The Heart of Christmas-Peace

The Heart Of Christmas: Week 3

Find Peace In The Heart Of Christmas

Scripture: Luke 2:8-14 // Colossians 1:19-22 // Matthew 5:9

Each week it seems there are more and more things that the devil would use to rob our peace,

And THIS week was no exception.

But at the heart of this season is the promised birth of thee Prince of Peace.

Isaiah 9:6 (LSB) For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; … And His name will be called … [the] Prince of Peace.

So let’s turn our FULL attention to Him.

Make no mistake, there is a war, constant battles for the peace God gives.

The devil does everything he can to steal our peace — I mean, he even tried to kill the Prince of Peace as He came into this world:

Revelation 12:1–4 (LSB) And a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. 2 And she was with child, and she cried out, being in labor and in pain to give birth. 3 Then another sign appeared in heaven: and behold, a great red dragon having seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads were seven diadems. 4 And his tail swept away a third of the stars of heaven and threw them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she gave birth he might devour her child.

There are a lot of symbols here, but Vs. 4 IS referring to Jesus.

The dragon, the devil wanted to devour the child.

But praise God! As John 1: says: John 1:5 (TLV) The light shines [defiantly, victoriously!] in the darkness, and the darkness has not overpowered it.

The prince of darkness could not overpower, diminish, destroy or devour the Prince of Peace.

Even at his weakest, Even at his weakest! as a baby born in a stable and laid in a manger, Jesus WAS and IS the victor!

1 Corinthians 1:25 (LSB) … the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men. (Or the devil!)

The same thing is true right now.

The darkness of the devil would try and overpower the light of Jesus’ peace in our hearts.

But we have the victory!

May we, by faith, receive the peace proclaimed in our text:

Read Luke 2:8-14

Luke 2:8–14 (LSB) In the same region there were some shepherds staying out in the fields and keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened. 10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people. 11 For today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 “And this will be the sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” 13 And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, 14 “Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.”

Once again we look at Luke’s account of the Savior’s birth.

On November 27 we focused on the “good news of great joy which will be for all the people.”

Joy is at the heart of Christmas because Jesus is at the heart of Christmas.

But today we focus on vs. 14 and the news of peace proclaimed to all people who walk in relation ship with Him.

Message to the Shepherds

BUT, think about it!

The announcement of Jesus’s birth was delivered to shepherds

Shepherds who lived on the fringe of society, in the fields, watching their sheep by night.

If a king were born to the world, you would expect these shepherds to be the last ones to know about it.

Yet, the heavenly angels told them that peace was coming to the earth for those on whom God’s favor rested.

What a shocking message!

Apparently, God’s favor was even on the shepherds.

They were being offered peace; and if it could be given to them, we can rest assured it is offered to us as well.

Now that is good news for a world that is in turmoil!

We are at the end of a Christmas series called The Heart Of Christmas.

We have been discovering the true meaning of this holiday season

and the gifts of joy , love and peace that Christ brought us through his miraculous birth.

This morning we see the faithfulness of God from His prophetic word about Jesus’s future coming and the fulfillment of that word in Jesus’s birth, which gives us confidence that we can place our hope in him.

No matter what we face, God is right on time and will meet us in our time of need.

Today, we will look at another aspect of the heart of Christmas—the wonderful offer of peace.

Illustration:

There is a pastor who talks of a tradition he and his family have.

Each year, while they are traveling, they buy a Christmas ornament .

They have purchased ornaments from Disney World, Gatlinburg, Tennessee, and Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

But the pastor says his favorite ornament to hang on the family’s Christmas tree each year is very simple.

He says: “We found it while in the mountains of North Carolina on one of our trips, and it is a silver metal script hanging on a red ribbon that simply says, “Peace On Earth.”

He says: “I love it because whenever we take it out of the storage container from the attic to place on the tree, I am reminded of what this season is all about.”

The reason for Jesus’s birth is God’s deep desire to see his creation no longer broken and in conflict but rather restored and at peace.

We began this series on the Heart of Christmas looking at the shepherds out in the fields around Bethlehem.

That the Christmas story in the Bible begins with such an unlikely group of people is crazy!

The first announcement of the arrival of Jesus in Bethlehem was given by a multitude of heavenly angels to a group of shepherds who were out in a field watching their flocks to keep them safe at night.

Let’s look again at that announcement.

Let’s glean yet another key attribute of the Heart of Christmas

Look again at Verse 14

Did you see it?

Verse: Luke 2:14 (LSB) “Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.”

Peace

Not just to men, but to women, to children, to young people WITH WHOM HE IS PLEASED.

The Word Commentary says:

The heavenly visitors indicate that heaven is impressed by what God has achieved, εἰρήνη, “peace,” is here the OT שׁלום, šālôm.

It is not simply an inner disposition or the absence of war, but evokes a whole social order of well-being and prosperity, security and harmony

To whom is this peace given?

Word Commentary: … to be “of God’s good pleasure” is to be established in a favored relationship with Him [with God] in which His mercy and power are experienced through His faithfulness to the covenant ..

I began this series reminding us:

We must know it for ourselves and WE MUST TELL everyone, that, at the heart of Christmas is the birth of Jesus and the joy He brings.

It falls on us, the followers of Jesus, to tell — the world will not.

The world will tell ANYthing and EVERYthing that will distract from the message of the coming of Jesus.

In order to tell the ACCOUNT, WE must be ambassadors of GREAT joy.

Not only ambassadors of Joy, but Ambassadors of PEACE.

In the midst of a dreary world, with all of our own problems, that can be hard to do.

The circumstances of life have a way of robbing us of joy and peace.

Jesus’s birth offers us peace in the middle of our difficulties and stresses.

We realize that Peace is not the absence of conflict; it is the presence of Christ.

Shepherds in first century Israel were individuals who existed on the fringe of society.

They were considered stinky, dirty, and untrustworthy.

They lived on their own for months as they traveled with their flocks.

It would have been shocking to the first readers of the book of Luke that these were the people God chose to entrust with such an important message.

BUT …

POINT #1 – THE PEACE OF GOD IS FOR ALL PEOPLE

Just as we heard the angel declare in verse 10 that the message of JOY is for ALL people ...

As we look at WHO the angel told the message we can see that the message of peace is to ALL people as well.

As many as will receive it.

The angels had to steady the shepherds by telling them to not be afraid because they were terrified in their presence.

The message they brought was good news because a baby had been born who was the long-awaited Messiah—the one who was promised long ago to rescue God’s people.

The angels told them where to find Jesus, and before they left on their search, a heavenly host spoke over them:

… peace to those on whom God’s favor rests. Jesus was ushering in peace.

In one survey, nearly one-third of those questioned said that of all the people mentioned in the Christmas story, they identified the most with the shepherds.

The shepherds were average, ordinary people and yet were invited to see the birth of the King of kings. (ministry127.com)

What I find most amazing is that, when God wanted to announce the arrival of His Son, He did not do it in the presence of kings or queens.

He announced it to the poor and the forgotten.

It truly is good news because, if God’s favor was offered to the shepherds, then surely God’s favor and peace is available to us as well.

And that favor and peace is the world’s greatest need.

From the time sin entered the world and affected all of creation, we have been at odds with God.

The Bible says we were enemies of God and in rebellion against his rule and reign.

Sin did not just stop there, it also caused us to be in conflict with one another and ourselves.

This is why Jesus’s birth was, and is, such good news. It is the ultimate answer to the brokenness that exists because of sin—brokenness between ourselves and God, ourselves and others, and our own inner voice.

This is the way Paul put it as he wrote to the church in Colossae. Paul was expressing the role that Jesus plays in making peace.

Colossians 1:19–20 (LSB) For in Him [in Jesus] all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20 And through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross—through Him—whether things on earth or things in heaven.

To understand the peace that is ushered in at Christmas time, we must understand that, although Jesus arrived in a cradle, his life would lead to a cross.

Jesus intentionally lived a sinless life and willingly offered his life through crucifixion.

Paul said it is the blood of Jesus Christ that makes peace between us and God.

Christ’s sacrifice on the cross pays for the sin we have committed, it appeases God’s anger toward sin, and it destroys the power of evil in our lives.

Being reconciled to God is the key to experiencing peace in every other area of our lives.

POINT #2 – JESUS RECONCILES US TO GOD

When we receive the gift of forgiveness that is offered to us by faith, we become friends of God and he offers us his power to help us navigate the difficulties of life.

Some may believe that being made right with God means they will never face any problems.

This is not the case.

Pastor and speaker Dr. Tony Evans says it like this: “Peace does not mean you won’t have any problems. Peace means that your problems won’t have you.”

The peace offered to those on whom God’s favor rests does not equate to the absence of conflict.

We may still have circumstances that don’t go our way or challenging relationships to navigate.

What it does promise is the presence of God in our lives; and if He is with us, there is nothing we should fear.

We can go to him for guidance and strength.

We can lean on him when we get weary.

He promises to bind up our wounds when we are hurt.

Peace begins with relationship with Jesus.

But it doesn’t stop there.

God desires for us to make peace with ourselves.

Every past mistake, personal struggle, or worry for the future is met with the love and grace of God.

We also make peace with others because of the forgiveness of God given to us.

When we come to recognize the grace given to us, our hearts are transformed to offer grace to others.

Because ...

POINT #3 – PEACE IS OUR PURPOSE

What the world needs more of is people who have the peace of God in their hearts and who are willing to share that peace with others.

It is not optional for us to embody this peace.

It is an expectation that Jesus has for his followers.

Joining God in bringing in the Kingdom of God is the purpose of our lives.

In fact, Jesus speaks to this in the middle of his most famous sermon called the Beatitudes.

Matthew 5:9 (LSB) Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.

The angels told the shepherds that peace was available to those on whom God’s favor rests.

Jesus said something similar when he stated that peacemakers will be blessed, and they will be called children of God.

When we are willing to seek reconciliation with others and fight for harmony rather than sowing dissension, we are identified with the heart of God who longs to reconcile the world to himself.

We LOOK like the Father, and we are recognized as children in his family.

We find peace at the heart of Christmas because God desires us to be in right relationship with him, with ourselves, and with others.

It is the very reason for which Jesus came to earth.

Do YOU want the Peace Jesus gives?

There are many people who do not value peace in their relationships, and so they live in a constant state of conflict.

Some people are looking for a fight because they aren’t in one at the moment.

It reminds me of what Linus said to Charlie Brown in a Charlie Brown Christmas.

Charlie Brown was having trouble getting into the Christmas spirit, and Linus observed,

“Charlie Brown, you’re the only person I know who can take a wonderful season like Christmas and turn it into a problem.”

Unfortunately, this is the outcome for people who believe Christmas is about other things besides peace, joy, and love.

This Christmas may we be people who embrace the gift offered to us through Jesus who died for us so we might live in right relationship with God, ourselves, and others.

PRAY

Once again, we are not only missionaries of joy and love and hope, but we are missionaries of PEACE.

Think: Jesus’s birth offers us peace in the middle of our difficulties and stresses.

Feel: Peace is not the absence of conflict; it is the presence of Christ.

Do: Take time to share with God the stresses of your life and trust that His favor is on you today. He longs to bring you peace.

As the worship team comes …

Let’s ALL come to this altar — but if you need special prayer for peace come to the center.