Pastor Harlow, 12.14.2025 Luke 2:8-20

How many of you have a movie checklist that you have to watch when it comes to the Christmas season? Okay, there's one, two, three of you. Four. Okay. Awesome. All right. Thank you for being honest. There's there's a few of them that I have to watch as well. >> we look at our budget, we look at our checking account, and we go,

"Yeah, probably shouldn't get that." And meanwhile, we're talking about peace on earth today. And for many families, they feel stressful during this season, anxious, perhaps even lonely. If you drive past my house, I have all the lights hung up, but many people, they still feel like they're living in darkness. We hear songs about joy, but many feel sorrow. We see words plastered everywhere, like peace written on decorations, but we struggle to experience peace. And if we're honest, much of what our culture calls peace is not actually peace. It's just a distraction for the moment. You see, the peace that the angels sing about is the peace. It's a Hebrew word. The peace that God offers is shalom. It means something far deeper than what we think of as peace. It means wholeness. It means reconciliation. It means actually being at rest. And last week, we saw the promise of the Prince of Peace. And this week, we're going to see peace being born in the city of Bethlehem. And who does God choose to announce this peace to on that starry night? It was shepherds. Men at the absolute bottom of society. Men who lived in the dark, literally and socially. Men who had nothing to brag about, nothing to offer. In other words, men just like you and I, ordinary people who needed peace. And so, we're going to look at three points today about peace. And my prayer is that at the end of this message, you will not merely hear about the peace that is offered in Christ, but that each and every single one of you would know the peace and the king of peace. So, if you would stand with me in honor of God's word as we read Lukeap 2:es 8-20 alto together, the word of God says this, "And in the same region there were shepherds out in

The field keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. And the angel said to them, "Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 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." When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us." And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph and the baby lying in a manger. And when they saw it, they made known the same that have been told them concerning this child. And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured up these things, pondering them in her heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen as it had been told them. Let's pray. And so God of peace, we pray that you would give please give us that peace. Show us that peace. Not the peace that the world gives, but as you give. God, I pray that each and every single one of us in the midst of so much busyness and so much travel and parties and all these different things. Lord, to really prioritize being with you and knowing you God. Help us not to get lost in the sparkle of the season, but to find Christ. I pray that he would be born in our hearts this day. Reborn and born again, God. Not that we get resaved, but that

We rediscover the beauty of Christ, never losing that hope and that peace that fills us. God, help us to walk faithfully before you. And as we talk about peace today, I pray that you would steal our hearts and help us to hear. Help the little ones in here to understand and hear the word of God today. For the older ones that are in here, Lord, that may not know that peace. I pray that you would grant it to them. For brothers and sisters that are struggling with health issues that are constantly thinking about that, Lord, I pray that you would grant them peace. For the family members that are traveling to go see a stranged family or a family that they don't get along with, I pray that they would know the peace of God and that regardless of the situations that they might find themselves in this Christmas season, that they would still constantly find peace. We love you. I just pray that you would reign in us today in Jesus name. >> Amen. >> Well, the passage begins when some men in this region were standing out in their fields. And I really think that we ought to take notice of the kind of men that God made that announcement to because they were shepherds. They weren't influencers. Okay, that's a big thing that kids want to be on YouTube. They want to be a YouTube influencer or a Tik Tok influencer. They want to be someone big, someone important. And these are these guys here are anything but. They are the lower rung of society. They are in the first century in Jew in Judaism, they are ceremonially unclean. Their reputation is questionable. Their their voices weren't even accepted as witnesses in the court of law. And yet these are the men that God chose first to hear the message of the Messiah's birth. And so that brings us

To the first point. If you're taking notes, write this down. Peace was announced to the least. Peace was announced to the least. And that alone tells us something about the heart of God. He is the king who brings peace. He does not reveal himself to the proud. He gives grace to the humble God. He doesn't reveal himself to the self-sufficient or the allsufficient. The one that pulls themselves up by their bootstraps. He reveals himself to the needy, to the poor. You do not need to be impressive to God. The person that thinks they're impressive to God does not know God. But it is God that delights to minister and to look upon the overlooked. And notice how the peace it breaks into the darkness. In verse 8, it ends with the shepherds in the dark fields at night. And that's not accidental. Luke, he wants us to see that Jesus, he is entering into a dark world. This is Isaiah 9 all over again that the people who walked in darkness have seen a great light. And then if you're following along, look at verse 9. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them and the glory of the Lord shone around them and they were filled with great fear. And that contrast is striking. Look at it. There's darkness and then there's glory. There is silence and then this announcement that breaks across the sky. There's ordinary life and then heavenly glory. And the shepherds, they respond the exact same way that every sinner responds to God with fear and trembling. It's described as great fear. It's megapobos in the Greek. It's it's terrified, overwhelmed with what's happening before them. And this is the right posture before the holy one. We don't strut into God's presence. We're feared with we are filled with

Fear and trembling. When God draws near, sinners tremble. But here's the surprise. The angels don't come to destroy the world and bring judgment. They are there to announce peace. Peace between sinners and God. That is a beautiful expression. The first words from heaven in the New Testament are not a command. They're not a threat. They're not a rebuke. It's an invitation. Fear not. Don't be afraid. Why? Because the king who is promised to bring peace has finally arrived to the world. And that's one of the great themes of Scripture. Isaiah 41:10, "Fear not, for I am with you. Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you. I will help you. I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." In Luke 12:32, he says, "Fear not, little flock, for it is your it is your father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom." Revelation 1:1 17 when I saw him I fell at his feet as though dead but he laid his right hand on me saying fear not I am the first and the last. The Gospel it begins with addressing the deepest fear of the human heart. The fear of facing a holy and righteous God without hope. But God he sent his son to remove that fear completely. So that way if you are in Christ you do not have to fear meeting God. But you can go to God with joy and peace. And the angel, he says, I bring you good news, good news of great joy. That will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David, a Savior who is Christ the Lord. He uses three titles there. The first one is the Savior. He rescues his people from their sins. That's what a Savior does. He is Christ. That means that he is the promised Messiah, the one that all Scripture points to. And thirdly, he is Lord. He has divine authority. He rules

All things, all creation. And the angels tell us that this peace, it's not sentimental. It's not shallow. It's not seasonal. The peace that Christ brings is the kingdom of peace. It is peace brought by a king who saves. Reigns. It is peace brought by a king who reconciles us to God. Romans chapter 5 verse one, it tells us this. Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. The angels, they are declaring that peace with God is no longer just a promise in the distance. It is a person in a manger. And his peace is only given to those who belong to him. What does it say? Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased. This is not a generic promise of world peace. It is a specific promise that all peace rests on all whom God graciously and generously saves. This is not on everyone but on everyone who comes to Christ in faith. Some translations like the King James or the New King James, they will translate this in the nominative nominative in the Greek, it translates it as goodwill toward men. But older manuscripts put this in what's called the genative which means rendering it the way the ESV and all the other translations put it because you see peace is not automatic. It's not universal and it's not earned by us. Peace is a gift of God's grace to those upon whom his favor rests. This is why Christians around the world, they have peace when right before they're going to be murdered for their faith. This is why Polycarp as he was being burned at the stake forgave those that were about to kill him and he went with great peace. Why? Because he had experienced the peace of God personally. And so the king who brings peace has

Arrived. And heaven has made the announcement not to the powerful but to the poor, not to the proud, but to the humble. And so here's the question. How do you receive this peace? How do you go from hearing about this peace to actually having this peace? Well, the angels, they declare that God's peace has come into the world through his son, through the son of God. But that raises a really important question. How can we receive that peace? And Luke answers that by showing us the response of the shepherds because the pattern is simple. You have revelation that is knowledge, right? New knowledge that leads to faith which prompts us to action which gives us peace. And this peace is received by faith. That's how God has always worked with his people. Notice that their faith immediately moved them towards Jesus. Look at verse 15. If you're following along, Luke 2:15, when the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us." Okay, couple of things here. They believed the message that the angels told them. They did not treat the angel's announcement as an idea to evaluate. They saw it as a reality for them to obey. They didn't say, "Well, let's go see if this happened." They said, "Let's go see this thing that's happened." And that is faith. They were taking God at his word. The second thing that you'll notice here is that their faith is active. Verse 16 says that they went with haste. Faith is not something passive. When God speaks faith, it moves in our hearts and it moves us to action. This is the same pattern that we see all throughout the Old and the New Testament. Abraham, he went with God when God called him.

Israel, they went through the Red Sea. The disciples, they left their nets. They followed Jesus. Faith has feet and it is designed to move you and I. Thirdly, their faith is personal. They don't say, "Well, someone else should go." They say, "Let us go." God's peace must be received personally by you. And no one can receive peace with God for you. Your parents can't, your pastors can't, your tradition can't. You must come to Christ yourself. But we also learn that you will always find Christ exactly where God said that he would be. Look at verse 16. It continues. They found Mary and Joseph and the baby lying in a manger. The shepherds, they didn't just wander around and take guesses, right? They followed the sign given by heaven. God told them where the Savior was and they found him exactly as God said that he would be found. And that's how salvation works today. Jesus is not found in your feelings. Your salvation is not based upon your momentary fleeting feelings. Salvation is not found in your performance. Peace is not found in your rich in your religious rituals. Peace is found in the place where God has said that peace would be found. It's found in the person of Christ. It's found by believing the Gospel message. Salvation is not a mystery hunt. It is a promise from God himself. Jeremiah 29:13 says, "You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart." And the shepherds, they found the Savior because God, he keeps his word. So what does that mean for you? It means that peace with God comes only when we personally respond to Christ. It's not about admiring the story. It's not about singing the Christmas songs or lighting a candle. It's not about celebrating Christmas. You have to come to Christ. That's what it's about. And secondly,

Peace. It increases as we move toward Christ. Many Christians, they might feel spiritually cold or anxious. And many Christians, they just stopped moving toward Jesus. But yet, what do the shepherds, what are they doing? They are moving with haste towards Jesus. Peace is not just a one-time moment. Peace is the fruit of a life continually drawing near to God. What does he promise? Draw near to God and he will draw near to you. In peace, it's strengthened when we when we trust God's word above our circumstances or our situations. The shepherds, they believed the angels before they saw the child. Likewise, Christians live by believing what God has said, not by what we see. The shepherds, they have received peace by believing the message and coming to Christ. But peace is not meant to be hidden. Peace is not meant to be hoarded. If this king truly brings peace, then those who receive him become messengers themselves. And that will lead us naturally. This is point number three. Peace is shared with a world in need. The shepherds, they heard the message and what did they do? They responded in faith. And now Luke shows us what happens. And this is what always happens when someone truly encounters the peace of Christ. Peace is received and that peace is proclaimed. Salvation experience becomes salvation shared. And that is the Christian pattern from the first century to today. Look, look at how they made known the message. Look at verse 17. It says, "And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child." You see, the first evangelists were not priests or apostles or scribes or kings. They were shepherds, men who were not allowed to testify in court. Are the first witnesses of the King of Glory.

That is how God loves to work. He uses ordinary, overlooked people to carry out extraordinary news. They didn't put off sharing the news. They didn't complicate the news. They didn't soften it. They just simply shared what God had told them and what God had shown them. That's the essence of evangelism. Telling people what God has said about his son. Nothing else. Nothing more, nothing less. And notice what happened when people heard the shepherds. All who heard about it wondered. Their words stirred up curiosity and amazement and reflection. Not because the shepherds were persuasive, but because the message was actually powerful. God. He doesn't need impressive messengers. He doesn't need people that can speak eloquently. He needs faithful messengers. But Mary, she treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. While the shepherds, they proclaimed, "Mary, she's she's pondering. She's thinking about this." And both are legitimate responses to the peace that Christ brings. She doesn't rush past the truth. She doesn't forget it quickly. She turns it over and over and over again in her mind because there is something different about her baby. And that is the heart posture of every believer who wants to grow in the knowledge of Christ. A superficial Christianity will never sustain deep and abiding peace. Peace grows where truth is treasured. I'll say that again. Peace grows where truth is treasured. Look at me at verse look with me at verse 20. And the shepherds returned glorifying and praising God for all they had seen. And here is perhaps the most beautiful part of the story. They just returned. In other words, the peace that Christ brings does not remove us from ordinary life. We're not called

To become monks that live in the wilderness. Although for many of us that probably sounds pretty attractive, it that's not where we're called to be. It's supposed to transform how we walk in our ordinary everyday life. They went back to the same field, to their old work routine. They still had those responsibilities, but the difference was that these were changed men because God's peace, it transformed their ordinary work into worship because they were glorifying and they were praising God in the very place where the angels had appeared. And that's how the Gospel transforms us. It sends us back home. And for many of us, okay, like Christmas is a time for us to go back home to see family. And it's not a time for you to go back to that old person that you once were. It's a time for you to share the transformational power of Christ in your life because they were glorifying and praising God exactly where they were. We become different. We become better workers. And our schools and our marriages and our responsibilities and our sufferings become things that we can praise and bless God through. And what people see is something extraordinary. They go, I want the peace that they have. And we become people who can carry the peace of Christ wherever we go because we're bear bearing the message of the king of peace as ambassadors. And so what does that peace mean for you and I today? Well, last Sunday, our church, praise the Lord, voted to change our mission statement. Our new mission statement is being rooted in Christ and reproducing disciples and renewing lives for God's glory. And what this sermon means in light of that mission is that we are called to speak about the peace of Christ that he has brought into our hearts. We're not called to harbor it. We're called, each and every one of us in

Christ, we are called to speak about the peace that his son has borne into our hearts because peace actually speaks. If Christ has brought you peace, if he has reconciled you to the father, then you have the tremendous joy and the great obligation to share that with others. There is someone that is in your life that is walking in darkness and they need the message that the shepherds carried and the message of hope that Christ has given to you. It's not just the church's responsibility or the pastors. It's your responsibility as well. Amen. Secondly, peace thinks about stuff. It doesn't just rush through the Christmas message. It takes time to treasure that God himself, the creator and sustainer of all things, was robed in flesh, was born into this world, was raised up, and was a perfect man. He never did anything wrong, and he died to reconcile you to God. You know, we talk about justification. Segue here. I don't have any notes on this, but justification, we often times say justification is just as if I'd never sinned, which is halfway true. It's halfway true. God has not just given you made you a pure and holy person. He has not just taken away your sin. And now you don't give an account to God for that sin, but he's also done something. And this is justification. This is the whole message. Not just as if I've ever sinned, but he has also given to us his righteousness. He doesn't just take away that sin. He gives us his righteousness. And so you as a Christian, you can walk in the peace and the freedom that God has given to you. Peace. It helps us to consider that truth, to take time to slow down that Jesus, he came not just to take away our sin, but to give us his gift of

His righteousness. And so, think about that. Think about Christ being born for you for that purpose of your justification and peace at praises. We worship on Sunday morning and your worship on Sunday should shape the life that you lead on Monday. And the shepherds, they teach us that worship is not about being in the church. It's also about being in the field. It's about being in the streets. It's about coming across different people and sharing with them what God has taught you. It's not about these walls. It's about gearing up to go and share Christ with the world. In the story of the shepherds, it shows us a complete picture that the peace that is in Christ is announced to the least. The peace that is offered must be received by faith. And the truth of peace must be shared with others that are in need. But listen, as much as you may want someone to know that the peace that Christ has to offer, they must come to the King of Peace themselves. And when we step back and we look at this passage, we see more than just a familiar Christmas scene. We see the entire Gospel story in a brief section of Scripture. Because >> Christ comes into a dark world. >> He arrives in humility. Peace is announced to the unworthy. Those that have faith run to Christ and the hearts are transformed and the lives are changed by the testimonies of God's grace. And I don't want you to miss the truth here. The peace Jesus brings is not a seasonal feeling. It's a supernatural reality. Christ's peace is not a peace that avoids suffering. It is a peace that overcomes suffering. The peace that Christ gives is not some shallow and sentimental feeling, but it is a calm and deep saving reconciliation with God himself. Because the angels, they're not offering

A vague wish for mankind to have some sort of harmonious relationship, but to have peace. That there was a war with God and sinners and it was put to an end because the king who brings peace has come and his name is Jesus. And if you are in Christ, the peace that the angels proclaimed is already yours. It is yours. But like Mary, you need to treasure that truth and consider it and rediscover it again. Like the shepherds, you may need to move with haste back toward the Savior because you will not find peace anywhere else. Peace is only found in Christ. And if you've never truly trusted in Christ, the message of the angels is for you. For unto you is born this day a Savior. Jesus wasn't a life coach. He wasn't just a good moral example or a good teacher. He is the Savior because, listen to me, you need saving. He's Lord because you need to be ruled. And he is Christ because he alone fulfills the promises of God. The peace of God can be yours today if you turn away from your sin and trust in Christ alone today. Turn to him. Trust in him. Seek him like the shepherds did and you will find him. The king has come and the good news is announced and the peace of God is offered. And so come to Christ and worship him because he is the prince of peace. Head, heart, hand, head. God wants you to know that Jesus is the king that brings true peace. Peace with God. The peace that the world gives can be taken away, but the peace that God gives can never be taken away. And so know Jesus, the king of peace. Heart God. He wants you to believe that this peace is yours through faith alone in Christ. It's not about your effort. It's about believing God, taking God at his word. Believe that he has reconciled you to himself and that he invites you into his rest and hand. God, he wants you to seek

Christ. He wants you to speak about Christ and to worship Christ this week and to share his peace with someone who needs to hear the good news of the message of the Gospel. Let's pray. And so Lord, we do thank you for the message of peace that you've given to us. We thank you that was given to us through your son. We thank you that the that the shepherds responded like they did fully trusting and believing. And Lord, for anyone that's here that maybe they don't know Christ, I pray that they would be transformed today. I thank you, Lord, for my Abby just recently placing her faith and trust in Christ. And I thank you that she modeled a lot of this, Lord. And just pray that you continue to minister and grow her. But Lord, I pray for others that they don't have that peace. Transform them, God. Let them know your love for them, your desire to save them and that you are calling them God. Father, I pray that for each one of us as we have opportunities to share this message of peace that we would take every every chance that we have to share about the love and the joy and the hope that is found in Christ. We love you so much. As we all stand and we worship together, may you be glorified in Jesus precious name. Amen. Let's all stand and let's worship. Love our ever stand. No legacy. Unless the Lord does raise the house in vain it builders strive to you who boasts to tell me what is your life this vanishes at dawn all glory to Christ. All glory be to Christ our king. All glory be to Christ. His rule and reign will ever sing. All glory to Christ. His will be done. His kingom come on

Earth as his above who is himself our daily bread. Praise him the Lord of love. Let living waters satisfy the thirsty with our price. We'll take a cup of kindness yet. All glory be to Christ. All glory be to Christ our king. All glory be to Christ. His rule and reign will ever sing. All glory be to Christ. When on the day the great I am the faithful and the true. The lamb who was for sin slain is making all things new. Behold our God shall live with us and be our steadfast life and we shall his people be. All glory be to Christ. All glory be to Christ our king. All glory be to Christ. His rule and reign will ever sing. All glory be to Christ. All glory be to Christ our king. All glory be to Christ. His rule and reign will ever sing. All glory be to Christ. And so Lord, we do know that all the peace and all the hope and all the joy and all the love and all the things that we celebrate during this Christmas season are all found in you. And I pray that if there's anyone here that they don't know that they don't know you that today they would come and talk to me, talk to an elder or a friend that brought them and say I want to know Jesus, God. And I pray that they would be born again to a living hope. The Scriptures it says in John 14:27, "Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. Amen. And go in peace. As Jeff would say, I found I don't like