CAN WE HAVE SOME PEACE, PLEASE?
Luke 2:14 (8-16)
S: Peace
Th: We have reason to rejoice!
Pr: WE REJOICE IN A GOD WHO BRINGS PEACE.
?: Why?
KW: Reasons
TS: We will find in Luke 2:14 three reasons why we rejoice in a God who brings peace.
The ____ reason is the…
I. REACTION
II. REACH
III. RECEPTION
Version: ESV
RMBC 15 Dec 02 AM
INTRODUCTION:
At times, I find Christmas stressful.
How about you?
And…
In this time of goodwill, isn’t it amazing that we still find time to fight?
I don’t know if this has been true in your house, but when our kids were younger, they would get so antsy and excited, they couldn’t stay still.
So as the anticipation rose, the emotions became more fragile.
It could get so bad that fights would take place over dessert.
But in keeping with the spirit of Christmas, I want to give you a gift – a solution if you will, that will solve any problems you might have regarding desserts.
The solution is a dessert that no one will fight over: fruitcake.
So now let me include, in my annual spirit of making fun of fruitcake, let me offer the top ten uses of fruitcake:
ILL Notebook: Christmas (top 10 uses)
10. Use slices to balance that wobbly kitchen table.
9. Use instead of sandbags during times of flooding.
8. One word: pincushion
7. Use as railroad ties.
6. Use as speed bumps to foil the neighborhood drag racers.
5. Collect ten and use them as bowling pins (Warning: they might dent your bowling ball).
4. Use instead of cement shoes.
3. Save for next summer’s garage sale.
2. Use slices in next skeet-shooting competition.
1. Send to U.S. Air Force, and let our troops drop them as our new secret weapon.
Well, we may chuckle at the last one, but we do know that war is looming on the horizon.
I am sure that this saddens most of us.
We would rather not be in this position of being poised for war.
In fact, this is the time of the year that we would rather be thinking of peace.
This reminds me of the newspaper headline that excelled in stating the obvious.
It read:
War Dims Hope for Peace
Well…yeah…this would be true.
TRANSITION:
Nevertheless, I do want to reassure you today that…
1. WE REJOICE IN A GOD WHO BRINGS PEACE.
But when we look at the world today, that seems distant doesn’t it?
In many ways, we are still reeling over the crumbling of the twin towers.
The search for Osama bin Laden has come up empty-handed.
And conflict around the world still fills the headlines.
This week, conflict was reported in…
…Israel
…Afghanistan
…Iraq
…Indonesia
…Bangladesh
…Sudan
…Zimbabwe
…North Korea
…Venezuela
…Colombia
So…
2. Is there peace anywhere in this world?
Uncertainty really seems to characterize our times.
I don’t know about you, but I wonder if the time isn’t so far away that the acts of terrorism will become more frequent on our own shores.
But you know, wouldn’t it be great if we really could lay down the weapons of war?
And all those billions of dollars that we spend on military uses, could be used to feed the hungry, to furnish housing for the homeless and to put clothes on the poor.
We are not the only ones to live in such uncertainty.
Two thousand years ago, the little country of Israel longed for freedom from their oppressor, Rome.
And…
3. As we look back into Israel’s history, we know they longed for a peacemaker (Isaiah 9:6).
They were looking for their Messiah-King that the prophet Isaiah spoke of…
For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
They longed for the Prince of Peace to come and rule them.
But though they longed for it, the peace seemed far away.
It seemed God had forgotten.
Yet a surprise was coming!
4. One night, the world changed and the dream of peace became a reality (Luke 2:8-16).
Here is how the story reads:
[8] And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. [9] And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear. [10] And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy that will be for all the people. [11] For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. [12] And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” [13] And suddenly there was 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 those with whom he is pleased!”
[15] When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” [16] And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger.
Just like the angels and the shepherds, the reason to rejoice continues to exist.
For though we look at a world that lacks peace, peace is not as elusive as we might think.
It is something we can rejoice in.
So…
5. We will find in Luke 2:14 three reasons why we rejoice in a God who brings peace.
Before we give a focused look at the angels’ “song,” let’s pause for a moment and be the shepherds.
You are minding your own business in the fields, doing what you are supposed to, tending the sheep.
When out of nowhere, you are literally scared by the appearance of a heavenly being who tells you not to be scared (like that was possible).
Then after you have settled down, the angel tells you the good news.
The Messiah has arrived.
But you know, if one angel didn’t scare you, imagine what a whole army of them will do to you, because that’s what happens next.
And in unison they proclaim a message of peace…
“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”
They proclaim a message to rejoice in…
OUR STUDY:
I. The first reason we rejoice is the REACTION.
In our first hymn this morning, we sang…
Angels, from the realms of glory,
Wing your downward flight to earth,
Ye who sing creation’s story,
Now proclaim Messiah’s birth;
Come and worship, come and worship,
Worship Christ, the newborn King.
For…
1. The Angels: It was time to give praise to God.
The angels were reacting appropriately to the big news!
These angels have associated with the Son of God in heaven before the Incarnation.
They knew something of His glory, riches and majesty.
And they are in awe of God’s plan.
They hold nothing back in their praise.
They are giving everything that they have to communicate the good news...even to humble, and perhaps, rascally shepherds.
They do this because…
2. Salvation is worth celebrating.
God did not give up on the creation that had given up on Him.
He sought to redeem those that did not deserve redeeming.
He sought to recreate and bring order to those that lived lives of disorder and chaos.
God was showing mercy and grace.
II. The second reason is the REACH.
It was the observation of…
1. The Angels: God was moving toward man.
After Adam, there had been no peace since the garden.
And as a result, there has been no peace within us.
We are filled with turmoil and dissatisfaction.
And because there is no real and lasting contentment on the inside of us, there is no peace outside of us.
The world is not a peaceful place.
Simply, we need help.
The angels though have come to tell the marvelous story of the Incarnate God.
Help has come!
God has reached down to man.
The King of Glory, because of His great and pure love, has left His throne, has laid aside His crown, and has become an infant in a feeding trough.
The shepherds could take heart because…
2. The Prince of Peace had arrived.
So the angels sang the good news.
It was something men could understand.
It was news that they ought to understand.
And it was news which will make people much better if they will understand it.
God has stooped from his throne.
He has become a babe, nursing on a woman’s breast.
The Messiah-King has come, ready to usher in a lasting, eternal peace.
And now we come to…
III. The third reason is the RECEPTION.
Also recognized by…
1. The Angels: God was extending favor to the undeserved.
The Lord has goodwill to men.
God is not some tyrant.
He desires what is good and best for each one.
And He is gracious.
For He is willing to pardon.
In fact, He desires to pass by our iniquity and our transgressions.
He does not want to hold them against us.
So He reaches to us.
He extends His favor to us…as a gift to be received.
ILL Testimony: Bud Brown
2. Reconciliation is God’s agenda for man (Romans 5:1).
Note how the apostle Paul has described it:
Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
It is God who says, “Welcome home, weary pilgrim.”
“Welcome to the Father, rebellious son.”
“Welcome to the throne, sinful traitor.”
“Welcome and receive the favor I have for you.”
“Welcome and receive the peace I long to give you.”
APPLICATION:
So let me ask you this very simple question this morning…
Are you reconciled to God?
While we hope for an earthly peace (and it is something we should seek), there is a peace that is even more important.
It is peace with God.
And it is a peace that He offers.
ILL Notebook: Peace (Onada)
On March 10, 1974, Lt. Hiroo Onada was the last World War II Japanese soldier to surrender.
Onada had been left on the island Lubang in the Philippines on December 25, 1944, with the command to "carry on the mission even if Japan surrenders." Four other Japanese soldiers were left on the island as Japan evacuated Lubang. One soldier surrendered in 1950. Another was killed in a skirmish with local police in 1954. Another was killed in 1972. Onada continued his war alone.
All efforts to convince him to surrender or to capture him failed. He ignored messages from loudspeakers announcing Japan’s surrender and that Japan was now an ally of the United States. Leaflets were dropped over the jungle begging him to surrender so he could return to Japan. He refused to believe or surrender.
Over the years he lived off the land and raided the fields and gardens of local citizens. He was responsible for killing at least 30 nationals during his 29 year personal war. Almost a half million dollars was spent trying to locate and convince him to surrender. 13,000 men were used to try to locate him.
Finally, on March 10, 1974, almost 30 years after World War II ended, Onada surrendered his rusty sword after receiving a personal command from his former superior officer, who read the terms of the cease-fire order. Onada handed his sword to President Marcos, who pardoned him. The war was over.
Onada was 22-years-old when left on the island. He returned a prematurely aged man of 52. Onada stated, "Nothing pleasant happened in the 29 years in the jungle."
Like Onada, many people are fighting a lonely battle against the God who is offering reconciliation and peace.
It is time to stop fighting.
You see, spiritual peace is within our grasp and it is essential.
Being at peace with God precedes all other peace.
And as a result, we will never know peace on earth, until we realize that sin has separated us from God.
Every Christmas, the reminder comes…
“For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.”
The Savior has come.
So let us rejoice today in a God who brings peace!
Let us rejoice in the Eternal One, who is caught in a moment of time.
Let us rejoice in the Omnipresent, who is corralled in a cave manger.
Let us rejoice in the Omnipotent, who is cradled in a helpless infant who cannot even raise His head from the straw.
Let us rejoice in the Omniscient, who is confined in a baby that does not say a word.
Let us rejoice in the Messiah, who created the heavens and earth and becomes cooped up in the place of the created.
Let us rejoice that God draws near to the cold, cruel, sinful and suffering humanity, so we can know His peace.
We can be reconciled to Him for eternity.
So…are you reconciled to God?
BENEDICTION: [Counselors are ]
Hark! the herald angels sing,
“Glory to the newborn King:
Peace on earth, and mercy mild,
God and sinners reconciled!”
Veiled in flesh the Godhead see;
Hail th’incarnate Deity,
Pleased as man with men to dwell,
Jesus, our Emmanuel.
Rejoice in a God who brings peace…He has come to bring peace to the world and He has come to do it through You; so be reconciled and know His favor, His good will, His peace.
Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.
