Sermon - Christmas Peace - Luke 2:14 - Littleby Baptist Church - December 20, 2020

Luke 2:14

“Glory to God in the highest heaven, and peace on earth to people he favors!”

All Glory and Honor belong to our God!  May the Lord’s Peace fall on each of us.

May the Peace that defies all logic and reasoning be with you.

Peace is one of those things that has escaped many of us at times in 2020. The struggles many faced with job issues, medical issues, family uncertainty, and more made it hard to hold on to Peace.

Part of the problem I think is that we were trying to find our own peace. When things are starting to get to us one of the first things many of us do is to attempt to create peace on our own. We may go sit in a dark and quiet room, take a long hot bath, listen to some music, spend time in the workshop, sew, or whatever we think will help us step away from the craziness that is getting to us.

Doing these types of things to bring calm may help for a while, they may help us step away, but the reality is they do not help us to have the full Peace of the Lord that we truly need.

The peace we can get from the world is temporary and inadequate. True Peace is not something we can manufacture; it is something that is given.

John 14:27

“²⁷ “Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Don’t let your heart be troubled or fearful.”

Jesus was telling His Disciples that He was leaving His Peace with them. This is a Peace that has been tested. It is a Peace that has endured temptations. It is a Peace that was with Jesus as He looked to the sacrifice He was going to make. The Peace that Jesus has passed on to all of His Disciples is a perfect Peace. It is a Peace is stronger than anything we are facing. It is a Peace that truly defies all logic, reasoning, and understanding.

When we are struggling with anxiety and feeling like things are out of control, instead of trying to find a way to fix it ourselves we need to look to our God.

If Jesus gave us His Peace, then we need to turn to Him when it feels like it is slipping away. I am not saying those other peaceful activities are bad, but they do not bring the Peace that surpasses understanding. If we are looking for that awesome Peace that can only come from our Lord, we need to turn to Him.

If things are getting to me, one of the first things I do is think about how my personal time with my God has been the last couple of days. Chances are if I am in need of Peace, I have cheated myself by not spending as much time in the Word and talking to my God as I should.

When Peace is missing the first thing, we need to do is make sure we are spending time with our God. More often than not, we have let our problem block our vision and we need to refocus and make sure Jesus is front and center.

Romans 5:1

“Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

In addition to the Peace we need each day, our faith in Jesus has given us the Ultimate Peace.

As sinners we have been separated from God. Our human sinful nature pushes us away from God. As Paul says in Romans 5:10 we were enemies with God because of our sin.

But it does not stop there!

With our faith in our Lord and Savior Jesus, with His death and Resurrection, we have been given True Eternity Lasting Peace.

This is Peace that allows sinners like us to be restored to our rightful place. We are no longer ‘enemies with God’, instead we are part of His family. This Peace grants us access to the Father for all Eternity.

If Jesus is your Lord, His Peace will bring you calm during the storm and it will carry you into His presence forever!

Gob Bless,

Robert