The Advent of Peace | Born In The Flesh
Therefore he shall give them up until the time when she who is in labor has given birth; then the rest of his brothers shall return to the people of Israel. And he shall stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the Lord , in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God. And they shall dwell secure, for now he shall be great to the ends of the earth. And he shall be their peace.
Advent is a time when the church pauses to remember the first coming of Jesus Christ while we look towards His second coming in eager expectation. This Advent, we look at the coming of peace in the birth of Jesus Christ and look towards peace’s final consummation during the final days.
For the shepherds in the field in Luke 2, it was an ordinary day like all the others. They watched as their sheep fell asleep, keeping an eye out for the occasional wolf, but overall the night was like every other one. Then suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared in the field shining a light bright of the glory of the Lord. The angel spoke to the shepherds “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!” (Luke 2:11-14, ESV) The shepherds received the news first of the birth of Jesus Christ and the peace that came with knowing the Messiah had come.
The first coming of Jesus Christ would bring peace to those among those with whom he is pleased. The tumult and chaos of the world where sin runs rampant will choke out peace in the hearts of men who turn from Jesus. No matter where we search for peace, in money, in status, in power or position, only Jesus Christ can provide true peace to those whose faith and hope rest in Him. Nothing else, apart from the presence of God will be able to provide peace for the people and nothing will be able to remove God’s presence from our lives. As the prophet Micah spoke, we can dwell safe and secure knowing that Jesus Christ has come and He is our peace for all eternity.
Peace Among The Favored
When sin entered the world, to an extent everything descended into chaos. Be design, the world had never been intended to deal with the decay that comes from sin as all things had been designed to be upheld by the hands of Jesus Christ. Then, in our sin, we craved and favored the things of the flesh that stood against the things of God. Yet, while our hearts turned from God to chase after our own fleshly desires, our world fell to chaos and destruction that comes when sin reigns in the world. Jesus Christ, even in His lowly birth, broke into the world with humble announcement to a people that both mourned and desired their own death through sin. Seeing the coming of the Messiah awakened something in the hearts of the shepherds who first heard of the birth of Christ, knowing that peace would come.
Peace comes to those whose faith is placed in Jesus Christ and in Him alone. It is our status as children of God, having been adopted in to His family, as heir and co-heirs with Christ, that affords us the peace of our daily lives. The arrival of God in the flesh with us as Immanuel meant that we can experience the peace and freedom from the effects of sin, knowing that they are conquered fully and completely by the works of Jesus Christ. He brings us peace by defeating the powers of sin, sickness, and death. Yet, sadly not everyone in the world will come to faith in Jesus Christ and not everyone will experience that peace. When we have been radically changed by the God’s presence as our Lord and Savior, we can proclaim that same peace to those around us. With the indwelling of the Spirit, we should bring the same peace that Christ bought as He took on flesh.
Christ as Our Peace
The prophet Micah spoke the words of God proclaiming that Jesus Christ is our peace. The source of the peace comes from the presence of God being born into this world, living as one of us.With the coming of Jesus Christ, we cannot understate the importance that God has taken on flesh and came to be among and with His people. God does not abandon His people nor leave them to their own devices and decisions. That God would descend from the throne and take on the limitations of flesh demonstrates the willingness to bring peace to the world. Furthermore, since nothing in this world is greater than God’s own presence and ability, then nothing will be able to remove us from the peace that comes with being with Him.
Only Jesus provides peace for mankind and nothing will be able to usurp the peace of God. Many things will attempt to take the place and status of God in the world and each and every one of them will fail time and time again. Whatever we attempt to add to Jesus Christ as the source of our peace will ultimately fail. Jesus Christ as the King of Kings and Lord of Lords will not share the throne, especially with those who offer a false peace. During this time of advent, as we look at the coming of peace in the person of Jesus Christ, we put the entirety of our faith in Him, knowing that when He is with us, we have all that we need. The world may throw difficulties and trials our way, but none of them will have the strength to overpower a sovereign God. We can have peace by the coming of Jesus Christ, knowing that Christ’s coming has quelled the chaos and restored our soul.
