“Behold, the virgin shall become pregnant and
give birth to a Son, and they shall call His name Emmanuel — which, when
translated, means, God with us.” Matthew
1:23, AMP
One of the best gifts Christmas gives us is
the gift of peace. This is one of the key themes, isn’t it? “Peace on earth,
good will toward all.” Christ is the Prince of Peace. He comes to visit and
redeem His people...and to guide our feet into the way of peace...That’s the
way the Bible puts it. That’s the way it works. Christmas is the dramatic
reminder that Christ came into this world to redeem us and to bring peace to
our troubled souls. If in faith we will accept it, Christmas has a great gift
for us — the Gift of Peace.
Christmas
Brings Us Peace with God
That’s the starting place because that is
indeed what Christmas is all about. Jesus Christ came into this world to set us
right with God. Jesus Christ came into the world to save us and to bring us
back to God.
What is it that brings us Peace with
God? FORGIVENESS! Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with
God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have obtained our
introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we exult in hope
of the glory of God. Romans 5:1-2
This is the only way we can have the peace
of Christmas. The only way is to let the Christ of Christmas bring us back to
the Father who loves us and set us right with the One who made us. The first step toward the peace of Christmas
is to receive the forgiveness of God.
Christmas
Brings Us Peace with Ourselves
The only way we can be at peace with ourselves is to welcome the Prince of Peace into our hearts and lives and receive the forgiveness that He offers. The only way we can be right with ourselves is to be made right by Him.
The only way we can be at peace with ourselves is to welcome the Prince of Peace into our hearts and lives and receive the forgiveness that He offers. The only way we can be right with ourselves is to be made right by Him.
Guilt is the realization that something
that I have done or am doing is separating me from another or hurting another
or myself and must be removed for the relationship to be healed. If our lives
are full of Guilt it can lead to anxiety, pressure, and weakness, leaving no
room for peace. We must accept His gift of forgiveness in order to receive His
gift of peace.
Christmas
Brings Us Peace with Others.
God is a peace-loving God, and a
peace-making God. The whole history of redemption, including the birth of
Christ and His death and resurrection, is God's strategy to bring about peace
between man and himself, and then between man and man. The whole history of
redemption, including the birth of Christ and His death and resurrection, is
God's strategy to bring about peace between man and himself, and then between
man and man.
What
will bring you peace with others? FORGIVENESS! Christmas offers us the
gift of peace within and the gift of peace with others, but we have to accept
the gifts. If you want to have a
“peace-full” Christmas, go in the spirit of love and fix those broken
relationships in your life. God comes to us in the Christ Child so that we
might be set right with God, set right with ourselves, and set right with other
people. Isn’t that exactly what the Christmas message is about? The world is
broken into many fragments, as are our lives, and God stoops down beside us and
helps us pick up the pieces and put them all back together again. That’s what that
word Emmanuel means in our text. God with us! God comes in the Christ Child to
seek and save the lost. That’s what Christmas is all about.
Scripture
to Claim:
Be
of the same mind toward one another; do not be haughty in mind, but associate
with the lowly. Do not be wise in your own estimation. Never pay back evil for
evil to anyone. Respect what is right in the sight of all men. If possible, so
far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men. Romans 12:16-18