Sermon Tone Analysis

ME:

Pledge

Shepherd

Advent Theme: Peace

Passage:

4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David,

5 to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child.

6 And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth.

7 And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.

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.

17 And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child.

18 And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them.

19 But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart.

20 And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.

Prayer

Title: The Peace Child

I want to paint a picture for you this morning ....

An invasion leading to peace finally arrived on a holy night when Jesus was born.

The invasion happened at this identifiable moment because a war had been waged ..... that traced back to the beginning of time.

You might be asking, “What are you talking about?”

The original two people, Adam and Eve, disobeyed God’s inspired peace plan and fell for a lie leading to a war instigated by the enemy (Satan).

Transition Statement: The initial peace shattering shot was heard around the world as the first bite was taken of the forbidden fruit.

YOU:

Like the thief that he was, Satan had come to steal, kill, and destroy the peace God had designed for Adam and Eve to enjoy with God.

The choice to sin ultimately launched a war that eventually ended their lives as they originally experienced it with God.

Now, only God could make a way to rescue humanity from their war-torn existence and restore peace through a Savior.

This is the picture I want us to see this morning !

Throughout the Old and New Testaments, there are some 400 direct references to peace, not to mention a volume of indirect allusions.

While there are various words in the original languages of the Bible that refer to peace, the deepest roots stem back to a consequential word known as shalom.

Shalom, at its core, means “to be whole” or “complete.”

While this might be a common greeting among Jews around the world in this day: “shalom,” the full meaning of that word of peace is thick with substance that goes well beyond a mere feeling of calmness.

feeling of calmness.

Shalom literally means: “God’s highest and most complete good be upon you and all associated with you.”

Thus, the peace of God goes well beyond merely a cozy feeling or even the absence of war; it includes a relational harmony that seeks a deep commitment to the work of justice in truth and righteousness.

The peace of God is a full, satisfying, rich, and juicy fruit of His Spirit to His people and creation.

The shalom of God is intended for relational goodness and harmony through and through.

Peace is the original order of creation and remains in the heart of God for all His creation.

The Bible opens with peace as God creates the heavens and the earth in and closes with peace as God sets the tone for eternity in .

However, the great war leading back to restored peace plays out between the first two and final two chapters in the Bible.

While divine plans for peace were in the works since , the moment for heaven to launch the long-awaited mission of the Messiah ultimately and finally to deal with sin and restore peace with God was targeted on one holy night in Bethlehem.

Luke describes the appointed time when the young virgin girl named Mary gave birth to the incarnate battle plan named Jesus.

(Picture it ....)

plan named Jesus.

A bewildered husband known as a just man named Joseph was nearby among the beasts in the barn to help as best he could.

The birth announcement was blared out in the fields by heavenly warriors to lowly shepherds.

These social outcasts among the sheep soon would be ready to sound the trumpet that triumph was swaddled and sleeping in a trough of feed.

Only God would devise such an arrangement to restore peace to His people and His creation.

A bewildered husband known as a just man named Joseph was nearby among the beasts in the barn to help as best he could.

The birth announcement was blared out in the fields by heavenly warriors to lowly shepherds.

These social outcasts among the sheep soon would be ready to sound the trumpet that triumph was swaddled and sleeping in a trough of feed.

Transition Statement: Only God would devise such an arrangement to restore peace to His people and His creation.

GOD:

The unfolding of this unique peace plan is recorded in .

4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David,

5 to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child.

6 And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth.

7 And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.

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.”

It’s what we read at the beginning of this message.

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.

17 And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child.

18 And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them.

19 But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart.

20 And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.

The reason a Savior was born on that day in the City of David was that something or someone needed saving.

The earth and humanity were the ones who needed saving and deliverance due to shalom being in disarray from sin and Satan’s schemes.

What happened in Bethlehem in the stable was a strategic initiative that was well within the scope and sequence of God’s plans, which would lead back to peace...shalom: God’s highest and most complete good that was intended for all people and those with whom they associated.

John writes in clear terms why Jesus, the Son of God and Savior of the world, came into the world at this time to put right what the devil had continued to mar with wrong since the beginning.

devil had continued to mar with wrong since the beginning.

states:

5 You know that he appeared in order to take away sins, and in him there is no sin.

in him there is no sin.

6 No one who abides in him keeps on sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him.

7 Little children, let no one deceive you.

Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous.

8 Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning.

The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.

Pause:

It does not take a person long to identify the works of the devil that impact all our lives.

The works of the devil are seen in:

· Addictions that lead to the breakup of families

· Hatred that fuels tensions among people of different world views

· Racism that leads to isolation, mistrust, discrimination, and injustice