The Peace of the World

Introduction

Peace on earth. It is said every Christmas. We sing about it. We read about it. We have it on our Christmas cards. It is a theme throughout this glorious season. Even in the Christmas story found in Luke 2, there is an emphasis on peace. In fact, in the climax of the story we see these words from the angel:

Luke 2:14 NIV84

14 “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.”

C.S. Lewis wrote that this verse is the turning point of history. Prior to the birth of Christ, peace was in pretentious way. It was seemingly always man-made, man-manipulated, and man-magnified. Let me explain it further.

Pretentious Peace

At the time this announcement was made, Caesar Augustus had initiated the pax romana which was a peace treaty with all the land. The pax romana is latin for the Roman Peace. It was a political statement and carried out through military enforcement.

Man-Made

It was a peace that was man-made. Interestingly, most peace is about mankind initiating it in some way. The problem with that is, just like mankind, it is imperfect and falls short. It is frustrating when we cannot find perfect peace.

Lamentations 3:17 NIV84

17 I have been deprived of peace; I have forgotten what prosperity is.

We look for peace in multiple ways.

Isaiah 59:7–9 NIV84

7 Their feet rush into sin; they are swift to shed innocent blood. Their thoughts are evil thoughts; ruin and destruction mark their ways. 8 The way of peace they do not know; there is no justice in their paths. They have turned them into crooked roads; no one who walks in them will know peace. 9 So justice is far from us, and righteousness does not reach us. We look for light, but all is darkness; for brightness, but we walk in deep shadows.

Man-Manipulated

We can see from this passage in Isaiah 59 that the state of mankind is about the pursuit of peace. It is all man initiated and man manipulated. And again, it comes up short. Look again at some phrases in this passage, “Their feet rush into sin…; Their deeds are evil…; Their thoughts are evil…”

All of these indicate they are man-manipulated. Mankind even has gone so far to make idols and use them to worship. This path leads into darkness. Isaiah 59:10

Isaiah 59:10 NIV84

10 Like the blind we grope along the wall, feeling our way like men without eyes. At midday we stumble as if it were twilight; among the strong, we are like the dead.

God warned mankind about this. Anytime we seek peace on our own, it is man-magnfied.

Man-Magnified

What I mean by this is that then we make these things our gods.

Deuteronomy 4:28 NIV84

28 There you will worship man-made gods of wood and stone, which cannot see or hear or eat or smell.

So when the announcement came from the angel to the shepherd, there was a transition of peace from being pretentious to a peace that we could have and that included the redemptive plan of God. The angelic announcement strategically tells us the place of peace.

Place of Peace

“Glory to God in the Highest.”

Highest Heaven

The “highest” indicates the place that only God can be. It is not where the angels trod, but only were God reigns and lives. King Solomon said in 1 Kings 8:27

1 Kings 8:27 NIV84

27 “But will God really dwell on earth? The heavens, even the highest heaven, cannot contain you. How much less this temple I have built!

The point is that the decree of peace that the angel gives comes from the best source ever, God Himself!

Holiest Home

It is started in the holiest of homes. God is holy and His holiest home comes from His presence. Leviticus 11:45

Leviticus 11:45 (NIV84)

45 I am the Lord who brought you up out of Egypt to be your God; therefore be holy, because I am holy.

Because He is holy, He dwells in a habitat of harmony.

Habitat of Harmony

Hebrews 12:14 NIV84

14 Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord.

It reminds me that peace stems out of holiness.

The gift of God for you and me is that we do not have to have some pretentious peace or even go to the place of peace where God alone dwells. But we can experience personal peace because of the Baby born in Bethlehem.

Personal Peace

If the glory of God in heaven is revealed in the coming of His Son, the effect for all mankind on earth is summed up in the idea of personal peace.

Micah 5:4 NIV84

4 He will stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God. And they will live securely, for then his greatness will reach to the ends of the earth.

Psalm 29:11 NIV84

11 The Lord gives strength to his people; the Lord blesses his people with peace.

In our English translations of the Bible, peace occurs 263 times in 241 verses. And just as a reminder, let share with you three distinct things about this peace.

Obtained from God

It is obtained from God. Multiple examples from Paul’s letters indicate that source of peace is God Himself.

Philippians 1:2 NIV84

2 Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

We cannot purchase it or earn it. We can not received in any other way except by grace.

Offered by Grace

The peace of God is only given to us through the grace of God. We are reminded that we are all called by the grace of God.

Galatians 1:15 NIV84

15 But when God, who set me apart from birth and called me by his grace, was pleased

God does not need us, He wants us. He gives us peace offered by grace of which we can only accept it through His Son Jesus.

Only Given Through Jesus

In fact, Jesus made our peace and He freely gives it to us!

Ephesians 2:15 NLT

15 He did this by ending the system of law with its commandments and regulations. He made peace between Jews and Gentiles by creating in himself one new people from the two groups.

Peace comes when the Good News of Jesus is given and received. Acts 10:36

Acts 10:36 NIV84

36 You know the message God sent to the people of Israel, telling the good news of peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all.

John’s Gospel relates peace Jesus.

Three times in John 20 Jesus says “peace be with you.”

John 20:19 NIV84

19 On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!”

John 20:21 NIV84

21 Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.”

John 20:26 NIV84

26 A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!”

Jesus promised that peace would be left with us.

John 14:27 NIV84

27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

We can have peace with God through Jesus Christ: Romans 5:1

Romans 5:1 NIV84

1 Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,

In a play on words, think about it this way:

No peace, no Jesus.

Know peace, Know Jesus!!

The peace that Jesus brought to us in the form of a baby is a permanent peace.

Permanent Peace

The pax romana and other peace treaties written by mankind were limited and temporary. The permanent peace that comes through Jesus is restorative.

Restorative

2 Corinthians 5:17 NIV84

17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!

Redemptive

This permanent peace is redemptive.

John 16:33 NIV84

33 “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

Relentless

Finally, this permanent peace is relentless.

Revelation 21:1–6 NIV84

1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. 2 I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 4 He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” 5 He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” 6 He said to me: “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To him who is thirsty I will give to drink without cost from the spring of the water of life.

The Greatest story ever told is about peace. Peace with God. Peace through Christ. Peace with each other. Do you have peace?