Sermon – Advent Continues: Peace On Earth And Goodwill Towards Men

Sermon – Advent Continues: Peace on Earth and Goodwill Towards Men

Scripture Text: Luke 2:8-14 “That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep. Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified, but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.” Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others—the armies of heaven—praising God and saying, “Glory to God in highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.”

Introduction: Our relationship to God is the most important of all relationships, and if we are not at peace with Him, we will never have peace in our hearts or be at peace with others. We will be fighting constantly. The language of Christmas was witnessed by the shepherds, “Glory to God in highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.” Completing the work on the cross Jesus paid the sin debt and satisfied the conditions for peace. He declared the war is over and bridge the gap between rebellious sinners like us and the sovereign, holy God. The war that had raged since the fall of man was over. “Glory to God in highest heaven, and peace on earth goodwill towards men.” We need peace with God before we can have the peace of God. We need to know the anger is gone, and God’s goodwill is being poured out on us.

In unstable times, we all need the gift of peace now more than ever. Perhaps you or someone you love is fighting cancer and you are facing a lot of fear and uncertainty. Or perhaps you are facing other challenges, whether it be physical, social, or economic. These difficulties, whether cancer or otherwise, threaten our peace, that feeling of tranquility and calm. We need the peace of God. The peace we have within can be affected by our changing circumstances. But none of the circumstances can affect our peace with God. Paul declares is Romans 8, because we are justified, nothing can separate us from God. Romans 8: 35-38 “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

The second candle of Advent is the candle of peace. It reminds us of the peace with God made available to the believer by the finished work of Jesus. Because we accepted Christ as savior, we have peace with God. Reading the Old Testament books of History, the Prophets, and the Psalms, it is easy to see only the sinfulness of man and the judgment of God. God is love yet the love of God will not allow a Holy righteous God to overlook the sinfulness of mankind. Sin is judged because of the love of God. It was God’s love that drove Adam and Eve from the garden of Eden. It was His love that provided a way of their reconciliation with God. What Isaiah promised the coming Messiah would be, the prince of peace was echoed and proclaimed to the shepherd in the fields near Bethlehem.

The first people to be told the news that Israel's Messiah had been born were a group of shepherds in the fields near Bethlehem. God's gift of such a Savior was evidence of his good pleasure towards humankind and his desire that people everywhere be brought into a relationship of peace with him. Isaiah not only proclaims Jesus to be the Prince of Peace, he promised that believers can be kept in perfect peace. How do you keep your mind in perfect peace? To be kept in this perfect peace, our mind must be stayed on the Lord. If our mind is stayed on ourselves, or our problems, or the problem people in our lives, or on anything else, we can't have this perfect peace. This is the heart that says with the Apostle Paul, Philippians 4:11 “Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.”