Peace on Earth - Part 2: The Peace of God | Dr. Nelson Estrada

Welcome to ECB's weekly sermon podcast. ECB is

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with dozens of nationalities worshiping together.

We invite you to connect with us from wherever

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mobile app. And now we pray that you are blessed

by this week's sermon. There are so many types

and kinds of peace, you know. there's this greeting

in traditional shalom and peace, and all these

from the scriptures that you can find. I am a

firm believer of the saying, and you're familiar

with this, happy wife, happy life, everlasting

peace. Have you heard of that? I practice that.

And there's an extension to that, awesome food

for supper. Well, you didn't get that anyway.

There is this famous greeting or understanding

of the kind of peace in Scripture. And this is

the series that we are following here at ECB,

the Advent series of peace on earth. Now, this

concept, this idea was taken from the Gospel

of Luke. From the Gospel of Luke, and this was

the message of the angel to the shepherds, peace

on earth. And eventually that became famous and

it was handed and passed on to us by tradition.

Our study then, because this was the topic that

was asked of me to discuss and share with you

about the peace of God. It will come from Luke

Luke 2 · chapter mention

chapter 2. Verses 1 to 20. So just bear with

me as I share with you this concept of peace.

Specifically from Luke chapter 2. Now this is

Luke 2 · chapter mention

a picture that I took when Jesus was born. Somewhere

in... Well, anyway, this is just a greeting card,

okay? You're very familiar with this. But there

are certain things I'd like for you to notice.

Of course, the big theme of peace on earth. And

in the middle is a silhouette of presumably Joseph

and Mary and the baby Jesus in a manger made

of wood and hay, right? Again, like I said, this

concept in itself was from the Christmas story

in the Gospel of Luke. However, you find also

the star, which was the sign that led the wise

men to find the Messiah that was born in Bethlehem.

And this was from the Gospel of Matthew. So what

we find here, what we have here is the combination

of two Christmas stories. One from Luke and the

other one is from the Gospel of Matthew. The

moment you combine two stories into one, okay?

The moment you take one story from one book and

then another story from another book. And then

come up with a teaching that this is what God

is trying to tell us. You have actually done

a methodology. You conducted a method that is

called a canonical method. Let me explain this

further. How many of us here still reads your

Bible? You read the Bible? You do? Really? You

actually read it? I come from a generation where

I say, I used to say, open your Bibles, please,

to the Gospel of Matthew. Nowadays, you don't

do that. You say, you turn on your phones and

turn it to the Gospel of Luke. You don't open

Bible. Do you still bring Bibles with you? Really?

Wow. Now, they will get to heaven first. You

know that. So, for those of you, make sure you

still have your book Bibles with you. The moment

you open your Bibles and start reading, whether

you are aware of it or not, you are engaged in

an interpretation method. You cannot get away

with it. The only issue is that you're probably

not aware that you are employing a method. And

that is what you call, this is the most common

one in churches with pastors and teachers. Most

common one is what you call the canonical method,

which came from the concept of or the word canon,

meaning the whole canon of the Bible. The Bible

is God's word. That's why we can take from one

book and explain another book and combine them

together in that this is what God wants us to

learn. How many books of the Bible do we have?

Very good. Surprised. Okay. How many books do

the Catholics have in their Bibles? Just a little

bit. 72. That means they are more blessed than

us. You know that. How many books do the Orthodox

Church have? Oh, come on. You should know this.

88. They're even far blessed than us. But the

reason why we have these books is because they

have canonized it. And groups of leaders during

those days, they canonized these books. For us,

it's only the 66 books. So when we open, I did

not bring my Bible with me. I will still get

to heaven, you know that. But far, probably later.

Anyway, when you open, when you turn on your

Bibles, you ask, Lord, what do you want me to

learn today or this morning? If you do your Bible

reading in the morning. You don't ask the authors

of the books. We ask the ultimate author. And

that is called canonical method. If I'm studying

a text, and then I take... another passage from

another book to explain the text that I'm studying.

I just did the canonical method because I believe

the Bible is authored by God himself. Is that

clear enough? Bless you, whoever that is. That's

clear. So that's what you do. That is what we

commonly do when you study the Bible. And this

is what happened here. They combine the two stories

of Christmas, the Christmas stories in one picture.

The other one, the star, is from the Gospel of

Matthew. This concept of the manger and the couple

is from the Gospel of Luke. Did you know that

in the Gospel of Matthew, the message of the

birth of the Messiah is that He comes to cleanse

us from all our sins? But in the Gospel of Luke,

the Messiah comes because God has now imparted

peace on earth. That's the message in the Gospel

of Luke. I'd like to explain that further as

I go. Now, there is another method that focuses

on what God wants us to learn, but it goes through

a specific author. himself to man. He did not

simply write his message on golden tablets and

then dropped it on earth for man to receive it.

No, he didn't do it that way. What he did, through

centuries and ages and years, he revealed himself

to man through specific authors. And then these

authors, through the guidance and inspiration

of the Holy Spirit, they wrote The revelation

of God. However, well, I feel that I'm in my

classroom today. I'll give you an exam later

on, okay? However, and we'll know who'll get

to heaven, too. When the author wrote God's revelation,

They wrote it according to their own style of

writing and their own abilities to write and

their own language that they were using. According

to the context of their cultures and the political

situation and religious situation, they have

their own styles of writing. And part of that

style of writing or that writing itself has specific

intentions. It may not necessarily be the...

ultimate intention of god the ultimate intention

of god was to reveal himself but when he reveals

he revealed himself it went through the writing

of the authors so when you other than doing canonical

method there is another method that will ask

god what do you want for me to learn today through

this book through this author and that is what

you call narrative where is that that is what

you call Narrative criticism. And this is the

method that I would like for us to use, even

for just today. Bear with me. I know after this

you will no longer see me. It's okay. Just for

the moment, I want us to use the narrative critical

method, focusing simply on the text of Luke,

and ask Luke, what was the intention of Luke

when he wrote the Christmas? Why are we doing

this? It's because we want to understand from

the understanding, from the mind of Luke, what

did he mean when he said that the angels, and

the angels said to the shepherds, peace on earth.

What kind of peace was he talking about? And

believe me, this is the kind of peace that you

would want to have. Because it's not just the

peace that you use when you greet some people.

This is the kind of peace that God decided to

bring and give mankind for the salvation of the

people he favors. This is the kind of peace that

we would want to have when we are now trying

to remember the Christmas story. So, are you

okay with this? You still love me for this? Say,

please say yes. Please say yes. Yes, good. Narrative

criticism. This will be the method that we're

going to use. Then let's begin. When you're studying

a narrative, and by the way, the Bible is 80

to 85 % narrative. Okay? So that means you need

to study narrative method because it's almost

all of the Bible. If you want to ask the question,

what is the author trying to say? So when an

author writes a story, writes especially a narrative

setting, you need to pay particular attention

to the setting of the narrative. The setting

will dictate the major content of the story.

If you simply look at the middle of the story,

forgetting the setting that he has set, the author

has set, then you will be misled to the intention

of the author. So the setting is very crucial

when the author is telling a story. So what is

the setting in Luke chapter 2? Now again, we're

Luke 2 · chapter mention

studying, Christmas is just around the corner.

I want you to understand that when Christmas

comes, you will begin to see, hey, this is the

message of Christmas in the Gospel of Luke. And

you will start by establishing the setting of

the story. What is it? Well, it goes like this.

It starts in chapter 2, verses 1 to 20, but let

me start with verses 1 to 3. It says here, in

those days, Caesar Augustus issued a decree that

a census should be taken of the entire Roman

world. This is Luke talking, okay? Through God.

I mean, God, through Luke, Luke writing down

what he was receiving from God through the Holy

Spirit. This was the first census that took place

while Quirinius was governor of Syria. And everyone

went to their own town to register. How many

of us have read this before? You have, you have.

Merry Christmas. There are so many teachings,

so many scholars and teachers. and even pastors

in churches, who believe, they believe that the

function of these three verses is to serve as

a timestamp of the birth of Christ. In other

words, the birth of Jesus, the birth of the Messiah,

happened during this time. Okay? It's sorts of

like, and the reason, the main reason why they

say that, it's because... it proves that the

birth of Jesus, birth of the baby Jesus, birth

of the Messiah, was or is historical or was historical

because of this. Well, let me make another suggestion.

I think there's more than just a timestamp or

dating of the event that is going on here. I

think verse 2 is a timestamp. That's why it's

also in parentheses. This was the first census

that took place while Quirinius was governor

of Syria. What is it time stamping for if there's

such a term? It is saying that the order of Caesar

Augustus happened during the time when Quirinius

was governor of Syria. So you may be asking yourselves

right now, then if verse 2 is the time stamp,

what is the purpose of verse 1? Well, this is

the setting on the very reason why Joseph had

to drag Mary with her to Bethlehem. In the Gospel

of Matthew, the reason why Joseph had to go to

Bethlehem was to fulfill the prophecy that the

Messiah will be born in Bethlehem. In the Gospel

of Luke, it is not. The text doesn't say that.

Luke doesn't say that. In the Gospel of Luke,

the reason why... Joseph and Mary had to go to

Bethlehem was because of this guy, Caesar Augustus,

who ordered a decree for everyone. Look at verse

3. And everyone, for everyone to go to their

birthplaces and register. Register for what?

Probably for tax purposes. Some people suggest

that. Regardless of the reason why they had to

go there, everyone should go there. No exemptions.

If not, you're in trouble. That's the law. Did

you know that the Greek word for decree is dogma?

It is the dogma that is the rule, the order of

the Roman Emperor with countries under the Roman

Empire. No exemptions, everyone. That means if

you are under and all of Israel should obey,

you should go and register because of the order.

So that's the difference between Matthew and

Luke. Are you following me? You're okay? If somebody's

dozing off, can you please? Greet him and say,

peace be with you. You can do that again. But

this time don't smile. Peace be with you. So

that's the setting. This is what Luke wanted

you to understand. He's going to tell the story.

He started with this setting. There was an order.

Now, this is Caesar Augustus. This is the house

of Caesar. All of the emperors during that time

were named Caesar. And this time it was Caesar

Augustus. gave a decree. He handed the law. Everyone

should go and be registered. Now, there are only,

and this is not good. You know why? There are

only three occasions in the Gospel of Luke where

the house of Caesar is mentioned. Only three.

And believe me, all of them are not good. Let

me give you the third one first. The third one.

There you go. Okay. The third one is found in

Luke chapter 20, verses 19 to 26. It says here,

Luke 20:19–26

just observe how the author is trying to lay

down the setting of another story. He says, the

teachers of the law and the chief priests looked

for a way to arrest Jesus immediately because

they knew he had spoken this parable against

them. But they were afraid of the people. The

people were behind Jesus and the religious leaders

were actually being attacked by Jesus through

his illustrations, the parable. And so, keeping

a close watch on him, they sent spies who pretended

to be sincere. They hoped to catch Jesus in something

he said so that they might hand him over to the...

Power and authority of the governor. In other

words, the religious leaders were trying to set

a trap. That's the setting, okay? They were trying

to set a trap on Jesus so that they will have

a cause for him to be arrested or to be handed

over to the authorities. So what happened? You're

familiar with this. So the spies questioned him.

Teacher, we know that you speak and teach what

is right. And that you do not show partiality,

but teach the way of God in accordance with the

truth. Is it right for us to pay taxes to Caesar

or not? You're familiar with this story, right?

How many of you here pay your taxes? How many

of you here pay your taxes to Caesar? Of course,

that's different now. But that is the setting

of the story. They wanted to trap Jesus. So what

did Jesus say? He saw, I mean, this is Luke speaking.

He said, he saw through, I mean, through Jesus,

he saw through their duplicity and said to them,

show me a denarius whose image and inscription

are on it. Caesar's, they replied. He said to

them, then give back to Caesar what is Caesar's

and to God what is God's. They were unable to

trap him in what he had said there in public.

And astonished by his answer, they became silent.

In other words, Jesus was successful in escaping

the trap. Now, the reason why I'm emphasizing,

I don't have time to teach on this. This will

be on a different occasion if I get to teach

this text. Jesus was not starting or teaching

a theology on paying taxes. I'm quite surprised

that there are some people, some churches who

actually use this passage to justify that we

should pay our taxes and then we should also

give what is God's. That is not what Jesus was

trying to do. He was not starting a teaching

about what to do with your money. No. Don't forget

the setting. The setting is they were trying

to set a trap. And Jesus successfully escaped

the trap. because of his wisdom and his abilities

and knowing the hypocrisy of the religious leaders.

But what is crucial here is the setting. The

setting showed us that the point of the story

is not about paying taxes to Caesar. There are

other passages that you could use, like, for

example, submit to the authorities and those

things that you can use in teaching that practice.

But in this case, The setting is very important.

But what I'd like to point out in this story

is that the picture of the house of Caesar is

that good. It is a picture, it is a rule of oppression.

A rule of injustice. A rule of forcing people

that were conquered by their conquerors. That

you have to pay taxes to our foreign conquerors.

That's the picture of the house of Caesar here.

The second occasion by which the house of Caesar

is mentioned is in Luke chapter 3, verses 1 to

Luke 3:1–3

3. Just follow with me, bear with me. It says

here, in the 15th year of the reign of Tiberius

Caesar, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea,

Herod, tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip,

tetrarch of Etyria and Trichonis, and Lysanias,

tetrarch of Abilene. I was telling the first

service. I brought with me the wrong glasses.

So, I think it's best to look here. Now, these

are the leaders of the government during that

time by the Roman Empire. Tetrarch means sort

of like a mayor. And then, verse 2. During the

high priesthood. Now, the religious leaders who

were puppet leaders by the Roman Empire. It says

here, during the high priesthood of Annas and

Caiaphas. The word of God came to John, son of

Zechariah, in the wilderness. He went into all

the country around Jordan, preaching a baptism

of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. Now,

there are some teachings who would say, this

is a timestamp. It is saying that this was the

time when John the Baptist preached the baptism

of repentance and forgiveness. I don't think

so. I think this is more than just a timestamp.

Can you imagine enumerating all of the leaders

of the government during those days and all of

the religious leaders under the Roman emperor

during those days? And immediately after that,

the text says, God sent John the Baptist to go

out and preach the baptism of repentance and

forgiveness. Why? Because these leaders, especially

the house of Caesar, is oppressive and corrupt.

That is basically what the text is saying. So

that when you go back to Luke chapter 1, the

Luke 1 · chapter mention

mention of Caesar Augustus, that was not simply

a time stamp. It is indicating the kind of timing

where God had to intervene this time because

he has seen the oppression that his people, his

children have been going through because of Caesar,

the house of Caesar. This time, order the decree.

You go and you register because I ordered you.

That was my decree. A very oppressive government.

If you're familiar with the term Pax Romana,

which is in Latin, this is the peace of Rome.

Indeed, during the highest... At the height of

the reign of Rome, peace was all over the Roman

Empire. Why? It was not peace conducted or ruled

with love. It was the kind of peace that they

achieved because of an iron fist and the oppressive

rule of government. It was during the time when

Caesar issued a decree that God said, it's time

for me to intervene. They thought that the Roman

Empire was in control. It was time for God to

say, enough is enough. I will take control. That

is the setting that the author was trying to

say. Now, what do you see here? I see men. Are

you familiar with the phrase, I see dead people?

No, it came from that movie. Six cents. But when

I was thinking about this, I see men, but they're

not dead. I see unhappy men. I see busy men.

And I see men who are rushing. Now, this was

a picture taken in India during the deadlines

of paying taxes. And the reason why I'm sharing

this with you is that... I want you to picture

in your mind Joseph dragging his fiancée, who,

by the way, was nine months pregnant, to go to

a place which he didn't like to go in the first

place because he was ordered to. Can you imagine

how inconvenient that is? With a fiancée that

I should be, if I were Joseph, I should be focusing

on our marriage. But I have to do this. I have

to take you with me. And you're big now. That

was tough. I don't know how many luggages they

had to bring with them. I travel a lot because

of my work. I teach from here and I teach there.

When I travel, I travel lightly. I only take

with me one suitcase, which is that I can put

in the cabin. But when my wife travels with me,

it's a different story. I have to carry three.

She needs at least three luggages. But what I'm

trying to say is the inconvenience sometimes

that Joseph had to face because of the decree.

A decree that many of the people in Israel resented.

And this is what is going on in these days. Don't

forget the setting. So the first act, what happened?

The need to register. It says here, so Joseph

also went up from the town of Nazareth. went

up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea,

to Bethlehem, the town of David. Why did he need

to go to Bethlehem? Not because it was prophesied,

but because it was where his lineage come from.

Because he belonged to the house and line of

David. He went there to register with Mary, who

was pledged to be married to him and was expecting

a child. You see, that... The verse could have

simply stopped at who was pledged to be married

with him. But they had to indicate, the author

had to include the phrase, and was expecting

a child. Because, I mean, for you to be able,

the readers to be able to get a picture in their

mind of how difficult the situation was. And

then it goes on to say, while they were there,

the time came for the baby to be born. I don't

think... Joseph, this is just my reading of the

text. I don't think Joseph thought of that. Probably

he thought that, okay, I'll just do this. And

hopefully once it's done, we can go back to Galilee

or yeah, to where, yeah, in Nazareth. What happened

probably because of delay. And so picture in

your mind, everyone going to their own hometowns,

the need to register and those places were packed.

Now Joseph and Mary were not going for a holiday.

It was not Thanksgiving. It was not the time

to visit family. They didn't even register, stayed

with family. They were there to register because

of the decree. And so they went there and probably

it took so much time before they could accomplish

or he could accomplish what he needed to do.

And the baby was born. And the text says, And

she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped

him in cloths and placed him in a manger because

there was no guest room available for them. Now,

I'd like to just emphasize this. This verse is

not saying or is not communicating humility.

The text doesn't say that. That Jesus and his

family were of humble beginnings because the

baby was born in a manger. The text doesn't say

that. The reason, and it's clear, the reason

why the baby was born and placed in a manger

was because of the situation that needed or that

compelled them to do because there was no more

room to place the baby in. That's the reason.

It's not about humility. It's not about poverty.

It's about the difficult situation they were

in. So what happened? Now, Luke takes us to a

second act. This time, the primary characters

and their conversation. If you notice, in the

first act, Mary, Joseph, and the baby were not

talking. They did not speak. Because they were

not primary characters. Probably this is hard

for some to take. What? I mean, they were the

first family. They were the holy family. True.

But when the author was writing this, he was

not saying that you focus yourselves on the family.

He was saying that you need to focus on the people

who are talking. In Hollywood, if you do research,

Actors and actresses are paid on how famous they

are and also how many lines they are about to

speak. So I read this about Arnold Schwarzenegger

when he first accepted his character in The Terminator.

And he only spoke a few lines and he was only

paid a few because of that. And his famous line,

I'll be back, which became famous. I don't know

how much he got paid for that. But in narrative

setting, the characters who are talking, you

need to pay particular attention to that under

the framework of the setting. Because those characters

who are speaking bear the message of the whole

story. And in this case, it's the conversation

between the angel and the shepherds. So it says

here, and there were shepherds living out in

the fields nearby. keeping watch over their flocks

at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them,

and the glory of the Lord shone around him, and

they were terrified. Now I can understand, how

many of us here have seen an angel? In the Old

Testament, every time an angel appears to somebody,

It's expected. You will be terrified. Because

every time they appear to you, that means you're

in trouble. It's true. There's bad news that

they are carrying because of your disobedience

against Yahweh. Now, in this case, they were

terrified. And that's why the angel said, don't

be afraid. Don't be afraid. Later on, he says

that. Now, there's this question that somebody

asked me. What is so special about the shepherds

that they were chosen to be the first ones to

receive the good news that the Messiah has been

born? Because there were some teachings that

are going around that says that, oh, because

shepherds are liars. And shepherds, they hallucinate

a lot. And this is the time for them that they

will be able to redeem themselves. The text doesn't

say that. The reason why they were the ones who

received the blessing of the news that the Messiah

had been born? The text already says it. Because

they were the ones out in the field looking after

their flock. Where were the other people? In

their homes, getting ready for the registry.

The others were there. And it so happened that

the shepherds were there. And then suddenly,

an angel appeared towards them. And this angel

said, it says here in the next verse. But the

angel said to them, do not be afraid. I bring

you good news. Good news that will cause great

joy for the people. What good news? What great

joy? Don't forget the context. Don't forget the

setting. It has something to do with the life

that they were living against an oppressive government.

And God has had enough. This has got to stop.

This evil world needs to stop. I bring you great

joy for all the people. And then today, today

in the town of David, the Savior has been born

to you. He is the Messiah, the Lord. This will

be a sign to you. You will find a baby wrapped

in cloths and lying in a manger. I've taught

this so many times. I've written articles on

this. And even until now, every time I get to

this verse, it gives me the goosebumps and I

get so emotional because... What God did was

use Caesar's decree against him. When you can

see that people were rushing to finish things

that they didn't even want to do. And that was

the reason why the baby was placed in a manger.

And then the angel said, you know how you will

find the Messiah? Look for a baby, the only babies

among other babies in Bethlehem. Look for a baby

wrapped in cloths and is placed in a manger.

You will only find one. This is God saying, it's

time to intervene. It's my time. It's my peace.

It is the peace of God against the peace of Rome.

This is a picture of an ancient manger carved

out of rock. This is most likely how the baby

was placed during that time. Not the kind of

picture that we see in greeting cards where it's

made of wood and hay. I don't think that will

survive. I've worked in a farm, in a piggery

before. And when we feed the pigs, we feed them

in a concrete trough like this. Believe me, they

are so aggressive. Even the concrete manger or

trough like this will not survive. You will have

to repair it as years go by. But this is most

likely how it looked like. And this was the sign

that the shepherds were looking for. Suddenly,

a great company of the heavenly host. appeared

with the angel, praising God and saying, Glory

to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace

to those on whom his favor rests. This Luke had

to write because he wants us to understand something.

I don't think God ordered the angels to sing.

I don't think God said to the angels, Okay, you

rehearse. So that when you give this news, you

will sing together and you will praise me. No.

I think, this is my suggestion. I think the angels

themselves couldn't contain the power and the

greatness of God's decision to intervene in man's

history. That they themselves said... Glory to

God in the highest heaven. Because they have

seen the suffering of God's children. And they

have seen the greatness and majesty of God. And

they said, glory to you. Glory to God in the

highest heaven. And then the rest of the angels

in heaven were singing and praising him. Because

that is how great he is. Because that is how

powerful. And later on you will see how painful

for him. to send His only Son, so that you will

no longer be oppressed. You will have the peace

of God. The response, the third act, takes us

to another scene. What happened? When the angels

had left them and gone into heaven, The shepherds

said to one another, let's stay here. We're just

hallucinating. No. Look at how they responded.

Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that

has happened, which the Lord has told us about.

So they hurried off. They hurried off as fast

as they could and found Mary and Joseph and the

baby who was lying in the manger. The sign. In

the Gospel of Matthew, the wise men were looking

for the star to see and find the Messiah. In

the Gospel of Luke, they were looking for a manger.

And the moment they saw it, among all other babies,

there was somebody, just one, that is the Messiah.

What happened then? When they had seen him, they

spread the word concerning what had been laid.

They told them. They spread the word. They did

keep it to themselves. about this child. And

all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds

said to them. That's evangelism to you. But Mary

treasured up all these things and pondered them

in their heart. Luke is preparing this story

and Mary to the second, the next story, which

is Jesus getting lost in the temple. The shepherds

returned glorifying, praising God for all the

things they had heard and seen. which were just

as they had been told. Peace was completed. But

the angels did not say to the shepherds, hey,

you know, this is what is going to cost God the

Father. He didn't say that. Now look at, let

me just show you something. What do you see?

I see most likely, this one I see a dead person,

wrapped in linen cloth. And placed in a rock,

a tomb rock or a rock tomb. Look at how Luke

described it at the end of his, almost at the

end of his gospel. In Luke 22, 52 to 53, going

to Pilate, Joseph of Arimathea. He asked for

Jesus' body. Then he took it down, wrapped it

in linen cloth. That sounds familiar. And placed

it in a tomb cut out, cut in the rock. one in

which no one had yet been laid. Do you know why

the author included the last phrase, one in which

no one had yet been laid? As the manger was going

to be the sign for the shepherds that you will

find the Messiah. The phrase, one in which no

one had yet been laid, is the sign for the disciples

to see that Jesus truly resurrected, bodily resurrection.

Can you imagine if the disciples rushed to the

tomb and they found other bodies there? How can

you prove the empty tomb if it was not empty?

This has to be stated by the author himself because

he is talking to you that the birth of the Messiah

was not just about the Christmas story where

the baby has been born. It's also about the fact

that God, Jesus himself, died on the cross, gave

his life. was placed in the tomb, wrapped in

linen cloth, and resurrected for you. And that's

why you have an empty tomb. Peace to those on

whom His favor rests. This is what you find in

the Gospel of Luke, in the Christmas story from

the NIV version. Now there's another version,

peace... on earth and goodwill to all men. Well,

let me just clarify this before I end. That phrase,

peace and goodwill are given to everyone or to

all mankind, is taken from the King James Version.

And the word for goodwill is eudokia, which is

in the nominative form. And throughout the years,

when the King James was produced, this was what

has been transmitted to us by tradition. The

problem with this translation is that the manuscripts

that the King James Version used or available

at that time were much later manuscripts, meaning

weaker manuscripts. When the NIV was produced

and the other modern versions, there were more

reliable manuscripts which were discovered. And

they found out that in the Gospel of Luke, it's

not eudokia, not the nominative form, but rather

the genitive form, eudokias. if you're going

to translate it, it's in the genitive form, peace

to those whom God favors or peace among those

with whom he is pleased. Now, why is this crucial?

It is crucial because you will find that as much

as God has given peace to peace on earth, it

is not readily given to everyone. It is available

for those in whom his favor rests. In other words,

it demands a response from those who wants to

receive God's favor. And you know what I'm talking

about. If you want to have the peace of God,

you need to respond to His gift. And how do we

do that? Well, from the Gospel of Luke, we will

find in the context of chapter 2, verses 1 to

20, receive God's message. This is what the shepherds

did. They received God's message. They sought

and believed the Messiah when they found him

on a manger. Praised, glorified, and declared

who he is in our hearts and lives. And then,

of course, you spread the message, which the

shepherds did. Merry Christmas. Bow your heads

with me, please. Lord Jesus, thank you for the

ultimate sacrifice, your ultimate sacrifice on

the cross. This Christmas is not simply about

gift giving or a time for reunion. But the fact

that peace is among us. The peace of God is with

us. We want, Lord God, to receive your peace.

And we will declare your goodness and your greatness.

May your name, Lord God, be glorified in our

lives. We pray, Lord Jesus. that when that time

comes that we will be with you. We have done

our part. We spread the good news that Jesus

is Lord and Savior. Thank you, Lord God, for

intervening and giving us this peace. In Jesus'

name we pray. Amen. Thank you for tuning in to

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