Text: Luke 2:14

Do people take the Christmas Message seriously? What do you think? Is the message of Jesus born in a manger given the reverence it deserves or do people treat it like a children’s story? Is it just a nice sounding story that we dust off every December, talk about for a few days or weeks, and then close the book for 11 months? Is it treated like a message that has meaning for our lives every day of the year or is it just one more tradition for this annual winter festival? Unfortunately, there are many people who treat it this way. They just celebrate Jesus very briefly before they get on with the rest of their lives. I want us to remember that the Christmas message is meaningful for our entire life. As we appreciate this message, let us Give God Glory for His Peace.

Part 1: It is a peace that we don’t always look for

The Christmas account from Luke chapter 2 is a section of Scripture that many of us know very well. We hear it several times a year during this Advent and Christmas Season. We hear it read as part of the worship service and we hear it retold through many hymns and songs. Because it is so familiar, we are tempted to look right past some of the rich meaning that we can find in this account. As we look at it this year, I want you to try to look at this event from the perspective of the shepherds. Try to put yourself in their shoes and imagine what it must have been like for them when the angels appeared and when they met the baby Jesus.

The Scripture doesn’t give us many details about these men. We know that they lived near Bethlehem and that they were Jewish. We know their career. Other than that, we don’t really know anything. And yet, there are a few things we can speculate about and probably be pretty accurate in our assumptions. They probably were very average individuals. They worked to provide for themselves and their families. Like most people, we can assume that they knew when to work and when to have fun. Perhaps they were a little bit religious but most people in Israel had a little religion. They had probably heard something about a Messiah coming someday but they didn’t focus on that too much.

If they went to the temple it was probably just once in a while to offer the required sacrifices. Even if they were very faithful in their worship life, they still weren’t ready for the Messiah to come. Maybe they weren’t ready because they didn’t understand the true mission of the coming Messiah. Many people thought that the Messiah would be a political leader who would overthrow the wicked Roman government. This kind of leader would give the nation of Israel peace and prosperity. Everyone could eat, drink, and be merry after that Messiah won the battle. They were not ready for the true Messiah to come. They were not ready for the Savior from sin.

How do I know that they weren’t ready? The gospel lesson from Luke tells us. It tells us that when the angel appeared to them and the glory of the Lord shone around them, the shepherds were terrified. The Shepherds reaction of fear lets us know that they were not ready for the true Messiah to come. If they had paid attention to the prophecies about the Messiah, they would have realized that it was a Heavenly King who was coming to rescue us from our sin. It would make perfect sense for that Messiah’s arrival to be announced by an angel. Even if the Shepherds were ready for that kind of Messiah, they certainly weren’t ready for it to happen at that particular moment.

Let’s try to see things from the perspective of the shepherds. Are we ready to see Jesus? I am not talking about seeing Jesus in the manger as we celebrate Christmas. Let me explain it this way. There is a question that we pastors will use if we are trying to see if someone understands the message of the Bible. The answer a person gives to this question will show if they know the gospel message about Jesus. The question is this, “If you were to die tonight, and you were standing before God and he asked you why he should let you into heaven, what would you say?”

Basically the question is asking something like this, “Are you ready to face the judgment of God?” I suppose at this point you may be wondering why I would bring up a gloomy subject like death and judgment as we celebrate the joyous holiday of Christmas. I bring it up because it is important that we be ready for such events. For me, the joy of Christmas makes me ready to stand before the judgment seat of God. I know that God will let me into heaven so I am not worried. If I were to die tonight, I would rejoice because I would go home to heaven on one of the most joyous Christian holidays of the entire year.

Before I further expand on why I am ready and why every Christian ought to be ready, I want us to think about the ways that we live like we are not ready for that day. The Shepherds certainly weren’t ready for the angel to appear and we also at times are not ready for Jesus. How often don’t we just go about our lives focused on the here and now? We focus on our jobs and we focus on providing for our families. At times we are so focused on our loved ones that we don’t make time to focus on God. Yes, there are many of us here focused on God today, but are we going to make the same kind of time for God on a weekly basis?

The temptation is there for us to focus on earthly peace rather than lasting eternal peace. We get wrapped up in being comfortable in this life. We get attached to this world and only desire a savior who will help us right now. We want help for the problems of this world and don’t often think about eternity. We don’t need to focus on things like sins. We’ll just focus on making a living and serving others and giving presents at Christmas time. We’ll enjoy life and family and other good things. We’ll have time for God later. After all, we have a long time to wait before this subject of eternal life or eternal condemnation needs to be discussed. Does that sound like someone who is spiritually ready?

Part 2: It is a peace that we desperately need

The peace that Jesus brings is one that we desperately need. It is a peace that brings us the joy of salvation and the certainty of eternal life. How incredible it must have been for those shepherds to hear this announced by the angels. We can only imagine what it must have been like to hear those words, “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.”

Then in addition to those words, even more angels appeared and declared, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.” That must have sounded absolutely beautiful. I think about how joyous it is to sing the songs we sing in worship on Christmas Eve. The Shepherds heard music that was far more beautiful. The peace of Christ was in their hearts. They had to see this little child. They found the baby Jesus and they rejoiced. They couldn’t contain their joy. They had to go out and tell others the wonderful news. I wish I could have been there for that incredible night.

When I think about the possibility of standing before God’s judgment throne someday, I also realize that it could come at any time. When that day comes, there will be no more time to get ready. Whether we are ready or not, it will be upon on us. I have the same attitude as the Apostle Paul. I am not quoting him word for word, but in one of his New Testament letters, he says essentially this – he is ready to go to heaven. He understands that heaven is his home and he wants to go there right away. But if God doesn’t take him to heaven right away, he knows that means God still has work for him to do on earth. God wants him to proclaim the gospel to others.

Paul’s attitude becomes our attitude through faith. Only through trust in Jesus can we have that confident faith that knows exactly where we are going. We are confident because God accomplished everything for us. Because we were too sinful to save ourselves, he sent us the Savior born at Bethlehem, born of a virgin. Jesus would grow up and perfectly obey every command of the Law in our place. Then he would take the punishment we deserved when he died on the cross. He rose to guarantee us a place in heaven.

This gospel message is the peace that we need in this world. We cannot find this kind of peace anywhere else. We can’t find peace through the pursuit of wealth and possessions. We will always want more. We cannot find true fulfillment through our relationships with other people in this world. Those relationships will always have problems of some kind. The only lasting treasure is the eternal life that Jesus came to give us. The best relationship is the one centered on Jesus’ forgiveness. He loves us even though we have often been unlovable.

In Jesus we find true peace. We have comfort and security in Jesus. We are comforted because we know that we will enjoy heaven after our lives in this sinful world. No matter how bad things get, we have a God who loves us. We have true security in him. Even if we suffer in this life, Jesus has given us the key to that heavenly home where there will be no more sorrow or crying or pain. In Jesus we have lasting eternal peace.

Conclusion

As we think about how we Give God Glory for His Peace, I want you to remember that this is an activity for your entire life. The Christmas message isn’t just a nice story that we take off the shelf once a year. It is the truth of our eternal life. Because of Jesus we are ready. We are forgiven for our sins. We are blessed by our God. We celebrate that truth this evening with many joyous hymns and songs. Let’s carry that peace and joy with us throughout our lives. Joyfully rejoice with the angels “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.”