By Ronald E. George Jr. at the
Christmas is about the King. What does the king want us to do? The King who is the Prince of Peace wants us to have peace and to make peace. How can we have peace in our time? Don’t forget the King.
Luke 1:67 (NIV) His father
Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied:
68"Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has come and
has redeemed his people. 69 He has raised up a horn
of salvation for us in the house of his servant David 70 (as he said
through his holy prophets of long ago), 71 salvation from our enemies and from
the hand of all who hate us-- 72 to show mercy to our fathers and to remember
his holy covenant, 73 the oath he swore to our father Abraham: 74 to rescue us
from the hand of our enemies, and to enable us to serve him without fear 75 in
holiness and righteousness before him all our days. 76 And you, my child, will
be called a prophet of the Most High; for you will go on before the Lord to
prepare the way for him, 77 to give his people the knowledge of salvation
through the forgiveness of their sins, 78 because of the tender mercy of our
God, by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven 79 to shine on those
living in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path
of peace."
We want peace? So how can we have it in a world that is full of trouble?
What is Peace? From the American Heritage Dictionary. 1. The absence of war or other hostilities. 2. An agreement or treaty to end hostilities. 3. Freedom from quarrels and disagreement; harmonious relations: They made peace with each other. 4. Public security and order: disturbing the peace. 5. Inner contentment; serenity: peace of mind.
Peace is that quiet assurance that everything is going be all right. Peace is attained when the warring parties meet in the middle and agree to disagree. By nature we are at war with God, with ourselves, and with others. You see it takes two. By me.
"An appeaser is one who feeds a crocodile -- hoping it will eat him last." - Winston Churchill - _Instant Quotation Dictionary_, p. 66. But peace is attained when one makes friends with the croc. who agrees to not have him for dinner.
Peace is not the absence of trouble, but the presence of God. -- J. Oswald Sanders
How
can we have peace? Don’t forget
the King!
1. The King has come to redeem his people. He will make peace between you and God.
2. The King is our horn of salvation. He is salvation. He makes peace by taking our punishment.
3. The King will show mercy to our fathers and remember the holy covenant. He will show mercy and remember the holy covenant.
4. The King will enable us to serve Him without fear. We can be his people.
5. The King needs someone to prepare the way for Him. John the Baptist was the original prophet who prepared the way. Who will come to prepare the way for the next?
6.
The King will give the people the tender mercy of God.
7.
The King will come to shine on those who live in darkness and the shadow
of death.
8.
The King will guide our feet in the path of peace.
The angels told the story.
The Shepherds witnessed the event and spread the news.
The Star led the wisemen to the King who is the prince of peace.
We need peace in our hearts before we can have give it to others.
Grace and peace are twin sisters, grace being the firstborn. Where grace abounds, peace thrives. Where grace is stunted, peace shrivels. -- Charles F. Stanley in A Touch of His Peace. Christianity Today, Vol. 39, no. 2.