6 For to us a child is born…And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. [Isaiah 9:6]
One of the prophecies about Jesus is that He is referred to as “the Prince of Peace”…five times He is referred to in that manner [Isaiah 9:6 / Rom. 15:13 / Phil. 4:9 / 1 Thess. 5:23 / Heb. 13:20] which is one of the distinguishing characteristics of the Christmas story… when the angels appeared to the shepherds they proclaimed “Peace on earth.”
We’re here this morning to light the fourth Advent candle as we work our way around the advent wreath…the Peace candle.
Peace means different things to different people…for some…peace is happiness …peace is love…peace is living without fear or anxiety…peace is forgiveness… peace means living a life where your rights are guaranteed.
Depending on what your definition of peace is…it’s something we all long for yet it is something that is sadly lacking in our world…people are full of worry and anxiety…relationships are full of conflict and stress… the world is full of conflict and wars.
BUT…“Peace on earth” …is a phrase you hear everywhere, especially around Christmas time…but it’s so elusive…even in our own lives we struggle to find peace with ourselves… peace in our relationship with others…and certainly in finding peace with God.
Jesus talked about peace in both a positive and negative sense.
…During the Sermon on the Mount, He taught that peacemakers are blessed and will be called the sons of God (Matthew 5:9).
…At the Last Supper He comforted His disciples by saying, “Peace I leave with you; My peace I give you” (John 14:27).
…in a more negative way…He warned His disciples that He had not come to bring peace to the world, that in fact, He would divide people (Matthew 10:34-36).
Peace is one of those words that people use a lot but they don’t always explain it very well and understand it even less.
It’s like the word ‘hope’…some use the word hope as a way of expressing wishful thinking…that’s what worldly hope is…having a desire for a certain thing to happen but having no control over whether or not it will actually happen.
Whereas Biblical hope is not just a desire for something to happen…it expects it to happen…Biblical hope is the confident expectation that something will happen.
Like ‘hope,’ depending on which religion or philosophy people follow, their definitions of peace may be different as well…even among Christians the words of the angels:
Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests [Luke 2:14]
conjures up different ideas of what peace is depending on who you talk to. It’s important as Christians to understand how the Bible describes peace.
In Jesus’ coming to earth and His subsequent death, God took the action to restore peace between Himself and man.
since we have been justified through faith, we have Peace with God… [Romans 5:1]
And although the good news regarding peace on earth that was delivered by the angels appears to apply to all people…it doesn’t.
We must recognize that human beings in our natural state are enemies of God… we are born with a disposition to please ourselves and be our own god…so in our rebellious sinful state we cannot have peace with God no matter how hard we try.
Wording on Christmas cards reflects the old KJV translation of [Luke 2:14] which says: ‘Peace on earth good will toward men’ implying a universal application… BUT the wording in the Greek suggests that is an inaccurate translation.
I’m not a big KJV fan…it has numerous translation anomalies…this is one:
Contrary to what is written in the KJV translation…the angels’ pronouncement was not…‘Peace on earth good will toward men’ but more specifically to “those on whom God’s favor rests,” EVERYBODY…there’s a big difference.
Peace with God and the favor of God is not directed at all people…only those that trust in the name of the only begotten Son of God experience the peace God brings…and are described as “those on whom his favor rests.”
Nowhere in Scripture is it taught that peace on earth is for all men.
What Does Peace Really Mean?
First…it means peace within ourselves.
It’s the inner peace…that begins when God removes your fears & worries and replaces it with His peace…inner peace begins when you trust in God.
In [John 14:27] Jesus defines the importance of having Godly inner peace…He tells the disciples:
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. [John 14:27]
See…again a clear contrast between Godly peace and worldly peace…my peace I give you…(not) as the world gives…to get the true meaning of this verse you need to go back to the beginning of chapter 13.
Knowing the events that were about to happen…His arrest…His trial…His crucifixion…and His death…Jesus realized His disciples would be on the verge of disbanding.
He wanted them to have not only assurance…but peace and comfort as well… He understood that it was about to get rough for them and He wanted them to not be worried or troubled.
God’s peace pushes through all the disturbing circumstances that life can throw at you…it doesn’t eliminate them…it gives you the ability to endure them…giving you an inner confidence that God is aware of every situation in your life.
True peace comes when the God of peace takes over our lives.
Having God in control of your life makes Him the source of your strength to alter matters within your control and to accept matters which you have no control over.
God’s peace is a state of tranquility or quietness that transcends circumstances… it’s the calm assurance that what God is doing is best…there’s no mistakes…no errors…or miscalculations with God.
Again…the importance of knowing [Rom. 8:28] and the misguided interpretation of ‘God causes all things to work together for good’ that we try to apply to it.
Jesus is our peace within…that comes from knowing that He is in control of all things.
1) To work all things together for His good…not necessarily yours.
2) ONLY to those who are called according to His purpose.
You are doing a great injustice when you tell someone who is not a Christian that God will work things out for their good…it’s like telling someone who is not a Christian that God loves them…neither one is true if they are not a Christian.
Secondly…it means Peace with Others
Peace with others begins as we understand that God has called us to be peacemakers.
Peacemakers reconcile people with God and with each other.
…is there someone in your life today that you need to extend an invitation of apology to?
…is there a fractured family relationship you need to smooth over?
…is there a silence that needs to be broken that has stood as a barrier between you and someone else for far too long?
As believers we should put aside our differences (Galatians 3:28), because we belong to the same family.
BUT…being a Godly peacemaker doesn’t end there…peacemakers are called to be ambassadors for Christ.
Christmas is not just about hope for us as believers… it’s about reaching the entire world with the hope of the Gospel by urging others to know about the peace of Christ through repentance and by accepting Jesus as their Lord and Savior.
Thirdly…it means Peace with God
That is the peace that comes from our assurance of salvation.
What a terrible …horrible way to go through life not knowing what awaits you after death…fortunately the Bible does tell us what awaits us after death.
In an effort to obtain peace with God…all religions…there are over 4,000 recognized religions in the world…other than true Christianity have one thing in common…they all try to achieve peace with God by doing things.
By following rules…by taking communion…by baptism…by church membership…by doing things.
As a result, they never have the calm assurance of salvation because they’re always working towards something they can never attain…somehow believing it’s pleasing to God.
God’s peace is on those whom God’s favor rests…it is only then that we can have peace with God because—price of admission—Peace with God means:
…our sins have been paid for…forgiven [1Peter 3:18 / John 1:12; 3:16]
… we are no longer enemies of God [Rom 5:10]
… God sees us as righteous (Col. 2:14; Rom. 3:22)
… we are His beloved children (1 John 3:2).
… we no longer need to fear death (Rom 6:5 / Phil. 3:20)
But there’s also a warning associated with the peace of God…attitudes that can destroy God’s peace in our lives.
…When we equate God’s peace with the assumption that God will give us whatever we want…we set up a conflict between our wants and God’s desire for our lives.
…When we insist on being in control of our lives, we set up a conflict between us and God by sabotaging God’s will for our lives.
…When we choose to worry rather than live by faith, we cannot live in peace… because worry is the enemy of peace…God invites us to cast our cares on Him.
…When we choose to be at peace with the world…live by its standards…we will never be at peace with God.
If you want to begin experiencing more peace this Christmas season and into next year…there is only one way…it was God who took the initiative in pursuing that peace by sending His Son to earth.
Do you have peace with yourself this morning? If your faith is in Christ then the Holy Spirit has come to live in you offering God’s peace.
The Holy Spirit has been given to us to guide…convict…comfort…and remind us of Jesus’ completed sacrifice on our behalf…it’s like a promise ring…the certainty that a greater event will take place [2 Cor. 1:22].
Do you have peace with others this morning? If your faith is in Christ then He has given you all the resources you need to do your part in having a peaceful relationship with others.
Do you have peace with God this morning?
Our certain expectation is secure in the knowledge that Jesus has done all that was necessary to make us right with God [Matt. 5:17]…and we have the assurance that our last breath on earth will be followed by our first breath in heaven.
When we develop a lifestyle of making Jesus the Lord of life then the peace of God becomes a permanent part of our character…since God’s Spirit lives in you then His peace will dwell in you as well.
That is only achieved when we have peace with God through Jesus…being at peace with God comes by grace alone …through faith alone…in Christ alone…by coming into a relationship with Jesus…If you have never done that…let me invite you to do that this morning.