November 17, 2024
Luke 2:8-21
“Peace Restored”
Last week, we played the evangelical version of myth busters. We ended with this affirmation:
THROUGH JESUS CHRIST, GOD WILL FEED HIS HUNGRY PEOPLE.
People were hungry then, just as people are hungry now, for peace in their lives. And God’s salvation history brings us that peace.
Do you remember how Luke began the narrative of Jesus’ birth at the beginning of chapter two? He set the political/economic tone. In historian speak, Luke described the birth of Jesus in the time of Pax Augusta. This was a time of massive expansion of Roman rule. Check out this map:
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These are places where Roman coins have been unearthed. Some were left because of trade, but the most concentrated areas were because of Roman outposts. I especially love southern India. Ceylon was Rome’s regional capital there. Roman influence was substantial. Emperor worship was widespread. Caesar Augustus was declared “savior.” He, himself, made that claim. Imperial propaganda was robust.
Jesus Christ was born into that world. In that corrupt, corrupting, corruptible world, Jesus was proclaimed as the real Savior, the real Lord, the real bearer of peace. And here’s the best thing of all. Caesar Augustus flexed his political and military muscle with his decree that everybody be enrolled in order to be taxed. It was to subjugate the vast array of his vassal kingdoms.
And what happened as a result of his order? Mary and Joseph had to go to Bethlehem. And why is that important? In order to fulfill the expectation, from Micah 2:5, that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem. In other words, God worked through the events of history. God used Caesar’s decree to get Mary and Joseph to Bethlehem. It worked to show the forward movement of God’s sovereign will in the pursuit of His salvation history. Amen?
Before moving on to today’s passage, here’s something you might want to write down:
THE GOOD NEWS OF JESUS CHRIST WILL SPREAD WITHOUT HINDRANCE.
Caesars don’t matter. That’s Luke’s point in the first part of chapter two. We should also note those are the last two words of the Book of Acts – “Proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness and without hindrance.” Luke, author of the gospel and Acts, begins and ends with the unfettered good news of God’s salvation history.
Now, Luke 2:8-21:
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 great fear. 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. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” 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!”
When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.
And at the end of eight days, when he was circumcised, he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.
Our primary focus today is going to be on verses thirteen and fourteen:
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!”
Specifically, we’re going to explore three circles of peace to which the angel points.
First things first.
Who appeared with the angel? A multitude of the heavenly host. The word translated “host” is better rendered “army.” Stratias is literally “an army or a band of soldiers.” These are God’s attendants. But notice, they’re not like your typical army. They don’t come to terrorize and destroy. Their purpose is to proclaim the good news of God’s salvation history and the peace it brings.
I love the way the glory they give to God perfectly reflects Psalm 148:
Praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord from the heavens;
praise him in the heights!
Praise him, all his angels;
praise him, all his hosts!
Praise him, sun and moon,
praise him, all you shining stars!
Praise him, you highest heavens,
and you waters above the heavens!
Let them praise the name of the Lord!
For he commanded and they were created.
And he established them forever and ever;
he gave a decree, and it shall not pass away.
Praise the Lord from the earth,
you great sea creatures and all deeps,
fire and hail, snow and mist,
stormy wind fulfilling his word!
Mountains and all hills,
fruit trees and all cedars!
Beasts and all livestock,
creeping things and flying birds!
Kings of the earth and all peoples,
princes and all rulers of the earth!
Young men and maidens together,
old men and children!
Let them praise the name of the Lord,
for his name alone is exalted;
his majesty is above earth and heaven.
He has raised up a horn for his people,
praise for all his saints,
for the people of Israel who are near to him.
Praise the Lord!
Before touching on the three circles of peace, what does verse thirteen say the army of God did? They praised God saying…they said praises to God. Did they sing praises to God? Not if we follow the text. Were any angels heard on high, sweetly singing o’er the plains? Nope. No singing anywhere. Everything doesn’t have to be a musical.
So, what is this peace about which they speak?
While God’s offer of peace goes out to all people, only the people who receive Christ and trust him as Savior and Messiah and Lord, will experience the peace he brings. And here’s the best part about this point. As I’m keyboarding it right now, “Trust and Obey” is playing on my Pandora all-acoustic George Winston Radio station:
Trust and obey, for there's no other way
To be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey
Not a shadow can rise, not a cloud in the skies
But His smile quickly drives it away
Not a doubt nor a fear, not a sigh nor a tear
Can abide while we trust and obey
Oh, trust and obey, for there's no other way
To be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey
When you know that you have been chosen by God to receive Christ, you
will have a peace which passes all understanding.
This observation from Martyn Lloyd-Jones says it all:
“Thank God my salvation does not depend upon my frail hold on Him, but of Hid mighty grasp on me.”
“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom
he is pleased.”
What is the first circle of peace?
Of course, the first circle of peace is with God. That’s the primary purpose of Jesus’ birth. Peace with God is foundational to all other pursuits in our lives. Without peace with God, everything else would be superficial and temporary.
A key passage here is Romans 5:1:
“Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Notice, first of all, Paul says we are justified by faith, not works. There is nothing we can do to earn peace with God. We are justified because God chose to save us. And we believe His promise. We believe that Jesus Christ was born to take away the sin of the world. We believe that Jesus received God’s wrath upon his perfect, sinless life. He received the punishment for our sin. That’s why we have peace with God. God’s anger at our sin is no more. We have peace. That is the primary reason Jesus was born. So we
can live without fear.
Second, because we have peace with God, we can enjoy the contentment that comes from peace with ourselves. What I’m talking about here is freedom from guilt. What I’m talking about is freedom from anxiety and worry and shame. What I’m talking about is freedom from anything that threatens to paralyze us or make us hopeless. As R.C. Sproul once said:
“WHAT IS DIFFICULT TO BEAR WITHOUT CHRIST IS MADE FAR MORE BEARABLE WITH CHRIST.”
Make no mistake. A day doesn’t go by when our hearts and minds aren’t under assault. Guilt, worry, threats, confusion, uncertainties, fear…you name it, they all threaten our peace. But here’s the beauty about which the heavenly army spoke:
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer
and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
Philippians 4:6-7
I love how Walter Kirn puts it:
“I tell anxious young people that it is almost as likely that something good will happen out of the blue tomorrow as something bad.
When you wake up, remind yourself that you have peace with God. Before you drift off to sleep at night, remember that you have peace with God. Take your anxieties to God. Ask Him to protect your heart and your mind… ask Him to restore your peace. All those negative things with the potential to haunt you have been nailed to the cross. Because of Bethlehem, you can have peace within yourself.
Finally, because of Bethlehem, we can have peace with others. Paul sums
it up perfectly in Romans 12:14-18:
“Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight. Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live
peaceably with all.
As we approach the holiday season, lots of families will be getting together. There could be some awkward and painful moments. I recently heard someone described thusly, “This person has two brain cells and they’re each fighting for third place.” You will most likely be around someone like that in the weeks ahead. If you can’t picture who that person could be, guess what? Hopefully, your family is firmly committed to living peaceably with you.
Sadly, too many people don’t know what the path of peace calls for. But we do. We know. When we are in Christ, there’s not much that upsets us or gets to us. We are kinder and gentler and more forgiving than unbelievers. And that needs to show up especially in the most difficult of moments or encounters.
Here's one of the ways we cultivate peace with others. We take our cue from Ephesians 4:31-32:
“Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be
put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.”
Mindful of those words, you remind yourself that, in spite of your sins, God has forgiven you through Jesus Christ. Be amazed that you have peace with God. Cultivate an attitude for thankfulness that God loves you and cares for you in spite of you. That will make you more tenderhearted to others. Even the people who annoy you or sin against you. As the posting on the bulletin board across from my office says:
“When God put a calling on your life He already factored in your stupidity.”
Most comforting thing I’ve ever heard.
If you ever kept track of it, you’d probably be amazed that your wrongs are forgiven more than you are wronged. That is a great attitude to have. Be amazed at the peace you have with God. Be amazed at the peace you have with yourself. Be amazed with the peace you have with others. If you are, then giving Glory to God in the highest is the first thing you’ll do. Second there will peace among those with whom God is pleased.
Let’s end by joining our voices in these words of affirmation:
AT THE BIRTH OF OUR SAVIOR, GOD’S PEACE RESTS ON THOSE WHOM HE HAS CHOSEN IN ACCORD WITH HIS GOOD PLEASURE.
SOLI DEO GLORIA…
To the Glory of God Alone
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