The Peace Christ Offers At His Coming - Part 1

Welcome to the In Touch Podcast with Charles Stanley for Wednesday, December 22nd. Today you'll be taken back to the simple message of Christmas as written in the Gospel of Luke. Stay with us and learn about the peace Christ offers at His coming. I hope that you will jot down because I want to explain to you what this peace that God offers is really like. And you recall when the angel announced the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ that after he had told the shepherds in that second chapter of Luke where to find him, the scripture says in verse 13, And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, a whole army of angels, praising God and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom he is pleased. Now, I want us to look at this peace which the Lord Jesus Christ offered at His coming.

And I want us to look, first of all, at the expression of it. How was it expressed? When Isaiah gave the prophecy of the coming of the Messiah, this is the way he described Him. He described Him as wonderful counselor, mighty God, everlasting Father.

What? Prince of peace. When the angel announced his birth, he said at this particular time in chapter 2 of Luke, peace on earth or peace among men. That is, he was issuing the peace that the Lord Jesus Christ was bringing into the world. And it's interesting, when you look at the minister in the life of the Lord Jesus Christ, you see this theme all the way through his life. For example, when he began the Sermon on the Mount, this is the way he began with the Beatitudes. And in that ninth verse, he says, Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the sons of God. You recall in the upper room the night before he was crucified in the 14th chapter of John. Look there, if you will, because this is one of the most comforting chapters in all the New Testament. In fact, it's called the consolation chapter of the New Testament. And Jesus has been talking about being betrayed and being killed and being lifted up and all these things that were confusing them, confounding them, frustrating them. And a little sense of fear had begun to go through them because he's telling them here, you know, I'm going away, but I'm going to send the Holy Spirit.

He reminds you of all the things that I've told you. And remember now that Jesus Christ's apostles didn't have tape recorders. They didn't have notepads and pencils.

They didn't have shorthand. So when he talked about leaving them, I'm sure that there must have ricocheted through their spirit this attitude. How are we going to remember all the things he said?

Who's going to carry this on? All the fears that must have gripped him clouded with fear. Jesus begins this chapter and in his conversation said to them, let not your heart be troubled. You believe in God, believe also in me. Then he gives them these beautiful words of consolation. But down to verse twenty seven, listen to what he said in the twenty seventh verse of this same chapter.

He just told them the Holy Spirit was going to remind them of some things. Then he said, Peace, I leave with you. My peace I give to you.

Not as the world giveth do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, nor let it be afraid. And so he continues this tremendous message to them. And he ends it up in the 16th chapter and the last verse by saying something very significant. We're going to come back to the later.

But listen to what he says. Sixteenth chapter, last verse. These things, all that I've said to you. These things I've spoken to you that in me you may have peace.

In me you may have peace. The Lord Jesus Christ was very, very concerned about their understanding his peace. Now, if you'll turn to the 20th chapter of John, Jesus has been crucified, he's risen from the dead. Now he's going to appear to his apostles.

And in this first appearance, he appears to them and Thomas is not there. But he says in the 19th verse of John, chapter 20, when therefore it was evening on that day, the first day of the week. And when the doors were shut where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, peace be with you.

He shows them his hands and his side. And then verse 21. Jesus therefore said to them again, peace be with you as the father had sent me.

So also I send you. Then go back on over, if you will, to verse 26. Now Thomas is there with them. After eight days, again, his disciples were inside and Thomas with them. Jesus came the doors having been shut and stood in their midst and he said, peace be with you. Jesus was very, very concerned that his followers understood and experienced peace. That is, he wanted them to know the meaning of true peace because he knew that their circumstances in which they presently lived and were going to live all the rest of their life in the Roman Empire as believers establishing that New Testament church.

They would never live in a peaceful situation. So he kept saying to them, peace be unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. Wonderful words of assurance to the Lord Jesus Christ. So he went through his life expressing to them the peace that God intends for us to have.

Now, it's one thing for him to express it. It's something else for us to understand it. And so beyond the expressions of his peace, I want us to understand. I want to explain the peace that Jesus Christ offered when he came to earth. Now, the reason I want to explain this is, first of all, in order that you may understand what the Bible says about true, genuine peace. Secondly, that you would not be deceived into thinking that you have peace when you don't. Thirdly, that you may be able to help someone else to discern that what they have is not really peace. And fourthly, that you may understand the true nature of it and the fact that when a person has peace, their circumstances, their situation can do nothing to alter that innocence of quietness, that innocence of established peace with God, which this world does not understand. Now, I want you to turn to a number of scriptures and I want you to follow carefully remembering. I want you to understand something. I want you to grasp the truth of what our Lord is saying. So I want us to notice here, first of all, that all of us have a need for peace. Now, first of all, all of us need peace with God.

Secondly, we need to be able to have and experience peace within ourselves. You see, if you and I could draw the picture of a lot of people we know, we would draw this body, this human body, and on the inside what you would draw instead of some heart up here, you would draw on the inside of their chest cavity two armies warring against each other in bitter conflict because in the single personality of multitudes of people, there is this war that goes on day and night. They sleep with it. They live with it. They work with it. They love with it. They walk with it. They talk with it.

There is this war going on. You see, they don't like themselves. They've never been able to accept themselves.

They can't accept God's acceptance of them or the people's acceptance of them. They don't feel like they measure up. They feel incompetent. They don't feel like they belong. They feel shut out.

That's the emotions with which they live. And that's why the war, the lack of peace is there. So I want us to understand that this lack of peace ultimately begins with sin. Now listen to what the Bible says. For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.

You've heard that verse all of your life. Sin is my choice to act independently of the will of God. To sin against God is to set up conflict between yourself and God. It is to be estranged from God. He says our sins have separated us from God. So that sin is acting independently of God. And when you and I began to sin against God, we set up a conflict between us and Him.

War, the Bible speaks of enmity, hostility, quarreling with God. His way versus my way. I want to act independent of God. I want to have it my way, Lord.

My friend, that's what most people have been doing all of their life, having it their way. Wondering why there is no peace in their heart. The reason is because you cannot quarrel with God. And experience peace at the same time.

Now listen. The Bible says something very specifically and very clearly that most folks don't believe. So I want you to look at it in the Bible. Turn to Isaiah 48.

Isaiah chapter 48, the very last verse of that chapter, very significant verse. And my friend, if you're one of those persons who does not happen to go to church. Or you've never trusted Jesus Christ as your Savior. You just say, well, you know, I believe in God. I'm not interested in Him. I believe He was a good man, a good teacher, good this, that, and the other.

So you don't have any real personal relationship to Him. But you say, but I do have peace. Listen to what God said, not a pastor, but God. Isaiah 48 verse 22. There is no peace for the wicked, says the Lord, you say, but I'm not wicked.

Well, let me ask you a question. What's wickedness? Well, you say wickedness is killing someone.

Is that right? Wickedness is committing adultery. Wickedness is stealing. Well, what about gossip? What about just lying? What about being unkind, ungrateful?

There are a thousand things you and I could mention. Let me ask you something, my friend. Can you tell me anything any more wicked than to reject the Son of God who came as an expression of the love of the Father in order to forgive you of your sins, to offer you life at its best, to cleanse you and help you to become everything God intended you to be? Can you tell me anything any more wicked than to turn your back upon Him, to reject Him, to ignore Him, to insist on having your own independent way when He came to help you to have the only way that will bring you peace? Can you tell me anything any more wicked and heartless than that?

Not really. You can't. When he says the wicked have no peace, the wicked know no peace. There is no peace for the wicked, the Bible says. He's talking about every person who has ever lived and rejected the Lord Jesus Christ. Turn, if you will, to the same book, chapter 57.

Listen to what he says. Fifty-seventh chapter, verse 21. There is no peace, says my God, for the wicked. Now, God says there isn't. And if you'll turn over to chapter 59, just one more, and look at verse 8. They do not know the way of peace.

Now, let's go back. Do you remember what Jesus said in the 14th chapter of John when He was talking to His apostles in the upper room? Listen to something very significant. He said, He said, My peace I give unto you, not as the world giveth give unto you, let not your heart be troubled. There is a peace that is the counterfeit.

It's a makeshift idea that the world calls peace. But the truth is God says there is no peace for the wicked. You cannot live in conflict with God and experience peace.

It's impossible. Somebody says, but I do. God says you don't. So therefore you must be deceived if you think you have peace. Now, let's look at it. What is this peace?

Well, sin is that thing, that attitude in our life, those actions and attitudes that deprive us of our peace. And so what we have to ask is this. How do I get this feeling, this attitude, this experience, how do I get this overwhelming sense of quietness and assurance and confidence and stillness in my spirit when everything around me is falling apart? That's exactly what I want to explain. Now, I want you to listen carefully, my friend, because it's not enough for you to hear me say it. You need to understand why.

You need to understand how, not only for your sake, but so that you can share it with someone else. Every single truth God gives us is, first of all, for hearing, secondly, for applying, and thirdly, for sharing with someone else. So I want you to turn to Romans chapter 5. First of all, we said Jesus expressed this peace throughout his ministry. Secondly, we're talking about the explanation for this peace.

Now, I want you to notice something in these two verses, and I want you to tell me the difference of something here. Beginning in chapter 5 of Romans verse 1, the Bible says, Therefore, having been justified, let me explain that. Having been declared not guilty by God. Doesn't mean I wasn't guilty, but something happened whereby God now has declared us not guilty. Therefore, being justified by what? Faith.

We have what? Peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Now, that means because the Lord Jesus Christ died on the cross, God the Father placed all of his sin upon him.

He made a penalty. He bore all the debt. Therefore, God, when I receive the Lord Jesus Christ as my Savior, sees me as no longer guilty. I've been set free and liberated, therefore being justified by faith.

Now, you and I can have peace with God because the war is over. Look in verse 6. And the key word in verse 6 and verse 8 is a little three-letter word.

Listen. For while we were still helpless, at the right time, Christ died. What's the next word?

What is it? He died for the ungodly. That's the kind of condition you and I remember before we were saved. He died for us in our behalf as a substitute for us. He died in our place. Verse 8. But God demonstrates his own love toward us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died what?

For us in our place. Now, watch this next verse. Much more than having been justified, declared not guilty, not guilty, now say it out loud, by what? His blood.

Now, watch this. My friend, there is no such thing as peace apart from the shedding of the blood of Jesus Christ. The Word of God says that you and I have been justified and declared not guilty by his blood. Whatever declares me not guilty and brings the peace of God in my heart isn't just something that I lay aside.

It must be central and focused to every single thing I believe in the Word of God. Without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness of sin. There is no forgiveness of sin. There is still conflict and estrangement.

There is no peace as long as sin rules and reigns in the heart of a human being. Now, I want you to turn, if you will, to Colossians chapter 1 for a moment. Listen to what he says. He says in this first chapter of Colossians, look at it, if you will. Look in verse 19. For it was the Father's good pleasure for all the fullness of the Godhead to dwell in him.

And listen. And through him, that is, through Christ, to reconcile, that is, the conflict's over, the walls are torn down, and now the two have become one, to reconcile all things to himself, having made what? Peace through what?

The blood of his cross through him, I say, whether things on earth or things in heaven. Therefore, he says that you and I have been reconciled to him, and we have made peace through the blood of his cross. All genuine true peace will find its origin in the shed blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, that is, in his crucifixion.

It is in the cross where God paid the penalty for your sins and my sins, and what he did, he says, look, the war can be over. There can be peace. There need no longer be any conflict. Cease to act independently of the will of God and surrender yourself to the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will have peace that passes all human understanding. Now, did you know until you do that, you'll never know peace?

As long as you insist on having your way, you'll never know peace. When two armies fight and one of them surrenders, there's the white flag of surrender. That means we give up. That means we're not gonna fight anymore. That means we're your captives. That means you win. My friend, did you know that the greatest battle you can ever win in life is to let Jesus win the battle between you and your independent spirit toward him? That's the greatest battle you can ever win. The truth is that you lose and he wins, but the truth is you win and he wins when you surrender everything to him. Thank you for listening to The Peace Christ Offers at His Coming. If you'd like to know more about Charles Stanley or In Touch Ministries, stop by intouch.org. This podcast is a presentation of In Touch Ministries, Atlanta, Georgia.