Christmas: Jesus As Our Peace

For those of us that embrace the message of Christmas. If you could hear what I hear if you could behold what I behold if you would embrace the message of Christmas. If you could hear it two different years. You know what happened. The peace of God which supersede your worry your anger and your fear as you trust the message of Christmas that peace with God is now possible by faith in Jesus Christ.

Family life today where we want to help you pursue relationships that matter most and Wilson and Dave Wilson and you can find us if we live today.com or on our family life app family life today at your favorite part of the Christmas story in Luke. My favorite part I think is the Angels come into the shepherds and singing glory to God in the highest.

That's mine.

What yes no way hear something about them. You have the same hallway*someone getting the shepherds who are nobodies in the culture and they have a host of angelic beings praising God. I think they were probably singing and witnessed and experienced in the whole story is a miracle and I think it's important to Christmas the stop and read the story and ponder it and understand it and that's were we going to get to do today.

Really listen to part two of a message that was a Christmas sermon that our friend Trent Griffin gave at his church in Indiana on Christmas Eve, and many people know Trent Andrea Griffith there on our staff now in family life. For years he was a pastor of gospel city church in Granger, Indiana. We've known them for decades because they been on the family life. We can remember marriage getaway speaker team but you know every Christmas, just like me as a pastor he would give a Christmas message and yesterday we listen to part one of that message where he talked about. Do you hear what I hear. Should I sing it to you, which as you know, yesterday was all about listening to the right messengers, you know you you want to hear from Angels, but hear from shepherds and in many ways were called shepherds, and today we get to go back to part two of that message is the message of Christmas you have to listen for the right message. Verse 14. Here's the message of the angel. Two things, glory to God in the highest and number two on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased with the Angels when away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened which the Lord is 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 hold them concerning this child ever faithful messengers so that message is twofold. First of all the messages glory to God.

The message we want to hear from God, glory to me. We want the angel shows that you are so glorious so impressed with you. You go to church all the time you give money in your nice dear cat and I made you so glorious your amazing all filling any conviction over the gaps and flaws in your life and your just wonderful and not the message. The messages are not glorious God's glory. Glorious Lori to God. The message of Christmas is not to make much of you is to make much of God. The reason for my existence is to bring glory to God. Here's the second message on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased you grew up like me reading the King James version of the Bible and you're just really upset about the fact that it doesn't say peace on earth, goodwill to men. That was really good and I like goodwill Present. Saturday is really good deals there like you remove that from Bobby.

Like removing the whole shopping theology here because why why we have different translation, you will explain some of this, the phrase goodwill to men.

Not bad for is not at first, but the better manuscripts in the better translation is peace among those with whom he is pleased. The reality is, God is not pleased with everyone. As a matter of fact without Christ. God is not pleased with anyone. Here's the story of the Bible. Okay. And here's why this good news brings great joy.

Up until this point in human history. There was no peace with God.

There was fighting between heaven and earth by our sin we had declared war on God and as a result, God was unable to get pleasure from my life the reason he created me was for his Lori and his pleasure outside of Christ. I have no peace and God gets no pleasure from my life and yet the angel announced glory to God.

Peace on earth.

This word peace.

We don't really grasp it in her English language we think of peace as being watching a nice snowfall with a nice fireplace is such a peaceful environment it so you would say peace that the absence of conflict or the absence of war is really much deeper than that in the Old Testament the word peace was the word shalom and every body was waiting for the shalom to happen. Everybody understood there's a gap between heaven and earth, the relationship between God and man has been broken in the gap was the absence of shalom really the word peace in the Old Testament, and even here in the new peace means wholeness or completeness. It means unbroken in the Old Testament in the book of Job.

It's used of a flock of sheep where none of the sheep was missing, but if the sheep went astray.

There was no peace in the flock. It was was a broken flock. It was in incomplete flock. It's also used of a wall that is not missing pieces of brick has no gaps in its integrity. It's a peaceful wall at the complete wall. So when we see the angel use the word peace. What he's saying is complete whole repaired, restored, in other words coming of Jesus was going to bring shalom fill in the gap fill in the crack because he's between two warring parties God and man your fight fight intermarriage Internet I had a good fight last week.

I will tell you one there. There is shalom now everybody okay your fight maybe better way to say that is your kids ever fight fight with you. Do nations ever fight seller fighting in the world you know what that is an evidence of if you're an atheist you have to agree fighting that goes on. As Christians we understand that fighting with each other is evidence that we are fighting with God you ever worry that is as an evidence you're fighting with God. You're fighting to control things that are outside of your control so you worry about things that only God can fix. That's an evidence of fighting with God.

Every angry year again Ruth got it like the way things are going in life low in the bank account, health report, you want to come ball up your physic.if if you are God and you need to ask this right now. I creates a gap there's no peace there's there's no shalom in your relationship from those of us that embrace the message of Christmas. If you could hear what I hear if you could behold what I behold if you would embrace the message of Christmas. If you could hear two different ears. You know what happened. The peace of God which supersede your worry your anger and your fear as you trust the message of Christmas that peace with God is now possible by faith in Jesus Christ use.

I want some of that how I get me some of that peace. Peace is not something that is she peace is something that has happened to notice what it says in verse 15, the angel says let us go see this thing that happened what has happened. God has sent a Savior into the world so that for the first time in human history. There can be peace with God and man, do you have peace with God. Just because you've stopped throwing punches in God doesn't necessarily mean there's peace with you and God. If there's something that feels like it's missing in the relationship between you and God.

That missing piece is Christ is the mediator between God and man. That's the message of Christmas we want. Glory will God make much of us. God gives us shalom peace with God. We are listening to drink Griffith give a Christmas sermon at his church and boil boy that is a word for the world right now and that is peace on earth and that's what we are longing for really yeah I think it's like what trend is getting into. As you can have peace on earth you don't have peace inside starts here. I mean I have to have peace in my heart to build extend peace to my neighbor and Jesus is our peace, and that's what I would say peace only comes because of and with Jesus. That's the message of Christmas and I was just part one, you know, we get to go back and listen to the rest of the sermon by Trent and I'm telling you what this is going to help Christmas be a little bit better.

Here's a lasting if you want to hear the message of Christmas then you have to listen with the right heart diversity and all who heard it. I heard the mess.

Do you hear what I hear all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told so verse 18 tells about this group of people out of it was the townspeople in Bethlehem, but the shepherds when they publish the good news. Everybody that heard it. There was a motion there was a response in the word chosen, here is the word one some of your translations may say amazed I mean it rail them. Some of the awestruck.

Reminds me of a lot of people that come to church around Christmas time. All the wonderful message of Christmas.

The music is wonderful. Declarations are wonderful. Some of you will leave church today and you will shake my hand and you will say pastor Trent that was a wonderful message to help a few people might say that are occasionally listed. What I really want is not for you told wonder the message at some point you have to move beyond sentimental under two supremely treasure. The message of Christmas. Verse 18, all we get is a bunch of people that are like really happy that the shepherds showed up.

And while I was really good story but they're not moved by the message. They're not changed by the message a lot of people to shop around Christmas time when church is like the Christmas schizophrenics. So what what is like we will this message that there's a Savior are time and then you leave don't live like you need a Savior.

There's one other person in the story first 19 was the first word of verse 90, but that is a word of contrast what we are about to read is different than the first group in verse 18 verse 19 says, but Mary treasured all these things pondering them in her heart underline the word treasure underline the word ponder the first group wondered Mary treasured.

There's a point which you must move from wonder to treasure the word treasure means to value, to show Harish it actually means to memorize to rehearse Mary apparently rehearsed these things over and over in our hearts and we know exactly what was going through her heart, but she must've been thinking, Savior, Lord Bethlehem shepherds glory. Peace. What does all this mean there like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle and in her mind she's treasuring these things and pondering does it fit here is that there is a fit over here. This is what has to happen for a person to grasp to hear the message of Christmas understanding it has to move from your head to your heart. She pondered these things where heart it became something that was so cherished and so loved by her she can get away from these things gripped her heart. So what was she was she thinking again, we don't really know but we do know that is a young Jewish girl she would've been taught from birth.

The Old Testament prophecies about the coming Messiah. Maybe she thought of Ezekiel chapter 34 I'm sure you've all got that memorized Ezekiel 34 this it's a rebuke from God to the shepherds of Israel so that the leaders the Kings and the priests, those that were supposed to lead and feed the people of God do know what God says you're not doing your job. You're not creating peace your creating chaos at that time Israel was in chaos. And yet there was this promised peace. You know what God says in Ezekiel chapter 34 the viridity he gives him a promise he says this I will set up over them. One shepherd whose agony names, my servant David hang on. This was written hundreds of years after David was king in Israel. So anybody that read this would've understand that's figurative language for someone who is like King David. Maybe he's even a descendent of King David.

Maybe he's even born in the same place. David was born. Where was David born Bethlehem, the city of David, and he shall feed them.

This one true and great shepherd will feed them, he shall feed them and be their shepherd and I the Lord will be their God, and my servant David shall be prince among them. I am the Lord. I have spoken I will make with them a covenant of peace, shalom was the message that the Angels announce glory to God. Peace on earth. God is fulfilling his promise. Mary must've understood. She must've treasured shepherds showing up. Here's my son. Could it be that this would be the one true shepherd who is a descendent of David, born in the city of David, who would grow up not just to be the great shepherd.

But one day be treated like a sheep or somebody sheep in Israel. Why the need for so many shepherds I looked around writer's knowledge sheep. Not a lot of shepherds. Why is this occupation, not in need anymore why many so many sheep in Israel because there was a lot of sin in Israel and it was the sacrifice of sheep who shed their blood that made the picture of the atonement for sin.

You see, one day, not only was Jesus the great shepherd. He made himself into a sheep and he sacrificed his life.

He spilled out his blood as the Lamb of God, to atone for the sin of the world so that there could be shalom peace do you hear what I you see what I see. Do you know what I know message of Christmas have never really heard it has never moved from wonder to treasure if not, why not today we been listening to Trent Griffith Christmas sermon that I hope gets your heart and your soul ready for Christmas this year, Kelly ended at like why not today.

Why wouldn't we receive the Prince of peace that shalom that only comes through Christ and his birth his death his resurrection. There's nothing like it on this planet are beyond those bring us peace.

I was looking at the last line of do you hear what I hear, which revolve song and heard many times as the child.

The child sleeping in the night the child sleeping and then he will bring his goodness and lay he will bring us goodness and light. And that's how Trent and it is the gospel. Jesus does bring goodness and light and that will be better than any present under the tree. The most important gift we could ever receive and extend the someone else it's it's the gospel.

So I hope this message is helps you and your family find peace in Jesus and make this Christmas really a peaceful extraordinary Christmas Merry Christmas. We do hope all of us, your family like that. However, you are spending Christmas that you will have a joyful celebration of the birth of Christ and of course the birth of Christ is something we celebrate because of the death of Christ Jesus not lived the life you lived and then died the death he died, only to be raised again the third day we would not remember his birth, but we remember it because of what he accomplished for us through his death and resurrection.

So again, we hope it's a joyful celebration for you and your family. And as we wrap up this additional family like today. We hope you have a wonderful Christmas holiday. Hope you're able to celebrate with your family and friends and we hope you can join us back again next time for another edition of family life today. Family life today is a production of family life accrue ministry helping you pursue the relationships that matter most