Dr. Bradford Reaves
Crossway Christian Fellowship
Hagerstown, MD
www.mycrossway.org
Watch this message at: https://mycrossway.churchcenter.com/episodes/169217
Last week we began Advent by studying the heart of Christmas as a season of hope. We see the faithfulness of God from his prophetic fulfillment of that word in Jesus’s birth and we continue to look in confidence that we can place our hope in him today and as we await his glorious return as King of Kings. No matter what we face in life and no matter what is going on in the world around us, we can be assured that God is with us and we are securely in His plan and He will meet us in our time of need. Today, we will look at another aspect of the heart of Christmas—the wonderful offer of peace.
Every year, Andrea and I have a tradition of buying a unique Christmas ornament for our Christmas tree that represents our year together as a family. We still have the first one we bought for our first Christmas together in 1995, the ones when we lived in TX and SC. We have an ornament for Noah’s first Christmas with us and this year we bought a ****. No matter what I look back on all of these memories and I can recall nearly every time we selected our ornament. What is also significant is no matter what was happening each year, I can distinctly see God’s hand in each stage of our lives and so there’s an assurance of our future. Why? Because we’ve spent our marriage living in God’s peace.
The reason for Jesus’ birth is God’s deep desire to see his creation - and especially you and I who were made in His image - no longer broken and in conflict but rather be restored and at peace. This divine path to peace began in an unlikely place amongst some unlikely characters, and that’s where we begin today.
I. The Heart of Christmas is Peace
The Christmas story in the Bible begins with an odd group of people. The first announcement of the arrival of Jesus in Bethlehem was given by a multitude of heavenly angels to a group of shepherds who were out in a field watching their flocks to keep them safe at night.
"In the same region, there were some shepherds staying out in the fields and keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terribly frightened. 10 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. 11 For today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 “And this will be the sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” 13 And suddenly there appeared 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 men with whom He is pleased.” (Luke 2:8–14 LSB)
Shepherds in first-century Israel were individuals who existed on the fringe of society. They were considered stinky, dirty, and untrustworthy. They lived on their own for months as they traveled with their flocks. It would have been shocking to the first readers of the book of Luke that these were the people God chose to entrust with such an important message.
II. THE PEACE OF GOD IS FOR ALL PEOPLE
Imagine if God asked you to plan the announcement of the birth of His Son, the Savior of the world. Who would you choose to tell first and why? How would you go about doing that announcement? People today spend all kinds of money today for “gender reveal parties” (a little ironic in today’s culture of the gender blender).
Have you ever wondered “why Shepherds?” Shepherds are one of the oldest professions in the world. Adam was given dominion over all the animals (Gen 1:26). Abel is called a “Keeper of the Sheep (Gen 4:2). God is described in Psalm 23 as our shepherd and Jesus calls himself in John 10 as the “Good Shepherd.”
These Shepherds, which were in the fields outside of Bethlehem, were tending to the flock. Incidentally, Bethlehem is just a couple of miles outside of Jerusalem. It’s practically a suburb just before the rolling hills of Judea turn into the desert. A shepherd would be guarding the flock against predators during the night. The sheep would be gathered together in the Sheep-fold. Interestingly, these same sheep would likely be used for sacrifice in the temple. Now the Savior of the world was coming and would be the final sacrifice.
Some believe that the shepherd was once a position of honor. A person who was recognized as being important. In Israel, Shepherds were critical to the sacrificial worship at the Temple. But it was a dirty, lonely job with a very meager wage. Because of their work, they were ineligible for participating in the worship at the temple. They also weren’t able to testify in court.
Shepherds were the most unlikely group of people for an angelic pronouncement. But God loves to take up people that others look down on and promote them. In one survey, nearly one-third of those questioned said that of all the people mentioned in the Christmas story, they identified the most with the shepherds. The shepherds were average, ordinary people and yet were invited to see the birth of the King of kings. (ministry127.com). I think the reason more than anything is we identify with the mundane of life with the intervention of the Divine. In reality, we all desire that more than we realize.
What I find most amazing is that, when God wanted to announce the arrival of his son, he did not do it in the presence of kings or queens. He announced it to the poor and the forgotten. It truly is good news because, if God’s favor was offered to the shepherds, then surely God’s favor and peace are available to us as well.
It is the world’s greatest need. From the time sin entered the world and affected all of creation, we have been at odds with God. The Bible says we were enemies of God and in rebellion against his rule and reign. Sin did not just stop there, it also caused us to be in conflict with one another and ourselves. This is why Jesus’ birth was, and is such good news. It is the ultimate answer to the brokenness that exists because of sin—brokenness between ourselves and God, ourselves and others, and our own inner voice.
This is the way Paul put it as he wrote to the church in Colossae. Paul was expressing the role that Jesus plays in making peace.
"For in Him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20 And through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross—through Him—whether things on earth or things in heaven. 21 And although you were formerly alienated and enemies in mind and in evil deeds, 22 but now He reconciled you in the body of His flesh through death, in order to present you before Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach (Colossians 1:19–22 LSB)
To understand the peace that is ushered in at Christmas time, we must understand that, although Jesus arrived in a cradle, his life would lead to a cross. Jesus, being a member of the Divine Godhead, lived a sinless life and laid down his life for the atonement of our sins through his own crucifixion. Paul said it is the blood of Jesus Christ that makes peace between us and God. Christ’s sacrifice on the cross pays for the sin we have committed, it satisfies God’s justice, and it breaks the chains of evil. Even more, it opens up the doors for our rebirth as new creatures. Being reconciled to God is the key to experiencing peace in every other area of our lives.
This question was once asked, "If you could choose what you want most in life, what would you ask for?" The most common answer was "Peace." Peace is one of the fruits of the Spirit listed in Galatians 5 and it is the promise of the angels who appeared to the shepherds in the Bethlehem fields.
People want peace in their marriages, families, workplaces, country, and world. Our country has some of the best medical and psychological treatment centers, the highest educational institutions, and worldwide communication abilities. Yet with all of these things, most people struggle to find peace. The results are devastating... broken marriages, hatred, rebellion, financial anxiety, and a country unsettled.
The world will offer you peace through many forms of escapism... drugs, alcohol, immoral relationships, and constant entertainment. It is sought through all forms of pleasure, self-satisfaction, and positive thinking. Many believe that peace is defined as the absence of trouble. They refuse to face the problems in their lives believing that this is finding peace. The world, however, has never held the answer to true peace.
You can choose to have true peace. True peace comes not from man but from God. This peace is the fruit of the Holy Spirit spoken of in Galatians 5:22.
This peace means to be in harmony with God, to be bound, joined, and woven together with God the Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit. It also means to be assured of, confident of, and secure in the love and care of God. There is a consciousness and a sure trust God will provide, guide, strengthen, sustain, encourage, deliver and save completely those who seek Him with all their hearts. This supernatural peace must come first and foremost from receiving Jesus Christ as your personal Savior and Lord. Second, it comes from a knowledge of and a love for God's Word.
The Apostle Paul knew this peace. He suffered greatly because of his love for the Lord, his love for God's truth, and because of his commitment to the commission given to him by Jesus Christ. Yet in all this, his heart was kept in perfect peace.
He had been imprisoned, stoned, left for dead, and scourged by the Romans, and yet he said in Romans 8: 28, "And we know that in all things, God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose." Note the conditions of knowing God's peace: 1.) You must love God, and 2.) You must be called according to His purpose, which means fitting into His plan and into His perfect will for you so you can be "... conformed to the likeness of His Son." (Romans 8: 29)
Most people reject God's peace because they cannot see beyond the temptations of the world’s pseudo-peace and pridefully surrender to their own selfishness and their lust for the pleasures of this world. “There is no greater discovery than seeing God as the author of your destiny” (Zacharias).
Jesus said, John 14:27 “27 “Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.” A legacy of inner peace is offered to all who know Jesus Christ, regardless of their circumstances.
In these days of uncertainty and distress, will you receive Jesus Christ into your life? He is the Giver of eternal life and the Prince of Peace! If we want to see peace happen in the everyday parts and people in our lives then we first need to have peace in our eternity with God
III. JESUS RECONCILES US TO GOD
When we receive the gift of forgiveness that is offered to us by faith, we become friends of God and he offers us his power to help us navigate the difficulties of life. Some may believe that being made right with God means they will never face any problems. This is not the case. Pastor and speaker Dr. Tony Evans says it like this: “Peace does not mean you won’t have any problems. Peace means that your problems won’t have you.”
Our peace through God does not equate to the absence of conflict. It is peace with God that gives us peace in a world full of conflict. We may still have circumstances that don’t go our way or challenging relationships to navigate. What it does promise is the presence of God in our lives; and if He is with us, there is nothing we should fear. We can go to him for guidance and strength. We can lean on him when we get weary. He promises to bind up our wounds when we are hurt.
God desires for us to make peace with ourselves. Every past mistake, personal struggle, or worry for the future is met with the love and grace of God. We also make peace with others because of the forgiveness of God given to us. When we come to recognize the grace given to us, our hearts are transformed to offer grace to others.
As we get closer and closer to Christmas day, we move through a season known as Advent. Advent comes from the Latin word meaning arrival. Jesus’s first coming was the arrival of God’s light of the world. Like sitting around a lit Christmas tree at night, the glow of God’s presence washes over us. It calms our fears and steadies our hearts. At Christmastime, we also make note of another advent that is to come. One day in the future Jesus will return and make all things right once and for all. His peace covers our past, meets us in our present, and is a promise for the future.
IV. PEACE IS OUR PURPOSE
What the world needs more of is people who have the peace of God in their hearts and who are willing to share that peace with others. It is not optional for us to embody this peace. It is an expectation that Jesus has for his followers. Joining God in making the world a better place is the purpose of our lives. In fact, Jesus speaks to this in the middle of his most famous sermon called the Beatitudes. "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God." (Matthew 5:9 LSB).
In the NT, the word for peace means “to reconcile or join.” In the native tongue of Guinea-Bissau, Papell, “Ninjone” means “something good” and for persons to share “Ninjone-Ninjone” means there is peace; it is all good. Some missionary Bible translators were working very hard to find a word for peace in a particular tribal language. At last, a native who was working with them found a combination of words that captured the concept—“a heart that sits down.” When the heart sits down with Jesus—when we join with God through his Son—there is peace.
The angels told the shepherds that peace was available to those on whom God’s favor rests. Jesus said something similar when he stated that peacemakers will be blessed, and they will be called children of God. When we are willing to seek reconciliation with others and fight for harmony rather than sowing dissension, we are identified with the heart of God who longs to reconcile the world to himself. We look like the Father, and we are recognized as children in his family. We find peace at the heart of Christmas because God desires us to be in the right relationship with him, with ourselves, and with others. It is the very reason for which Jesus came to earth.
Conclusion
There are many people who do not value peace in their relationships, and so they live in a constant state of conflict. Some people are looking for a fight because they aren’t in one. It reminds me of what Linus said to Charlie Brown in a Charlie Brown Christmas. Charlie Brown was having trouble getting into the Christmas spirit, and Linus observed, “Charlie Brown, you’re the only person I know who can take a wonderful season like Christmas and turn it into a problem.” Peace begins when expectation ends.
For many in our high-paced world, despair is not a moment, it is a way of life. There is no greater discovery than seeing God as the Author of your destiny. What is the message of Christmas? It is the birth of the One who promised us peace.
Unfortunately, this is the outcome for people who believe Christmas is about other things besides hope, peace, joy, and love. This Christmas may we be people who embrace the gift offered to us through Jesus who died for us so we might live in the right relationship with God, ourselves, and others.
