Angel Speak - Part 4: Peace

Judith

Luke 2:8-14
8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."
13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,
14 "Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests."

Do you feel peaceful this Christmas? Many of us don't feel peace at all - in fact quite the opposite.

So what are the enemies of peace this Christmas?

The lack of peace in the world
The presence of conflict in our lives

Maybe we feel like Job:

Job 3:26
26 I have no peace, no quietness;
I have no rest, but only turmoil."

Peace: "At one again" corresponding Hebrew verb Shalom - wholeness

A "Host" brings the word: or "army". An army proclaiming peace, what a contrast

In heaven be praise to God for sending the Messiah
On earth be peace because that's what the coming Messiah brings between man and God.

Without Christ, we are at war with God and His army stands against us, not for us.

God's favor only rests on those who have received this Messiah into their hearts.

Unless you think that the coming of Messiah means everyone is suddenly at peace with God and goes to heaven - think again. Jesus didn't come to bring peace automatically to all men on earth. In fact He said in Luke 12:51 "Do you think I came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but division."

Peace is offered through Jesus, but only if we respond to God's offer of salvation through His Son. That has and will divide people into one of two camps - those that have peace with God and those that do not. Which camp are you in?

For those of us who have received the Messiah and have peace with God - we can still feel a lack of peace, so how do we get the peace Jesus offers?

1. Peace comes through a relationship with God

Ephesians 2:14-16 For he himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, 15 by abolishing in his flesh the law with its commandments and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new man out of the two, thus making peace, 16 and in this one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility.

It is the law, and our inability to fulfill it, that keeps us unright, and away from God. But the more we draw closer to God through Christ, the more peace we receive. I know it sounds simplistic, but often it is when we feel the most anxious that we avoid contact with God. Listen to the Psalmist:

Psalm 4:6-8
Many are asking, "Who can show us any good?"
Let the light of your face shine upon us, O LORD.
7 You have filled my heart with greater joy
than when their grain and new wine abound.
8 I will lie down and sleep in peace,
for you alone, O LORD,
make me dwell in safety.

It is as we turn our faces to God, and let His face shine upon us that we feel peace and experience rest.

2. Peace comes through the sovereignty of God

The relationship we have with God is more than just the breaking down of a barrier, it is substitution of one ruler for another.

Colossians 3:15
15 Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.

To rule means to arbitrate or be an umpire. We need to let God call the shots in our lives, instead of us taking over all the time - demanding that God do things our way, like a genie, instead of His way.

3. Peace comes through dealing with sin

Judges 6:20 Gideon

Heb 12:11 No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.

Isaiah 32:17
17 The fruit of righteousness will be peace;
the effect of righteousness will be quietness and confidence forever.

As we decide to deal with sin instead of just put up with it, that we experience a harvest of peace, an abundance of peace in our lives.

4. Peace comes through trust - not understanding

Phil 4:5-7 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Isaiah 26:3 You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast,
because he trusts in you.

Perfect Peace: Shalom shalom (twice)
Steadfast: propped against
Trusts: to run for refuge

John 14:27
27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

Conclusion

We've looked at four distinct messages brought by the angels to those shepherds two thousand years ago:

1) Walk past your fear to the stable
2) Be filled with joy from the Holy Spirit as you give your life to Him
3) Become weak before the Messiah in order to have His strength
4) Experience peace by trusting in Him with everything you have
I said earlier that we feel anxious because of the lack of peace in our world, and the presence of conflict in our lives.

The lack of peace must be turned over to God's sovereignty, and the conflicts that we experience must be endured by trusting and leaning on God to create His rightness inside of us so that we can ride the storms, not avoid them, cowering in the corner.

Luke 2:10-14
"Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."

13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,

14 "Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests."