Peace On Earth (Luke 2:1-14 December 24, 2015)

Transcription

1 Peace On Earth (Luke 2:1-14 December 24, 2015) Peace On Earth Luke 2:1-14 I want you to think about this question? What is the one most important thing our society needs? Here is how beauty queens might answer this question in the interview section of a pageant world peace. However, what most beauty queens fail to realise is that bringing peace to our world is not at all easy. President Obama knows just how hard this is. In 2009 he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. As soon as the award was announced it was widely condemned. How could the leader of a nation at war accept a prize for bringing peace to the world? One late night comedian summed up the thoughts of many: Did you hear that President Obama took time out from waging two wars to travel to Norway and accept the Nobel Peace Prize? President Obama himself recognized the problem. In his acceptance speech for the prize he said: Perhaps the most profound issue surrounding my receipt of this prize is the fact that I am the Commander-in-Chief of a nation in the midst of two wars. He then gave a long speech making a defence of his thesis that at times war is necessary for peace. He made statements like this: War, in one form or another, appeared with the first man. We must begin by acknowledging the hard truth that we will not eradicate violent conflict in our lifetimes.

2 The instruments of war do have a role to play in preserving the peace. He did not claim to have the answer to war. In fact he admitted this: I do not bring with me today a definitive solution to the problems of war. I felt somewhat sorry for President Obama. Talk about setting the bar high. He was given this prize not for what he had done but in the hopes of what he will do. The world hoped he would bring peace. How did he do? Six years later the US is involved in even more armed conflict on even more fronts. President Obama was not the man to bring peace to the world. In fact I want to suggest that no mere man can do this but there is One who can. Tonight I want to present one truth. Peace on earth is only possible after we make peace with God. President Obama is not the first nor will he be the last man to bear the hopes of a world for peace. 2,000 years ago many thought that a man had come who could bring peace to the world. That man was Caesar Augustus. And for a time it seemed that they had good reason to place their hope in him. Many historians rate him as the greatest ruler of the Roman Empire. He turned a fractured internally divided empire into the greatest force on the planet and for a time he brought a measure of peace to the known world.

3 Augustus was not born to rule. His father was a plebeian a commoner. But he managed to demonstrate his abilities to his great uncle someone you have probably heard of Julius Caesar who adopted him and with this foothold as a start he managed to claw his way to the throne. Once in power, he consolidated the Roman Empire. By dint of his military might he managed to enforce peace on a world that had known only war. This peace was known as the Pax Romana or as it was often titled the Pax Augusta the peace of Augustus. During his reign the doors to the Temple of War were actually closed. In 27 BC when he gained sole control of the Empire the Roman Senate granted him the title of Augustus Revered One a title that had previously only been given to the gods. This led to the cult of believing that the Emperor was in fact a god in human flesh and when he died in AD 14 the Senate officially declared that Augustus was indeed a god and should be worshipped. They also decided to rename the month of Sextilis as Augustus which became our August. Augustus was known by many titles but one famous one is Saviour of the World. So consider the prevailing wisdom in the early years BC. A man who rose from humble origins to bestride the earth. Revered as a god. Bringing peace to warring nations. Augustus fit the bill of what men thought the saviour of the world should be. A political Messiah a man who brought peace to the world. There was just one little problem he was not the Saviour of the world. Nor was he the Prince of Peace. Nor did he bring the peace men really need. While the eyes of the world were on Rome and Augustus the true Messiah the real Prince of Peace was born without fanfare and He did change the world. One of the greatest Christmas passages is Isaiah 9:6: 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. Prince of Peace even the title evokes a desire for His coming.

4 Tonight, I want to briefly look at a passage which describes the coming of Messiah the Prince of Peace and what His birth means for you and me. That passage is in Luke 2. Luke begins by telling us that in the days of Augustus a census was taken. Families were required to travel to their ancestral city. While this may have seemed a great idea to some bureaucrat in Syria when you are very pregnant and faced with a long journey this must have seemed a nightmare to Mary. But a census takes no notice of individual circumstances Joseph and Mary had to make the trek to the city of David Bethlehem. Yet even this is under the hand of God. Micah 5:2: But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel. The Messiah would be born in Bethlehem so Joseph and Mary made their way to the city of David. But then comes the announcement of Jesus birth. Verses 6-7: And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn. His arrival is just so understated. Here is the greatest event in history the culmination of history an event the angels were awaiting with anxious longing the event all humanity awaited and it occurs in such an understated way. When Prince Henry was born to William and Kate no one on the planet missed that birth. Headlines for weeks. Paparazzi staked out the hospital for weeks in advance. Webcams and blogs discussed every contraction. But for the birth of the King of Kings there was no watching world not even a room at the inn just a manger a trough used to feed animals and he was wrapped in makeshift clothes. The One who flung stars into space chose to come as a poor, weak child. If ever you doubt the love of God think on that. Think on what He sacrificed to even enter this world to save us. But even more incredible if God did not send the angelic host the birth of Christ would have gone totally unnoticed.

5 Even to Joseph and Mary the birth itself would have seemed like an ordinary human birth. But this was no ordinary human birth. It was in fact the greatest event in history. I am a bit of a history buff I like to read biographies. One of the frustrating things about many of the famous men and women of history is that they seem to spring from the pages fully formed. The events of their lives are only recorded from the time they made an impact on the world. We know little or nothing of their birth and childhood. Without an announcement of the incredible events unfolding that night probably the first history would have recorded of Jesus was the beginning of His ministry. We would celebrate Easter but probably not Christmas. But, to understand the ministry of Jesus we have to understand His birth. While men strive to be gods the One true God chose to become man to save His people. The birth of Christ shows the depth of the trouble we were in if it took this radical step to save us. And so that every one of us might know just what it cost God to save us we have the birth of Christ marked out by an incredible angelic announcement. Listen to Luke 2:8-9: And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear. The birth of Jesus is the greatest news ever heard. To make sure that men through the ages would grasp the glory of it God announced this good news with a display that is unrivalled. The angels sung when the heavens were formed but that was nothing compared to the glory at the birth of Messiah. Scripture recounts many instances of angels coming to deal with men. These accounts fall into two groups. The angels who came with their glory veiled and the angels who came in the glory of heaven. Those who came in the full blaze of glory always elicited the same reaction fear! Put yourself in the shoes of these shepherds. One moment they were tending sheep. The next an angel of the Lord stood before them. But, this angel did not come with the glory of heaven veiled. This angel came in the full blaze of the glory of the Lord.

6 The text says they were filled with fear literally, they feared a great fear. They were petrified to the point of death. But, this angel told the shepherds not to fear. He had come to announce the greatest tidings of all time. Verse 10: And the angel said to them, Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Do not be afraid. This is not a day of mourning but a day of rejoicing. This is a day of good news. Christ the Lord has come. The birth of Christ is good news it is tidings of great joy. It must be shouted from the rooftops. This is the greatest news the world has ever received. For millennia, promises of this long awaited blessing had come. Now the fulfilment was here! What are these tidings of great joy? Verse 11: For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord. This was the news that all Israel had longed to hear. And here was the pronouncement. This very day, the Saviour has been born. As they stood there in the field that night, the Saviour had already entered the world. He came into the famed city of David Bethlehem. He comes as a Saviour to break the bonds of sin. Luke also tells us that He is Christ the Lord. Christ is the Greek term for Messiah. He is the One the nation has waited for. These terms Son of David, Saviour, Messiah, Lord pointed to this One being the One long promised. And if fulfilling prophecy is not enough there will be a sign. But, it is an unexpected sign. Verse 12: And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger. The shepherds would have been stunned that they were the ones the announcement of the Messiah s birth came to. But, not as stunned as they were to find that the Messiah was wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger. Kings are born to palaces, luxury and pomp. Even peasants arrive to a mean crib. What manner of Messiah is He that has to borrow an animal s trough for a bed? He is a Messiah who came to save us.

7 But, these shepherds were not to ever think that this child was just an ordinary child. Verses 13-14: And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased! If the sight of one glorious angel is a sight beyond words. Enough to inspire deep heartfelt fear then consider the result of the whole sky filled with angels in heavenly glory. The host of heaven had to praise God for this event. This is the culmination of human history God become flesh the Messiah come to save His people the eternal plan of salvation was underway. The angels had to burst forth in praise to God. Angels are mighty beings but they do not know everything. In fact we are told that they long to comprehend the wonder of Christ s birth, life and death. The concept of the Lord of glory the One who created them, the One who created the whole world, the One who is the centrepiece of heaven this One coming to earth as a child was beyond anything they could grasp. But they knew the magnitude of this event. And they filled the sky. A cascade of praise in light and sound. And these shepherds, saw this unimaginable event. Heaven exploding with praise and earth overheard the wonder of it all: Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased! And it is here in this famous verse that we find the heart of the good news. First, what is this good gift? Unfortunately one poor translation has obscured the truth of this verse. Scholars today are united in saying that the King James Version mistranslated this verse but it has become so ingrained in our consciousness that many of us miss what it really means. The KJV of this verse reads: Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men. On earth peace. Peace on earth the hope of nations.

8 The implication is that the Messiah came the first time to bring peace on the earth and good will among men. To end wars and striving and discord among nations among families among men. But without boring you there is no doubt they mistranslated this verse. The good news is not that Messiah entered this world as a child to bring peace among men on the earth. In fact you only have to read through Luke to find that Jesus did not come for this reason. Luke 12:51: Do you think that I have come to give peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division. I think that is pretty clear. And Luke 21:9: And when you hear of wars and tumults, do not be terrified, for these things must first take place. Jesus goes on to say that there will be wars throughout this whole age. This is not an age of peace but of wars as President Obama so eloquently outlined. We need only look at our world. If Jesus came to bring peace to the earth then we would have to conclude that He failed. Don t get me wrong. Jesus will one day bring peace on earth but that awaits His second coming. Isaiah 2:2-4: It shall come to pass in the latter days that [The Lord] shall judge between the nations, and shall decide disputes for many peoples; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore. But what we need to realise is that He came the first time to bring a different kind of peace. So what is the good news? Why did Jesus come? If you ask people today: What is the most important thing our society needs? You will get a few beauty queen answers peace on earth. If you tune into the Presidential debates in the US you will hear answers like: What we need is someone to fix the economy, to end intolerance, to deal with the illegal immigration or to stop global warming.

9 I would be the first to admit that these would be nice but truth is they are not our greatest need. God tells us what our greatest need is. What is this good gift God sends? It is reconciliation with Him it is peace with Him. We may not readily think of this as our greatest need but it is. We started a war with God and wars with God only end one way. But God offers us peace. Notice the angel said This day is born a Saviour who is Christ the Lord. What is it that we need saving from? We need saving from the wrath of a holy God. Whether you realise it or not the greatest problem we all face is that we have angered God by the way we live. He created us to obey Him and live holy lives. Since the Garden of Eden every one of us has failed. And because God is holy and just He has to punish sin. Whether you believe it or not won t affect the fact that the day will come when every man, woman and child will stand before their Maker to give an account. And every one of us will fall short. And the penalty is eternal death. We need saving from the wrath of God. But fortunately, God is not only just He is loving. The love of God meant that He did the only thing He could. He came to this world as a baby fully human a gift to the world. A gift Who would grow to be a man and die in our place to take away our sin that brought the anger of God down on us. What is the peace that the angels announced? Colossians 1:20 tells us: Through Jesus God reconciled all things to Himself, having made peace with His people through the blood of Jesus cross.

10 What the world needs most what we need most is not some mushy love it is not a political Messiah who will bring peace between the nations. What we need is a Saviour who will bring peace between God and man. Charles Wesley gets it right. Hark the herald angels sing, Glory to the newborn King. Peace on earth and mercy mild, What is this peace on earth? It is: God and sinners reconciled. The true glory of Christmas is that God gave the gift of His beloved Son to the world. That Son would one day lay down His life on the cross. And there He would pay the penalty of sin. But this salvation the angels announced is not for all men. It is only for those with whom God is well pleased. Those who fear Him and have trusted Him. If the good gift is reconciliation with God the next question is: How do you get this gift? You have to choose to receive the gift? Man lives in rebellion to God. We flaunt His laws. We sin. We choose to live with ourselves as King. God could have come like a great Caesar and by the might of His will instituted a Pax Divine. He could have sent Jesus as a mighty warrior who annihilates any who oppose God. But we have had enough dictators to know that such a peace is purely external. I might be smiling on the outside but I am rebelling within. In the days of Augustus there was a measure of peace. The ordinary citizens of Rome enjoyed the respite from war that his military might imposed. But for the oppressed the cost in civil liberties and lives was enormous. The ordinary people hated Augustus. The nations wanted to rebel against Him. God did not want this kind of peace. He wanted to transform us from within so we want His rule over us.

11 No political Messiah can change us from within. It takes a Saviour who will wash away our sins and come to live within us and change us from within. That is what God offers in the form of His Son. He gave the world a great gift. But that gift has to be received. God sent Jesus to this world as a gift. For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. And that is the great question of Christmas what have you done with Jesus the great gift from God? Tomorrow is Christmas and Dena and I have a fair idea what our kids want. Through hints and straight out statements they have let us know what they would like. Being softies we took some of the hints and got them some of the presents they want. Some gifts are wrapped under the tree the rest will be. But if the kids leave those gifts under the tree they will never get them. To get their gift they have to read the card to see if the gift is for them: To Stephanie love from Mum and Dad enjoy. They have to rip the paper off and accept the gift and say thank you. Jesus is God s gift to the world. He offers peace. He offers a way for men to be reconciled with Him. He offers an amnesty in the blood of His Son. But this peace is only for those with whom He is pleased those who accept Jesus. In a sense Jesus is God s Christmas gift. He comes with a tag. To Mike or Sue or Jenna love from God. But you have to accept that gift. You have to bow the knee to Jesus the Lord God incarnate. You have to live for Him. But then you begin to truly live. You are reconciled with God. You have peace with God. You have life. And then finally God will bring peace to this earth. Tonight we have sung of the gift of God.

12 We have heard from the Word of God about the gift of God. If there are any here tonight who have never accepted this gift we would find it a privilege to share with you about the greatest gift ever given the gift of God s own Son. This is a fallen world we have offended God and the day of accounting is coming. If you are ready to accept the gift God offered then please come and talk with me. If that is a bit hard talk with the person who brought you talk with anyone who knows Jesus. Or you can let me know your interest and then come back early in the new year to our Introducing God course. So as you think about this we are going to stand and sing one of the great hymns of the faith O Holy Night.