Well, this morning, being Christmas morning or preparation for Christmas morning, I thought I would address the subject of peace on earth. And before we do that and look into the Word of God together, let's just take a moment once again to bow our heads and hearts and go before the Lord in prayer. Our Heavenly Father, thank you so much today for your son and his love for us, his willingness to come to earth, become a man sinless so that he could take all our sin upon himself and redeem us back to you. Thank you so much for him and thank you for the message that we have of Christmastime, of the good news of your son's entrance into the world and what he sought to accomplish. We also thank you for a copy of your word that tells us all about it. And thank you for this local church where we can assemble to worship him together in spirit and in truth. And we just pray that he would be magnified in our hearts this morning. And so we commit the remainder of our time to you now to that end and ask this in his precious name. Amen. You know, each year as I think of Christmas, and what kind of message I'll share with you around this time of year. I have to think in my mind and pray, what does our church need? And how can I present the same message of the Christmas story from a different angle? And in the past, we've looked at prophetic portraits of Jesus Christ coming into the world. We looked last year at Jesus Christ being the gift himself that is indescribable even though scripture uses dozens and dozens of terms to describe him. But this year, I thought, with the rising state of anxiety and tension in the world, even nations rising against nations, we really need some peace. Is there anybody here who wants peace in your life? We all do. And as I think of the message of the Gospels about what Jesus Christ came to provide, It says that he came to provide peace. Luke 2 verse 14, we already heard this morning in the reading of Luke chapter 2, where the angels said, glory to God in the highest and on earth, peace, goodwill toward men. And God wants us to have peace. He has goodwill towards us as human beings. But how can we have that peace? And what is that peace? This is what Christmas is all about. You know, as we think of the Christmas songs that we sing this time of year, and we've already sung quite a few this morning, Silent Night, Holy Night brings to mind the word peace and stillness when it says, silent night, holy night, all is calm, all is bright, and then sleep in heavenly peace. Doesn't that evoke a sense of tranquility and calmness in your life, thinking of the saviors coming into the world Or how about the song, It Came Upon a Midnight Clear, which again refers to Luke 2, verse 14, when it says, Peace on earth, goodwill towards men, from heaven's all-gracious King. And then the song we're going to close with this morning, Hark the Herald Angels Sing, my favorite Christmas song. It says, peace on earth and mercy mild, God and sinners reconciled. And this highlights for us the reconciliation that God, the peacemaker, wants to have with the peace breakers, mankind. sinful humanity, all based around the Prince of Peace, his son, the Lord Jesus Christ. And that's what Christmas is really all about. Now as you think of peace, there are different connotations to this word. And that's why sometimes it's helpful to look up the meaning of a word in the dictionary. I've got a couple of these references in my library. And Webster's is one of my favorite. Going all the way back to that founding father in our country, Noah Webster, who put this together, and of course it's been expanded. But he defines peace this way, freedom from war or civil strife. Looking at it from a legal standpoint, you could view it as a treaty or arrangement or agreement to end war. Looking at it from the internal state of mind, you could also define it as Webster does, an undisturbed state of mind, absence of mental conflict, serenity, or as he goes on to say, a term meaning calm or quiet or tranquility. Do you have these things? Likewise, the adjective peaceful, he describes as quiet, undisturbed, not in a state of war or commotion, inclined to peace, mild, and calm. And we see all these concepts rolled into some of our Christmas songs. And I also appreciate another dictionary called the American Heritage Dictionary because it represents more of a modern perspective on these terms and what they mean. and is very accurate for my estimation. But it also describes peace as the absence of war or other hostilities, also from a legal standpoint of being in agreement or a treaty to end hostilities, or freedom from quarrels and disagreement, harmonious relations, or a public security in order. And then, of course, there's the individual inner sense of this, of inner contentment, serenity, In fact, when you think of the word peace, don't we often associate it with other words like quiet, peace and quiet, or the word contentment, peace and contentment? It's a little redundant, but they have an overlap in terms of meaning. And likewise, the American Heritage Dictionary defines peaceful as an undisturbed state, undisturbed by strife, turmoil, or disagreement, tranquil and calm, inclined or disposed to peace. Did you notice that in these definitions there was a reference to war each time? And as we think of peace, as it's described there in those dictionaries, We don't see much of that in our world today. In fact, the world seems to be plagued with a lack of peace. And what I want to share with you this morning is not only man's lack of peace, but God's provision of peace, and then the guarantee of the reign of peace on planet Earth. And it all centers around Jesus Christ. But maybe you're here today, and you're thinking in terms of your family, your marriage, maybe your local church, maybe your relationships, maybe the state of the world, and you say, well, I don't have peace. Well, Jesus Christ is the answer for all of those things, as we'll see. But first of all, before we can appreciate Jesus Christ as the peacemaker, from God to man. We have to understand man's thorough and genuine lack of peace. Do you know that over the last 6,000 years, there have been an estimated 50,000 wars fought among mankind? And over the last 3,400 years, there's only been about 268 of those years where historians have estimated that there's been peacetime on planet Earth without war. In other words, it seems like war is characteristic of mankind, whether it's on a national scale or, again, among families and marriages, even in churches and so forth. This has plagued mankind. But also we have to understand from the Word of God that this lack of peace on earth didn't begin on earth, it began in the heavens. In fact, it began with Satan when he rebelled against God. He was the first rebel in the universe. It says in Ezekiel 28 verse 15, God is speaking of Lucifer, and he says that you were perfect in your ways. And by the way, does God create anything imperfect? No, we know from the book of Genesis, chapter one, in fact, the very last verse, Genesis 1, 31, that when God had finished creating everything, it was very good. There was no sin in his creation. But he did give the angels a volition to begin with, and they made a choice. And then their choice became fixed. So he says to Lucifer in Ezekiel 28 15, you were perfect in your ways from the day that you were created until iniquity was found in you. What happened with Lucifer? His elevated position in heaven so close to God fed into his pride and in his volition or will or desire he wanted to be glorified himself. Thus the two verses right after that go on to say, by the abundance of your trading you became filled with violence within and you sinned. Therefore, I cast you as a profane thing out of the mountain of God, and I destroyed you, O covering cherub, from the midst of the fiery stones. Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty. You corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor." Now, many people have this conception of Satan as being this hideous looking creature You know, who has horns and a bad sunburn and a pitchfork and so forth. But actually the Bible describes him as being an angel of light, beautiful in appearance. And this went to his head and he fell in his pride. Now we also know that in the end times, speaking of the tribulation which will be after the rapture, that there will be war in heaven again. And Satan will war against the holy angels, in fact, the guardian angel of the nation of Israel, Michael. This will occur during the seven-year tribulation period after the church has been raptured. And that's why it says in Revelation 12, 7 and 8, that war broke out in heaven. Michael and his angels fought with the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought, but they did not prevail, nor was a place found for them in heaven any longer. So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world. He was cast to the earth and his angels were cast out with him. Now Satan, when he originally fell after the creation, when he chose to sin, he came to planet Earth to set up his base of operation. and he deceived Adam and Eve. The Bible also says he's had access to heaven at times throughout history, but there's coming a day in the future when he will have his last visit to heaven and he'll be cast out. That's what Revelation 12 is describing. But I trust you can see from this passage that the lack of peace on earth is due to a spiritual conflict ultimately or originally. And Satan took his war to this planet, as war against God and among mankind was brought to earth by whom? By Satan, with the fall of Adam and Eve into sin in the Garden of Eden. Satan sinned, and then he deceived mankind into sinning and rebelling against God, and so mankind was plunged into the ruin that Satan and the angels had experienced. Now it wasn't originally this way, as I had mentioned, for we know from Genesis chapters 1 and 2 that God created Adam and Eve innocent, without sin, but also with a free will and a capacity to choose to have a relationship with God. And we know that they did choose to disobey God. They chose to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, which they had been told not to do by the Lord, the one thing that had been prohibited from them. Everything else they could freely eat in the garden except for that one tree. And Satan had fallen to earth. He possessed a serpent. That serpent came as a deceiver, as Satan has possessed other human beings down through the centuries, and even animals at times, or demons can. And so he used a serpent here to deceive Eve. And it says in Genesis chapter 3 verse 1 that Satan spoke through the serpent and said, has God indeed said you shall not eat from every tree of the garden? So he gets Eve to focus on the one thing God had prohibited and he plants a seed of doubt. in Eve's mind, getting her to question God and His Word. And Satan actually slanders the integrity of God. And we see this in verse 5, where he slanders the goodness of God and denies the severity of the penalty that would fall upon Adam and Eve for their disobedience. Genesis 3, 4, and 5 say, Then the serpent said to the woman, You will not surely die. A direct rebuttal to what Jesus or what God had said, excuse me, to Adam and Eve in the garden. As God had said previously, in the day you eat thereof, you shall surely die. Satan comes along and he directly denies that. Verse 5, for God knows that in the day you eat of it, your eyes will be opened. and you will be like God. In other words, he's been holding out on you. You can have something better than what he offered. So don't trust God, listen to me. And mankind chose to follow Satan and his deception. Now had Adam and Eve passed this test here and said no to Satan, it is possible that they would not have known evil experientially, but rather they would have known good and evil from that point on, from God's holy righteous standpoint, rather than Satan's. But instead, mankind fell into Satan's snare, and Satan took the scepter from Adam and Eve and began to rule this world system, and mankind became subject to him. And they did die, because God had said previously in Genesis 2.17, in the day you eat thereof, you shall surely die. And so they ate, and they did die. Now, how is it that they walked out of the garden if they were dead? Well, they were spiritually dead, but physically alive. Death in the Bible does not speak of non-existence, it speaks of separation. And the moment that they ate, they became separated from a holy, loving God, and needed to be restored to Him. They were physically alive, but from that point on, they began to degenerate physically until they eventually died many years later. And so their sin spread to their descendants. By mankind sinning, he in effect declared war on God. And as a byproduct of his rebellion and anarchy against God, he began to war with others. And we see this in Genesis. It says that Cain and Abel, the sons of Adam and Eve, were in conflict, not Abel with Cain, but Cain with Abel. And Abel was killed by his brother Cain. Cain was the first murderer, Genesis 4.8. And then we know, same chapter, a little later, Lamech, chapter 4, verse 23, also committed murder. And this spread so that by the time of the flood or Noah's day, it says in Genesis 3, 5, that the thoughts of mankind's heart was only evil continually. And then in Genesis 6, 11 and 12, it says that the earth also was corrupt before God and the earth was filled with violence. So God looked upon the earth and indeed it was corrupt for all flesh had corrupted its way upon the earth. And we know that as a result of this, God sent the flood of his judgment in Noah's day and destroyed every living thing and began to start over with all the living creatures that were preserved through the flood. including Noah and his family. And so what was the result of Adam and Eve's sin due to being deceived by Satan and disobeying God? Well, we know that the result was spiritual death. And it affected mankind's relationship with God as mankind then died towards God. And we're all born into this world spiritually dead. Romans 5 verse 12 says, Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned. We all sinned in Adam. That's how God looks at us, collectively, under our federal headship of Adam. And so, this is bad news. But I want to share with you a little more bad news on this cheery celebration of Christmas this morning. Because if you don't understand why there's a lack of peace on planet Earth, you'll never appreciate the Prince of Peace and what we have in the Lord Jesus. So going on, we also read in Ephesians chapter 2, verses 1 and 2, where Paul writes, the Apostle Paul writes to believers in Jesus Christ who've been saved, he says, and you he made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins. And that's how every one of us is born into this world, not a child of God, but dead in trespasses and sins. Now, stillbirths are tragedies, but every single human being who is physically born is a spiritual stillborn, as far as God sees them. Separated from birth or conception from God. And we know in trespasses and sins, he goes on to say verse 2, in which you once walked according to the course of this world. Satan had a course laid out for you to follow and we followed right on that track. We had our lane. According to the prince of the power of the air, that would be Satan, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience. So what was the result? Well so far we've just seen in a couple of verses that we're dead to God by nature and we're sons of disobedience. But it goes on, Ephesians chapter 2 verse 3, and it says, regarding the sons of disobedience among whom we also once conducted ourselves, In the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and we were by nature children of wrath just as the others. And so we could add to the list here that we are by nature children of wrath. No one is born into this world a child of God. We're born children of wrath and must become a child of God by new birth through faith in Jesus Christ. And if that were not enough, Colossians 1 goes on to say in verse 21, and you who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now he has reconciled. So again, in our pre-salvation state, we could add to these three things here. The other truth that we're alienated from God, though we are on planet Earth, do you know that we're aliens? We're aliens to God. separated from him. And if that were not enough, we're viewed as enemies of God before we're saved. And this is the bad news. All this highlights man's lack of peace towards God and with one another. And we live in a very corrupt world. But I want you to know the good news this morning, and that's where Jesus Christ enters the picture as the great Redeemer, the one who came to bring peace to a hostile world, a world that was defiant towards God and still is. And so what we're going to see with the Lord Jesus Christ as he takes every one of these bad things that demonstrate lack of peace with God and one another, and he reverses them. by His work and His grace. So for those who are dead towards God, He makes them alive again in His Son, Jesus Christ. Those who are sons of disobedience, God says, I'm going to make you a son of mine so that you're capable of obedience now and not a slave to sin any longer. And I'm also going to make you a child of God, beloved, no longer a child of wrath. My wrath no longer abides on you because it all fell upon my son, Jesus Christ, in your place. And all that wrath was poured out on him. He was judged so that you won't be judged for your sin judicially. Likewise, being alienated from God, we're no longer separated or aliens from God. In fact, we've been brought near, the New Testament says, through faith in Christ. And those of us who've been enemies of God before we were saved, now that we're saved, we are close to God, as close as we could be in His Son, Jesus Christ. no longer enemies, but now on terms of peace with God. And this is the good news of God's provision of peace on earth through his Son. We've seen man's lack of peace on earth, now we see God's provision of peace on earth through Jesus Christ, our Savior. Since God is the God of peace, He made provision for mankind to have peace with him through Jesus Christ who is our peace. Let's stop and just think about each piece of this statement here because it's all built on scripture and you can look up many of these references at your leisure. I took the time this last week again just to look up how many times God is called the God of peace. And it's many passages, in fact, more than I even just referenced here for you, but you get the picture. It's quite a few references. You know, we often speak of the peace of God, but you know, the Bible also speaks of the God of peace, and describes God as being characteristically one who has peace. And isn't that important? Because in this world, religion comes along, or what is opposed to God, in terms of the worldly system that defies and denies God, and tries to paint God as this cosmic killjoy, as someone who is just a crank, and wants to judge, and can't wait to rain on your parade, and is anything but a God of peace. And that is Satan, again, trying to Misconstrue God so that people would not follow him. And yet the scriptures are replete with references that say he is the God of peace. All peace that exists in the universe originates from him and is due to him. So when you think of God, do you think of one who is peaceful? Who wants you to have peace? To be on legal terms of peace with him? a peace treaty and a peace agreement with him, and then to experience individually, internally, the peace that he can give you. That all comes from the God of peace. But it starts with having peace with God. And this is a very key statement here in Romans 5.1. Therefore, having been justified by faith, he's speaking to believers, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Do you have peace this morning with God? Some people don't know that they do. In fact, they still view themselves as dead in trespasses and sins, alienated by wicked works, an enemy of God and such. And God can change all that in a moment. If you will place your faith in Jesus Christ, because He provides peace through His Son. In fact, His Son is our peace. I love this in Ephesians 2 verses 13 and 14. He is our peace. I love in Scripture how it describes the Lord Jesus in multifaceted ways. He's our life, He is our hope, He is our peace, and He is so many things to us. But you know, there was one who came and saw our need, how we were dead in our trespasses and sins, alienated and enemies, and he says, we ought to fix that. He consents to the will of the Father to come to earth and become a man just like us in all things except sin, so that he could die in our place and through the blood of Christ, his sacrificial death, provide terms of peace between a hostile mankind and a holy God. And so it all starts with a person, the Prince of Peace. And that's why it's been well said, if you have no Jesus, you have no peace. Even if you've signed a peace treaty yourself on this planet, you still have no peace as far as God is concerned. But if you have Jesus, then you have peace with God. And to know Jesus himself, who is peace, is to know peace itself. The very thing the world is searching desperately for, but so often doesn't want to find it. And the one true source of peace, Jesus Christ. And that's why the Bible comes along and it says, I've got good news for you. In fact, two times in the New Testament, it describes the gospel message as a gospel of peace. And when we think of the word gospel, it literally means good news. And so if there is a message out there that purports to be from God as the gospel, gospel truth, so to speak, and yet doesn't guarantee peace between you and God, then that's a false gospel, and it's really not one of peace. Because God wants peace with mankind, and he's provided it through his son. That's why when Jesus Christ came as the sacrificial offering and died in our place, paying the penalty for our sin, he cried out on the cross, it is finished, John 19 30. And in saying that, he was exclaiming, that he had paid for our sin in full. And if it was finished and he paid for it in full, then nothing more had to be done to satisfy a holy God in terms of the sinfulness of man and the debt that we had towards God. And that's why he took care of the terms of peace. Colossians 1 verse 20, it says, in reference to Jesus Christ, by him to reconcile all things to himself, by the way, Mankind doesn't reconcile himself to God, God reconciles man to himself. It was man who fell away from God and turned his back on God, not God towards man. You see the order here? And by him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of his cross, Note that it's a past tense statement and it says that Jesus Christ was the peace treaty maker towards man. And what this tells us is that mankind doesn't make peace with God. Sometimes I hear people speak about their deathbeds. And perhaps in the last week of their life, you know, they've lived a life in utter rebellion, flagrant rebellion towards God. Didn't want to hear about Jesus Christ or have anything to do with him. But on the last week of their life, they're feeling very guilty for all their sins and for all the broken relationships and carnage as they look behind them in life and they say, I've made peace with God or I've made peace with others. How? by getting the last rites by a priest, by simply saying, I'm sorry, I repent, by cleaning up their life, by knowing that they're dying and they're not going to have any money anyway, so they just donate it to a church to pay off their sins. These are all ways in which people think they're making peace with God, and yet they're not. We can't make peace with God. In fact, it's already been made through Jesus Christ. He beat us to it. And if he did it, we can't add to it. It's done. It's finished. He made peace through the blood of His cross. And that's why we're not saved by our good works or trying to get our good to outweigh our bad, so to speak. And yet, this is often how people think. We make peace with God. Get baptized, go to church, love your neighbor, keep the Ten Commandments, partake of the sacraments, one more installment of so-called grace through the sacraments, and keep it up. Because you never know if you've done enough. You see, there's that approach to salvation, which leads to lack of assurance, no assurance that you're going to heaven, no assurance that you're on good terms with God. There's always one more thing to be done, and you're not sure if you're going to actually do it. You might come up a little short. And then there's the finished approach, where Jesus said, I've already paid it. I've already provided peace. Now you just need to come to God through me, through simple faith in me. Romans 6.23, for the wages of sin is death. And that's why Christ had to die to pay the wages of sin, to satisfy the justice of an infinitely holy and righteous God, and he did so in love towards us. And it was only the death of Christ that removed this barrier between God and man and provided terms of peace between a hostile party, mankind, and a loving, outreaching God towards human beings. And how do we know that Jesus Christ did pay it all? God proved it. He proved it by raising his son from the dead. So that as a living savior now, he says, I accept the work that Jesus did on the cross. I raised him from the dead. And he's alive and can give you now the gift of eternal life. Romans 6.23 again, the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Now, how is this gift received? You know, this time of year, everybody's giving gifts, whether it's for Hanukkah or Christmas or whatever it may be. Even those who are secular celebrate gift giving this time of year. But how is God's gift of eternal life and this peace received by mankind? It has to be received. You know, sometimes when we share the gospel with people at fairs, we see this quite often, that we explain how Jesus Christ paid for man's sin in full, and they get it, they see that we're separated from God, we need to be born again, that Jesus paid it all, but then they often assume, oh, well, because he paid it all, it's automatically applied to everybody on planet Earth, and everybody's saved. It's called universalism. That is not what the Bible teaches. God appeals to the will or volition of man and says, you must choose to receive this. That's why in Romans 5, 1 again, what was the condition? For peace with God, it was faith in Jesus Christ. Having been justified by faith, by the way, to be justified is declared righteous in the sight of God, even though we're still sinners. God legally or judicially declares terms of peace and says, because you've placed your faith in my son, the only one who satisfied my justice, on that grounds or basis, I will accept you. And then you have peace with God because you've been justified by or through faith. And by the way, this is also what was seen In Luke chapter 2, the Christmas story that we read already this morning, and you hear virtually every Christmas, let's just revisit that account. It says in Luke 2 verses 8 and 9, Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. Then the angel said to them, do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings, literally good news of great joy, which will be to all people. Now, if an angel said that to me, I think I'd perk up and listen. Man, we sure need some good news in this world, don't we? That's filled with bad news. For there is born to you this day in the city of David, a savior who is Christ the Lord. Now from the standpoint of a Jew, and these shepherds were Jewish, they had waited centuries for the Messiah to come. And an angel shows up and says, I've got good news for you. He's here. And he's a savior. And he's born in the city of David, the city where David was born, Bethlehem, and would reign in Jerusalem later, just like David did. And he's the Christ, the anointed one, the Messiah, and he's the Lord. And this will be a sign to you. You will find a babe wrapped in swaddling clothes lying in a manger. And that the shepherds did. Now the swaddling clothes that were used to tightly wrap the newborn infant were also used, according to John 19.40, to wrap the Lord Jesus in his body as strips of linen were used after his crucifixion to prepare him for burial. And so I believe what we have here in Luke 2 verse 12 is a prefiguring, a foreshadowing of the Messiah's coming death. We sing oftentimes, at this church anyway, a song around Christmas time called Born to Die. Indeed, Jesus was born to die so that we could live. He became a man, took on flesh at the incarnation, and became the son of man so that he could taste death for every man by the grace of God, Hebrews 2.9. And in dying for every man, he paid the debt of sin in full so that every man can be forgiven if he will receive the work of Jesus. By the way, I should mention this as well as we think of the little town of Bethlehem. Micah 5.2 says that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem Ephrathah, That's to distinguish it from the other Bethlehem in Israel, the one up north in Galilee. There were at least two Bethlehems. And I love the specificity of these prophecies given some 700 years before Jesus' birth. And why is it significant that Jesus was born in Bethlehem, Ephrathah? Because that particular Bethlehem was just a couple miles outside of Jerusalem, where the temple was, where the sacrifices were made. And we know from the Babylonian Talmud that the Jews had, that the shepherds right around that city of Bethlehem and that tower of Adar in that little town of Bethlehem, were preparing lambs to be sacrificed at the Jewish temple on Passover. And here we have another prefiguring of Jesus Christ. And the reason why he came was to die as the Lamb of God to take away our sins. John 1 29. And this leads us to verses 13 and 14 in Luke 2. And oftentimes, verse 14 is quoted during the Christmas season by many who don't even understand how God provided the grounds of peace for sinners and him. And they think that this is a statement that if mankind could just redouble our efforts, you know, pour more money into the United Nations and charitable organizations that we can just bring peace on earth. And that's what Christmas is all about. No, I don't believe that's the point. The goodwill towards men was from God to man. Because man lacked peace. Now it could be translated, and there is some difference among original Greek texts here that we have preserved, some say peace toward men of goodwill. That's why some English translations read that way. The traditional King James and New King James reads the other way. Both points are true. God is reaching out to men who will use their will to believe in his son, and he gives to them terms of peace, where they are no longer an enemy, but they are reconciled. And that's why right within the Gospel of Luke, chapter 7, verse 50, it says of that notoriously sinful woman, in contrast to the Pharisee, Jesus said to the woman in verse 50, your faith has saved you. What's the result? Go in peace. When someone has placed their faith in Jesus Christ, they get saved. And thereafter, they're on terms of peace with God. And thus Jesus can say, now go in peace. And I hope every one of you this morning can leave here having placed your trust in Jesus Christ and can go in peace because your faith has saved you. Faith in the work of Jesus Christ. Faith, not in your own works, but the grace of God towards you. For what is grace? It's this unmerited favor towards those of us who deserve the very opposite. We don't deserve to go to heaven. We don't deserve a peace relationship with God forever. But we have it by the grace of God. I love what Ephesians 2.8.9 says, for by grace you have been saved through faith, speaking to believers in Ephesus, and that not of yourselves. It's the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. You see, if we could get to heaven by our good works, we would have something to crow about when we stand in the presence of Jesus Christ. And it would actually detract from the glory that Jesus Christ is worthy of, because he did all the work. He gets all the credit. But God says we're not saved that way. We're saved as a gift of his grace through simple faith in his son. Not by any works that we can do, not our commitment, not our dedication, not redoubling our efforts, not our repenting of our sins, not even asking Jesus to come into our life or heart. It's by trusting in what Jesus did. And then we can have the assurance that we are eternally saved because he did it all. And this is how you know a gospel of peace from one that isn't a gospel of peace. I love what 1 John 5 says in terms of its assurance it provides. And this is the testimony that God has given us eternal life. Again, he's speaking to believers here. And this life is in his Son. Remember, he who has the Son has life, he who has the Son has peace with God. He who has the Son has life, and he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. These things I've written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life." You see, all other approaches to having peace with God and going to heaven that are based on works and religion and our efforts lead to a lack of assurance. Because you just never know if you've done enough. That's why I remember. when I was a young man, a sophomore at UMD in my dorm room, saying to the Lord one night, Lord, I give up. I give up trying to save myself. I trust your son and him alone. And I had assurance that I was saved from that point on, but I'd never had assurance before that, because I was still trusting in me, in my religion, my efforts. And this is eternal life, life that never ends. Once you get peace with God, you have it forever. You'll never be on hostile terms with him again, a child of wrath. That's why, you know, religion is kind of like the Grinch that steals Christmas. Kind of like a porch pirate that, yeah, God gives you a gift, he puts it on your porch, but you better keep an eye on that gift. It might be stolen. No, what he gives, he guarantees. And this is truly good news. This is God's provision of peace with God through Jesus Christ. But you know the Bible also says that God offers to believers in Jesus Christ the peace of God. And he wants us to continually experience this as a fruit of the Holy Spirit of God who now indwells us. And the way that this is enjoyed or experienced is through a walk of ongoing faith or trust. You see, just because you trusted in Christ as your Savior in the past, doesn't mean you automatically walk by faith thereafter. And notice the connection between continual belief and peace in Romans 15, 13. Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. And dear believer, if you're saved here today, you can have peace and joy this Christmas season by abiding in Jesus Christ by faith. And you will have then that peace that surpasses all understanding that Philippians 4, 6, and 7 speaks of. Be anxious for nothing but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving. Let your requests be made known to God. God wants to hear our prayers. And the peace of God which surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Well, what is this peace that surpasses all understanding? It's a peace that's very different from what the world offers. In fact, Jesus said in John 14, 27, peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives peace do I give to you. He gives an otherworldly, all-surpassing understanding kind of peace. Because when you have Christ, you have peace. When you walk by faith, you have his inner peace. And it's not based on your circumstances. You know, oftentimes people say if you want peace, even as a believer in Christ now, what you really need is a vacation. You need to plan a trip to Acapulco. You need to sit on a beach and sip a piña colada, and then you'll have peace. I guarantee you that won't provide peace, at least a lasting real peace, because you'll sit there sipping your piña colada, and you will say to yourself, okay, did I lock the house when I left? Did I lock the hotel here in Acapulco when I went to the beach? Did I do this? Did I do that? And you'll begin to have all the cares of the world creep right back in. And no amount of pina coladas is going to cover all that. But Jesus Christ will. You know, oftentimes people think, well, if I just have a little more money, then I'll feel secure and then I'll be able to relax and have peace. Really? You could have all the wealth of the world. You could be Elon Musk, wealthiest man in the world apparently now, and not have peace because you'll be caring about all the things you have and have to take care of now. and what you might lose, that's why it was astounding to me. When I went to El Salvador in 2005, 2007 on submission trips with this church, I noticed that the people there were very relaxed compared to the United States. In fact, when we touched back down in the Houston airport, I looked around, everybody's anxious, running here and there and crabby, and I'm like, this is very different from the people who walk the streets of Chapultepec and just seem to be relaxed. They had far less and they were enjoying it more. So more stuff, more wealth, doesn't make for more peace. And you can try and shuffle the deck any way you want and rearrange your circumstances, it's not gonna bring you more peace. In fact, think of Philippians 4, 6 and 7. Did not the apostle Paul, who wrote that epistle, go to Philippi originally in Acts 16? And was he not thrown in jail? beaten first with rods, bloodied, bound in chains, and yet he was singing praises to God at midnight, Acts 16 says. Obviously, he wasn't predicating his peacefulness upon his circumstances, but on the presence of the Savior who he was enjoying. That is the peace that surpasses all understanding. I'll tell you where else you're not gonna find peace. in church. You say, Pastor, this is a bad advertisement for coming to church. No, I'm telling you the truth. This is reality. Think about Philippians for a minute. Philippians 4, 6, and 7. Oh, we love to quote it, the peace that passes all understanding. Well, you know what? Just a few verses before in verses 2 and 3, Iodius and Syntyche weren't getting along, so Paul has to instruct some other guy to come along and be a mediator between them. So even in church, you are not necessarily going to find peace among others. It has to be through personal faith and abiding in Jesus Christ and fellowship with him, that then you can spill the peace he gives you with others. Otherwise, don't expect it from another believer. You may not get it. I remember the story. It's fictitious, of course, but humorous. of the man who was stranded on an island all by himself. And when he was found later, they discovered he had built three huts. And they said, well, what's this one over here? Well, this is my house that I live in. Well, what's the second one here? This is the church I go to. Well, what's this third hut? Well, that's the church I used to go to. You've heard it said many times, there is no such thing as a perfect church. And if there is, don't go there, you'll wreck it. So true. But God can provide peace. Legally and judicially, the peace with God through Jesus Christ and faith in him, the moment we're justified in his sight. And then he can provide through a walk of faith in your Christian life, the peace of God. But you know, you might be saying to this point, well, that all sounds wonderful, Pastor Tom, you can have it individually, but what about peace on earth? Is peace ever coming globally to this planet? Yes, it is. And we'll close with this this morning. There is in scripture the promise of Christ's reign of peace on earth. We see that after the rapture of the church, at the beginning of the tribulation, by the way, the rapture could happen at any moment, It seems like the stage for the tribulations being prepared very well to this point could occur right after the rapture. But at that time, mankind will attempt to achieve world peace without Jesus Christ. And how will that go? Not very well. It will be a false peace. Right after the rapture, during the seven years of tribulation at the very beginning, the rider on the white horse in Revelation 6, 1 and 2, the very first seal that's broken of God's judgment, God says, okay, I'm going to unleash on you this false peacemaker, the Antichrist. And he will come in the name of Christ, and he will come in the name of peace. and he will seek to broker a peace, probably with Israel and the rest of the world, and the world will be saying, peace and safety, 1 Thessalonians 5, 3 says. And then, sudden destruction comes upon them. Why? Because there is no peace apart from the real Messiah, Jesus Christ. It can't be found in any man, even the best man the world puts forward, who Satan puts forward, and says, see, follow him, trust in him. And peace is taken from the earth at that moment. And destruction comes upon humanity. That's why it's called the time of global tribulation. It's a false peace. And that period will not last for very long, the seven years of tribulation. At the end of it, Jesus Christ will return to the earth as the prince of peace. To do what? To impose on a long-waiting world His eternal kingdom, and with it, permanent peace on earth. And this is what we celebrate when we quote these verses every Christmas season. Isaiah 9, verses 6 and 7. For unto us a child is born. I almost want to break out and sing the Handel's Messiah. Unto us a son is given. And we know who that is. That's Jesus Christ. And the government will be upon his shoulder. And by the way, he is not shouldering it yet. He's the rightful king in waiting. And when he returns to the earth in the near future, I think, but seven years or so after the tribulation begins, then the government will be established. His eternal kingdom will come. And his name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, He's Full Deity, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace, there will be no end. Once it begins, it will never decline or decrease, but will only increase. Upon the throne of David and over his kingdom, he'll be ruling and reigning from Jerusalem in Israel, in order to order it and establish it with judgment and justice from that time forward, even forever. And the zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this. No man will perform this. This will be God's doing, and it's coming. So yes, mankind lacks peace. God provides for it, whether it's peace with God through Jesus Christ or the peace of God through faith in Jesus Christ in a walk. But it's also true, he guarantees the reign of peace through the Prince of Peace. And it could be coming in the very near future. If the rapture were to happen today and the tribulation were to follow, that kingdom of peace could be only seven years away. Wouldn't that be wonderful? That's what we have to look forward to this Christmas season. Let's pray. Father, thank you for your word today and these wonderful reassurances regarding peace. Thank you that you are a God of peace and you've shown that. through sending your son, the Lord Jesus, who loved us and gave himself for us. I pray for any here who do not know with absolute assurance that they have this peace with you forever, that today would be the day of salvation for them, that they would choose to put their trust in Jesus Christ and receive once and for all the gift of eternal, unending, irrevocable life in him. And Father, may we just praise you now as we think of your son. who He is and all He's done for us. We pray in His name. Amen.