Summary: Wouldn’t it be great to be able to sit down someday & say, "I don’t have anything to worry about today. Everything in my life is in order"? That would be great, wouldn’t it? But it doesn’t happen very often.

MELVIN M. NEWLAND, MINISTER

CENTRAL CHRISTIAN, BROWNSVILLE, TX

A. The subject this morning is peace. And in this world today, that subject is a major concern, isn’t it?

ILL. Now I don’t mean to be harsh, but I have little respect for some of the ideas & values proclaimed by Ted Turner, founder of the Turner Broadcasting System & the Cable News Network, & owner of the Atlanta Braves.

He is rich & powerful, & he is also strongly opposed to Christianity, openly ridiculing both Jesus & the Bible. He proclaims that mankind has no need for Christian teachings & values, & he sneers at the Ten Commandments as being dangerously archaic.

But sometimes I feel sorry for him. Two years ago in Atlanta, he told a gathering of contributors to CNN’s World Report that he wanted to see if anybody had a real vision for a world at peace & in harmony with the environment. So he bankrolled a competition to find & produce a book that would present a workable plan for world peace.

He reported, "Out of 10,000 manuscripts submitted, we did not find one plausible treatise on how to get to a sustainable, peaceful future." Then he added, "Without a feasible plan, the prospects of creating peace are grim."

B. He is absolutely right. And the tragedy of it all is that Ted Turner has easily available to him the one book that speaks of peace, of "peace that passes all understanding," & of Jesus, the one who offers us that peace.

That was what Isaiah prophesied when he wrote, "For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, & the government will be on his shoulders. And He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace" [Isaiah 9:6].

Zechariah says, "He will proclaim peace to the nations..." [Zech. 9:10b]. The prophet Micah adds, "He will stand & shepherd His flock in the strength of the Lord...they will live securely, for then His greatness will reach to the ends of the earth. And He will be their peace" [Micah 5:4-5].

SUM. Look at almost any of the prophecies or the angels’ announcement of the birth of Christ & you’ll find the words "peace" & "good will towards men." He is the "Prince of Peace," the source of peace. That is the promise of God.

ILL. I’m told that a man went to the doctor complaining of a number of pains. After examining him the doctor said, "I can’t find anything organically wrong with you. But sometimes physical problems are the result of worry or stress. Maybe you need to find a good counselor & tell him your troubles. He might be able to advise you & make you feel better."

"In fact," he said, "last week I had a fellow who was complaining of pains similar to yours & I couldn’t find anything wrong with him, either. But after talking a while, he told me that he was worried sick about a $5,000 debt he owed & couldn’t pay. Well, we talked about it & I was able to help him."

The man asked, "How did you help him?" "Oh, I told him that life was too short to worry about a piece of paper that said he owed $5,000. I suggested that he tear up the paper & throw it away, & stop worrying about the debt, & get on with his life. So he did. And now he feels great!"

"Yes, I know," said the guy. "I’m the one he owes the $5,000 to."

C. Life does have its share of worries & stresses & strains. Wherever we go they are present. We have been told that ours is the age of anxiety & that worry is the pervasive emotion of our time.

But wouldn’t it be great to be able to sit down someday & say, "I don’t have anything to worry about today. Everything in my life is in order."

That would be great, wouldn’t it?

But it doesn’t happen very often. We live in the midst of crowded streets & malls & last-minute Christmas shopping & cards that still need to be addressed & parties to attend & work to do. And the pressure builds.

PROP. So it is time to look at God’s promise of peace once again. In Ephesians 2, Paul talks about it & says that Christ is the source of peace in at least three directions:

I. WE CAN HAVE PEACE WITH GOD

A. First of all, Paul says that Jesus is the source of peace between God & us. We can have peace with God because of Jesus. Listen carefully to the words of Paul in Ephesians 2:13-14.

"But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ. For He Himself is our peace, who has made the two one & has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility."

Now here is what Paul is saying: Our sins have taken us far away from God. As a result, we have no promise. We have no hope. Our sins have created a wall of hostility separating us from God.

You see, God is a holy & righteous & pure God. And He created us in His own image. That means that He has given us the ability to live holy, righteous, & pure lives.

But He also gave us the freedom to choose, & every one of us here, old enough to understand the difference between right & wrong, has made the decision at some point in time to do what we knew was wrong. We all have sinned against God. And not just once, but over & over again.

We who were made in His holy image have fouled that image. We have taken that which is precious in His sight & stained it with sin. We’ve turned our back on Him & gone our own way. And as a result, there is a wall of disobedience & hostility between us & God.

But God still loves us, & Christmas proclaims that God took the initiative & sent His Son, that through Him the wall, the barrier, might be destroyed, & we be brought back to God. So we have peace with God when Jesus Christ becomes our Savior. On this the Bible is very clear.

B. In fact, it says that the only way back to God is through Jesus Christ. Jesus Himself said, "I am the Way & the Truth & the Light. There is no other way to the Father except by me." There is no other Savior, no other way to God - not through good works or honest character, or pagan gods - only through Jesus. There is no other Savior than Jesus Christ.

Now in a world that embraces virtually everything, that says that "one religion is as good as another," or "one way of life is as good as another," that’s very difficult for some to accept.

And when Christians say, "There is only one way back to God," the rest of the world says, "If that is what you believe then the message of Christmas has made you the most narrow minded, bigoted people who have ever lived."

How are we to answer that? I don’t want to be perceived as being narrow minded & bigoted. I want to be as open as I possibly can be. But I suggest that whenever we are telling the truth we are not being narrow minded or bigoted. We’re being loving & compassionate.

ILL. If you go to the doctor & he tests your blood & then he says, "You have diabetes. But, I have good news for you. You can take insulin. You’ll probably have to take it the rest of your life. But it will permit you to live pretty much a normal life."

But you say to him, "I don’t want to take insulin. Why can’t I take two aspirin instead? Or why can’t I take penicillin? Or why can’t I take some other drug? Why do I have to take insulin?"

So he tries to explain to you that insulin is the only thing that helps. And you say to him, "You are the most narrow minded & bigoted doctor I have ever seen."

No, he is not being narrow minded or bigoted. He is being loving & compassionate because the only thing that will help you is insulin. So he tells you the truth.

APPL. When the church preaches the truth the world may perceive that as being narrow minded & bigoted, but it is loving & compassionate because it is the truth.

SUM. So we must preach the good news that peace with God comes only through the Prince of Peace whom He has sent. God’s Christmas gift to us is peace.

II. PEACE AMONG OURSELVES

A. Secondly, Paul says that Jesus is the source of peace among men. We can have peace with each other & live together in harmony because of Jesus.

Now in vs’s 17-19 the Apostle Paul was talking about the division, the animosity between Jews & Gentiles. And he reminds us that Jesus brings peace & unity & brotherhood between people & nations & races. Here is what he says:

"He came & preached peace to you who were far away & peace to those who were near. For through Him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit. Consequently, you are no longer foreigners & aliens, but fellow citizens with God’s people & members of God’s household."

ILL. For many years a large silver star adorned the top of the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem. One day back in the 1800’s, the Roman Catholic Church, which shares a part of the building with a Greek Orthodox Church, decided to take down the silver star & replace it with their own star. But the Greek Orthodox church refused to let them do that.

The Greek Orthodox Church was supported by Russia, & the Roman Catholic Church was supported by France. But it was Turkey who actually ruled over Palestine at that time. When Turkey sided with the Roman Catholic Church, Russia declared war on Turkey. Immediately France & England allied themselves with Turkey, & fought what history calls the Crimean War which lasted from 1853 - 1856. At the end of that war the star came down.

Isn’t it ironic that in the very place of the birth of the Prince of Peace there has almost always been conflict & war? And when TV cameras take you to Bethlehem this Christmas season you will have to notice the armed soldiers who are watching over the crowds that gather to worship the Prince of Peace.

B. It is estimated that in all the history of humanity less than 8 percent of recorded history can be described as times of peace. In the last 32 centuries there have been fewer than 300 years of peace.

Historians tell us that within the last 300 years there have been 286 wars in Europe alone. And that from 1500 B.C. to A.D. 1860 more than 8,000 treaties of peace were signed, meant to remain in force forever. But the average time they actually remained in force was only two years.

Is it any wonder that many of us are concerned about the peace treaties that were signed this week about Bosnia?

The truth is, people, on our own we do not get along with each other. Our courts are full of people who cannot get along. So they go to court to find someone to resolve the differences between them. We fight & we bicker. We criticize each other. We tear each other down. On our own we have difficulty living in harmony & peace with one another.

And into this squabbling war-torn world, God sent His personal, visible representative of "peace on earth, good will toward men."

C. Now notice particularly what Paul says in vs. 19, "Consequently, you are no longer foreigners & aliens, but fellow citizens with God’s people & members of God’s household."

You know who he is talking about? He’s talking about the church. He’s saying, "In the midst of a war-torn world there is an oasis of peace, & it’s my church." People have come from different nations & cultures & races.

But they have come individually to the baby in the manger, to the Prince of Peace, & they have emptied themselves before Him. They’ve said, "God, we can’t seem to live in harmony with one another. We can’t handle the pressures & stresses & strains. So we empty ourselves before you. Please fill us with your presence, & bring us your peace."

Then, because we have made peace with God, we can begin to live at peace with one another as brothers & sisters in the family of God - the oasis of peace in a war-torn world. Jesus said to His disciples, "By this shall all men know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."

The church is a dress rehearsal for heaven. What we do here is going to be with us throughout eternity. So we better learn how to love each other.

III. PEACE WITHIN, PEACE WITH YOURSELF

A. Then, finally, Paul says that Jesus is the source of peace within. We can be at peace with ourselves because Jesus is the Prince of Peace.

I love vs. 14 of the first chapter of Ephesians. Paul is talking about the Holy Spirit. Early on in this sermon I said that wouldn’t it be great to be able to sit down & say, "I don’t have anything to worry about," & to feel complete security in life.

Listen to Ephesians 1:14 as he talks about the Holy Spirit. Paul says that the Holy Spirit "...is a deposit (a down-payment) guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession - to the praise of His glory."

Now here is what that verse is saying, "The stock market might crash, the doctor may tell you that you have a terminal illness, the world may come crashing down around your ears, but you have an inheritance that is guaranteed, & there is no power in the world, under the world, over the world, around the world - anywhere, powerful enough to take that inheritance away from you. You are secure in your relationship with God."

And here is our guaranteed inheritance - we have a home in heaven with God forever. Now that ought to bring peace to our hearts, & to our lives.

ILL. I love the illustration that Billy Graham uses about a little bird that is nestled in the crevice of a rock on the sea shore. The winds are blowing, & the waves are crashing against the rocks, & the rain is pelting down. But here is this little bird in the crevice of the rock with his head tucked beneath his wing, oblivious to it all.

That’s exactly what Paul is talking about - about a peace that keeps you calm even though all the circumstances around you are changing. Even though people are critical, even though events are changing, you have the peace of Christ. And there is no peace like that found anywhere else, except in Him.

B. So are you at peace with yourself? I don’t think you’ll ever have it as long as you’re just flirting with Christianity, playing with God, lukewarm in your faith. I don’t think you’ll ever have it.

You see, as long as we are just flirting with Christianity we’ll never be at peace with God, we’ll never be at peace with one another, & we’ll most certainly never be at peace with ourselves.

It is only when we have surrendered ourselves to God, & God has filled up the vacuum & emptiness inside of us - it is only then that peace comes.

ILL. There is an old proverb that says, "When there is righteousness in the heart, there is beauty of character. When there is beauty of character, there is honor in the home. When there is honor in the home, there is order in society. And when there is order in society, there is peace in the world."

CONCL. Now where does it start? It starts in your heart, & in mine. This morning, if you find yourself still fighting the battles of life, & at war with yourself, the good news of Christmas is that there can be peace, peace on earth, & good will toward men.

Christ has come & is available to all who will come & accept Him & make Him the Lord of their lives. If you have not done that we invite you as we stand & as we sing.