The Way of Hope: Keys to A Wonderful Life (Worship 12/7/25)

Devotional

Day 1: Believe in Jesus and love one another.

This passage calls believers to a simple, life-defining obedience: trust in the name of Jesus and let that trust overflow into love for others. When one keeps God's commands, the relationship is mutual—Christ lives in them and they in Him—and the Spirit is the proof of that union. This is the foundation for peace: faith toward God and active love toward neighbor are inseparable markers of life in Christ. [26:08]

1 John 3:23–24 (ESV)
And this is his commandment, that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us. Whoever keeps his commandments abides in him, and he in them. And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit whom he has given us.

Reflection: Where in your daily routine can you intentionally show love that stems from your belief in Jesus (a specific small act you can do this week), and how will you rely on the Spirit to make that love real?

Day 2: Peace with God through justification by faith.

Justification by faith declares that believers are made right with God and, because of that righteousness, enjoy peace with God through Jesus Christ. This peace is not merely an inner calm but a restored relationship that reshapes how one faces daily anxieties and future hopes. Claiming this peace means trusting that Christ’s work has settled the deepest breach and gives confidence for whatever comes. [37:16]

Romans 5:1 (ESV)
Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Reflection: Identify one worry or fear you carry about your standing before God; what specific truth of Christ’s justification can you speak to that fear this week to practice resting in peace?

Day 3: A Spirit-governed mind brings life and peace.

Setting the mind on the Spirit leads to life and peace, while living according to the flesh leads to death; this is a continual choice in daily thought patterns. The Holy Spirit renews thinking, guides understanding of God’s will, and enables behaviors that flow from life rather than anxiety. Practicing Spirit-centered thought reframes trials and produces the inner peace that shows in outward actions. [40:04]

Romans 8:6 (ESV)
For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.

Reflection: What recurring thought pattern tempts you toward fear or anger, and what one concrete habit (Scripture, prayer, a specific reminder) will you use this week to reorient that pattern toward the Spirit?

Day 4: The Holy Spirit comforts, teaches, and grants peace.

Jesus promises the Advocate who will teach, remind, and comfort, and he explicitly gives his peace—different from what the world offers—so hearts need not be troubled or afraid. The presence of the Spirit means God is actively working within believers to sustain them through storms with a peace rooted in Christ’s victory. Relying on this promise changes how one faces uncertainty: God’s Spirit is the constant companion who equips and calms. [41:43]

John 14:26–27 (ESV)
But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid.

Reflection: When fear rises, what short phrase or Scripture can you bring to mind in that moment to invite the Holy Spirit’s teaching and peace, and practice it deliberately the next time anxiety comes?

Day 5: Live at peace with everyone as possible.

Peace with others is a practical outworking of the gospel; believers are to pursue peaceful relations wherever it depends on them, beginning at home and extending into every encounter. This calls for patience in queues, kindness to tired workers, restraint in traffic, and generosity of spirit even when others offend. Such peace-bearing actions reflect the kingdom and make the gospel tangible to those who watch. [43:20]

Romans 12:18 (ESV)
If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.

Reflection: Name one strained relationship or recurring irritation in your life; what is one specific, peace-seeking action you will take this week (a phone call, an apology, a blessing, or choosing silence) to dependably pursue peace?

Sermon Summary

Advent invites us to prepare our hearts for the One who brings real peace. I shared Jimmy Stewart’s experience filming It’s a Wonderful Life, especially that unscripted moment in Martini’s when his quiet prayer shattered his composure and tears simply came. That honest cry for help is what many of us feel—uncertainty, fear, and longing for calm. True peace is not the absence of trouble; it is the presence of a Person. It is rooted in a right relationship with God through Jesus Christ and is sustained by the Holy Spirit. Romans says we are justified by faith and therefore have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus bears our sin so nothing stands between us and the Father. That settled relationship is the bedrock under our feet, even when life is stormy.

But peace does not stop there. The Spirit is our Advocate and Teacher, the One who breathes life into weary rooms and troubled minds. Jesus promised His peace—not as the world gives—and told us not to be afraid. This means we learn to think and live under the Spirit’s governance, not the flesh’s reflexes. From that inner foundation flows an outer call: “If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.” That starts at home, then at the table with a slow waiter, in the car when someone cuts us off, and at the DMV when patience feels expensive. Peacemaking is a thousand small acts of Kingdom obedience, chosen when no one claps.

Jesus’ command frames it all: “Love one another as I have loved you.” John tells us plainly that love for God cannot be separated from love for neighbor. The test of spiritual maturity is not the warmth of our feelings toward God but the shape of our love toward difficult people. I closed with the 1914 Christmas truce—guns grew quiet, Silent Night rose, enemies met, traded gifts, buried the dead, and played soccer. Christ’s presence turned a battlefield into holy ground. He still does. Let peace begin with us: receive the gift—right standing with God through Jesus—and become the gift—living at peace with one another.

Key Takeaways

1. Peace begins with being justified Peace with God is not earned; it’s received by faith in Jesus. When our guilt is carried by Christ, our souls stop striving because the verdict is settled. This peace is deeper than circumstance and steadier than feeling. It becomes the foundation from which courage and hope grow. [37:00]
2. The Holy Spirit anchors our calm Jesus gives His peace by giving His Spirit, our Advocate and Teacher. Learning to be governed by the Spirit reorders our reflexes—from fear to trust, from reaction to prayer. As we yield our minds and moments, we find a steady presence in the storm, not the promise of stormless days. That Presence changes how we walk through what we cannot change. [41:24]
3. Pursue peace as far as possible Paul’s call is practical: start at home, then extend peace to friends, strangers, and even irritations that expose our impatience. Peacemaking is often choosing restraint over vindication and blessing over blame. When we let small daily interactions become altars of obedience, we discover peace spreads like light in a dark room. Ordinary choices become sacred ground. [43:20]
4. Love for people reveals love for God Scripture ties love of God to love of neighbor so tightly that to sever one is to lose both. The cross-shaped life refuses to treat people as obstacles, even when they are difficult. We embody the gospel when our care for the seen proves our devotion to the Unseen. This is how peace takes on flesh in a fractured world. [47:19]
5. Christ turns battlefields into holy ground The 1914 Christmas truce shows how the presence of Jesus can interrupt cycles of fear and hostility. When worship rises, weapons lower; when faces are seen, enemies become neighbors. Choose to lay down the small “arms” we carry—sarcasm, scorekeeping, cold shoulders—and watch spaces change. Christ still writes unexpected peace into impossible places. [52:40]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[25:33] - Scripture Reading: 1 John 3:23-24
[26:08] - Opening Prayer for Advent Peace
[27:07] - Why It’s a Wonderful Life Matters
[29:36] - Capra’s Idea and Stewart’s Yes
[31:49] - Martini’s Prayer: Tears and Presence
[35:20] - An Ordinary Life Lived Honorably
[35:50] - Defining True Peace
[37:00] - Peace with God: Justified by Faith
[39:02] - The Holy Spirit Gives Life and Peace
[41:24] - “My Peace I Give You”
[43:20] - Live at Peace with Everyone
[45:55] - Everyday Peacemaking: Roads, Restaurants, Lines
[46:54] - Love One Another as Jesus Loved
[47:19] - 1 John: Love Proves Our Confession
[49:53] - Silent Night on the Western Front
[51:41] - Christmas Truce: Battlefield to Holy Ground
[54:38] - Invitation to the Table of Peace
[56:12] - Words over the Cup: New Covenant
[57:47] - Prayer: One with God and One Another
[58:27] - John 3:16 and the Cup of Salvation
[62:49] - Closing and Communion Serving

Bible Study Guide

Bible reading (ESV)
1 John 3:23-24
And this is his commandment, that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us. 24 Whoever keeps his commandments abides in him, and he in them. And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit whom he has given us.

Observation questions

What two commands are given in 1 John 3:23, and how does verse 24 link those commands to signs of God’s presence?
In 1 John 3:24, what is described as the evidence that “he abides in us”? How would a group recognize that evidence in a person’s life?
The unscripted prayer in Martini’s—“If you are there, help me”—became a public moment of honest need and tears. What details from that scene make it a vivid example of longing for God’s presence? [32:50]
The 1914 Christmas truce included singing, candles, shared gifts, burying the dead, and even a soccer game. Which of those details stand out as proof that worship and shared humanity interrupted hostility? [49:53]

Interpretation questions (third-person)

How should “believe in the name of his Son” be understood as the foundation for the command to “love one another” in 1 John 3:23?
What does the phrase “by the Spirit whom he has given us” imply about the Spirit’s role in producing love for difficult people and in proving that one abides in Christ? [41:24]
How does the doctrine that believers are “justified through faith” change a person’s inner footing so that pursuing peace with others becomes possible rather than merely idealistic? [37:00]
How should the qualification “as far as it depends on you” shape expectations about responsibility for reconciliation and limits to personal obligation? [43:20]

Application questions (specific and personal)

Peace with God is received by faith. When did the participant first rest in that peace, and how does that settled standing before God alter the way they face current fears or anxieties? [37:00]
The Spirit is given to teach and re-order our minds. In a current situation of impatience or fear, what one thought or automatic reaction does the participant want the Spirit to change, and what small, concrete response will they practice instead? [41:24]
“Live at peace with everyone, as far as it depends on you.” Identify one strained relationship at home, work, or church where the participant can take a concrete step this week toward peace. What exactly will they do and when? [43:20]
Think of a recent ordinary irritant (someone cutting you off in traffic, a slow waiter, a long line at the DMV). How could the participant turn a similar next moment into an act of blessing rather than reaction—what will they say or do? [45:55]
The Christmas truce shows enemies becoming neighbors when worship and human recognition break through. Who is one person the participant finds hardest to love, and what one simple, tangible gesture of neighborliness could they offer this month? [51:41]
Ordinary days matter. Choose one routine place (kitchen table, commute, workplace) where the participant will intentionally practice a small act of peacemaking this week. What will they do, and how will they notice whether it changes the tone of that space? [43:20]

Sermon Clips

Why have I shared that long introduction to this message? It's because that's what God wants to make sure that we understand today as we consider peace. As we consider true peace in our life. True peace is found in a right relationship with God. And in a right relationship with one another. That's true peace. That was the message of It's a Wonderful Life. It's the message Jimmy Stewart gave in the interview. And it's true for us today. [00:35:23] (39 seconds) #PeaceStartsWithRelationship

We have ultimate peace. True peace in that relationship with God. Through faith in Jesus. The Christ child that came at Christmas. The one that we're waiting to come back again. May we never take this for granted. That this is peace that rises above the day-to-day challenges. This is peace in knowing where we're headed. This is peace that gives us confidence that we can tackle anything that we face because He's in charge. And He is working for the good for those who love Him. And that's the peace that we have through faith in Jesus Christ. [00:37:14] (44 seconds) #UltimatePeaceInChrist

There's a barrier between us and God. And what Jesus did on the cross, according to this verse, is He bore our sin on the cross. He took it so that we would be able to have that right relationship with God. And so we could live out that right relationship with the world. Friends, true peace is grounded, it's founded in a right relationship with God. [00:38:39] (30 seconds) #CrossBringsReconciliation

And so, Jesus is saying, Hey, you're going to have the Holy Spirit. He's talking to His disciples. He's telling them, I'm going away. And where I'm going, you can't go right now. But I won't leave you orphaned. I'll appeal to God and He'll send you my Spirit, the Holy Spirit, to be a comforter, to be an advocate, to help you, to come alongside you in this journey of life and faith. And so, so important for us to understand that. And He'll teach you all things, remind you of everything I've said. [00:40:50] (37 seconds) #HolySpiritComforter

Friend, it's through the Holy Spirit, God with us, God coming alongside us, that He gives us His peace, that no matter what storm we're facing, it's going to be okay because He is with us in it. No matter what storm of life that we're challenged by, it's going to be okay because we know that He has overcome all things and that we too will overcome. We too will get past any challenge for we have a promise, not only a blessing on this side of heaven, but eternal life with Jesus in the kingdom of heaven. Praise be to God. So important for us to understand that. [00:41:43] (47 seconds) #SpiritGivesPeace

Jesus loved us sacrificially. So much so, He gave His life for us. He bore our sin, our shame on the cross. And we're called to love others in the same way. And so may we always seek to share the way of hope. May we always seek to live out the peace of God, the true peace. A right relationship with God, a right relationship with each other. [00:46:52] (27 seconds) #LoveLikeJesus

German soldiers, British soldiers said the same thing. It was amazing how in that moment the field of battle was transformed into a moment of peace and goodwill towards men. It was a moment where the battlefield was transformed and the Christ of Christmas became aware to every person on that battlefield. They said the next day at Christmas they continued to share with each other with gifts. They buried each other's dead together from no man's land. Even a soccer game came about and that was an actual picture of the soccer game that took place in no man's land in that Christmas truce of 1914. [00:51:38] (52 seconds) #ChristmasTruce1914

Friends, the battlefield was transformed due to the celebration of the greatest gift the world has ever received. Due to the life, death, and resurrection of a Savior who's not dead, who's still alive through the power of His Holy Spirit, who's come to save the world, who's come to give peace and goodwill towards human beings. Just like that battlefield, may we know that true peace comes through faith in Jesus Christ, a right relationship with God and a right relationship with others. [00:52:30] (45 seconds) #BattlefieldToPeace

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