“On Earth Peace, Good Will Toward Men”

(Luke 2:14 NIV)  "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests."

 

It is over 2,000 years ago. A group of shepherds is in a field outside the village of Bethlehem. It is a beautiful evening and the shepherds stand, gazing at the glories of heaven. Suddenly, a light shines all around them and they look up at a glowing, white-robed creature. Terrified, the men are rooted in their tracks.

 

Then, with a vibrant voice, the angel, for such it was, speaks: (Luke 2:10-12 NIV)  But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. {11} Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. {12} This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."

 

Then suddenly, the sky is filled with heavenly beings, singing in a heavenly chorus. And their song is (Luke 2:14 NIV)  "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests."

 

Then as suddenly as they came, they are gone. For several minutes, however, to the shepherds it is as though the light still shone and the voices still sang; their eyes are dazzled and the voices still ring in their ears. Gradually, however, they return to normal. Then, as one man, they look at each other and say,  (Luke 2:15 NIV)  When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about."

 

With little more than a backward look, they leave their huddled flock and make their way down the stony slope on their way to the city. Thus begins one of the most familiar of all stories. In this sermon, I would like to emphasize one part of the scene just witnessed.

 

In the Old Testament, the coming of Christ had been spoken of in this fashion: (Isaiah 9:6 NIV)  For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

 

Speaking of the coming of Christ, Ezekiel had said: (Ezekiel 37:26 NIV)  I will make a covenant of peace with them; it will be an everlasting covenant. I will establish them and increase their numbers, and I will put my sanctuary among them forever.

 

The Book of Hebrews tells us Christ is our spiritual Melchizedek, who was the “King of Salem, which is, King of peace” (Hebrews 7:2).

 

How appropriate then are the words of the heavenly choir: “On earth peace among men.” Of all the announcements ever made from God to man, I suppose none has stirred the imagination like this one.

 

How our hearts long for a world like the area described in 1 Chronicles 4:40: “the land was wide, and quiet, and peaceable.”

 

But today we must face the facts. As much as we desire it, in the full sense of the word, there will never be “peace” on all the earth, and we will never have the situation of all men having good will one to another.

 

It is interesting to note that at the time the angels sang their song of peace, the world was enjoying one of its few respites from war. At that exact moment the Roman Empire was at peace with all the world. And as was their practice, the Romans had closed the gates of the temple of Janus at Rome because they felt they did not need that god in times of peace.

 

But the gates of Janus were all too quickly thrown open again! In fact, just seventy years after the visit of the

angels to the shepherds’ field, you could have stood in that same field and seen the flames of the city of Jerusalem leap high into the sky and possibly, just possibly, you could even have heard the cries of the thousands of victims as the Romans sacked that city.

 

No, we must face the fact: We cannot expect peace to reign throughout the world and all men to be filled with good will. But then someone asks, If this is not the significance of this angelic proclamation, what do these words mean?

 

Perhaps other translations of Luke 2:14 will help. The New English Bible says, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth his peace for men on whom his favor rests.”

 

Phillip says, “Glory to God in the highest heaven! Peace upon earth among men of good will!”

 

Luke 2:14 is a promise of God’s peace—but only to those who have His good will, only to those who do His will. Peace on all the earth is a possibility—if all on the earth do His will.

 

Moses said to Israel in the long ago: (Leviticus 26:3, 6)  "'If you follow my decrees and are careful to obey my commands…'I will grant peace in the land, and you will lie down and no one will make you afraid. I will remove savage beasts from the land, and the sword will not pass through your country.

 

But from a practical and biblical standpoint, all men will not do the will of God (Matthew 7:13, 14) and thus will not have God’s good will, and worldwide peace will not reign. So peace will not reign through the world . . .and it will not reign in every community . . . and it will not reign in every home . . . and it will not reign in every heart—but (and this is the main

message of this lesson) it can reign in your heart.

 

Jesus said, (John 14:27 NIV)  Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

 

A Christian is one who loves peace (Matthew 5:9); a Christian is one who “seeks peace and pursues it” (Psalm 34:14); and a Christian is one—and the only one—who can have “the peace of God which passeth understanding” (Philippians 4:7).

 

A William Cowper poem can be adapted: Those Christians best deserve the name Who studiously make peace their aim; Peace, both the duty and the prize Of him that [seeks] and him that [tries].

 

Let us then spend a little time studying the subject of peace in general. (I was surprised to find how much the Bible says about it!)  Let us especially ask these questions: What peace can we have? What peace should we seek? How can we have this peace?

 

I. PEACE WITH GOD

The timing of the angels’ song would help you to know that peace with God is the main significance of the theme of their song: Man had gone away from God, had become His enemy. Now Jesus was born of a virgin, the God/Man, the one qualified to make peace between God and man (1 Timothy 2:5). The end result is spoken of in Romans 5:1: “Being therefore justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

 

(Ephesians 2:16-18 NIV)  and in this one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility. {17} He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. {18} For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.

 

(Matthew 7:21 NIV)  "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.

 

(Acts 22:16 NIV)  And now what are you waiting for? Get up, be baptized and wash your sins away, calling on his name.'

 

(Hebrews 11:6 NIV)  And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

 

As the angels sang that song, they would have realized that any other peace we enjoy— within ourselves or with others, here or hereafter— was dependent upon this peace with God. Too many who are trying to be peacemakers in our world are trying to do it without God. And too many who desire peace of mind are seeking it everywhere except through God. And too many who think they have peace from God are deceived because they are not doing His will. These are such as say, “Peace, peace: when there is no peace” (Jeremiah 6:14).

 

If you therefore desire peace, first of all make sure of your peace with God. Are you one of His? Are you doing His will? From peace with God, we next go logically to this peace.

 

II. PEACE WITHIN SELF

The logical result of peace with God should be peace within self—and peace within self is the source of peace with others. In Psalm 122:7, 8 David begins by saying, “Peace be within thy walls, and prosperity within thy palaces” and then he says, “Peace be within thee.” (Italics mine.) Colossians 3:15 says, “And let the peace of God rule in your hearts.” (Italics mine.)

 

And what is this peace within self? Isaiah 32:17 gives the finest answer I have ever seen. Using synonymous parallelism, the author says, “And the work of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness, quietness and confidence forever.” “Peace” is used interchangeably with “quietness” and “confidence.”

 

Don’t you like that? And it is the “work of righteousness.” All this suggests the basic source of this peace within self—it is trust in God and our relationship to Him.

 

(Isaiah 26:3 NIV)  You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you.

 

(John 16:33 NIV)  "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."

 

Peace is in Him, on the basis of what He has spoken— trust in His promises. When a person trusts God, trusts Him

enough to put his life completely into His hands, trusts Him to fulfill His promises, trusts Him enough to completely do His will—then God gives that man peace. Notice these basic passages and their promises:

Psalm 37:11—peace to the meek;

Psalm 37:37—peace to the perfect and upright man;

Psalm 119:165—peace to those who love God’s law;

Psalm 122:6—peace to those who pray;

Proverbs 3:1, 2—peace to those who keep the commandments;

Proverbs 3:17ff.—peace to those who follow divine wisdom;

Romans 2:10—peace to him who “works good”;

Romans 8:6—peace to the spiritually minded;

Galations 5:22—peace as a “fruit of the Spirit”;

Philippians 4:8, 9—peace to those who think good thoughts;

Hebrews 12:11—peace to those who can accept chastening.

 

On the other hand, notice this: “There is no peace, saith my God, to the wicked” (Isaiah 57:20, 21; see also Deuteronomy 29:18–20; 2Ê Chronicles 15:5ff.; and Isaiah 59:8ff.).

 

At this point, it should be stressed that this peace within self is not dependent upon outward circumstances, but on our relationship with God. Great storms sometimes sweep across the Atlantic. When they do so, the ships which rest on the surface of the ocean are tossed about and sometimes wrecked. But any icebergs present are little affected—for most of their volume is not on the surface but far below it where the ocean is calm. Even so, it is the Christian, whose soul

is rooted in the peace of God, that is not affected by the “surface” problems of life: The world can never have this peace (John 16:33). But now if we have peace within ourselves, it should lead to this peace.

 

III. PEACE WITH OTHERS

Isaiah has said the time would come when men would beat their swords into plows (Isaiah 4 2:4) and when the lion would lie down with the lamb (Isaiah 51). As we have seen, this could not refer to a coming universal situation on the earth.

 

It was rather a prophecy concerning the kingdom of God and referred to the basic changes that were to exist among the people of God:

 

There are several areas that should concern every Christian.

First we should seek peace in the home.

Our wish for every home is found in 1 Samuel 25:6: “Peace be unto thee, and peace be to thine house, and peace be unto all that thou hast.” How can that be? Romans 14:19 says, “So then let us follow after things which make for peace, . . .” (Italics mine.)

 

I am afraid Thomas A. Kempis was right: “All men desire peace, but very few desire those things that make for peace.”

 

Petrarch put his finger on part of the problem when he said, “Five great enemies of peace inhabit with us—avarice, ambition, envy, anger, and pride; if these were to be banished, we should infallibly enjoy perpetual peace.”

 

And I like the statement “The peace of God not only passes all understanding (Philippians 4:7); it also passes all misunderstanding.”

 

Second, we should seek peace within the church.

One of the most beautiful of all New Testament passages and one of the greatest challenges is in Ephesians 4:3: “Giving diligence to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” How we should work for “the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace”!

 

Of course, we must keep in mind this truth (spoken by Spinoza): “Peace is not absence of war, it is a virtue, a state of mind, a disposition for benevolence”—in other words, it is an active thing.

 

Alan Bryan has noted that there is a type of peace in the cemetery; some brethren think they are at peace when really they are just dead.

 

Third, we should seek peace within the world.

We began by saying that universal peace on the part of everyone is not the impact of Luke 2:14—but this is not to say that we should not labor for as much peace as can be managed in a sinful world. First Timothy 2:1, 2 says that we should pray that peace might prevail so there will be an atmosphere most conducive to living godly lives.

 

It is possible that some of “our” young men (or young women) might someday be ambassadors working for peace, but though you may never be, you too can work for peace—by living your own peaceful life.

 

An old Chinese proverb says, “If there is righteousness in the heart, there will be beauty in the character, and if there is beauty in the character, there will be harmony in the home, and if there is harmony in the home, there will be order in the nation, and if there is order in the nation, there will be peace in the world.”

 

We will go a long way toward world peace when we learn to “love our neighbor” regardless of any superficial differences. In the word of another seasonal song:

Let there be peace on earth, And let it begin with me;

Let there be peace on earth, The peace that was meant to be.

With God as our Father, Brothers all are we;

Let me walk with my brother In perfect harmony.

Let peace begin with me; Let this be the moment now;

With every step I take, Let this be my solemn vow.

To take each moment, And live each moment,

In peace eternally: Let there be peace on earth, And let it begin with me.

 

Fourth, we must look for the peace in heaven.

In the Bible, many different phrases are used to describe hell—but surely no phrase is more apt than to say it is a place of no peace. The Bible says that those that disobey God shall not have peace:

(Ezekiel 7:25 NIV)  When terror comes, they will seek peace, but there will be none.

 

(1 Thessalonians 5:3 NIV)  While people are saying, "Peace and safety," destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.

 

Hell itself is described as a place where “the worm dieth not and the fire is not quenched”—always there will be the gnawing of conscience and the agony of separation from God!

 

But on the other hand, heaven might be beautifully described as a place of peace. How appropriate those words used interchangeably with “peace” earlier: “quietness” and “confidence”! Heaven is where the soul shall at last know that perfect and complete peace and satisfaction!

 

CONCLUSION

As we close this study of “peace,” let me leave you with these benedictions:

(Numbers 6:24-26 NIV)  "' "The LORD bless you and keep you; {25} the LORD make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you; {26} the LORD turn his face toward you and give you peace."'

 

(2 Corinthians 13:11 NIV)  Finally, brothers, good-by. Aim for perfection, listen to my appeal, be of one mind, live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you.

 

(2 Thessalonians 3:16 NIV)  Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way. The Lord be with all of you.

 

   Peace of heart that is won by refusing to bear the common yoke of human sympathy is a peace unworthy of a Christian. To seek tranquility by stopping our ears to the cries of human pain is to make ourselves not Christian but a kind of degenerate stoic having no relation either to stoicism or Christianity . . . . True peace comes not by a retreat from the world but by the overpowering presence of Christ in the heart. "Christ in you" is the answer to our cry for peace.   -- A. W. Tozer, The Next Chapter After the Last, in Christianity Today, "Reflections," Vol. 44, no. 9.

 

Title:  Peace from Above

   Whenever I am troubled and lost in deep despair,

   I bundle all my troubles up and go to God in prayer,

   I tell Him I am heartsick and lost and lonely too,

   That I am deeply burdened and don't know what to do.

   But I know He stilled the tempest and calmed the angry sea,

   And I humbly ask if in His love He'll do the same for me.

   Then I just keep quiet and think on thoughts of peace,

   And as I abide in stillness my restless murmurings cease.   -- Helen Steiner Rice

 

Title:  Simple Peace

   Be simple in your needs and you will have peace in your heart. .... Be humble in what you demand of life and you will have peace in your heart.... . Be giving in what you take to life and you will have peace in your heart.... . Stop the wars within yourself and you will have peace.    -- Joan Chittister, "Reflections," Christianity Today, Vol. 44, no. 10.

 

Title:  Real Blessings

   Our real blessings often appear to us in the shape of pains, losses, and disappointments; but let us have patience, and we soon shall see them in their proper figures.   -- Joseph Addison (author, 18th century). Men of Integrity, Vol. 2, no. 4.

 

   The fruit of the Spirit begins with love.  There are nine graces spoken of, and of these nine Paul puts love at the head of the list; love is the first thing, the first in that precious cluster of fruit.

 Someone has said that all the other eight can be put in terms of love.  Joy is love exulting; peace is love in repose; longsuffering is love on trial; gentleness is love in society; goodness is love in action; faith is love on the battlefield; meekness is love at school; and temperance is love in training...  If we only just brought forth the fruit of the Spirit, what a world we would have!  Men would have no desire to do evil.    -- Dwight L Moody in The D. L. Moody Year Book, selected by Emma Moody Fitt, (New York: Fleming H Revell Company, 1990).

 

   Peace is not the absence of trouble, but the presence of God.   -- J. Oswald Sanders

 

Title:  No Peace!

   A group of academics and historians has compiled this startling information:  since 3600 B.C., the world has known only 292 years of peace!  During this period there have been 14,351 wars large and small, in which 3.64 billion people have been killed.  The value of the property destroyed is equal to a golden belt around the world 97.2 miles wide and 33 feet thick.  Since 650 B.C., there have also been 1,656 arms races, only 16 of which have not ended in war.  The remainder ended in the economic collapse of the countries involved.   In the over 3100 years of recorded world history, the world has only been at peace 8% of the time or a total of 286 years and 8000 treaties have been made and broken. Even now we seem headed for a nuclear showdown.

   We human beings seem to have an endless capacity for conflict!    -- Today in the Word, Moody Bible Institute, 6-19-92.

 

Title:  Two Predators

   The dogs of doubt never sleep long. Our peace is forever stalked by two predators. The first is our culture of convenience. We are the well-fed, the secure. We are lovers of the large plate and the broad sofa. Material abundance keeps us from seeking any other kind . ... Our love of convenience trains us to believe that we can have as much as we want, of whatever we want, whenever we want it. ... No matter what life gives us, we always want more. ... We are the walking wanton.

   The second predator that stalks our peace is narcissism. Narcissists worship themselves. This self-love produces only those inner values that we ourselves can create. ... When our self-contrived image begins to crumble, we always crave a more solid foundation; for "the solid foundation of God stands, having this seal: 'The Lord knows those who are His' " (2 Tim. 2:19).   -- Calvin Miller in The Unchained Soul. Christianity Today, Vol. 43, no. 7.

 

   God designed the human machine to run on Himself. He Himself is the fuel our spirits were designed to burn, or the food our spirits were designed to feed on. There is no other. That is why it is just no good asking God to make us happy in our own way without bothering about religion. God cannot give us a happiness and peace apart from Himself, because it is not there. There is no such thing.   -- C. S. Lewis in Mere Christianity. Christianity Today, Vol. 43, no. 1.

 

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