Peace to Men on Earth

First 20 verses. Please stand for this reading of God's word. Luke chapter 2. In those days, Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world.

This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria, and everyone went to his own town to register. So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea to Bethlehem, the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David.

He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son.

She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night.

An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 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.

Today in the town of David, a Savior has been born to you. He is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you. You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.

Suddenly, a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.

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.

So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them.

But Mary treasured up these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

Commentary on the birth of Christ. God tells us what this event was all about. He announces it to us through the angels that appeared to the shepherds that night.

The lone angel first appeared and announced the good news of great joy that would be to all the people, that unto you this day is born in the city of David a Savior who is Christ the Lord.

And then the whole sky was lit with an army of the Lord's angels. And they tell us that this child's birth is going to have tremendous consequences, both for God and for men.

There will be reverberations from this birth felt in the highest heaven and the farthest places on earth. And so they tell us what this birth will mean for God and for men.

God will get the glory and men will get peace. And we saw the angels begin with God. The most important accomplishment of Christ's coming is that he would bring glory to God.

God would be seen for who he is through this baby. He would portray the attributes of God. He would open up God to this dark world.

We would see his splendor, his wonder, his greatness. And that's only fitting and right that God should receive glory. But the angels don't stop there, do they?

Luke 2 and verse 14. They go on to speak of men and what we stand to gain from this birth. Namely, peace. A wonder of wonders that God would come to bring us peace.

We who by sin are rebels against God. We certainly don't deserve this. God deserves to be glorified, but men don't deserve to receive peace. And it will be in bringing peace to men that God will receive great glory.

Now that should take our breath away. To learn that this one event, the birth of Christ, would bring such glory to God.

And at the same time, such good to men. How can that be? How can these two be joined together?

God's glory and man's good only in Jesus Christ. God's glory and our good are forever married in this Savior that was born on Christmas Day.

The one and only mediator between God and man. So let's look closer today at the peace on earth that comes to men on whom his favor rests.

And when we say peace, we perhaps immediately think of absence of war and strife. And certainly it includes that. But this peace is a much broader concept.

Indeed, the Hebrew concept, shalom or peace, is God's gift of the highest blessedness possible.

And it reaches to all that you do, every area of your life, knowing the blessedness of God in it. It's perfect well-being, health, happiness, harmony, prosperity.

In short, it is life as it's supposed to be. As God meant it to be. That's what Jesus came to earth to give to men.

But this earth in which Jesus was born was not only an earth, a world where God's glory was greatly diminished, as we saw last week. It's also a world where man's peace is shattered.

I read a description in the opening of Lawrence Kasdan's 1991 film, The Grand Canyon, and I'm not hereby endorsing it.

I've only read about its opening scene. But it begins with a lawyer on his way home from work in his expensive car. And he gets into a traffic jam.

And so he shoots down a side street to try to go around the traffic jam. But the further he goes, the more deserted that street becomes. And as the sun is setting, he realizes that he is now in a dangerous neighborhood.

And then the unthinkable happens. His car stalls. And he manages to call for a wrecker. But before it arrives, five young thugs are surrounding his car, demanding money and threatening him with bodily harm.

And then just in the nick of time, the tow truck arrives. A big black man gets out and starts to hitch up the car.

But the thugs stop him and protest that he's interrupting their catch. So he takes the leader of the gang aside and tries to talk sense into him.

This is what he said. Man, the world ain't supposed to work like this. Maybe you don't know that. But this ain't the way it's supposed to be.

I'm supposed to be able to do my job without asking you if I can. And that dude is supposed to be able to wait with his car without you ripping him off.

Everything's supposed to be different than what it is here. I submit that that's a good illustration of the world's lack of peace.

Lack of shalom. Things are not the way they're supposed to be here. Sam Alawach is a Reformed Baptist pastor in Kisumu, Kenya.

A dear friend of Naphtali and Hilda Ogallo. Three weeks ago, his church was hosting a youth camp. And it was 9.30 at night.

Sam and his wife and his fellow elder Paul had just finished welcoming the young people and helping them settle in for the night. And then the three of them got into Sam's car and headed home.

And they were going to drop off Paul, his fellow elder who lived near them. But before they could, Sam says, robbers drove a little past us and stopped and blocked my way with their car and came out swinging a pistol at us.

They ordered that we open the car doors, threatening to shoot if we didn't. We opened. And they swung into action, demanding money, cell phones, and all our valuables.

They took all our personal monies plus the camp money, beat me on the head with a gun barrel, and hurt Paul through beatings, and then drove away majestically.

We saw evil at its height. Man without God is a beast. Pray for us. We're still traumatized and unnecessarily sensitive.

You see, that's not the way it's supposed to be either. Pastors are supposed to be able to drive home without being pistol whipped, beaten, and robbed.

And I could stand up here the rest of the hour and tell you stories of the way that it's not supposed to be. You all have your own chapters that I'm sure could be written as well.

Our own lifetime history has been littered with bloodshed and wars. We're talking about this one who's come to bring peace.

World War I was supposed to be the war to end all wars, to usher in this lasting peace. But what has followed? An uninterrupted stream of wars and rumors of war.

Ethnic cleansings. Genocide. Massacres. Hitler's Germany. Uganda. Rwanda. Bosnia.

Sudan. Sri Lanka. And on and on. There are places in South Africa, I'm told, where men would kill you just to get your cell phone.

That's not the way it's supposed to be here on the earth. People are supposed to be able to live in peace without fear of being slaughtered. Peace is not only something that we should think of in the universal sense of nations.

There's homes in the earth. There's homes in this world as well. And the husband and wife can't get along and a divorce follows, leaving children reeling with deep scars.

And due to break up and divorce, half of American children will spend some part of their childhood with one parent. It's not the way it's supposed to be.

It's not shalom. It's not peace on earth. Whether it's fighting between nations, within families, churches, businesses, politics, athletics.

I thought we were going to see a riot in L.A. on Christmas Day, a basketball game. But people are fighting and there's strife.

Every human relationship on earth is marred by conflict. It's a dog-eat-dog world. And Paul says at one time too, we also lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another.

Feelings were mutual. We were hated and we hated back. For in despair I bowed my head.

There is no peace on earth, I said. For hate is strong and mocks the sound of peace on earth. Good will to man. No, it's not the way it's supposed to be.

The peace has been shattered by sin. Man is not at peace with his maker, with himself, or with others. And so on that night in Bethlehem 2,000 years ago, the God of peace sent the Prince of Peace on a mission of peace to bring peace on earth to men.

What an assignment. To do what men had found was impossible to do. To make peace. Whether in the smallest unit of the family or the largest unit of nation to nation.

Kids, you know that nursery rhyme, Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall. Humpty's an egg. And so when Humpty Dumpty had a great fall, all the king's horses and all the king's men couldn't put Humpty together again.

The nursery rhyme should at least teach you children that there are some things when broken that cannot be fixed. And man's peace on earth had a great fall in the Garden of Eden.

And it lied shattered to pieces like an egg on the kitchen floor. And all the king's horses and all the king's men. And all the world's religions and philosophers and psychiatrists and sociologists and rulers and governments and laws and armies have not been able to put the peace back together again.

And so in the fullness of time, God sent forth his son. Born of a woman. Born under the law. To redeem those under the law.

To make peace with God. To bring peace to men on earth. And we need to see this morning that all the breakdowns of peace.

From the home to the nation. And everything in between. Are due to a greater, a more fundamental breakdown between God and man. Man and its maker are at war.

And that's the base problem. For the lack of peace in our world. It's the root problem. Man declared war on God.

And the first shots were fired in the Garden of Eden when our first parents refused to obey the laws of their good creator. And since then, the whole human race has joined in that worldwide conspiracy against the Lord and his anointed, saying, Let us break their bands asunder.

Let us cast their cords away from us. We don't like your laws, God. We don't like to be under your rule. And we're all a part of that conspiracy.

Let's get out from under God's rules so that we're free to do what we want. And if anyone complains and says, well, you know, I wouldn't have made the decision Adam and Eve made.

Why should we all suffer for the choice they made? Every time you sin, you ratify their choice. Say yes. We've ratified their decision many times over.

And so the first sin against God was followed by what? By other sins against one another. So they broke God's law.

And then Adam starts to sin against his wife. And blames her. You see, our peace with God, once shattered, has effects in our relationship with our wives and with people around us.

And then their firstborn son murders his own brother. Where'd that come from? Well, right back to sinful nature. At war with God and now at war with brother.

And things went from bad to worse. It wasn't many years before the whole world was full of such violence. And bloodshed that God says, I'm going to wash the face of the earth clean of humanity.

And he started all over again with Noah and his family of eight. Do you know one thing that wasn't washed clean with that flood? Was the human nature of man.

And so even Noah's descendants soon were found fighting against each other. Strife and conflict and war. So that what do you have in the Old Testament?

You have a lot of blood. Bloodshed, violence and wars, don't you? Read your Old Testament? Why is that? Because it's a true depiction of life on this planet Earth.

The peace is shattered. It's not the way it's supposed to be. And it all goes back to man's war against his maker.

And man at war with his maker will ever be at war with his fellow man. That's man's biggest problem and the cause of all other fighting and strife.

Have you thought about that man at war with God? We're afraid of people who can hurt us.

Jesus says, don't be afraid of men. Who can kill you and that's all they can do. I'll tell you who you should fear. Fear God. After taking your life can cast you body and soul into hell forever.

Have you thought for a moment what it is to be an enemy of God? God is the best of friends and the very worst of enemies.

And so Jesus came into this planet in rebellion against God. A place where there is no peace, says my God, for the wicked. And that's the problem that must first be addressed if ever there is to be peace on earth enjoyed by men.

And so that's why in addressing this problem of the shattered peace on earth, God didn't send a psychiatrist. He didn't send a sociologist. He didn't send an arbitrator to settle one man's disputes against another.

Instead he sent a savior. A savior. To save us from our sins against God. He doesn't come and try to fix man's problem with man first.

He comes to solve the greatest, the most fundamental problem. Our problem with God. A mediator who can establish peace between God and man.

So let's think about that. The three different ways that Jesus brings peace. First of all, peace with God. Peace with God. How does Jesus bring peace between God and men?

You know, men's peace initiatives can be so lame, can't they? The sides get together. And they try to establish peace. And they talk and they talk and they talk.

And they talk some more. And they promise this and they promise that. But there's all usually not a whole lot to show on the ground as far as peace that results.

But when Jesus came on this greatest of all peace initiatives, he did more than talk, didn't he? He did that. He preached peace through his gospel.

But after living a sinless life, this prince of peace mounted the cross on Calvary. And there, the greatest peacemaker.

And there, the greatest peacemaker. By his bloody death under God's wrath, established an everlasting peace between God and sinners.

Indeed, between God and all those sinners on whom his favor rests. Turn to Romans chapter 5 and verse 10. Notice how Jesus makes peace between God and his enemies.

Romans 5 and verse 10 tells us that when we were God's enemies. Brothers and sisters, that we includes ye and me.

We were God's enemies. Every last one of us. And when we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his son.

Well, there you have it, just in a nutshell. We were God's enemies. We were reconciled to him. We had peace made between us. How? By the death of his son.

That's what it took to bring peace between God and men on earth. The prince of peace must die the death that we deserved under God's wrath.

If we are to have and enjoy peace with God. It's just like Isaiah had prophesied. Back in Isaiah 53, 700 years before Jesus was born.

Isaiah writes the words under the Holy Spirit's inspiration. He was pierced for our transgressions. He was crushed for our iniquities. And now hear this. The punishment that brought us peace was upon him.

How will peace come to earth? Through punishment that we deserve being put on him. It's the punishment that brought us peace.

Colossians 1, 20 and 22. He made peace through his blood shed on the cross.

Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. But now he has reconciled you by Christ's physical body through death to present you wholly in his sight.

Without blemish and free from accusation. There you were alienated enemies of God. But now he's reconciled you. How? Through Christ's physical body.

You know where that takes us? Right back to the manger. That's where he got a physical body. Nine months before in his mother's womb. Why does he take a physical body?

So that by death he might reconcile us to God. He must have a body. He must have a human nature if he is to die. And so by his physical body he dies and reconciles us to God.

Listen again to what the angels said that night. As they said glory to God in the highest. And. Notice it was not a universal peace with all men that they pronounced.

And. Peace. To men. Upon whom his favor rests. Peace.

The coming of this child will not bring peace to all men. It will not. It was never promised to. Offers peace to all men. Yes.

But it will not bring peace. It will only bring peace to men on whom God's favor rests. That brings up an interesting point.

How do we get under the favor of God? How do we get into that favor? And have that favor of God rest upon us? Back to Romans chapter 5 and verse 1.

Therefore since we have been justified through faith. We have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Through whom we have gained access by faith. Into this grace. This favor. In which we now stand.

There's no. Notice first of all. There's no peace with God apart from faith in Jesus Christ. That justifies us. That's what he's telling us. We have peace with God.

Through being justified by faith. Faith. That places all of our sins on Jesus Christ. By faith we believe. That he bore. Sin on the cross.

And that he gives righteousness to everyone who believes. Faith lays hold of the reality of Christ on the cross. And so by faith. We have peace with God.

Through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through whom. We have gained access by faith. Into this grace. This favor. In which we now stand.

Do you have faith in Jesus Christ? You are now this moment. Standing under the favor of God. How did you get in there? How's the favor of God ever come to rest on your dear head?

Through him. Verse 2 tells us. Through whom we have gained access. Into this grace. This favor. We got in through him.

There's really just two ways to get into the favor of God. The one is to do like Jesus. And to obey all the commands of God. And to do everything that pleases. Please the father.

But that won't do well. Because we've all sinned. And come short of the glory of God. And because of our sin. We're not under God's favor. Rather the Bible says we're under his wrath. We're children of wrath.

By nature. By very virtue of who we are. As fallen sinners. We're obnoxious to God. So we're not under his favor by birth.

We're under his wrath. His hot displeasure. But there was one who lived. A perfect life. And always pleased his father. And always had his father's favor resting on him.

And it's the Lord Jesus. So that the father is able to weigh in on him. At different points in his life. And what does he say? This is my beloved son.

In whom I'm well pleased. I'm really well pleased with this one. My favor rests on him. He's only ever done that which pleases me. How can we have that favor of God on us?

We get into Christ. In whom? There is the favor of God. And how do you get into Christ? You get into him by faith.

By faith you trust in who he is. And what he's done for sinners. And so we then are accepted in the beloved one. In him we are accepted. In him we have God's favor.

God's favor has been freely given us. In the one he loves. Ephesians 1.6 In whom we have redemption. Through his blood. The forgiveness of sins. And so God accepts us.

And shines his favor upon us. Because we're in Christ. Outside of Christ there's nothing but enmity. From God. We're at war with God.

It's all war outside of Christ. But in Christ there's peace. In Christ his favor rests upon us. And so we're no longer. Those who have God as our worst enemy. We're now those in Christ who have him.

As our best friend. Have you trusted in Christ? Quit trusting in anything you've done. To be a good person. A good man or woman. And just come and trust it.

Only in what Jesus has done. It's the only way that you find yourself under God's favor. Try to work your way into God's favor. Try to be a good man. A good boy. A good girl. And you will remain under his wrath.

At war with him. To the very judgment day. No this peace. Is secured by the Lord Jesus Christ.

That's the way of peace. He himself is our peace. You remember when Paul is describing what all of humanity are like in Romans chapter 3.

He doesn't use fresh words given him by the Holy Spirit. He goes back to Isaiah 59. And he borrows words from Isaiah. It's like a man getting a physical before a doctor.

His throat is full of wickedness. In his tongue there's deceit. And he goes on and on. His feet are swift to shed blood. His hands are dipped in blood.

And the way of peace he has not known. That's true of the whole human race. The way of peace they have not known. Now here he comes.

And he's born. And he is the way of peace. Remember Jesus had a forerunner. John the Baptist. Born to Zechariah and his wife.

And when John the Baptist was born. Old Zechariah prophesied. Remember his mouth was open. He could speak again at his birth. And he opened his mouth and he prophesied.

In Luke chapter 1 verse 79. He says the rising sun will come to us from heaven. To shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death.

To guide our feet into the way of peace. This Jesus is coming to guide our feet into the way of peace. The way of peace they have not known.

But this one has come. To guide us into the way of peace. No wonder the angels shouted at his birth. Glory to God in the highest.

And on earth peace to men. On whom his favor rests. There is peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Do you have peace with God?

If so. That bringing of peace between you and God brings peace. In two other ways. It brings peace within. In the second way. Peace within.

Peace within your own conscience. As long as we are at war with God. It is hard to enjoy inner peace and tranquility. As long as the guns of God's wrath and justice.

Are pointed right between our eyes. It is hard to enjoy anything in life. It is hard just to be at peace. Isn't it? Just to sit. And do whatever you are doing.

Because. There is a nagging conscience. God's voice within. That tells us. You are guilty. You are guilty. It accuses us. It accuses us.

Of breaking God's law. It cries guilty. Judgment day is coming. And God will avenge. For your law breaking. And so women today.

Feel guilty for aborting their children. And men feel guilty for their adultery. And pornography. And parents are nagged by guilt. For abandoning children.

And neglecting their family. And people of all ages. Experience this. Phenomenon. Called guilt. And it shatters any peace within.

And the world does its best. To try to bring back. The inward feelings. Of peace. Remember all the king's horses. And all the king's men. They are very busy you know.

Trying to restore peace. Feelings of peace. And so some go to churches. Where the preacher says. Peace. Peace. When there is no peace.

Peace. Who says. You don't need to be afraid of God. God is at peace with all men. God is all love. Others go to world.

Worldly wise counselors. Who tell them. Just deny your guilty feelings. You have no reason to feel that way. That's simply the hangover. From a strict upbringing.

Poor you. Your parents. Took you to church. Probably didn't they. And didn't they at church. Talk about a God in heaven. Who sends people to hell. Oh poor you.

And they begin to re-educate you. And to try to take away your guilt. People are paying good money. To be talked. To peace. Talked into.

A sense of peace. And well-being. Where a counselor will say to them. You're basically good. You're. You're good. You're not evil. Come on. And they seek to prop up your self-esteem.

And they're taking away. Seeking to. To salve. Conscience that cries guilty. Other people. Go to drugs.

Illegal drugs. Or. Prescribed drugs. Or some go to a bottle. Something to bring feelings of peace. Peace. Because.

There is no real peace. The best the world can do. Is to offer a counterfeit peace. It's. It's. It's to say peace. Peace. When there is no peace.

There's no objective. Grounds for peace. But oh. This Jesus. In Bethlehem. Has come to bring true peace. To men on earth.

My peace. I give you. Not as the world gives to you. Give I unto you. He comes to bring peace. And how does he do it? Again. It's by. By making peace.

Between God and men. When a man knows. That Christ has died. For his sins. And has turned away. All of God's wrath.

By absorbing it himself. And has so won. God's favor. For us forever. That brings. A feeling of peace. To the heart. That brings peace within.

Real peace. Because Hebrews 9.14 says. The blood of Christ. Cleanses our consciences. From acts that lead to death. Conscience.

That is ever accusing us. For our sins. Is silenced. How? By the blood of Jesus. It cleanses the conscience. It says. It is finished. Paid in full.

There is therefore now. No condemnation. To those who are in Christ. Jesus. Heaven's guns. Are no longer. Aimed at you. They were emptied. On him. And the heart.

Enjoys peace. It is what Jesus promised. To those who come to him. Remember. Come to me. All you are heavy laden. Weary.

And I will give you. Peace. Take my yoke on you. And learn of me. For I am meek. And lowly in heart. And you will find what? Rest for your souls. Soul rest.

That is the rest Jesus gives. It is peace within. It is a sense inside. That everything is good. Between me and my God. Doesn't that carry peace along with it?

To know that I am under his favor. It is well. Between God and my soul. Why? For Christ.

Has regarded my helpless estate. And has shed his own blood. For my soul. And my sin. Not in part. But the whole. Was nailed to his cross.

And I bear it no more. It is well with my soul. That is the peace within. And it is the fruit. Of the peace. That God brings. That Christ brings.

Between God and men. When he. Purchases peace. By his blood on the cross. And to know that. Is to enjoy this. Inward peace. And so he comes.

To give us peace. In a world. Where the peace is shattered. Because we know our God. And we are right with him. And we have his. Favor resting on us. In Christ.

But in the third place. That will also. He comes to bring. Peace with others. It is where we started. This morning. The world is. There is. There is a world.

Where it is. Dog eat dog. There is not peace. Between men. War and strife. Prevail. But Jesus coming.

Brings peace. Between men. This prince of peace. Will grow up. And preach. Blessed are the peacemakers. For they will be called.

Sons of God. And one of his peace ambassadors. Apostle Paul. Will. Say as much as lies within you. Live at peace. With all men. Make every effort.

To maintain the unity of the spirit. In the bond of peace. For the kingdom of God. Is not a matter of eating. And drinking. But a matter. Of righteousness. Peace. And joy.

In the Holy Spirit. Spirit. And that wisdom. That is from above. James says. Is first of all. Pure. And then. Peace loving. The wise men said.

In Proverbs 16. 7. When a man's ways. Are pleasing to the Lord. He makes even his enemies. To live at peace. With him. You see. At peace with God.

One of the fruits. Is to live at peace. With your fellow men. Not perfectly. Indeed. For some. Christ's coming. Brings a sword. The husband and a wife.

Are divided. Because of Christ. And a daughter. And a mother. Are divided. Because of Christ. And so on. But. That's not the only picture. There is the sense.

In which. Christ's coming. And bringing us peace. With God. Makes us peacemakers. And so we have. Peace with men. That we otherwise. Wouldn't have. Christ has come.

And by. His coming. That middle wall. Of partition. That hostility. Between Jews. And Gentiles. That existed. For hundreds. And hundreds. Of years. It was torn down. And Christ.

Reconciled them. Both. To each other. And to him. To God. Through his blood. And every Sunday. And. In New Testament.

Churches. As you read. In your. In your Bibles. Jews and Gentiles. Met together. And worshiped God. And loved each other. That's peace. With each other. Where'd that come from? Not all the king's horses.

And all the king's men. Could put that kind of peace together. But Jesus did. By his coming. And reconciling us to God. He reconciles us to each other. And today.

In churches. What are churches? They're colonies. Of the kingdom of God. Right here. And now. Men are not. Men are found. Loving. And living at peace. With each other.

A fruit. Of the coming of Christ. That was. Announced. By those angels. So long ago.

Marriages. Once marred. By strife. Through Christ. Are now marked. By harmony. And peace. We need to appreciate that.

We don't enjoy peace. Until it's shattered. Lord. But let's enjoy. The fact that God. Is the one. Who has. Restored peace. Between us. And himself. Through giving his own son.

To die on the cross. That has brought peace. To our hearts. And that has brought peace. In our relationships. With other people. And it was all set in motion.

When Jesus Christ. The peacemaker. Was born. And the angels announced. Peace on earth. To men. On whom his favor.

Rests. There's even more peace. To come. From his birth. There's to be perfect peace. On earth someday. All the remaining disorder. And strife.

Between. People. In the. Context of marriage. To the biggest. Of nations. There is to be. Peace.

Brighter days. Are coming. Jesus. Who came once. Is coming again. And at his coming. All of his enemies. Will be put under his feet. And cast into hell.

And there will be. Perfect peace. On this planet. Psalm 46. Says. He makes war. Cease to the ends. Of the earth. He breaks the bow. And shatters the spear. He burns the shields.

With fire. And then the nations. Will study war. No more. And the wicked. Will cease their troubling. And the weary. Will be at rest. And then for the first time.

Since the fall. In the garden of Eden. Everything. Will be as it was supposed to be. Shalom. Peace on earth. To men.

On whom. His favor. Rests. No violence. No crime. No death. No war. No immorality. No disease. No divorce.

No tears. No abortions. No abuse. No unemployment. No corruption. No sin. Everything. As it's supposed to be. And how that.

Peace. To men on earth. Will bring glory. To God. In the highest. It will cause men. To sing his praises. Forever and ever. As we see.

What men. For thousands of years. Could not do. This prince of peace. Has done. By his work. In coming. And becoming a man.

And working out. A salvation. And coming again. In power. In great glory. You know. When he came. The first time. Not many. Recognized.

Him. As the prince of peace. Not many. Received the peace. That he came to. Announce. Though the world. Was made by him. The world. Did not receive him. There was a time.

Some 33 years. After his birth. When he was coming. Into Jerusalem. And he wept. Over the city. And he said.

If you. Even you. Had only known. On this day. What would bring you. Peace. But now. It is hidden. From your eyes. They missed him.

If you only knew. What would bring you. Peace. Me. And you've. Rejected me. He's soon. He's soon to be. On a cross. If only. You'd known. What had brought you.

Peace. You know. Jesus is here. As Jason prayed. This morning. He's here. He comes to us. In the preaching. Of his word. And he offers. Peace again. If you only knew.

If you only knew. What. Would bring you. Peace. Peace. With God. And then. You would know. Such peace. Within. You've never. Enjoyed.

One thing. On the earth. Until you've. Enjoyed it. With peace. With God. You can't. Enjoy anything. As it's meant. To be enjoyed. Until you. Are at peace.

With your maker. Come to him. This morning. By faith. And learn. What. That soul rest. Is. That Jesus promised. And then. See that fruit.

In your relationships. With people. Worked out. To the glory. Of God. In the highest. For almighty. And gracious. God.

We surely. Were not. Seeking peace. When you sent. Your son. Into the world. It was while. We were enemies. That Christ. Died for us.

While we were sinners. Pleased to go. Our own way. How can we thank you. Enough. For sending. Your son. To bear the punishment. That has brought us. Peace.

Help us to love him more. Help us to glorify him more. By delighting in that peace. That we have. Through Christ. By. By demonstrating.

A peace within. That all is well. No matter what's happening. To us. Around us. To have that peace. That passes all understanding. And then to show that peace.

In our dealings with men. That even with those who are for war. That we would be for peace. That we would bear the humility. The meekness.

And all those. Graces. That were so. Brilliantly seen in Christ. The great peacemaker. Do it in us. And get glory. In this place.

This. Day. Our church. May there be. A demonstration. Of the peace. That Christ. Has brought. In our marriages. In our. Relationships.

Be glorified. Oh Lord. We offer our praise. In Jesus name. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.