Peace - The Promise of Shalom

We live in a world which is filled with chaos, heartache, anxiety, fear; the list goes on and on. All of society seems to be searching, if not chasing, after peace in the midst of all the chaos. Involved in the chase, people are busy using medications, drugs, alcohol, different forms of meditation, always looking for the elusive, next promise of peace.

Instead of peace, they find that this world is so tightly wound, that there is a sense that at any moment, life will just snap. The reason is that peace is one of the deepest longings of the human heart. Every culture, every generation, and every person wants a life where conflict is erased and the soul can be at ease.

So the search continues. Yet peace—true peace—always seems just out of reach. The news headlines pull us into unsolvable tension. Relationships fracture and break apart. Our own hearts grow more unsettled. Sadly, we often settle for moments of quiet rather than true biblical Shalom.

This is where the Bible invites us to something greater. The biblical idea of Shalom is more than the absence of trouble; it is the presence of wholeness, harmony, and flourishing. It is life as God intended from the very beginning in the Garden of Eden—complete, restored, and united under His sovereign reign.

Peace is the next promise of Christmas we’ll be studying.  

We will see this in the promise found in the announcement of the angels in Luke 2.  

And this is the promise as seen in the victory described in Ephesians 2.

Announcement of Peace —Luke 2:8–14

Luke 2 places us in the fields of Bethlehem. It is here that we are introduced to a unique group of people; ordinary, overlooked, socially insignificant Shepherds. Almost always, shepherds weren’t even allowed into the temple because they were considered unclean. They were thought of as those guys by society, especially the religious leaders.

Suddenly, into their darkness bursts the glory of the Lord. People whom the culture would never have considered being the first recipients of the most incredible, earth-shattering, life transforming news ever to be given. The angel declares in Luke 2:10–11:

“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; for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.”

The heavenly announcement finishes with the song that the shepherds never forgot which we read in Luke 2:14:

““Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.””

What can we see from these verses so far?

God takes the first step toward peace  

So many truly believe that it’s up to us to make the initiative or make the first steps towards peace. However, we see throughout the Bible and even in our world today, man’s drivenness to seek our own good over others. There’s a call to watch out for yourself. There’s the continual challenge given to seek for what you want, using whatever means possible. The world doesn’t want to accept the reality, that left to our own devices, we would rather fail on our own, than to admit that we’re helpless.

In these verses, notice that the shepherds did not climb a mountain searching for God. They didn’t go on a journey in their search for peace. So what happened? God came to them. This tells us something very important:  Peace begins with God, not us.

No matter what we think we’re capable of doing, we cannot manufacture inner peace by rearranging circumstances.  

No matter how diplomatic or logical we may attempt to be, we cannot create relational peace of any kind merely by negotiation or compromise.

No matter how good we may be, no matter how kind we are, we cannot earn peace with God by moral behavior.

So what can we learn from this?

Peace is announced, not achieved.

What the promise reminds us is that true peace will be accomplished without this world’s help.

Peace is given, not negotiated.

Many politicians have negotiated peace between many nations over the years. However, not one single negotiation or treaty has ever lasted in relation to peace. Yet, the peace that is promised in these verses is given by God at His initiative. 

Peace is revealed, not discovered.

This world is on a constant search for peace. Yet, there has never been a genuine discovery of lasting peace. However, God revealed genuine peace in His Son, Jesus Christ. How do we know this?

Peace is connected to Christ’s identity  

The angel identifies the newborn child as:

- Savior — the One who rescues.  

We know only too well that humanity is drowning in a sea of sin. We can doggy paddle, as we struggle to keep ourselves from going under. Yet there’s no peace.

We can play-act our way by fooling others, as if we can experience what we’re pretending. Still there is no peace.

We can change and readjust the rules in hopes that we’ll somehow win the game. However, peace can never be found in that way.

We must have Someone Who is greater than all, who actually has the ability to rescue us. That is found in the Savior who came into this world as a little child in Bethlehem.

- Christ — the promised Messiah.  

We often hear of this word, Messiah. It is helpful to know what this word means. In Hebrew, Messiah was understood to be the anointed one or chosen one. He is the One whom God would use to deliver His people; in particularly, from sin. This child was the one who had been prophesied about throughout the Old Testament. In the New Testament, the Greek equivalent of Messiah is Christ.

- Lord— the rightful King.

Coming from the line of David, from the tribe of Judah, plus being God, Jesus is truly Lord; so He is the rightful King. He is the only One who is able to bring true, eternal peace.

Peace is not to be found in a place, a feeling, or a strategy.  

Peace is found in a Person. That person is Jesus Christ.

So we know about the announcement that directed the shepherds to where true peace could be found. Yet, how can we know that it was accomplished; that the child they found in Bethlehem actually did what the angels said could be done?

Accomplishment of Peace — Ephesians 2:14–18

Ephesians shows us the accomplishment of peace, in answer to what was promised to the Shepherds.

Paul writes about it in the very first part of Ephesian 2.14:

“For He Himself is our peace.”

Christ breaks down the walls (vv. 14–15)

We understand and recognize that there was total separation between God and man because of sin. We know that without believing and receiving the gift of salvation from Jesus Christ, there would never be reconciliation with God. It stands to reason that if this doesn’t happen, there would be no reconciliation with other people, either. Does the Bible speak to this? We see that it does in these verses.

In the context of this passage, the greatest wall left was the hostility between Jew and Gentile. Centuries of cultural separation, historical wounds, religious differences, and deep mistrust shaped their relationship.

Paul says that Christ

“destroyed the dividing wall of hostility.”

He did not merely call for kindness.  He did not simply offer better communication strategies.  

He abolished the barrier by taking upon Himself all the sins of all humanity in His own body on the cross.

All peace—personal, relational, or spiritual—must come through the cross of Christ. In other words, apart from Christ, we’ll never experience the personal peace that passes all understanding.

Apart from Christ, we’ll never experience peace between us and others, especially if they are not like us with the same history and background.

Apart from Christ, we’ll never experience what it is to have that hope which we spoke about last time. For we will always be looking for something or someone to save us.

Christ reconciles us to God (v. 16)

This is where it really begins in individual lives. Until we are reconciled to God, it will be impossible to experience true peace, and to actually see it in our relationships with others. Paul continues by saying that Jesus reconciled both groups

“to God through the cross.”

At the heart of all conflict is humanity’s broken relationship with God. If this relationship would not have been broken, there would indeed be world peace, as well as personal peace. 

We find ourselves to be restless because we are spiritually separated from God.  We know that things are not as they should be. That leads to the restless condition of chasing after everything under the sun for that elusive peace.

We experience internal turmoil because we are alienated from the One who brings order from chaos.  

We fight one another because we have rebelled against the God who made us.

Before God brings peace among people, He brings peace to people.

Christ opens the way for all to approach the Father (vv. 17–18)

Christ “preached peace to those who were far away and peace to those who were near.”

The result?

“Through Him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.”

This is the peace humanity desperately needs:

- Peace with God

— we are no longer enemies of God, but children of God.  

- Peace with one another

— we are restored and reconciled as brothers and sisters.  

- Peace within ourselves

— we find ourselves anchored in God’s unchanging presence.  Though everything around us may be in turmoil and chaos, we know that God is in charge and does not change like shifting shadows.

Application of Peace

Peace is not the absence of trouble  

The biblical story is clear: peace does not mean a life without storms.  Even during the time of Joseph and Mary, we know that the world was in turmoil. History reminds us that Jesus was born under Roman occupation.  

Yet, the shepherds still returned to fields, work, and life’s struggles. They did not quit their labors, but were rather strengthened to continue what they had been doing. The reason is that they had been given an eternal hope and a peace they had not known previously.

Shalom does not eliminate hardship.  However, Shalom steadies the heart in the midst of hardship.

Peace comes when Christ reigns in us  

True peace is possible only when Christ rules our hearts. But what if we refuse to surrender and allow Christ to rule our hearts?

Then we go back to the normal way humanity operates. When our circumstances rule us, anxiety grows.  There is no peace.

When our desires rule us, restlessness grows. There is no peace. We’ll never be satisfied. 

When fear rules us, turmoil grows. We cower whenever a new crisis comes. We jump in our spirits when some surprising, unplanned event takes place.

But when Christ rules us, His peace governs and guards our hearts.

Peace changes how we relate to others  

Because Christ reconciled us to God:

- We can forgive.  We no longer want to hold onto grudges and bitterness.

- We can treat others with grace.  We will understand that everyone has days that can turn us into people that we don’t want to be. We realize that we want to be treated with grace by others, so now we are able to do the same.

- We can set aside hostility.  We don’t have to live our lives like Mr. Potato Head, constantly looking for our angry eyes and mad face. Jesus Christ has made us brand new people who are now experiencing genuine, true peace.

Peace anticipates Christ’s future reign  

Every experience of peace now is a preview of what Christ will one day bring in completion.

The angels’ song , points forward as we saw in Luke 2.  

Ephesians 2 also points forward.

Both passages describe how peace is seen with Communion, worship, fellowship.

Christmas is not merely about what Christ did.  It is also about what Christ will do.

He will bring perfect peace…  

Peace that never fades…  

Peace that cannot be broken…  

This is the promise of Shalom.

Conclusion

The peace God offers cannot be broken by mistakes we might make.

It is not momentary, for just a short time.  We don’t fret that it will ever stop.

It is not dependent on circumstances. God is in control of it.

True peace is found in Christ’s reign, not in worldly conditions.

Luke 2 shows peace announced.  

Ephesians 2 shows peace accomplished.  

Your life becomes the place where peace is applied.

So the question for each of us today is simple:

Is Christ ruling in your heart and life? If He is, then peace is not merely possible—it is promised.

And like the shepherds, we are called to respond with worship, obedience, and testimony:

- Worship the Prince of Peace.

We do this in song; in giving; in spending time with other Christians, as we grow together; in serving; in reading the Bible; in praying.

- Walk in the peace He gives.  

This is done by living according to the ways of Christ; walking in humble obedience.

- Share the peace He accomplished.  

We are able to do this by simply proclaiming the Good News of Jesus Christ, just as the shepherds did.

Christmas reminds us that peace is not some utopian ideal, or something unrealistic or impossible.  

Peace is not a wish.  

Peace is a Person—  

and that Person is Jesus Christ, our Savior, our Messiah, and our Lord.