Luke
2:13-14 (ESV) And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly
host praising God and saying,
14 "Glory to God in the highest,
and on
earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!"
NOTE: So what does
it take to please God? That is the great debate among religions. Christianity
says that by yourself, you can't. Paul
argues "None is righteous, no, not one; // no one understands; no one seeks
for God. // All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; // no
one does good, // not even one. (Rom 3:10-12, ESV)" So, by ourselves, we
have and can do nothing that pleases God, EXCEPT, the bible teaches that a
person can please God by faith. The author of Hebrews makes that abundantly
clear, "And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever
would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those
who seek him. (Heb 11:6, ESV)" Faith is how one pleases God. The peace on
earth is offered to those who have faith in God, and specifically in context,
in the child whose birth we celebrate in this season. God didn't bring peace to
the world, he brought peace to those who by faith would experience transformed
life. He will bring peace as a result of this birth but that will only occur
after he judges the world for its unbelief, rebellion, and sin. And then he
will rule as he originally planned (until we rebelled), and we will have
eternal life, as he originally planned, in a beautiful kingdom. But for today,
there is an offer of peace with God to those who will repent and believe in the
miracle of Christmas, God becoming man, and in the cross, the payment for our
sin and the proof of life after death. Thank you Lord.
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