Advent 3 | Peace

The message this week follows the Children’s Musical.

Scripture Reading: Luke 2:8-14

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!”

Today we celebrate the Joy that we have because Christ has come—and is coming again!

The kids did a wonderful job of sharing the story, but I do not want anyone to walk out the door with only the thought, “Oh that was so sweet.” The story of Christmas draws us to a point of decision. We must decide whether the story is just a story, or if God truly did come to us.

If you decide it’s just another story, then you will miss out on an abundance of peace and joy—for this life and afterward.

If, however, you have recognized that this is a true story, that God really did come to us, take on flesh, and made salvation possible, then it is time to come to Jesus and find peace with God.

Finding Peace with God | Romans 5:1-5

Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

Romans 5:1-5

Paul tells us we can rejoice in our sufferings. There is joy to be had, and peace to experience, even during the hard times of life. How is that?

First, we can have peace with God. We can have this peace when we are justified by faith. This means that we understand and believe that Jesus paid the price for our salvation already 2000 years ago. The baby in the manger grew up, living a sinless life, and laid that life on the cross for our sin.

We are “justified by faith” when we trust our salvation in the work of Jesus alone.

Second, we have access to God by this same faith, and we can be at peace that one day we will see our Lord face to face. That is the “hope of the glory of God.” While we can catch glimpses of God at work in this life, we will see clearly when we meet Him face to face—whether upon our death or His Return.

Third, we can be at peace now, even in the face of trials and sufferings, because these sufferings produce endurance, endurance produces character, and character produces hope. We face our daily life with one eye on the end-goal. The Goal of Faith is our life transformed to be like Jesus.

We can have peace now because our faith will become sight.

And this hope does not put us to shame because we have the Holy Spirit who points our hearts to God and reassures us we are on the right track. Even when trials come, we know they work for our good because God is working on us. God’s Spirit is in us and will guide us, if we will surrender to Him each day.

We can have peace now because God is with us today, tomorrow, and forever more.

Today, do not let this story be mere entertainment. Allow its truth to transform you and give you joy!