Watch video on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jzdGwoJdOvs
Program Transcript
Advent—Peace
The world is often noisy, filled with breaking headlines, buzzing phones, endless responsibilities, and restless hearts. It can feel like standing in the middle of a storm with winds pulling us in every direction. And yet, in the middle of chaos, there is a stillness, a quiet center where we can rest. This is the peace of Christ.
Advent invites us to remember that
Jesus is our peace.
He is our peace in the midst of confusion, trauma, trial, and tribulation.
He is our peace in the midst of everyday life as we balance family, work, community, and church.
His peace grounds us in our true identity as the beloved of Father, Son, and Spirit.
And the peace of Christ doesn’t stop there. It calls us to look forward—to a time when all will be at peace. This peace is more than the absence of conflict. It is a state of wholeness, calm, and deep connection to God and one another.
As we light the second candle of Advent, we ask:
Where do you need the peace of Christ most in your life right now?
How might you share his peace with someone else this week?
1 A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse;
from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.
2 The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him—
the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding,
the Spirit of counsel and of might,
the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the Lord—
3 and he will delight in the fear of the Lord.
He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes,
or decide by what he hears with his ears;
4 but with righteousness he will judge the needy,
with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth.
He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth;
with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked.
5 Righteousness will be his belt
and faithfulness the sash around his waist.
6 The wolf will live with the lamb,
the leopard will lie down with the goat,
the calf and the lion and the yearling[a] together;
and a little child will lead them.
7 The cow will feed with the bear,
their young will lie down together,
and the lion will eat straw like the ox.
8 The infant will play near the cobra’s den,
and the young child will put its hand into the viper’s nest.
9 They will neither harm nor destroy
on all my holy mountain,
for the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord
as the waters cover the sea.
10 In that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples; the nations will rally to him, and his resting place will be glorious.
Isaiah 11:1–10 (NIV)
In this second week of Advent, may we rest in the peace of Christ—peace that calms our hearts, restores our relationships, and points us to the wholeness of God’s coming kingdom.
Program Transcript
Advent—Peace
The world is often noisy, filled with breaking headlines, buzzing phones, endless responsibilities, and restless hearts. It can feel like standing in the middle of a storm with winds pulling us in every direction. And yet, in the middle of chaos, there is a stillness, a quiet center where we can rest. This is the peace of Christ.
Advent invites us to remember that
Jesus is our peace.
He is our peace in the midst of confusion, trauma, trial, and tribulation.
He is our peace in the midst of everyday life as we balance family, work, community, and church.
His peace grounds us in our true identity as the beloved of Father, Son, and Spirit.
And the peace of Christ doesn’t stop there. It calls us to look forward—to a time when all will be at peace. This peace is more than the absence of conflict. It is a state of wholeness, calm, and deep connection to God and one another.
As we light the second candle of Advent, we ask:
Where do you need the peace of Christ most in your life right now?
How might you share his peace with someone else this week?
1 A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse;
from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.
2 The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him—
the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding,
the Spirit of counsel and of might,
the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the Lord—
3 and he will delight in the fear of the Lord.
He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes,
or decide by what he hears with his ears;
4 but with righteousness he will judge the needy,
with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth.
He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth;
with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked.
5 Righteousness will be his belt
and faithfulness the sash around his waist.
6 The wolf will live with the lamb,
the leopard will lie down with the goat,
the calf and the lion and the yearling[a] together;
and a little child will lead them.
7 The cow will feed with the bear,
their young will lie down together,
and the lion will eat straw like the ox.
8 The infant will play near the cobra’s den,
and the young child will put its hand into the viper’s nest.
9 They will neither harm nor destroy
on all my holy mountain,
for the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord
as the waters cover the sea.
10 In that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples; the nations will rally to him, and his resting place will be glorious.
Isaiah 11:1–10 (NIV)
In this second week of Advent, may we rest in the peace of Christ—peace that calms our hearts, restores our relationships, and points us to the wholeness of God’s coming kingdom.
Psalm 72:1–7, 18–19 • Isaiah 11:1–10 • Romans 15:4–13 • Matthew 3:1–12
Today is Advent 2. As we continue through this season of waiting, we wait for the coming of the Lord. Advent focuses on three “comings” — Jesus’ arrival in history as the babe born of the virgin Mary, his glorious return at the end of the age, and his intermediate entrance into and presence in our personal lives. Advent includes looking back and looking forward, looking in wonder at the promises of God from beginning to end. The whole of the Old Testament is the text for Advent. Today’s passages focus on certain prophecies about Jesus and what he will bring for all — peace.
The theme for Advent 2 is peace. Jesus is our peace, our peace during times of confusion, trauma, trial, and tribulation. He is our peace in everyday life as we balance family, work, community, and participation in church. His peace reminds us of our true identity as the beloved of Father, Son, and Spirit. His peace enables us to look forward to a time to come when all will be at peace — which is more than the absence of conflict. It is a state of calm, a personal connection to the relationship with the Trinity and with each other.
We recommend you begin your worship service with a focus on Advent, which might include focusing on the theme of peace, reading Scripture, lighting the second Advent candle, and offering a prayer of gratitude for the peace we have in Jesus.
This week’s sermon theme is Jesus offers true peace. In our call to worship psalm, David shares that our hope for true peace comes from the king of righteousness, “who alone does wonderous things.” The prophet Isaiah talks about the shoot of Jesse, a ruler who will bring justice and peace — a peace that includes all of nature. “They will not hurt or destroy on all my holy mountain, for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord.” Paul encourages believers in Rome to live together in peace as an example to Gentiles, who will also praise God. Matthew shares the story of John the Baptist, the messenger who points to Jesus, the one who gathers us to the winnowing floor to purify us and give us peace.
Pointing to the Peace-bringer
Matthew 3:1–12 NIV
Today is Advent 2 and the theme for this day of Advent focuses on the peace that Jesus brings. Peace doesn’t just mean the absence of conflict, peace is a state of freedom — something we only receive from the One who gives us freedom — and that is our Lord, Jesus. Freedom is more than an escape from violence, it is also freedom from anxiety, turmoil, fear, obsession, and depression. Jesus gives us the freedom to live in our true identity — but we are getting ahead of ourselves. True freedom gives us peace, and that’s the theme of this second week of Advent.
Our Bible passage for the day is Matthew 3:1–12, where we read about John the Baptist. As we read this, let’s see what it shows us about a person of peace, and what the true role of a person of peace entails. We might just see that we’ve been called to be people of peace.
So, let’s read the text. (Read, or have someone read, Matthew 3:1–12.)
Let’s notice what John’s message was.
In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” Matthew 3:1–2 NIV
Right away, John tells people to repent. This word for repent in the Greek is metanoia and means to change one’s heart and mind. More literally, it means to change direction, to stop going in one direction — the wrong way — and start going in a new direction — the right way. This word conveys an action, an active change in the way one thinks.
So, what is the change John is telling them to make? “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” What he is asking them to change is how they think about the kingdom of heaven. It is not some far-off ethereal concept or doctrine. It is near. It is tangible. It will soon be evident.
This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah: “A voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.’” Matthew 3:3 NIV
Matthew then gives the reference for John’s ministry by quoting from Isaiah 40. When the apostle Matthew wrote this, he knew that when a portion of a passage of Scripture was quoted, the reader would remember the rest of the passage. For this reason, it’s important to note the first couple of verses of Isaiah 40 as well. Here God comforts Jerusalem and tells her that her hard service has been completed and her sin paid for (See Isaiah 40:1–3).
That’s certainly a new way of thinking. When John the Baptist was preaching, people offered sacrifices to atone for their sins. Add to this that they were under Roman dominion. To be reminded that their sin is paid for and to hear that the kingdom was near was great news.
Of course, they had heard this before. There were many false prophets who proclaimed to have a special message from God. They tried to influence people and get followers. They often said what people wanted to hear. They were charismatic and exciting to follow. John was different.
John’s clothes were made of camel’s hair, and he had a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey. People went out to him from Jerusalem and all Judea and the whole region of the Jordan. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River. Matthew 3:4–6 NIV
What was it about John the Baptist that made so many people want to go out to the desert to see him? Perhaps out of curiosity.
- He was preaching and baptizing in the Judean wilderness, an area most people would avoid and certainly not where someone would choose to live.
- John didn’t go into the towns to get people to follow him like false prophets would; the people came to him.
- He must have been striking, with his camel-hair garment and leather belt. He wasn’t decked in robes and other nice garments, giving the impression that he was special or especially blessed.
- His diet was “locusts and wild honey,” which was the biblical way of saying that John the Baptist was authentic.
- Rather than telling others what they wanted to hear, he challenged his listeners. He told them they had to change the way they were thinking. He spoke truth.
John was the genuine article, and people responded. They were praying for change; they were hoping for a Messiah; they wanted peace. Of course, their hope was that peace would come through a new king or kingdom that would overpower Rome. They were hoping for a revolution and the end of Rome’s dominion. They had to change the way they thought about the Messiah and about the kingdom of heaven.
But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to where he was baptizing, he said to them: “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not think you can say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire. Matthew 3:7–10 NIV
Here, again, John tells the religious leaders to change the way they think. “Produce fruit showing that you are willing to change. Show proof that you are more interested in serving God and his people rather than your own interests. Don’t think you are safe from the change that is coming because you are the sons of Abraham; you are not exempt from changing the way you think about the kingdom of heaven. God can raise stones that cry out loyalty to Abraham. He wants to see a change of heart. You call out for peace, but you aren’t seeking peace. You bring nothing but burdens to the people; you act as judges rather than peacekeepers. The tree you are hanging onto has already been cut down. What is cut will be thrown into the fire. Your way does not lead to change; the presence of the kingdom of heaven is what brings about change. The kingdom is at hand — open your eyes and see it.”
Then John goes further and points to the real peace-bringer:
I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me comes one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor, gathering his wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire. Matthew 3:11–12 NIV
This is the crux of John’s message. Don’t change the way you think because of who I am or what I say. I am only leading you to a baptism of water, cleansing you from the way you used to think so you can accept the One who comes after me. He is the change-bringer. He is the One who brings peace. He is the One who will baptize you with the Holy Spirit, which will change you from the inside out.
Let’s read this from the Message Bible, a paraphrase of the Bible that might make this a bit clearer.
I’m baptizing you here in the river, turning your old life in for a kingdom life. The real action comes next: The main character in this drama—compared to him I’m a mere stagehand—will ignite the kingdom life within you, a fire within you, the Holy Spirit within you, changing you from the inside out. He’s going to clean house—make a clean sweep of your lives. He’ll place everything true in its proper place before God; everything false he’ll put out with the trash to be burned. Matthew 3:11–12 MSG
This is what brings real peace — following the peace-bringer, Jesus. He is the One who changes our heart. He is the One who brings us healing from our anxiety, turmoil, fear, obsession, and depression. He is the One who gives us the freedom to live in our true identity as children of God. He is the One and only peace-bringer that lasts.
This week, spend time with Father, Son, and Spirit and share your anxieties, fears, worries, shames, doubts, and disbeliefs. Ask him to help you repent — to help you change the way you think about him and your relationship to and with him. Ask him to help you see how he lives in you through the Holy Spirit. Ask him to give you his peace. Go boldly to Jesus with the expectation that he will help you repent. And then look for ways to share the good news that Jesus brings peace.
Paul Young—Year C Advent 2
Listen to audio: https://cloud.gci.org/dl/GReverb/GR070-Young-YearC-Advent2.mp3
Sunday, December 7, 2025 — Second Sunday of Advent
Matthew 3:1-12 NRSVUE
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Program Transcript
Paul Young—Year C Advent 2
Anthony: All right, we’re here to talk about the lectionary text for this month. Our first passage of the month is Matthew 3:1–12. I’m going to be reading from the NRSVUE. It is a Revised Common Lectionary passage for the second Sunday of Advent, December 7, and it reads,
In those days John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness of Judea, proclaiming, 2 “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” 3 This is the one of whom the prophet Isaiah spoke when he said, “The voice of one crying out in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord; make his paths straight.’” 4 Now John wore clothing of camel’s hair with a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey. 5 Then Jerusalem and all Judea and all the region around the Jordan were going out to him, 6 and they were baptized by him in the River Jordan, confessing their sins. 7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming for his baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? 8 Therefore, bear fruit worthy of repentance, 9 and do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our ancestor,’ for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham. 10 Even now the ax is lying at the root of the trees; therefore every tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire. 11 “I baptize you with water for repentance, but the one who is coming after me is more powerful than I, and I am not worthy to carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 12 His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and will gather his wheat into the granary, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”
So, it says the kingdom of heaven has come near. So said John the Baptist. And yet we just look out into the world. And I’m thinking about a podcast of viewers I just recently listened to that dealt with ideology and how it can be weaponized and just so much division and hurt and outrage. Was John the Baptist wrong? Is the kingdom of heaven near? And if so, help us see the reality, because this is what I believe: When theology is neglected, ideology rushes in to take its place, often cloaked in religious language. And that causes problems. And I know I’m hitting on a couple of subjects here but just tell us about this kingdom of heaven that’s come near even in the face of so much adversity in the world.
Paul: I love the way that it’s written. It says, “The kingdom of heaven has come near. This is the one …”
Anthony: Yes.
Paul: The kingdom of heaven is as near to us as Jesus is. So, the identification here is between Jesus and the kingdom of heaven. And so, where is he? Was John the Baptist wrong? Absolutely not. But he identified the kingdom of heaven as the person of Jesus or the writer did.
And so, where is Jesus? Where is the kingdom of heaven? Elsewhere it says “the kingdom of heaven is in you.” Jesus says, “On that day, you’ll know I’m in the Father, you are in me, and I am in you.” So, when it’s saying the kingdom of a heaven is at hand, John the Baptist, in terms of how this is written, has got a twinkle in his eye, and he’s like, “Ah, kingdom of heaven is near.” And that’s because Jesus is near.
And so, right from the get go, we have to not think of the kingdom of heaven as a geographical place or as a nationalistic place or as any of those things that we get stuck on. But it’s a person. And that person dwells in you. In fact, that person dwells in every single person who has ever been conceived.
Paul in Acts 17 says basically the same thing. And he’s announcing it to pagans. It’s like, “You are the children of God, and so you might seek him because he’s near.” And again, I think Paul had a twinkle in his eye. And so he is, he’s making the case, “You live and move and have your being in him.” And he’s talking about the same stuff. It’s like his Damascus Road verses, like when “God was pleased to reveal himself in me.” That’s his Damascus Road experience. That’s where he was blown away by the fact that Jesus, the kingdom of God, is in him. And he says, and now I preach him in the Gentiles. That’s the good news. Christ in you, right?
So no, there’s no mistaking here. What we see in the world is not, it’s not ideology that has gone wrong. It’s the existence of ideology, period. The kingdom of God is not ideology. The tree of life is not ideology. The tree of being right, the knowledge of good and evil, the independent decision that something is wrong and something is right — that’s not the tree of life. So anytime you get stuck, we get stuck, I get stuck making a declaration about, this is evil and this is good, and taking a stance against it, I’m not eating of the tree of life, which is love and relationship.
And that comes right down to our personal relationships, right down to the way that we love the person in front of us. And sometimes it’s harder to love a family member than it is to love a stranger. And I’m like, oh my gosh. I have been eating of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil most of my life.
And the new Jerusalem, the city of God — in Hebrews 12, it has come. We are already a part of it. And it’s not a mountain full of fire and all of that. It is the kingdom of God, the new Jerusalem. It is the body of Christ. It is all of these metaphors. And the river of life comes from within it, outwardly, through the gates. And it’s the trees on either side of that river of life are for the healing of the nations, as well as the fruit are for the healing of the nations.
That’s not ideology. And that city has no tree of the knowledge of good and evil in it. None whatsoever. That is the way the world functions. And I’m not talking about Paul. Are you saying that nothing is nothing is evil? Anything that is not love is not good. But that’s not what we do in our relationships. We declare, “I’m right. You’re wrong.” And we have to understand that ideology is religious ideology. My way of looking at God is right. Your way is wrong. So, my job is to change you. Well, if you’ve been around anybody that’s holding onto an ideology, you can argue until you’re dead. You’re not going to change them. And so, what changes anything?
Anthony: That’s right.
Paul: Love. The person in front of you does not need to know you’re right. They need to know that you love them. That’s the thing that is going to open up the heart, open up the world, and actually would change the world. Ideology just adds to the violence.
And ideology exists because people are fearful. There is no fear in love, and we don’t need to have an ideology at all. Love is the place of power. Love is that which actually changes the world. Fear just compounds the evil that’s in the world. And so, I want to be done eating of the tree of being right.
And we’re surrounded by so much information about so many things that we can do absolutely nothing about. And I was, like, stop. Just stop. If there is a person or situation that is right in front of you, respond to that because it’s real. All of this fear-based ideological stuff — it’s not real. It’s not eternal. Love is eternal, because love is the very nature of God who dwells in us.
And this is why people are all indwelt by the full presence of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. But God will not rip you through the bars of the prison you call home. That is not what love does. Love will climb into the place you are and love you until you’re ready to walk out of the prison.
Anthony: So, what I hear you saying is, the way that we can bear witness, faithful witness, to be a faithful expression of the Spirit who abides in us, is just to love the person in front of us. That’s the witness that the kingdom of heaven has come near. Is it not?
Paul: Yeah. And that’s the fruit. That’s what John the Baptist is going after. He’s going, like, repentance — that’s changing your mind. Look, if you’re saying your mind is changed, then bear fruit that matches it. Make sure that the ways of your being match the truth of who you are and the truth of who you are has got to be grounded in the very indwelling union that you have with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. That’s eating from the tree of life.
Anthony: And wouldn’t you say that repentance is not a one and done kind of scenario, but it’s ongoing? Because, I mean, every day, Paul, it seems like I fall flat on my face on something and realize, oh, I had that wrong. And there’s just this perpetual nature of having our minds renewed. Don’t you think that’s how repentance works?
Paul: Yeah. It’s an ongoing process — in our fear and trembling work out our salvation. The salvation is once complete, finished. Jesus does not have to die again for anybody. God submits to us because God loves us. And this is a God who submits by nature but continues to work in us. And we come to all this and in our fear and trembling, not about God, but just as the state of being human, we begin to work out with what has already been worked in.
And so, it’s all about living from the inside out. And so, your mind is going to be changed and renewed and renewed and renewed. And what challenges you? Like somebody said to me, I’ve got it right here. They said they thought they were complete human beings and then they got married. I personally think marriage would be a lot simpler if there wasn’t another person involved. And but that’s the …
Anthony: You said it not me.
Paul: I know. Let me talk to you about your marriage and see what buttons got touched and poked at. The part of the reason we love our enemies is because they can bring crap to the surface in ways that our friends wouldn’t. And it’s like, oh, when I have this kind of a visceral response to that person, that’s the exposure, and that’s the Holy Spirit bringing things to the surface in order to heal us. And love your enemies. Turn the other … it’s all Sermon on the Mount stuff.
Anthony: Thank God that he is a healing God. And like you said, salvation — one and done. It’s finished, it’s complete. But Lord, continue to renew our minds. Metanoia our minds over and over again and remind us of your goodness.
Program Transcript
Paul Young—Year C Advent 2
Anthony: All right, we’re here to talk about the lectionary text for this month. Our first passage of the month is Matthew 3:1–12. I’m going to be reading from the NRSVUE. It is a Revised Common Lectionary passage for the second Sunday of Advent, December 7, and it reads,
In those days John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness of Judea, proclaiming, 2 “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” 3 This is the one of whom the prophet Isaiah spoke when he said, “The voice of one crying out in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord; make his paths straight.’” 4 Now John wore clothing of camel’s hair with a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey. 5 Then Jerusalem and all Judea and all the region around the Jordan were going out to him, 6 and they were baptized by him in the River Jordan, confessing their sins. 7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming for his baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? 8 Therefore, bear fruit worthy of repentance, 9 and do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our ancestor,’ for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham. 10 Even now the ax is lying at the root of the trees; therefore every tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire. 11 “I baptize you with water for repentance, but the one who is coming after me is more powerful than I, and I am not worthy to carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 12 His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and will gather his wheat into the granary, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”
So, it says the kingdom of heaven has come near. So said John the Baptist. And yet we just look out into the world. And I’m thinking about a podcast of viewers I just recently listened to that dealt with ideology and how it can be weaponized and just so much division and hurt and outrage. Was John the Baptist wrong? Is the kingdom of heaven near? And if so, help us see the reality, because this is what I believe: When theology is neglected, ideology rushes in to take its place, often cloaked in religious language. And that causes problems. And I know I’m hitting on a couple of subjects here but just tell us about this kingdom of heaven that’s come near even in the face of so much adversity in the world.
Paul: I love the way that it’s written. It says, “The kingdom of heaven has come near. This is the one …”
Anthony: Yes.
Paul: The kingdom of heaven is as near to us as Jesus is. So, the identification here is between Jesus and the kingdom of heaven. And so, where is he? Was John the Baptist wrong? Absolutely not. But he identified the kingdom of heaven as the person of Jesus or the writer did.
And so, where is Jesus? Where is the kingdom of heaven? Elsewhere it says “the kingdom of heaven is in you.” Jesus says, “On that day, you’ll know I’m in the Father, you are in me, and I am in you.” So, when it’s saying the kingdom of a heaven is at hand, John the Baptist, in terms of how this is written, has got a twinkle in his eye, and he’s like, “Ah, kingdom of heaven is near.” And that’s because Jesus is near.
And so, right from the get go, we have to not think of the kingdom of heaven as a geographical place or as a nationalistic place or as any of those things that we get stuck on. But it’s a person. And that person dwells in you. In fact, that person dwells in every single person who has ever been conceived.
Paul in Acts 17 says basically the same thing. And he’s announcing it to pagans. It’s like, “You are the children of God, and so you might seek him because he’s near.” And again, I think Paul had a twinkle in his eye. And so he is, he’s making the case, “You live and move and have your being in him.” And he’s talking about the same stuff. It’s like his Damascus Road verses, like when “God was pleased to reveal himself in me.” That’s his Damascus Road experience. That’s where he was blown away by the fact that Jesus, the kingdom of God, is in him. And he says, and now I preach him in the Gentiles. That’s the good news. Christ in you, right?
So no, there’s no mistaking here. What we see in the world is not, it’s not ideology that has gone wrong. It’s the existence of ideology, period. The kingdom of God is not ideology. The tree of life is not ideology. The tree of being right, the knowledge of good and evil, the independent decision that something is wrong and something is right — that’s not the tree of life. So anytime you get stuck, we get stuck, I get stuck making a declaration about, this is evil and this is good, and taking a stance against it, I’m not eating of the tree of life, which is love and relationship.
And that comes right down to our personal relationships, right down to the way that we love the person in front of us. And sometimes it’s harder to love a family member than it is to love a stranger. And I’m like, oh my gosh. I have been eating of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil most of my life.
And the new Jerusalem, the city of God — in Hebrews 12, it has come. We are already a part of it. And it’s not a mountain full of fire and all of that. It is the kingdom of God, the new Jerusalem. It is the body of Christ. It is all of these metaphors. And the river of life comes from within it, outwardly, through the gates. And it’s the trees on either side of that river of life are for the healing of the nations, as well as the fruit are for the healing of the nations.
That’s not ideology. And that city has no tree of the knowledge of good and evil in it. None whatsoever. That is the way the world functions. And I’m not talking about Paul. Are you saying that nothing is nothing is evil? Anything that is not love is not good. But that’s not what we do in our relationships. We declare, “I’m right. You’re wrong.” And we have to understand that ideology is religious ideology. My way of looking at God is right. Your way is wrong. So, my job is to change you. Well, if you’ve been around anybody that’s holding onto an ideology, you can argue until you’re dead. You’re not going to change them. And so, what changes anything?
Anthony: That’s right.
Paul: Love. The person in front of you does not need to know you’re right. They need to know that you love them. That’s the thing that is going to open up the heart, open up the world, and actually would change the world. Ideology just adds to the violence.
And ideology exists because people are fearful. There is no fear in love, and we don’t need to have an ideology at all. Love is the place of power. Love is that which actually changes the world. Fear just compounds the evil that’s in the world. And so, I want to be done eating of the tree of being right.
And we’re surrounded by so much information about so many things that we can do absolutely nothing about. And I was, like, stop. Just stop. If there is a person or situation that is right in front of you, respond to that because it’s real. All of this fear-based ideological stuff — it’s not real. It’s not eternal. Love is eternal, because love is the very nature of God who dwells in us.
And this is why people are all indwelt by the full presence of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. But God will not rip you through the bars of the prison you call home. That is not what love does. Love will climb into the place you are and love you until you’re ready to walk out of the prison.
Anthony: So, what I hear you saying is, the way that we can bear witness, faithful witness, to be a faithful expression of the Spirit who abides in us, is just to love the person in front of us. That’s the witness that the kingdom of heaven has come near. Is it not?
Paul: Yeah. And that’s the fruit. That’s what John the Baptist is going after. He’s going, like, repentance — that’s changing your mind. Look, if you’re saying your mind is changed, then bear fruit that matches it. Make sure that the ways of your being match the truth of who you are and the truth of who you are has got to be grounded in the very indwelling union that you have with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. That’s eating from the tree of life.
Anthony: And wouldn’t you say that repentance is not a one and done kind of scenario, but it’s ongoing? Because, I mean, every day, Paul, it seems like I fall flat on my face on something and realize, oh, I had that wrong. And there’s just this perpetual nature of having our minds renewed. Don’t you think that’s how repentance works?
Paul: Yeah. It’s an ongoing process — in our fear and trembling work out our salvation. The salvation is once complete, finished. Jesus does not have to die again for anybody. God submits to us because God loves us. And this is a God who submits by nature but continues to work in us. And we come to all this and in our fear and trembling, not about God, but just as the state of being human, we begin to work out with what has already been worked in.
And so, it’s all about living from the inside out. And so, your mind is going to be changed and renewed and renewed and renewed. And what challenges you? Like somebody said to me, I’ve got it right here. They said they thought they were complete human beings and then they got married. I personally think marriage would be a lot simpler if there wasn’t another person involved. And but that’s the …
Anthony: You said it not me.
Paul: I know. Let me talk to you about your marriage and see what buttons got touched and poked at. The part of the reason we love our enemies is because they can bring crap to the surface in ways that our friends wouldn’t. And it’s like, oh, when I have this kind of a visceral response to that person, that’s the exposure, and that’s the Holy Spirit bringing things to the surface in order to heal us. And love your enemies. Turn the other … it’s all Sermon on the Mount stuff.
Anthony: Thank God that he is a healing God. And like you said, salvation — one and done. It’s finished, it’s complete. But Lord, continue to renew our minds. Metanoia our minds over and over again and remind us of your goodness.
Small Group Discussion Questions
- When you hear someone talk about peace, what comes to mind? Has this message given you a better understanding of the peace Jesus offers?
- Read John 14:27 and discuss what this means to you.
- What repentance do you need to experience? What do you need to change about the way you think about Jesus? His relationship with you? His relationship with others?
- How is Advent 2 helping you prepare for the celebration of the Incarnation?
