Alright, let's look back at Luke
chapter 2. When this week started, I had not planned to preach from
this passage. This wasn't the message that
I intended to bring for this Sunday. As you know, in the past
few weeks we've been talking quite a bit about salvation and
works and where the works of God's people play in the scheme
of salvation. And I'm going to continue that,
but I want to divert from that today. And I've entitled the
message today, peace on earth and goodwill toward men. And
of course, that's from verse 14 of Luke chapter two, my text,
glory to God in the highest and on earth, peace, goodwill towards
men. I read in Romans chapter 10 there,
at the beginning of the service, in verse 15, there's a quotation
from the Old Testament, from the book of Isaiah. And as Paul
was inspired to write this in the book of Romans, it says,
how beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of
peace. The gospel of peace. I think
twice in the New Testament, it's called the gospel of peace. That's
the good news of peace. And he says, and bring glad tidings
of good things. And of course, when we talk about
peace, good will, glad tidings, good things, Sometimes in our
lives, as events unfold and as we go through our daily lives,
it's very, very difficult for us to see anything like peace
and goodwill, glad tidings and good things, especially in light
of what took place in Connecticut this past week. I know most of
you, if you're like me, you haven't been able to get it off your
minds. Such a horrible, horrible thing. I know probably in most
pulpits in America and elsewhere, this is probably going to be
talked about today. And I wondered about that. And
many people are saying, well, it's especially heinous in light
of the season. I don't agree with that. I think
it'd be especially heinous in any day. But there are some significant
things. I don't like to pick messages
for one particular occasion as they're celebrated by the world.
I know there's so much misunderstanding about the birth of Christ. People love to segment things.
They love to get what I think is real mythological around these
times of years. But sometimes things happen that
bring us back down to earth, such as this crime, this murder
that took place in Connecticut. And yet the Scripture, what the
Scripture says is true nonetheless. He says that glory to God in
the highest and on earth peace and goodwill towards men. What's
he talking about? Well, he's talking about that
which is accomplished with the coming of Christ and not just
His birth, but everything that He would accomplish as God-man,
the birth of Christ You see, everything in our salvation is
accomplished with His coming and the accomplishment of His
redemptive work for His people. Look over at Matthew chapter
1. This is where the angel of the
Lord appeared unto Joseph. I refer to this passage quite
a bit because it's such a brilliant, clear, and great identification
of who Jesus Christ is. The babe in the manger was necessary,
but he's not a babe in a manger. And here's what he says in verse
21. He says, Mary, the angel telling
Joseph this, she, Mary, shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt
call his name Jesus. Now the first thing I noticed
there is that Joseph and Mary did not name this child. God
did. And you know why? Well, who named
your children? You did. Why? Because they're
your children. Who names this child? God did because he's the son
of God. And that name Jesus, what does it mean? Well, in the
Old Testament, you could say Joshua or Yeshua. It means God
saves. That's what the name means. You
can form that into Jehovah our Savior. And I've often told people,
I said, you know, a lot of times people think that Jesus is some
kind of a derogatory name or diminished name of Him. It's
not. He is Christ. That's His title. That means
Messiah. the anointed one, but Jesus means
God our Savior. And I know men use it flippantly. You know, men by name, we take
the name of God in vain. I know a lot of people do. But
that doesn't diminish the meaning of this name. This is Jehovah.
This is the great I am. But what it means is this. Look
at verse 21. She shall bring forth a son,
and thou shalt call his name Jesus. For he shall save his
people from their sins. That's the reason he was born.
That's the reason he came to this world. Not just so that
we could have a holiday or have some kind of a sentimental celebration
or emotional. He came to save his people from
their sins. who are his people well he said
in john six thirty seven all that the father giveth me shall
come to me in him that cometh to me i will in no wise cast
out this is the will of him that sent me that of all which is
given me i should lose nothing but raise it up again at the
last day he calls them his sheep in john chapter ten his church
now verse twenty two says of matthew one says now all this
was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the of the
lord by the prophet saying And this is from Isaiah, again, chapter
7. He says in verse 23, Behold, a virgin shall be with child.
He had to be born of a virgin because he was not born of man. He was born of woman. Now, over
in Genesis chapter 3 and verse 15, the prophecy of Christ there,
the prophecy of Messiah is as the seed of what? The seed of
woman, not the seed of man. You see, we're born dead in trespasses
and sin. We fell in Adam. The human nature
of Christ was formed in the womb of the Virgin Mary by the Holy
Spirit in a miraculous way. The angel called him that holy
thing. That's because he's not like
you and me. He was a sinless humanity, God-man, God in human
flesh. And so he says, and they shall
call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is God with
us. He's God-man. God-man. Look back over in Luke 2. Look
at verse 9. The angel appeared to the shepherds
on the night that Christ was born. Incidentally, I don't believe
it was December 25th either. But I'm not going to get into
that this morning. Anyway, it says in verse 9, And lo, the
angel of the Lord came upon them, And the glory of the Lord shone
round about them, and they were so afraid. And the angel said
unto them, Fear not, for behold, I bring you good tidings." There's
that word, good tidings, again. And as I said, in the context
of what we have just witnessed in our day, it's hard to see
any good tidings, isn't it? But they're there. Bring you
good tidings of great joy. That's what I'm looking for.
about you, which shall be to all people, all sorts of people.
It's not all without exception there, but it's all kinds. God has a people all over this
world, out of every tribe, kindred, tongue, and nation, he says.
He says, for unto you is born this day in the city of David,
that's Bethlehem, a Savior. Now that's the key. The babe
in the manger is a Savior. And this Savior, which is Christ,
that's Messiah, that's the Anointed One, that's the One that was
prophesied, this is the Word made flesh dwelling among us,
John 1, 14. The Word which was with God, the Word which was
God, the Word without whom nothing was created that was created,
which is Christ the Lord, as Jehovah, right there. Now, when
you think about any aspect of the person and work of Christ,
we must think of it as one unit work, one whole thing, not just
segments. You know, we talk about His birth,
His life, His death, burial, and resurrection, but the Bible
really brings it all into one thing. It's just all one message
of good tidings of great joy, and it's the gospel message.
It's what Paul identified as the gospel of peace. It's what
Luke identified here as the message of peace, on earth peace, and
that which is goodwill toward men. The gospel message is revealed
in light of the reality of two profound truths. One of those
truths is glorious, majestic. It is great. The other truth
is shameful, just so shameful. The first truth is God's holiness
and justice and righteousness in line with God's love, mercy,
and grace. That's a glorious thing. In other
words, in this person, the Lord Jesus Christ, who is God and
man in one person, We see how a holy, righteous judge, that's
God, a holy, righteous judge can remain just and still save
sinners like us in mercy and love and grace. How he can be
both a righteous judge as well as a loving father. He cannot
pervert justice. Now everybody, I tell you, we
all Is there anybody here who doesn't want to see justice done
to this wicked, wicked fellow who went in and shot, what, 20
children killed, 20 defenseless children? Is there anybody who
doesn't want to see justice done? I want justice. How about you?
You know, that's what the capital punishment is about. It's not
about deterrence. I mean, I hope it does deter
people from crime. hold people in check but you
know what it's about it's the issue of justice that's what
the biblical idea of it is justice the punishment fits the crime
well here's the thing about it now think about this David the
prophet In the Psalms, he said in Psalm 32, he said, blessed
is the man to whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity, charges not with
sin. In other words, if there's a
way that God can find not to charge me with my sins, and I'm
a sinner for all of sin and come short of the glory of God, the
wages of sin is death. If there's a way that God can
find to not charge me with my sins, I'm blessed of God. Is
there a way? Well, here it is. Glory to God in the highest and
on earth, peace, goodwill toward men. It's in Christ. But the
psalmist also said in Psalm 130 in verse 3, he said, Lord, if
thou, Lord, shouldest mark iniquities, who would stand? And here's the
issue that I've got to deal with in my own personal life and you
too. If God were to give me what I deserved, what would I get? And the biblical answer to that
is that second issue, that shameful thing. You see, the glorious
message of the gospel has to do with God's holiness, justice
and righteousness in line with his love and grace and mercy.
The shameful issue of that message is the fact of man's sinfulness,
utter depravity and inability and unwillingness to live for
and serve God. We're sinners. So if God were
to give me what I deserve, I make no bones about it about what
this wicked murderer deserves. He deserves hell. But what if
God were to give me what I deserve, this preacher standing up here
behind this pulpit? And I'll tell you, this shocks
people, and it even offends people. But here's the key. I would deserve
the same thing. What are you saying, preacher?
I'm telling you this. My only hope of salvation is
Jesus Christ and Him crucified. I don't have any other hope.
The fact that I'm a preacher doesn't save me. Let me tell
you something, listen, the fact that I tried to be a moral person
doesn't save me. Should I try to be a moral person?
Yes, I should. But that's not what saves me.
The blood of Christ washes away my sins. Have you ever sung a
song? I know you have. What can wash
away my sins? Nothing but what? The blood of
Jesus. Now if there's anything else
that can do it, then add those words to it when you sing it.
My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus' blood and righteousness.
But that's it. You know, in light of this recent
horrific tragedy in Connecticut, we're all reminded that evil
and depravity presents itself in many forms, many degrees,
many ways. And as I said, I know all of
us are sinners, but I thank God that he's given men and women
a conscience even a natural conscious to be utterly horrified and stunned
and sickened by what happened to the people that were killed.
Especially those defenseless children. Can you imagine that?
And you know the first thing my mind and your mind goes to,
what if that had been my little children, my grandchildren? My
goodness, what kind of a world are we living in? You can't even
send your kids to school and feel safe about them anymore.
But you know what? And I know, now listen to me,
I know, I know, we have the news media, we have TV, it's out there.
Ronnie was telling me about a fellow over in China that took a knife
and went into a school and stabbed 30 children. And that happened,
I guess, recently. And it's awful. And these killers
deserve justice. But you know what? This is really
nothing new. Now, I'm telling you, it may
be escalating. And I agree with you there. And
I told Debbie, I said, you know, I see things like this and it
just makes me think that the Lord is coming back sooner than
maybe what we expect. I don't know when He's coming
back, but I think it's going to be soon. I think this world...
Somebody told me, I mentioned this the other day, they said
it was about a preacher said this, I couldn't remember who,
and they said it might be Brother Scott Richardson talking about
how this world's going to hell in a ham basket. And I don't
want to go with it. How can I not go with cling to
Christ? But you know, man's history is
one of violence against all classes of people. Men, women, children,
all races. Murder is an especially heinous
crime. While every act of murder ought
to provoke outrage, there's something especially condemnable about
the murder of children. I think about that. But you know,
history is full of episodes of child murder, even in the name
of religion. In fact, the Canaanites, you
remember, when the children of Israel, they went over and they
took the land of Canaan. You know, the Canaanites, you know
what they did? They offered their children as sacrifices to their
false gods. It's awful, isn't it? I think about Pharaoh and the
children, the Hebrew children, Moses. Pharaoh, he looked at
the children of the Hebrew children and he saw God's blessings upon
them and he looked at it as a curse and you know what he did? He
demanded that all those children be killed. That's why Moses had
to be put in the bulrushes. Child murder. And if that doesn't
top it all, listen to this. Even Israel Even Israel under King Manasseh,
one of the most evil kings, fell prey to that kind of murderous
idolatry. They practiced it outside of
Jerusalem in a place that was later called Gehenna. It was
like the garbage dump where they kept the fire burning. The Lord
pointed to that place when He taught the doctrine of hell because
that's where they sacrificed their children. And then look at Matthew chapter
2. Turn over there with me. The
story of the Lord's birth shows how that later on after
the Lord's birth, some people say up to two years after, King
Herod, seeing his throne threatened, he ordered the mass murder of
all the children in Bethlehem two years old and under. Look
at it, verse 16 of Matthew chapter 2. It says, then Herod, when
he saw that he was mocked of the wise men, you remember the
wise men came to him and they were seeking the Christ child.
And Herod, he, in his wicked mind, he sought to deceive them. He said, well, you tell me where
he is so that I can go worship him too. And that's not what
he wanted to do. He wanted to kill him. He saw his throne threatened. And the wise men, they fooled
him, they left, and they didn't tell Herod where he was, but
it says, he says, when he saw that he was mocked of the wise
men, that's what he means there, was exceeding wroth, he was exceeding
angry, and sent forth and slew all the children that were in
Bethlehem. That was the order of King Herod.
And in all the coast thereof, from two years old and under,
according to the time which he had diligently acquired of the
wise men. Now listen to verse 17 and 18. Then was fulfilled that which
was spoken by Jeremy, that's Jeremiah, the prophet, saying,
in Ramah, that's Judea, talking about Bethlehem, was there a
voice heard lamentation and weeping in great mourning, Rachel weeping
for her children, Israel weeping for her children, and would not
be comforted because they are not, they're gone. That was the fulfillment of prophecy
according to this book. You know, I thought about, we
just finished studying the book of Revelation in our Bible study
class. In Revelation chapter 12, Christ
showed in a vision to John a woman giving birth to a child. And
there was a dragon crouching before her ready to devour that
child. That dragon, that was Satan.
That's a symbol of Satan. And the woman giving birth to
that child, that's referring to the birth of Christ. And when
the woman and the child escaped, you remember what happened when
the wise men got to Joseph and Mary? They told them about Herod
and they fled to Egypt. And it says, in Revelation, it
says, when the woman and her child escaped, the dragon became
furious with the woman and went out to make war on the rest of
her offspring. That is the church. Satan making
war on the church. Speaking of the true children
of God, the true church, those who are born from above. Now,
you know, even children are born in sin, dead in trespasses and
sin, the scripture says. But Satan and his demons, they
know that the human race is saved through God's elect and they're
vanquished by a child born of woman. A child born of woman. Look over in Galatians chapter
four, listen to this. What child born of woman? The
Lord Jesus Christ. He is our salvation. He is our
forgiveness. He is our righteousness. Now
how does that come about? How does the forgiveness of sin
come about through the Lord Jesus Christ? How is righteousness
before God established in the Lord Jesus Christ? You want to
know how? By His death. Not by His birth. He had to be
born in order to die. I'll show you that in just a
moment. He had to be God and man and one person in order to
die. But how is my salvation accomplished? Through the death
of the Son of God incarnate. His death on that cross. Look
here at Galatians 4 and verse 4. When the fullness of the time
was come, the exact time that God had set forth, God sent forth
His Son made of a woman, Here's the woman's seed, that's the
Lord Jesus Christ and his perfect sinless humanity made under the
law. Isaiah says it this way, the
government is on his shoulder. In other words, all the conditions
of salvation were upon Christ, not upon you, not upon me. but
upon Christ. And in his death, his obedience
unto death, he fulfilled those conditions. Look, verse 5, to
redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the
adoption of sons, and because you are sons, God has sent forth
the spirit of his son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. You see it? Look over at 1 Timothy. Here's an interesting verse for
you to study. Look at 1 Timothy chapter 2.
I used to wonder about this, what Paul was talking about.
Talking about women in childbirth here. And he says in verse 11 of 1
Timothy 2, he says, let the woman learn in silence with all subjection.
But I suffer not a woman to teach. I know this is not politically
correct, but I'm just reading what God's word says now. Nor
usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence. For Adam
was first formed, then Eve. And Adam was not deceived, but
the woman being deceived was in the transgression. Eve was
deceived, and Adam, in full knowledge of what he was doing, took sides
with Satan and with Eve against God, and the whole human race
fell in him, ruined by the fall. Look at verse 15. Here's the
point I want you to see. Notwithstanding, she shall be
saved in childbearing. if they continue in faith and
charity and holiness with sobriety." Now, what's he talking about?
Saved in Christ. Well, he's talking about how
Christ, the Savior, is the woman's seed. The woman would bear a
child. It was a specific one. He's not
talking about every woman who has a baby is going to be saved.
No, he's saying there that women are, that it's through childbearing
that godly women, believing women are saved. Well, believing men
too, that he's the woman's seed. And you know, over in Genesis
chapter three, something interesting there because, you know, it talks
about Eve. You know, she was not called
Eve until after the fall. She was called woman. Her name
in Hebrew would be Isha. That was before the fall, that
means woman. But after the fall she was called Eve and it's recorded
there in Genesis chapter 3 and verse 20. And you keep this in
mind that what we're talking about is the ultimate fulfillment
of all these things in the birth of Christ. And His birth not
just to be born, but His birth so that He as God-man would live
in obedience unto death for the redemption of His people. His
name shall be called Jesus. But it says in verse 20, And
Adam called his wife Eve. His wife's name Eve. That's after
the fall. You see, after the curses are
pronounced. After the prophecy of the seed of woman. And it
says, Because she was the mother of all living. Now how could
she be the mother of all living? Well, because of the seed of
woman. You see, if it weren't for Christ
set up in the everlasting covenant of grace before the foundation
of the Lord, if it weren't for that promise and purpose of God's
electing grace before the foundation of the world to send Christ into
the world as to be the savior of his people Eve would not have
been called Eve she wouldn't be the mother of the living she'd
been the mother of all the dead because that's what we are by
nature you who were dead in trespasses and sins Ephesians 2.1 but because
of the woman seed because of Christ you see that child She's
called the mother of all the living. Now look at verse 21
of Genesis 3. How's that going to be accomplished?
Well, unto Adam also and his wife did the Lord God make coats
of skin and clothe them. Now what's that indicative of?
Well, what do you do to make coats of skin? You have to slay
an animal. You have to shed blood. That's
the establishment of the sacrifice as a type of Christ. You see,
they had fig leaf aprons on. That's symbolic of man's works
and efforts to save himself. Man can't do it. Salvation is
not by works. Those fig leaf aprons of false
religion and self-righteousness and pride have to come off, and
we have to have the righteous robe of Christ. How does that
come out? Through the shedding of His blood.
Without the shedding of blood, there's no remission of sin.
You see, we who are saved are washed in the blood of Christ
and clothed in His righteousness. That's what that's all about.
That's why He was born. And here's the thing, just like
over here in Luke chapter 2 now, The Savior was not born, I read
this, I read this, this is not original with me, so I read this
yesterday, a fellow wrote this and it's right. The Savior was
not born into some kind of winter wonderland of peace, angels singing
with reindeer frolicking around in jolly old ales. That's not
the world he was born in, folks. You know what he was born into?
He was born into a sinful, fallen, depraved world. Let me tell you
what he was born into. He was born into a literal war
zone. Isn't that right? He was not born into a world
just waiting to receive him and celebrate him and sing about
him and worship him. Oh, I know there were shepherds
here. and they glorified God. There were wise men coming from
the east who followed the star to do one thing, to worship Him.
There was a man named Simeon, over in Luke chapter 2, that's
one of my favorite passages in the whole Bible, Simeon, that
old justified sinner. The Holy Spirit told Simeon,
said, you won't die before you see the Christ child in the flesh.
And when Mary and Joseph brought the baby Jesus to the temple
to do for him as the law prescribed, old Simeon was there and he took
up that child in his arms and he said, I'm ready to die for
mine eyes have seen thy salvation. He didn't take up that child
and he said, well, let's hang a wreath or something. He said,
mine eyes have seen thy salvation. That's what we see when we see
Christ. That's glory. So there were some who... But
the majority... Here's how it's described in
John chapter 1. He came into His own and His own received
Him not. The light came into the world and the darkness comprehended
it not. He was born into a war zone. And yet, here in verse 14 of
Luke chapter 2, the angel proclaims without hesitancy, Glory to God
in the highest. What does that mean? That's the
highest manifestation of the glory of God. What is God's glory?
It's His honor. It's His attributes. It's who
He is. Everything that God is is honorable and holy, uplifting. You see, everything that you
are and everything that I am, that can't be said of that. There
may be some things. If you're a good worker, That's
great. That's honorable. If you're a
good husband or a good wife, good father, good mother, that's
all honorable. But everything that can be said about you and
everything that can be said about me is not good and honorable. Am I right? We're sinners. But everything that can be said
about God and every attribute of His being is great, high,
honorable, perfect. Now if you want to see and enter
in and have fellowship with the glory of God, where are you going
to go to? Huh? Join the church? Get baptized?
Try to be a better person? It won't do it. There's only one way you can
see and enter into and have fellowship with the highest glory and that's
through Jesus Christ and Him crucified and risen again. For
in him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily, and you're
complete in him." And then the angel says, on earth peace. Is
there peace on this earth? Absolutely not. There's pockets
of peace in certain places. Think about Bethlehem. Right
now there's war in Bethlehem. Always has been. That Mideast,
it's a powder keg. What's he talking about on earth
peace? Goodwill toward men. They were talking about this
fellow that went and shot up those children and those adults.
I think they said all in all, including himself and his mother,
28 people killed. They're talking about his motive.
And I'm sure they probably don't know exactly what his motive
was. Maybe never know. But somebody conjectured that
he did that because he didn't want those children to suffer
like he was suffering or he had suffered. I told Debbie, I said,
well, that's just a fellow trying to play God. It's like that mother
down in Texas who drowned her children because she didn't want
them to suck. That's trying to play God, folks. You can't play
God. I can't play God. That's not
our place. Humble yourself before the Lord.
What if Job's mother had had him killed because she didn't
want him to go through what he went through? God is God, and we're who we
are, and we need to stay in our place. We don't have that kind
of wisdom and foreknowledge and justice in our hearts to do something
like that. Only God has that right. And whatever God does is right.
Mark that down. But you think about goodwill
toward men. Here's the point. We cannot save
ourselves from sin, from Satan, from evil and depravity. We cannot
save ourselves from things like what happened this past week.
I'm going to tell you something now. Somebody says it's getting
worse. Well, OK. We can't save ourselves. You know, man thinks he's so
new and improved today that those things can't happen. I think
that's why it shocks some of us so much, because we think
that that just can't happen to in a modern, civilized society,
and especially in America. but my friend we better wake
up and smell the coffee this is a sinful fallen depraved world
and I'm not just saying this stuff just to be negative because
there is a great positive here and that positive is wrapped
up totally completely in the person and finished work of the
Lord Jesus Christ that's why we celebrate not only his birth
but his whole life his death, his burial, his resurrection.
Somebody asked, when will it end? I heard that on the news
yesterday or the other day. Well, in the history of the world,
we've seen men at their best, we've seen men at their worst,
and there's still no hope of salvation from sin to be found
in sinful men. Man's legislation cannot end
it. I don't care what laws they pass
from now on, it won't end it. Man's psychology cannot end it. And let me tell you something.
Man's religion cannot end it. You know the first murder that
was ever committed was over what? Religion. Cain killed Abel. And you know what the issue between
them was? Grace versus works. Cain believed salvation by works.
God would not accept it. Abel brought the blood of the
Lamb. That's grace. That pictured Christ. God accepted
him in Christ. much murder in the name of works
religion and yet the angel proclaims here glory to god in the highest
and on earth peace goodwill toward men you know how you know i used
to read scriptures like that and then i'd read other scriptures
like matthew 10 34 you know what matthew 10 34 says it says think
not that i'm come to send peace on earth i'm came not to send
peace but a sword that's when he was sending his disciples
out to preach the gospel Now you say, well, what's that all
about? Here he says, peace on earth, goodwill toward men. And
then Christ says later on in his public ministry, he says,
I didn't come to send peace on earth. What's he talking about? Well, in Matthew 10, 44, what
he's talking about is the peace of this world. It's not to be.
This world is never going to be at peace. As long as there
are sinful human beings on top of this earth, it will not, there
will not be worldwide peace, world peace. It's a good thing
to want, good thing to desire, good thing to work for, but it
won't happen. So what's he talking about in
Luke 2, 14? Glory to God in the highest and
on earth peace, goodwill toward men. Well, he's speaking of peace
with God through Christ. Now that's exactly what he's
talking about. Look at Isaiah chapter 9. Let me give you a
few scriptures here and I'll close. Isaiah chapter 9. This
is a prophecy of Christ. He's talking about peace with
God and his people through Christ. That's what he's talking about.
Christ told His disciples before He ascended into the Father,
He said, in the world you shall have what? Tribulation, trouble,
not peace. He said, but in Me you have overcome
the world. Blessed are the peacemakers.
What is that? That's the gospel. That's those
who promote and live by the gospel of peace, the gospel of Christ.
How God can be both a just God, a righteous judge, as well as
a loving father. How God can be at peace with
sinners eternally, unchangeably. And that's what he's talking
about. Look at verse 6. He says in verse 6, For unto us a child
is born, that's the humanity of Christ. Unto us a son is given,
that's the deity of Christ. And the government shall be upon
his shoulders. That's the government of his
church, his people, the government of grace, all conditions upon
him. And his name shall be called
Wonderful, Counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father,
the Prince of Peace. How is he going to accomplish
that? Verse 7, Of the increase of his government and peace there
shall be no end upon the throne of David. He is not talking about
a literal throne in Jerusalem. He is talking about what David
prophesied of and what David typified. He is talking about
the eternal throne of God and His grace. and upon his kingdom
to order it and to establish it with judgment and with justice.
How's he going to do that? By dying on that cross to satisfy
the justice of God against the sins of his people and bring
in an everlasting righteousness called the righteousness of God
which is charged to his people which they receive by faith when
they look to Christ. For I am not ashamed of the gospel
of Christ. It is the power of God unto salvation
to everyone that believeth, to the Jew first and the Greek also.
For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to
faith. For as it is written, the just shall live by faith.
Romans 1, 16 and 17. And he says the zeal of the Lord
of hosts will perform this. Look at Isaiah 53. A great passage
of the suffering servant. Isaiah 53. Now again, now remember, He didn't
come to a world, you know, He just, when He was born, He didn't
come into a world of peace and prosperity and just everybody
just waiting for Him and looking for Him. No. Look at verse, look
at verse 3 of Isaiah 53. He's despised and rejected of
men. That's Christ, Dan. Now who are
the men who despise and reject Him? All of us by nature. until God the Holy Spirit brings
us to see our sins and His glory. He says, a man of sorrows acquainted
with grief. We know something about grief.
I like his grief now. You know something about grief,
don't you? Think about those grieving families up there. Think about it if it was one
of your children or your grandchildren. Oh, myself. I think there'd be
such a hole in my heart that it'd never be filled. But he
was acquainted with grief, even more so, because he was made
sin. Christ had the sins of his people
charged to him. He went under the wrath of God
for those sins, and he suffered unto death. He said, my God,
my God, why hast thou forsaken me? And we hid as it were our
faces from Him. He was despised and we esteemed
Him not. Look at verse 4. Surely He hath
borne our griefs and carried our sorrows, yet we did esteem
Him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. We hung Him on
that cross as a malefactor, a criminal. But he was wounded for our transgressions,
he was bruised for our iniquities, listen to this, the chastisement
of our peace was upon him. The punishment, what that means
is this, the punishment that brought about peace between me
and God was upon Christ. I hear preachers say this and
it says with his stripes we are healed, that's spiritual healing,
not physical. I hear preachers say, well make
your peace with God. Let me tell you something, when
you come, listen, Christ already made peace between God and His
people. You come to Him. You run to Christ and cling to
Him, submit to Him, plead Him, trust Him, rest in Him. He's the peace of God. He's the
Prince of Peace. And let me show you one more
look at Colossians 1 verse 19. Colossians 1. It says in verse 19, For it pleased
the Father, Colossians 119, It pleased the Father that in Him,
in Christ, should all fullness dwell, and having made peace
through the blood of His cross. That's how peace is made. by
him to reconcile all things unto himself. By him I say, whether
they be things in earth or things in heaven, and you that were
sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works,
that's us by nature, yet now hath he reconciled in the body
of his flesh through death. You see, the body of his flesh,
that's why he had to be born. That's why the child was born.
That's why he had to be God-man through death to present you
holy and unblameable and unreprovable in his sight. Now back here in
Luke 2.14, let me close out with this. Now I love the King James
translation of the Bible. I think it's the closest to the
original. But sometimes in wording and
modern language, things get a little confused. But when he says here
in verse 14 of Luke 2, glory to God in the highest and on
earth peace, goodwill toward men, that's really not a good
translation of that verse. It really should be translated
this way in the original, the original Greek. Glory to God
in the highest and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased. Did you hear that? Glory to God
in the highest and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased."
Another translation puts it this way, glory to God in the highest,
peace to all men and women on earth who please Him. That's what it's talking about.
It's goodwill, God's goodwill towards those with whom He is
pleased and those who please Him. Now, who is God pleased
with? When Matthew chapter 3 and verse
17, he says it this way. He says, this is my beloved son
in whom I am well pleased, hear ye him. God is pleased with no
son or daughter of Adam by nature. We're sinners. How can God be
pleased with a sinner like me? There's only one way. And that
is in and by the Lord Jesus Christ. I'm accepted in the beloved. I'm not accepted any other way. God justifies me, sanctifies
me, forgives me, God gives me life, God preserves me and will
bring me to glory all because of one person and that is my
standing in the Lord Jesus Christ, washed in His blood, clothed
in His righteousness. Well, who pleases God then? Well,
Hebrews 11 tells us, without faith, it's impossible to please
God. What does that faith do? It causes
me to look to Christ, to rest in Him, to plead His blood and
righteousness, His work, not mine. And then it says in Romans
chapter 8 that those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
That's the unregenerate. Only those who by the Spirit
of God look to Christ and rest in Him and plead His merits can
please God. That's God's good will. That's
where there's peace. There's no peace on this earth.
You can look for it. There might be moments, temporary,
but it's fleeting, isn't it? Everything about this world is
Going away. You might have a day of peace
today and a time of war tomorrow. You know that. You all live long
enough. You know what it's like. But
what about that eternal peace, that uninterrupted peace with
God that never changes? That comes in Christ. Glory to
God in the highest and on earth peace and goodwill toward men.
All right.