A Little Peace Goes a Long Way!

My family watches quite a few different Christmas movies during this season but one that is always at the top of the list is the Polar Express. It’s a story of kids taking a magical train ride to the north pole on Christmas Eve. In the story the character of the kids is revealed and challenged and they become friends along the way. One of the main lines in the polar express that stands out is this

The magic of Christmas lies in your heart.

The magic of Christmas is that warm picture of something hoped for . . . something believed in . . . something that will change us or our lives.

Now that’s a nice picture and something we can enjoy thinking about, but in the end it’s not the magic of Christmas that we need.

Does a child’s imagination and joy at Christmas fix all of our problems?

Does the hopeful expectation of getting that perfect gift leave us without disappointment?

Does the gathering of family insure the absence of conflict or remove the pain of loss in our lives?

Does eating a feast of celebration end hunger in the world?

In the end, I would answer, “No, but it does point us to the answer.”

Christmas peals back the layers of life and shines a light onto the hope we all long to see fulfilled.

That hope goes unfulfilled if we expect one day or one season in a year to fix everything.

It isn’t the “magic” of Christmas that we need . . . It is . . .

The Miracle of Christmas

This is why we say a little Christmas goes a long way. and today we are talking about the gift God gave and how it brings us peace.

A Little Peace Goes a Long Way

Let’s look at the encounter the shepherds had with the angels in Luke 2.

Luke 2:8–16 ESV

8 And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. 10 And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” 13 And suddenly there was 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 those with whom he is pleased!” 15 When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” 16 And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger.

Peace

Luke 2:14 ESV

14 “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”

What is this peace that the angels proclaimed?

This morning we need to talk about what was so exciting about this moment in history. What is it about this event that spawned the celebration of Christmas.

What do you think of when you hear the word peace?

The kids are finally asleep?

The bills are all paid?

The family is all healthy?

You aren’t having any personal conflicts?

Your work environment is flowing smoothly?

There are no wars?

You are sitting on a beach listening to the waves as the son sets and a warm breeze touches your skin making all your cares melt away.

Did the angels come to announce that your kids fell asleep? or that there are no more human conflicts? or that you get to go on vacation?

No!

The angels came to announce that God was making a way for peace to exist between mankind and himself.

Peace with God

Why is God’s wrath upon mankind?

Romans 1:18 ESV

18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth.

Because we live in ungodliness and unrighteousness which suppresses the truth.

Who has God’s wrath been focused on?

Romans 2:1–5 ESV

1 Therefore you have no excuse, O man, every one of you who judges. For in passing judgment on another you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, practice the very same things. 2 We know that the judgment of God rightly falls on those who practice such things. 3 Do you suppose, O man—you who judge those who practice such things and yet do them yourself—that you will escape the judgment of God? 4 Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance? 5 But because of your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed.

Romans 3:23 ESV

23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

We have all been the objects of God’s wrath.

Look at verse 4 again:

Romans 2:4 ESV

4 Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?

What does God’s Kindness look like?

Romans 8:20 ESV

20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope

God’s kindness comes as warning to those who are wandering. His kindness comes in the form of food to eat, air to breath, and water to drink. His kindness comes in plans that go well and plans that don’t go well. His kindness leads us to repentance! God wants us to see that even the best things in this world will not save our souls. Who subjected creation to futility? God did it so we wouldn’t trust in it and forfeit our souls.

Mark 8:36 ESV

36 For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?

So the peace the angels sang of is not simply a wonderful moment. The peace they came to proclaim was a peace that removed God’s wrath. Look at look 2:14 again:

Luke 2:14 ESV

14 “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”

We just got done looking at our plight. Who is God pleased with? On their own . . . no one pleases God

Our Plight and His Provision

Romans 7:21–8:4 ESV

21 So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. 22 For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, 23 but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. 24 Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? 25 Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin. 1 There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. 3 For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, 4 in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.

2 Corinthians 5:21 ESV

21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

Flesh or Spirit

The Flesh

Romans 8:5–8 ESV

5 For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. 6 For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. 7 For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot. 8 Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

In the flesh it is impossible to please God

The Spirit

Romans 8:9–11 ESV

9 You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. 10 But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. 11 If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.

The traditions of Christmas cannot save us . . . good moments cannot be all we live for . . . we need the miracle of Christmas.

Now through Jesus, Mankind is offered peace with God.

How does Jesus describe this peace?

John 14:27 ESV

27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.

It’s an eternal peace, not momentary peace

How do believers access this peace?

Philippians 4:4–7 ESV

4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. 5 Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; 6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

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