Go! And Live in the Peace of Christ (Advent Peace)
Romans 5:1 (NLT): “Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us.”
Psalm 119:165 (NLT): “Those who love your instructions have great peace and do not stumble.”
Introduction: Advent and the World’s Longing for Peace
Every Christmas card declares it.
Every news broadcast contradicts it.
And every human heart longs for it.
Peace.
Advent is the season where the Church intentionally remembers that Christ came into a violent, divided, restless world as the Prince of Peace. Every generation searches for peace — world peace, inner peace, peace of mind — yet peace remains elusive.
Technology has increased, comforts have improved, entertainment is everywhere, but anxiety, guilt, conflict, and fear still reign.
But Advent whispers a better word:
Peace has come.
Peace has a name.
Peace is a Person — Jesus Christ.
Today my encouragement to you is: Go! And live in the peace of Christ.
Live in the peace of justification and the great peace that comes from loving God’s Word.
Paul declares the greatest truth the human soul can ever know:
Peace with God is possible — because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done.
And the Psalmist declares the greatest blessing the believer can experience:
Great peace belongs to those who treasure God’s Word.
At Advent, we celebrate both.
Let us walk through these two glorious truths.
1. Peace With God — The Gift of Justification (Romans 5:1)
Paul begins Romans 5 with a glorious “therefore,” pointing back to the reality that all humanity stands guilty before a holy God. No one earns righteousness by works. But in Christ, everything changes:
“Since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith…” (Romans 5:1, NLT)
The Greek verb dikaioo means to declare righteous. It is a courtroom word. It does not describe a process but a declaration. When you trust in Jesus, the Judge of heaven slams the gavel and declares:
Not guilty.
Forgiven.
Righteous.
Accepted.
Mine.
2 Corinthians 5:21 (NLT): "For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin,[a] so that we could be made right with God through Christ."
This is the great exchange:
Our sin laid upon Christ;
Christ’s righteousness credited to us.
As R.T. Kendall says, “Justification means more than forgiveness. It means God sees me just as if I had never sinned.”
Advent reminds us why Christ came — not simply to be born, but to die, to rise, and to justify sinners.
You cannot earn God’s approval.
You cannot strive your way to peace.
But you can receive it — through Christ.
2. Peace From God — The End of Hostility (Romans 5:1)
Paul continues: “We have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us.”
This is not the peace of feelings — this is the peace of relationship.
Romans 5:10 (NLT): "For since our friendship with God was restored by the death of his Son while we were still his enemies, we will certainly be saved through the life of his Son."
Before salvation, we were enemies of God.
Advent reminds us that the Baby in the manger came to end the war between God and humanity.
The Hebrew word for peace — shalom — means wholeness, reconciliation, nothing broken, nothing missing. Through the cross, Christ did not merely calm our fears; He ended our rebellion.
Tim Keller said, “The peace of God is not the absence of trouble but the presence of God.”
But hear this:
Peace with God is the foundation for the peace of God.
You cannot experience the peace of God until you first have peace with God.
Ephesians 2:14 (NLT): "For Christ himself has brought peace to us. He united Jews and Gentiles into one people when, in his own body on the cross, he broke down the wall of hostility that separated us."
Christ Himself is our peace.
Peace is not a technique — it is a Person.
3. The Great Peace of Loving God’s Word (Psalm 119:165)
If Romans 5:1 gives us peace with God, Psalm 119:165 teaches us how to walk in great peace.
Psalm 119:165 (NLT): “Those who love your instructions have great peace and do not stumble.”
The Psalmist uses shalom again — but not just peace: great peace.
Not fragile peace.
Not fleeting peace.
Not “peace when life is easy.”
Great peace.
Deep peace.
Advent peace — the peace Jesus came to give.
And who receives this peace?
Those who love God’s Word — His torah, His teaching, His direction.
Charles Stanley once wrote, “The Word of God is our anchor in the storms of life.”
Peace is the fruit of being anchored to the Scriptures — reading them, obeying them, treasuring them.
Too many Christians want peace without the anchor.
Peace without obedience.
Peace without the Word.
But the Psalmist says peace comes to those who love God’s Word — who delight in it, trust it, and obey it even when culture does not.
4. Peace That Guards Us From Stumbling (Psalm 119:165)
The Hebrew word for “stumble” — mikshol — refers to tripping, falling, or being trapped.
Loving the Word sets spiritual guardrails around our lives.
Psalm 37:23–24 (NLT) encourages us: “Though they stumble, they will never fall, for the Lord holds them by the hand.”
John Piper said, “The Word awakens us to reality.”
Sin tries to trip you.
Temptation tries to lure you.
Fear tries to overwhelm you.
But the Word of God steadies you.
Corrie ten Boom, who smuggled Scripture into a concentration camp, said: “You can never learn that Christ is all you need until Christ is all you have.”
If the Word of God could give her peace in a death camp, it can give you peace in your valley.
5. Peace That Is Certain — Because We Stand in Grace (Romans 5:2)
Paul continues in Romans 5:2 (NLT): “Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of undeserved privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God’s glory.”
Stand — not crave, not strive.
Stand — fixed, secure, unshakeable.
Advent peace is not fragile — it is anchored in grace.
You are not kept by your performance — you are held by Christ.
“Whoever takes the Son gets everything.”
And when you take the Son, you receive all the blessings of salvation — including the unshakeable peace of God.
6. Advent Peace Points Us to the Prince of Peace
Isaiah 26:3 (NLT): “You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you!”
The written Word points us to the living Word — Jesus Christ.
He came at Advent not merely to soothe us, but to save us.
Not merely to comfort us, but to cleanse us.
Not merely to calm life’s storms, but to conquer our sin.
R.T. Kendall reminds us: “The greatest peace you will ever know is when you are forgiven.”
That is Advent peace — God and sinners reconciled.
7. The Gospel Call: Peace Is Offered Today
Romans 10:9 (NLT): “If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”
Jesus came to bring peace — not by ignoring sin, but by paying for it on the cross.
On the cross He cried, “It is finished!” — tetelestai — paid in full.
Your debt erased.
Your guilt removed.
Your shame covered.
Your heart reconciled.
You can have peace with God today — right now.
Repent, believe, and receive the Prince of Peace.
Application for Believers:
If you are in Christ, you already have peace with God.
But are you living in great peace?
Ask yourself:
Am I anchored to the Word or drifting from it?
Am I letting anxiety rule when Christ has already given me peace?
Am I loving God’s Word or neglecting it?
Am I walking securely or stumbling over the same sins?
Philippians 4:6–7 (NLT) promises: “Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand.”
This Advent, go and live in that peace — the peace bought by Christ and strengthened through the Word.
Conclusion: Go! And Live in the Peace of Christ
Peace with God — through justification.
Great peace — through loving God’s Word.
Advent peace — through the presence of Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace.
Go and live in it.
Go and stand in grace.
Go and walk securely.
Go and shine the peace of Christ into a restless world.
Benediction:
May the God of peace Himself fill your heart with Christ’s peace.
May the Word of God anchor you through every storm.
May the Prince of Peace rule your mind, your home, your steps, and your season.
And may you go forth living in the peace Christ has already won,
in the mighty name of Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
