Peace in the Sovereign Will of the Father

This is the second Sunday of Advent and we are reminded of the peace that comes as an outflow of a relationship with the Sovereign Lord.

You see, as many within the sound of my voice can attest to, life is not always easy; things sometimes work out differently than we had hoped.

Sometimes the situations around us, our circumstances, can really get us down.

Yet we serve a God who will bring things, nay, will cause things to work as they should in the end.

I am reminded this morning of Habakkuk the prophet, who cried out to the Lord.

Habakkuk spoke out in reminder that the Lord was good and holy.

He said, but God I see “Hamas” all around. For you all who do not know…that word means violence.

Habakkuk was overwhelmed at what was before his eyes and wanted to know from God, “Why?”

His answer, probably was not the one he wanted.

He learned, in his day, things would get worse before better.

He also learned the Lord would eventually restore His people.

Habakkuk gave us some challenging if not life altering words to end his book:

Habakkuk 3:17–19 ESV

17 Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls, 18 yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will take joy in the God of my salvation. 19 God, the Lord, is my strength; he makes my feet like the deer’s; he makes me tread on my high places. To the choirmaster: with stringed instruments.

Let’s Read our Passage:

Luke 10:21–24 ESV

21 In that same hour he rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. 22 All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, or who the Father is except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.” 23 Then turning to the disciples he said privately, “Blessed are the eyes that see what you see! 24 For I tell you that many prophets and kings desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.”

Chapter 10 begins with the 72 being sent out in pairs by Christ.

They were given a specific calling: go “into every town and place were He Himself was about to go.”

It is the idea of them preparing the way.

They were called to go into a house and say: “Peace be to this house! And if a son of peace is there, your peace will rest upon him. But if not it will return to you.”

They were called to pray for laborers and to heal the sick.

They returned, in vs.17, to the Lord in joy because the demons were subject to them in the name of the Lord, but Jesus spoke to them to rejoice not in this idea. He exhorted them to rejoice that their names were “written in heaven.”

Then we come to our passage this morning.

A passage of peace.

God Makes Himself Known to Whom He Chooses.

Luke 10:21–22 ESV

21 In that same hour he rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. 22 All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, or who the Father is except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.”

Matthew 10:42 (ESV)

42 And whoever gives one of these little ones even a cup of cold water because he is a disciple, truly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward.”

If You Get Him, If He Has Made Himself Known To You, Rejoice!

Luke 10:23–24 ESV

23 Then turning to the disciples he said privately, “Blessed are the eyes that see what you see! 24 For I tell you that many prophets and kings desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.”

Walking Away, But In...

Receive the King of Peace.

Walk in the Way of Peace