Several decades ago, a diplomat got off a plane and spoke to the crowd that was gathered there. He waved a piece of paper to the crowd and they broke out in a series of loud cheers. Why were they so excited over a piece of paper? Because that paper was going to end the possibility of war. That paper promised peace to the people. Here is part of what was said that day: “We regard the agreement signed last night… as symbolic of the desire of our two peoples never to go to war with one another again.” Later that same day, the same man stood outside his government’s main headquarters and said this, “My good friends… there has come back… peace with honor. I believe it is peace for our time…. Now I recommend you to go home and sleep quietly in your beds.” What a promise! Peace in our day! The promise of rest. The promise of peace. So what happened? Well, let me give you the details. This event happened on September 30, 1938 and the man who was speaking was British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain. He had just returned from Germany where he had signed an agreement with Adolph Hitler. That agreement basically gave parts of Czechoslovakia to Hitler in exchange for his promise of peace. It was the ultimate example of appeasement. Chamberlain signed a treaty and made a promise of peace. Of course we know it was a promise of peace that he couldn’t keep. Because within a year, all of Europe was engaged in World War II, the most destructive war in history. People are always looking for peace. They look for peace, and invariably, someone will stand up and promise it. It happened with the promises of peace in Europe after Napoleon. That failed and grew into the League of Nations. That failed miserably and grew into the UN. There is a statue in front of the UN Headquarters building that has a Bible verse on it. The passage is from the second part of Isaiah 2:4 and says, “and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.” Of course they leave off the first part that says that God will judge among the nations and will rebuke many people. But that is the promise of peace that the UN brings. Have they delivered on their promise? Not considering the fact that since they were established, nearly 90 million people have died in wars and conflicts. Here is the sad fact of the matter. The UN can’t bring peace. The League of Nations can’t deliver peace. Camp David accords can’t deliver peace. Whatever treaty or alliance they come up with next can’t deliver peace. Why? Because Jesus promised that, until the end, there will be wars and rumors of wars. They are inevitable. When man in his sinful nature tries to restrain the sinful nature of other men, wars and strife will always result. The sad fact is that man is not capable of bringing world peace. But world peace isn’t what’s on our mind most of the time, is it? Unless you have a friend or family member who is currently involved in the war, most of the time it doesn’t even cross your mind, does it? Because world peace isn’t the kind of peace you’re most looking for. World peace isn’t the kind of peace you’re most looking for, because your own life is so chaotic and lacking in peace. That’s the way many people are today. Many people today have no peace in their lives. So what do they do? They look for the next great thing to bring them peace. They look to the next relationship. They look to the next job. They look to the next car or house or electronic gadget or toy. They look to the next doctor. They look to the next medication. They look to the next counselor or therapy. And where is the peace? It’s as if each one of those things was standing on that tarmac in England with Chamberlain. Each one is waving a worthless piece of paper and promising, “Peace for our time.” But the peace doesn’t come. No matter what you try, the peace doesn’t come. Why? Because you’re looking in the wrong places. You’re looking for something you can do. You’re looking for something you can control. You’re looking for some way to pull yourself up by your own bootstraps. You’re looking for some magic elixir you can take and make it all go away. But no matter how many times you keep looking in those same old places, you still won’t find any peace there. Because it isn’t there. The only thing there is bondage. The only thing there is more chaos. The only thing there is more hurt and disappointment. Do you want to find peace this morning? If you want to find true peace this morning, then you need to look in the place where promises are made that are never broken. You need to look to the One person who will never hurt you or disappoint you. You need to look to the One who when He was born, the angels proclaimed a promise to the whole world. When Jesus was born, they proclaimed, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.” Was that a promise of world peace? Eventually, but not now. So what kind of peace were those angels promising that Jesus would bring? They were promising that Jesus would bring the kind of peace that Peter is talking about in our passage this morning. The promise of peace that was given on that very first Christmas morning is laid out here in four parts. First, the peace of Christmas claims a promise. Look back to verses 12-13:
2 PETER 3:12-13
The peace of Christmas claims a promise. Do you ever find yourself thinking about the future? We just went through the political season. And one of the main topics during the election was about the future of this country. The reason it was such a big topic is because the future can be a scary thing. It’s unknown. In many ways it’s a mystery. We see wars and hear rumors of wars. We see the economy crumbling. We see the moral fabric of our country being destroyed. We see children being raised with no parents and no sense of morality. School shootings, violence, immorality. We look around us and what we see doesn’t paint a very good picture of the future, does it? But I thank God that our hope for the future doesn’t rest in what we see. Our hope for the future doesn’t rest in the government. Our hope for the future doesn’t rest in the economy. Our hope for the future doesn’t rest in school systems or social programs or anything manmade. A few years ago, Whitney Houston had a very popular song on the radio. It started off saying, “I believe that children are our future.” Well, I thank God that our hope for the future doesn’t rest in children. Yes, we train them up right. Yes, we educate them. Yes we provide for them and teach them the ways of God. But not because our hope for the future is in them. Because children are fallen just like adults are. And fallen people can only hope in one thing. Fallen people can only hope in one thing, because when you boil it all down, we have only one problem. Our only true problem is that we need a Savior. We need One who will right the wrongs. We need One who will fix what’s broken. We need One who will cleanse from sin. We need One who will remove the curse and purge creation from its evil. And the only One who can do that is the One who created it in the first place. The only One who can truly bring peace to this world that is marred by sin is the One who created it perfect in the first place. And He will. The first time Jesus came, He came as a baby in a manger. The first time Jesus came, He came to seek and to save that which was lost. But the next time He comes it will be different. The next time He will be the fire that will purge and purify His creation at an elemental level. His children who are called by His name. His children who are saved by His blood. His children who have cried out to Him in salvation as their Lord and Savior will pass through that purifying fire. We will be protected and rewarded as verse 13 says, “according to His promise.” And that is when we will see peace. That is when we will live in righteousness. No more conflict. No more turmoil. No more strife. No more curse. All will be made new. That’s a promise. It’s a promise that is as sure as the Word of God it stands on. It’s a promise that’s rooted and grounded in the faithfulness of God Himself. And it’s a promise that you can claim. It’s a promise that you can look for with eagerness and anticipation. The peace of Christmas claims a promise. It also cleans a people. Look with me at verse 14:
2 PETER 3:14
The peace of Christmas cleans a people. All of that future stuff is great. But that’s just it, it’s all in the future. It’s all in the sweet by-and-by. But what does it mean for us today? Is there peace for today, or is it all just somewhere off in the distance? Oh, the peace for today is because of that promised peace. That’s why Peter starts verse 14 with the word “wherefore.” Because you can claim the promise of Christmas, you can have peace in your life today. You can have peace about what is yours today. Peter is saying that, because you’re looking to the complete and total purifying work that Jesus is going to do in the future, it has to impact your life today. It will impact you so that you will be diligent in the way you live for Him. You will live your life in the way you want Him to find you when He returns. In other words, you are going to live your life with the end in mind. You see, if Jesus has called you and saved you, He’s going to clean you. When Jesus saves you, He clothes you in His righteousness. He sanctifies you. He gives you the position of perfection. Then He calls you to match your posture to your position. He calls you to live like the righteousness He’s clothed you in. The sad thing is that there are so many people today who call themselves Christians, who don’t have peace in their lives. They might have walked and aisle somewhere. They might have even been baptized. They might even have a hope of heaven someday. But they live like none of that has anything to do with their lives today. They live like it has no bearing on how they live their lives today. Do you know what that results in? It results in chaos. It results in confusion. It results in uneasiness and a lack of peace in your life. If you are living your life in rebellion to the Word of God this morning, you will never have peace in your life. Because the true peace of Christmas cleans you. When Jesus saves you He doesn’t just punch your ticket for heaven. He created you and saves you so that you will bring Him glory. And you can’t bring Him glory if you are living in a way that is contrary to His Word. In order to experience the true peace of Christmas, you must be diligent. You must be diligent first of all to be found in Jesus. You have to have given your life to Him. You have to have believed Him for who He is. And you have to have trusted Him with everything you are. And as part of diligently being found in Jesus, you must allow Him to cleanse you. Do you have sins in your life that you constantly struggle with? Allow Jesus to take them from you. He wants nothing more than to make you spotless and pure and holy before Him. All you have to do is let Him. You can’t do it on your own. No amount of self-effort or reform can give you the peace that comes from the cleansing of Christ in your life. No amount of your own effort can give you the peace of Christmas this morning. Because it’s only the peace of Christmas that can clean people. The peace of Christmas cleans a people. It also completes a provision. Look at the first part of verse 15:
2 PETER 3:15a
The peace of Christmas completes a provision. Thank God for His longsuffering. The original word that’s translated longsuffering is a compound word. It literally means “long of spirit”. Some translations use the word patience. That’s what it means, but it doesn’t paint the picture the same way that longsuffering does. I know longsuffering is something that I lack. My kids make fun of me because of how impatient I am when I drive. They remind me all the time that the driver in the other car can’t hear me. But I can be impatient. I thank God that He isn’t impatient with me. Think of all the times that you have failed Him. Think of all the times that you have fallen short of what He expects of you. Think of all the times you were more concerned about your comfort than His glory. Think about all the times when you were more concerned about the things that you wanted to do than what He wanted you to do. If I was Him, I wouldn’t put up with you very long. And if I was Him I’d put up with me a whole lot less than that. Look at how long God has put up with Israel. Ever since He first called them up out of Egypt, they’ve rebelled against Him. Yet He has designed history to culminate in their return to Him. Is there peace in that? You bet there is. There is peace in the fact that God finishes what He starts. When God makes a promise, there is peace in the fact that He is faithful to keep His promise. In Romans 8:29 God makes a promise. He says that those, “whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.” I want you to notice how that verse plays out. God’s promise is so sure that it starts in His counsels in eternity past. In other words, in eternity past, God knew that He would call you to His salvation. If He has saved you, He knew that you would be saved. He called you, He saved you, He justified you, and then what? The verse says that He glorified you. But glorification doesn’t come until Jesus comes back. So why did Paul refer to it in the past tense? Why did he say that you have been glorified? Because God’s promise of salvation is so sure that the end result is guaranteed. It is as guaranteed as if it has already happened. The Lord finishes what He starts. His longsuffering is salvation. Your peace of Christmas this morning is that if you trust Jesus as your Lord and Savior today, He will keep you forever. Nothing will separate you from His love. Because the true peace of Christmas completes a provision. When He gives you His provision of salvation, He is faithful to preserve you in that provision. The peace of Christmas claims a purpose, cleans a people and completes a provision. Finally, it calls for a proclamation. Look at the second part of verse 15:
2 PETER 3:15b
The peace of Christmas calls for a proclamation. On a couple of occasions, Peter and Paul had their differences. The Bible tells of a time when Peter messed up his witness one time and Paul called him out on it. But both Peter and Paul understood the peace that comes from trusting Christ. They understood the fact that the Gospel of Jesus Christ is the only hope for peace. It is the only hope for eternal peace because one day this place is going to be dissolved in judgment. It’s the only hope for present peace because of the righteousness of Christ that He gives us that we can never hope to attain on our own. And it’s the only hope for assured peace because Jesus finishes what He starts and is faithful to keep His promises. Both Peter and Paul understood that. They understood the Gospel. They understood the good news of Jesus. They understood that as God Himself, Jesus emptied Himself of all the glories of heaven and came to earth. God of very God became flesh in the form of a baby in a dirty little stable in Bethlehem. God the Son became flesh, endured every temptation, suffered every pain, and passed every test… all so that He could become your substitute. All so that He could die in your place. All so that He could be your peace. Peter and Paul knew that, so they were compelled to tell people about it. They were compelled to write to people. They were compelled to talk to people. They were compelled to preach and teach and witness—no matter what it cost them. Because the kind of peace that Jesus offers is the best news ever offered. And that kind of news just has to be told. It has to be proclaimed. There is a lost and dying world who is starving for peace this Christmas. The peace of Christmas calls for a proclamation. But before you can make that proclamation to others, you have to make a proclamation for yourself. You see, if you have never proclaimed Jesus as your Lord and Savior, none of this peace applies to you. You can hunt and look and strive and you will never find it on your own. You can never find it on your own, because there is nothing you can ever do to earn it. It could only be bought with the blood of your creator. So He did. Jesus paid the price for your peace with His blood. The question is, will you take the peace He offers? Romans 10:9-10 tells you what you have to do to claim His gift this morning. It says, “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” If you need peace this Christmas, today is the day to claim it. today is the day to believe that Jesus died for you and is alive today. Today is the day to publicly proclaim Him as your Lord and your Savior. When the invitation sounds, come and proclaim His peace today.
