God. 00:10:33.860 --> 00:10:36.740 And at the end of his life, 00:10:36.879 --> 00:10:37.620 they killed him. 00:10:40.560 --> 00:10:41.700 And the Bible says 00:10:41.700 --> 00:10:43.279 that when they killed him, 00:10:44.240 --> 00:10:46.419 that the penalty that we owe 00:10:46.419 --> 00:10:48.180 for our rebellion against God 00:10:48.180 --> 00:10:51.000 was paid by him on our behalf, 00:10:52.000 --> 00:10:54.759 which makes a new relationship with God 00:10:54.759 --> 00:10:57.120 possible for each and every one of us. 00:10:57.899 --> 00:11:00.720 And this is very good news for us 00:11:00.720 --> 00:11:02.740 because this is the only way 00:11:02.740 --> 00:11:04.420 that this problem of selfishness 00:11:04.420 --> 00:11:05.519 in our hearts can be healed, 00:11:05.600 --> 00:11:07.660 the only way that we can have a path 00:11:07.660 --> 00:11:09.500 towards true peace. 00:11:10.639 --> 00:11:13.440 Because as long as my deepest need 00:11:13.440 --> 00:11:15.040 for this relationship with God 00:11:15.040 --> 00:11:17.460 and for the peace and love and security 00:11:17.460 --> 00:11:19.480 and joy and hope that come from it, 00:11:20.080 --> 00:11:22.300 as long as this need is not met, 00:11:22.399 --> 00:11:23.820 I'm going to grasp for it 00:11:23.820 --> 00:11:26.240 in anything that I think 00:11:26.240 --> 00:11:28.240 can possibly sustain me. 00:11:28.240 --> 00:11:31.500 But once this need is met, 00:11:32.419 --> 00:11:34.080 then I have the ability and freedom 00:11:34.080 --> 00:11:35.759 to respond with love 00:11:35.759 --> 00:11:37.360 and patience to others 00:11:37.360 --> 00:11:38.759 when they bother me. 00:11:40.080 --> 00:11:41.180 I have the responsibility, 00:11:41.360 --> 00:11:43.100 or I have, yes, the responsibility, 00:11:43.299 --> 00:11:44.220 but also the ability 00:11:44.220 --> 00:11:46.480 to forego my rights 00:11:46.480 --> 00:11:48.899 for the sake of other people. 00:11:50.600 --> 00:11:52.860 Peace with God that we get through Jesus 00:11:52.860 --> 00:11:54.759 leads to peace with others, 00:11:54.960 --> 00:11:57.519 and it's the only true path to peace. 00:11:58.799 --> 00:12:00.399 Which brings us to one of 00:12:00.399 --> 00:12:02.019 the most important things 00:12:02.019 --> 00:12:03.220 that I want to talk about today 00:12:03.220 --> 00:12:04.460 about Jesus coming, 00:12:04.560 --> 00:12:06.519 the fact, as we discussed with the kids, 00:12:06.799 --> 00:12:09.340 that Jesus came for us. 00:12:10.720 --> 00:12:12.360 Jesus wasn't just born in a manger. 00:12:12.560 --> 00:12:16.100 Jesus was born in a manger for us. 00:12:17.220 --> 00:12:18.500 You know, I think it's easy sometimes 00:12:18.500 --> 00:12:20.060 in the world today to talk about peace 00:12:20.060 --> 00:12:22.259 because it's such a big, broad topic 00:12:22.259 --> 00:12:23.980 that it's easy to talk about it 00:12:23.980 --> 00:12:24.680 at arm's length 00:12:24.680 --> 00:12:26.700 and not have to get involved in anything 00:12:26.700 --> 00:12:28.120 because there's such a big problem, 00:12:28.240 --> 00:12:29.640 there's nothing we could ever do about it. 00:12:31.020 --> 00:12:33.379 But Jesus coming as the prince of peace 00:12:33.379 --> 00:12:35.200 for us tells us 00:12:35.200 --> 00:12:36.480 that what he did 00:12:36.480 --> 00:12:38.040 and what he calls us to 00:12:38.040 --> 00:12:39.360 in the cause of peace 00:12:39.360 --> 00:12:41.020 does involve us, 00:12:41.040 --> 00:12:42.300 and we can't talk about it 00:12:42.300 --> 00:12:43.820 at arm's length anymore. 00:12:44.080 --> 00:12:45.740 We have to respond. 00:12:47.360 --> 00:12:48.060 You know, this, 00:12:48.340 --> 00:12:49.180 the past couple days, 00:12:49.259 --> 00:12:50.320 my wife and I have had gifts 00:12:50.320 --> 00:12:51.500 under the tree for each other, 00:12:51.500 --> 00:12:53.340 and as long as the gift 00:12:53.340 --> 00:12:54.799 was wrapped up underneath the tree, 00:12:54.899 --> 00:12:56.620 it didn't require any type of response. 00:12:57.059 --> 00:12:57.879 We just look at it 00:12:57.879 --> 00:12:58.659 and remain neutral 00:12:58.659 --> 00:13:00.100 because it could be something awesome 00:13:00.100 --> 00:13:01.120 and it could not be. 00:13:02.460 --> 00:13:03.259 But this morning, 00:13:03.519 --> 00:13:05.580 we went and we opened those gifts. 00:13:07.200 --> 00:13:09.019 And the moment that the gift is opened, 00:13:09.120 --> 00:13:10.899 you can't remain neutral to it anymore. 00:13:11.700 --> 00:13:13.139 If you just look at the gift 00:13:13.139 --> 00:13:14.200 that your wife gives you 00:13:14.200 --> 00:13:14.639 and you're like, 00:13:14.639 --> 00:13:17.779 oh, I'm remaining neutral. 00:13:19.340 --> 00:13:21.059 That's rejecting the gift. 00:13:21.980 --> 00:13:22.980 That's saying, 00:13:23.419 --> 00:13:24.879 I don't appreciate your gift. 00:13:25.000 --> 00:13:26.659 I cannot respond with a smile 00:13:26.659 --> 00:13:27.539 or a thank you. 00:13:28.779 --> 00:13:30.019 I'm rejecting it. 00:13:30.600 --> 00:13:32.100 As soon as a gift is given, 00:13:32.299 --> 00:13:33.679 we have to respond to it. 00:13:33.779 --> 00:13:35.799 Not responding is no longer an option. 00:13:37.179 --> 00:13:39.960 And what we see when it comes to Jesus 00:13:39.960 --> 00:13:43.179 is that he has been given to us. 00:13:43.259 --> 00:13:44.379 That's what Christmas is about. 00:13:44.779 --> 00:13:46.559 Jesus has been given to us 00:13:46.559 --> 00:13:49.399 as this perfect prince of peace. 00:13:49.399 --> 00:13:52.120 And we now need to respond. 00:13:52.819 --> 00:13:54.039 Every single one of us, 00:13:54.100 --> 00:13:55.279 whether you're a Christian or not, 00:13:55.519 --> 00:13:58.079 we need to respond to this gift. 00:13:59.139 --> 00:14:01.059 Neutrality is no longer an option. 00:14:01.220 --> 00:14:03.860 Neutrality is a form of rejection. 00:14:05.340 --> 00:14:06.879 So if you're here today 00:14:06.879 --> 00:14:11.559 and you have never trusted in Jesus before 00:14:11.559 --> 00:14:13.779 to be your prince of peace, 00:14:13.840 --> 00:14:16.399 to give you this relationship with God, 00:14:16.399 --> 00:14:18.919 my question for you is, 00:14:19.079 --> 00:14:20.980 will you trust him today? 00:14:21.079 --> 00:14:23.259 Will you receive this gift? 00:14:25.079 --> 00:14:28.379 Will you have this new relationship with God? 00:14:28.459 --> 00:14:30.039 And if you are here and you're like, 00:14:30.079 --> 00:14:31.980 I don't know what this guy is talking about, 00:14:32.340 --> 00:14:34.620 please come find me or Chris or Jeremy 00:14:34.620 --> 00:14:37.039 or someone around you after the service 00:14:37.039 --> 00:14:38.199 and ask us more about it 00:14:38.199 --> 00:14:39.559 because we would love to talk to you. 00:14:39.559 --> 00:14:42.500 But what we see from the fact 00:14:42.500 --> 00:14:45.199 that Jesus is the prince of peace 00:14:45.199 --> 00:14:47.599 is that rejecting him 00:14:47.599 --> 00:14:51.659 is choosing to hold on to our strife, 00:14:51.919 --> 00:14:53.299 to our selfishness, 00:14:53.500 --> 00:14:55.419 to the things inside our hearts 00:14:55.419 --> 00:14:58.759 that lead to these bigger problems in the world. 00:15:00.939 --> 00:15:02.299 And trusting in Jesus, 00:15:02.959 --> 00:15:04.459 accepting this gift 00:15:04.459 --> 00:15:07.019 of him as the prince of peace 00:15:07.019 --> 00:15:09.299 is taking a step 00:15:09.299 --> 00:15:12.879 towards contributing to peace in the world. 00:15:14.039 --> 00:15:15.079 If you're here today 00:15:15.079 --> 00:15:16.019 and you are a Christian, 00:15:16.100 --> 00:15:17.579 if you have trusted in Jesus before, 00:15:17.699 --> 00:15:19.699 you also have a choice. 00:15:21.720 --> 00:15:23.819 Are you going to take Jesus 00:15:23.819 --> 00:15:25.740 and just sort of put him on a shelf 00:15:25.740 --> 00:15:27.019 that you can look at 00:15:27.019 --> 00:15:29.100 but not really have to have it interact with your life? 00:15:30.059 --> 00:15:32.240 Or are you going to take this message 00:15:32.240 --> 00:15:33.679 and this truth about Jesus 00:15:33.679 --> 00:15:36.479 and let it shape the way that you live? 00:15:38.479 --> 00:15:40.000 Because Jesus came 00:15:40.000 --> 00:15:43.620 to bring peace on earth. 00:15:43.759 --> 00:15:45.419 If you look at the life that he lived, 00:15:45.500 --> 00:15:46.579 he was concerned about 00:15:46.579 --> 00:15:48.159 our relationship with God 00:15:48.159 --> 00:15:49.399 and peace in that relationship. 00:15:49.879 --> 00:15:51.899 He was also very concerned 00:15:51.899 --> 00:15:54.539 about peace among people on the earth. 00:15:54.620 --> 00:15:55.519 He came healing. 00:15:55.939 --> 00:15:58.859 He came restoring relationships and people. 00:15:58.860 --> 00:16:04.860 And he came to bring peace on the earth. 00:16:05.820 --> 00:16:06.740 And he said, 00:16:06.899 --> 00:16:08.080 blessed are the peacemakers 00:16:08.080 --> 00:16:10.279 because he expects that if we trust in him, 00:16:10.340 --> 00:16:11.440 if we are following him, 00:16:11.580 --> 00:16:13.259 we will be people contributing 00:16:13.259 --> 00:16:15.539 to the peace of our world. 00:16:15.620 --> 00:16:17.220 So if you are a Christian here today, 00:16:17.779 --> 00:16:20.500 how will you respond 00:16:20.500 --> 00:16:22.960 to this prince of peace? 00:16:22.960 --> 00:16:26.220 Are you going to still feel the need 00:16:26.220 --> 00:16:27.139 to hold on 00:16:27.139 --> 00:16:30.519 to what you think can get you 00:16:30.519 --> 00:16:32.080 satisfaction apart from him? 00:16:32.580 --> 00:16:34.480 Or are you going to place your hope in him 00:16:34.480 --> 00:16:38.820 and respond with selflessness? 00:16:40.259 --> 00:16:42.160 Because each of us comes into conflict 00:16:42.160 --> 00:16:43.240 every single day. 00:16:45.240 --> 00:16:46.660 Each of us has an opportunity 00:16:46.660 --> 00:16:48.379 to respond with selfishness 00:16:48.379 --> 00:16:50.240 and grasping for control, 00:16:50.400 --> 00:16:50.900 for power, 00:16:50.899 --> 00:16:51.500 for money, 00:16:51.679 --> 00:16:53.019 for whatever it is that we want. 00:16:54.699 --> 00:16:56.639 Or to respond with love, 00:16:57.240 --> 00:16:57.879 with patience, 00:16:58.360 --> 00:16:59.220 with joy. 00:17:00.519 --> 00:17:01.919 But we're only going to respond 00:17:01.919 --> 00:17:04.180 with love, patience, and joy 00:17:04.180 --> 00:17:06.859 if we know the prince of peace 00:17:06.859 --> 00:17:08.619 and have a relationship with him. 00:17:09.160 --> 00:17:10.700 So how will you respond 00:17:10.700 --> 00:17:12.480 to this gift today? 00:17:13.940 --> 00:17:15.180 I encourage you 00:17:15.180 --> 00:17:16.639 to accept this gift 00:17:16.639 --> 00:17:17.859 that God is offering to you 00:17:17.859 --> 00:17:19.099 and to trust in Jesus 00:17:19.099 --> 00:17:20.299 as your prince of peace. 00:17:20.299 --> 00:17:21.279 Let's pray. 00:17:23.159 --> 00:17:24.819 Father, we thank you for Christmas. 00:17:24.980 --> 00:17:27.279 We thank you for this amazing gift 00:17:27.279 --> 00:17:28.460 that you have given to us 00:17:28.460 --> 00:17:30.099 for the fact that your son 00:17:30.099 --> 00:17:31.799 came as one of us 00:17:31.799 --> 00:17:32.839 to rescue us, 00:17:33.039 --> 00:17:34.279 to set us free 00:17:34.279 --> 00:17:36.019 from our selfishness, 00:17:36.339 --> 00:17:37.339 to set us free 00:17:37.339 --> 00:17:37.980 from the things 00:17:37.980 --> 00:17:39.619 that cause so many problems 00:17:39.619 --> 00:17:40.139 in the world. 00:17:41.259 --> 00:17:42.079 We thank you 00:17:42.079 --> 00:17:43.460 that you have given us 00:17:43.460 --> 00:17:45.240 this prince of peace 00:17:45.240 --> 00:17:46.519 who is the path 00:17:46.519 --> 00:17:47.480 to true peace 00:17:47.480 --> 00:17:47.980 with you 00:17:47.980 --> 00:17:49.000 and with each other. 00:17:49.579 --> 00:17:50.500 We pray that today 00:17:50.500 --> 00:17:52.000 that we would accept this gift, 00:17:52.120 --> 00:17:53.279 that we would trust in him, 00:17:53.759 --> 00:17:54.559 that we would, 00:17:54.940 --> 00:17:55.700 through him, 00:17:56.099 --> 00:17:57.160 be able to love 00:17:57.160 --> 00:17:58.880 and serve one another. 00:18:00.700 --> 00:18:01.660 In Jesus' name, 00:18:02.079 --> 00:18:02.319 amen.