Proclaiming Peace

OPENING

We are on part 2 of 5 on this Advent series “The Cast of Christmas”

Previously, we looked at the roles of the prophets

Their roles was to prepare the people while waiting

Preparation begins with repentance

Repentance begins with confession

And when you combine repentance + confession, you will yield fruits

It was 700 years before the birth of the long awaited Savior, when prophet Micah prophesied about it

200 years later, another prophet made a similar prophesy

Prophet Zechariah, son of Jehoida, wrote…

Zechariah 9:9–10 NIV

9 Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion! Shout, Daughter Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey. 10 I will take away the chariots from Ephraim and the warhorses from Jerusalem, and the battle bow will be broken. He will proclaim peace to the nations. His rule will extend from sea to sea and from the River to the ends of the earth.

This Messiah that Zechariah talked about will proclaim “peace”

And then some 500 years later, at the very first Christmas, the proclamation of peace was made by the Angels

Luke 2:13–14 NIV

13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, 14 “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

It’s important to understand that the peace the angels proclaimed was not a proclamation of world peace or a declaration of the end of strife and war

The peace that was proclaimed, was the peace between mankind and God

Through Jesus, the barrier of sin has been removed.

Now we have relationship and peace with God!

The peace on earth Jesus brings is foremost the peace that we can have with God through Christ.

Provision of Peace through Jesus Christ

Through the Coming of Jesus Christ

Ephesians 2:17 NIV

17 He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near.

Through His Teachings

John 16:33 NIV

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.”

Through His Ministry

Acts 10:36 NIV

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

Acts 10

Through His Death

Colossians 1:19–20 NIV

19 For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.

Through His Resurrection

Luke 24:36 NIV

36 While they were still talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.”

Luke

This peace comes from faith in Jesus and the forgiveness that follows.

We see an example of this in the woman in who “lived a sinful life” (verse 37).

She washed Jesus’s feet with her tears and her hair.

In verse 48 Jesus tells her, “Your sins are forgiven.”

Then in verse 50, Jesus concludes with, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”

Because of the forgiveness of sins, we have peace with God.

Advent is a time to wait and prepare

Preparation begins with repentance and repentance begins with confession

Repentance + Confession = Forgiveness of sins

Forgiveness = Peace

I MUST POSSESS PEACE BEFORE I PROCLAIM IT

No one expects you to be perfect. However, it’s difficult to proclaim the message of God’s peace when we’re stressed out, overwhelmed, and exhausted.

Our proclamation must first begin with us accepting and embracing the peace we have in God

No one expects you to be perfect. However, it’s difficult to proclaim the message of God’s peace when we’re stressed out, overwhelmed, and exhausted. Our proclamation must first begin with us accepting and embracing the peace we have in God

Nothing in the proclamation of the angels where you can find anything of our own… it’s purely by the grace of God

Instead of working at making ourselves worthy, which in fact we couldn’t, we must put our trust in the cross and faith in Jesus… that’s how we posses the peace through Christ

One of the classical events in the life and ministry of Jesus was when they left the crowd behind, boarded a boat to go to other side of the lake of Galilee, where they encountered a storm ()

Jesus was unworried, in fact he stays sound sleep in the stern of the boat

In the end, the restless, panic-stricken disciples have to wake him

Astonishingly, Jesus stands up in the boat and simply commands the wind and the sea to settle down-like telling a dog to be quiet

Mark 4:39–40 ESV

39 And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. 40 He said to them, “Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?”

We became restless because of lack of faith, or having no faith in Jesus at all

You must possess peace before you proclaim it, because you cannot pass on to others what you yourself do not have.. and that takes me to my second point..

Question: What is something that stands in the way of your peace with God? What is one thing you can do this week to begin to surrender that area of your life?

I MUST PROCLAIM THE PEACE OF CHRIST TO OTHERS

Because Jesus brought us peace with God, one of the greatest responses we can have to the amazing news is to become “peace proclaimers” in all our Christmas traditions, preparations, and celebrations.

Because Jesus brought us peace with God, one of the greatest responses we can have to the amazing news is to become peace proclaimers in all our Christmas traditions, preparations, and celebrations.

The truth is, most families experience relational pressure and difficulties during this season.

Nearly every family gathering has at least one relative who requires an extra grace.

The truth is, most families experience relational pressure and difficulties during this season. Nearly every family gathering has at least one relative who requires extra grace. If you don’t know which relative that is, it’s probably you! For many families, Advent and Christmas actually bring more strife and conflict rather than less.

If you don’t know which relative that is, it’s probably you!

For many families, Advent and Christmas actually brings more strife and conflict rather than less.

As the ones who have received peace with God through Jesus, we have a special opportunity to proclaim peace in our families in a similar way to how the angels proclaimed peace to us.

Matthew 5:9 ESV

9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.

As the ones who have received peace with God through Jesus, we have a special opportunity to proclaim peace in our families in a similar way to how the angels proclaimed peace to us. In :

Matthew 5:9 NIV

9 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.

This passage shows us that those who count themselves to be children of God join Him in the work of proclaiming His peace and making peace with others.

This passage shows us that those who count themselves to be children of God join Him in the work of proclaiming His peace and making peace with others.

Peacemaking is not the same thing as peacekeeping

Toward the beginning of this year, the United Nations had sixteen peacekeeping operations around the world.

Toward the beginning of this year, the United Nations had sixteen peacekeeping operations around the world. This is how the United Nations explains what they do in these operations: “Our peacekeepers help prevent conflict to reduce human suffering, build stable and prosperous societies and enable people to reach their full potential.” We all hope they’re moving toward peacemaking, but peacekeeping is just preventing people from acting out on the hate that’s in their hearts. It tries to prevent conflict and keeps people from destroying each other.

This is how the United Nations explains what they do in these operations: “Our peacekeepers help prevent conflict to reduce human suffering, build stable and prosperous societies and enable people to reach their full potential.”

We all hope they’re moving toward peacemaking, but peacekeeping is just preventing people from acting out on the hate that’s in their hearts.

It tries to prevent conflict and keeps people from destroying each other.

Peacemaking goes much deeper.

Peacemaking goes much deeper. Peacemaking is what God did for us through sending Jesus. Peacemaking restores relationship. It brings harmony. It goes beyond just avoiding and separating conflict and brings restoration, relationship, and unity. Jesus made lasting and restorative peace between us and God

Peacemaking is what God did for us through sending Jesus.

Peacemaking restores relationship. It brings harmony.

It goes beyond just avoiding and separating conflict and brings restoration, relationship, and unity.

Jesus made lasting and restorative peace between us and God

For many of us, the Christmas season is a reminder of the lack of peace we have in our families and our lives.

Many of us have conflicts with parents, children, brothers, and sisters where we just want to survive the holidays without the same old fight and antics we experience every year

Many of us are struggling to keep it together, and try to cling to whatever peace we can hold onto in our own hearts until it’s over.

There’s more for you than that this Christmas season.

There’s more for you than that this Christmas season. As a son or daughter of God brought to God through Jesus’s birth, death, and resurrection, you don’t have to be a peacekeeper who has to try to survive the holidays. Instead, you can proclaim the good news of Jesus by being a peacemaker who lives, brings, and proclaims a peace that transforms and lasts.

As a son or daughter of God brought to God through Jesus’s birth, death, and resurrection, you don’t have to be a peacekeeper who has to try to survive the holidays.

Instead, you can proclaim the good news of Jesus by being a peacemaker who lives, brings, and proclaims a peace that transforms and lasts

Peacekeeping tries to appease, patch together, and keep everyone satisfied or just quietly disgruntled.

Peacemaking deals with the underlying issues and brings healing and restoration.

Peacekeeping tries to appease, patch together, and keep everyone satisfied or just quietly disgruntled. Peacemaking deals with the underlying issues and brings healing and restoration.

Question: Have you ever been involved in helping others work through a disagreement? What was the most difficult part of being a “peacemaker”?

I NEED THE WISDOM OF HEAVEN TO PROCLAIM PEACE

This season we should be more concerned—not less concerned—with proclaiming the peace of Jesus.

We should be centered on living out the Gospel with our friends and family.

We all will make connections and have conversations with people that only come around during this season.

Now is the time to consider how we can proclaim Christ through what we say and how we act.

Now is the time to pray for wisdom in those connections.

When James, the brother of our Lord Jesus articulated about the two kinds of wisdom, this is what he wrote

James 3:13–18 NIV

13 Who is wise and understanding among you? Let them show it by their good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. 14 But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. 15 Such “wisdom” does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. 16 For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice. 17 But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. 18 Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness.

James 3:13–16 NIV

13 Who is wise and understanding among you? Let them show it by their good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. 14 But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. 15 Such “wisdom” does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. 16 For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice.

James 3:17–18 NIV

17 But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. 18 Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness.

Now is the time to be wise as James describes it: to be pure, peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial, and sincere.

This season I am praying that God will give us the wisdom of heaven as I interact with friends and family.

Now is the time to be wise as James describes it: to be pure, peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial, and sincere.

I am praying that God will show me how to best proclaim the good news of Jesus by showing me when I should speak and when I should let things go.

I have learned that just because you’re right doesn’t mean you’re being righteous.

Some family members and friends know how to bait us into unproductive arguments or maybe even sabotage the holidays through their propensity for drama.

You see it like a shiny fishing lure that is dangled in front of you every Christmas.

You want to argue. you want to correct. you want to fight and defend.

But it seems like every time you take the bait, rather than changing their minds, you find it just drags you along to places you don’t really want to go and into conversations you don’t really want to have.

Sometimes we need to say the hard thing. Sometimes the loving thing is to stand up for what is true. Other times, the righteous thing to do is to lay down our need to be right. The loving thing is to avoid taking the bait and getting distracted from the real mission of proclaiming Jesus and sharing the love of God with everyone and anyone who is ready and willing to receive it. That’s why a peace proclaimer needs the wisdom of heaven.

Sometimes we need to say the hard thing.

Sometimes the loving thing is to stand up for what is true.

Other times, the righteous thing to do is to lay down our need to be right.

The loving thing is to avoid taking the bait and getting distracted from the real mission of proclaiming Jesus and sharing the love of God with everyone and anyone who is ready and willing to receive it.

That’s why a peace proclaimer needs the wisdom of heaven.

Question: Does the fact that you are a Christian give you extra incentive to work hard to resolve disputes and maintain relationships with people?

CLOSING

Illustration: Alvin & Henry

When he was sixty-three, Alvin Straight got in a disagreement with his brother, Henry. Separated by 240 miles, the two never spoke or met again for ten years. When he was eighty years old, Henry had a stroke. When Alvin heard the news, he decided it was time to reunite with his brother before it became impossible to do so. At seventy-three, Alvin’s sight was too poor for him to get a driver’s license. So, Alvin loaded up a trailer with gasoline, camping gear, and food. He hooked the trailer to the back of a riding lawn mower and set off to see Henry. At a top speed of five miles per hour, it took Alvin Straight six weeks to make the 240-mile journey from Iowa to Wisconsin in order to make peace with his brother. One month later, Henry recovered from his stroke and moved back to Iowa to be closer to his family.We all know that you can’t make anyone change. You can’t make anyone do much of anything. But you can proclaim peace. How far are you willing to go to share the peace you have in Jesus with the people you know? Are you willing to take the first step? Are you willing to take a stand this Christmas for peacemaking?Alvin Straight went 240 miles over six weeks to be a peacemaker, and his relationship was restored. Jesus crossed the chasm of heaven to make peace with you. The angels came to earth to proclaim the news of “peace on earth to those on whom his favor rests” (). In the midst of all our traditions, celebrations, and even obligations, will we put in the same effort? Will our lives make the same proclamation?

We all know that you can’t make anyone change. You can’t make anyone do much of anything. But you can proclaim peace. How far are you willing to go to share the peace you have in Jesus with the people you know? Are you willing to take the first step? Are you willing to take a stand this Christmas for peacemaking?

Alvin Straight went 240 miles over six weeks to be a peacemaker, and his relationship was restored. Jesus crossed the chasm of heaven to make peace with you. The angels came to earth to proclaim the news of “peace on earth to those on whom his favor rests” (). In the midst of all our traditions, celebrations, and even obligations, will we put in the same effort? Will our lives make the same proclamation?

Will you please pray with me?