Peace on Earth?
Pastor Tan Thai · Dec 20, 2020
This sermon from December 20, 2020 explores the true meaning of the angels' proclamation of 'peace on earth' on the night of Jesus' birth. The pastor demonstrates that this peace is neither political harmony nor a psychological state, but reconciliation with God through the salvation of Jesus Christ.
The sermon opens with two central questions: whether true peace on earth exists, and whether the birth of Jesus Christ genuinely brings peace. The pastor guides the congregation from the angels' proclamation in Luke 2:10-14 to examine what 'peace on earth' means according to common human understanding.
The pastor systematically refutes two common misunderstandings of this peace. First, peace is not political harmony between nations. Drawing on history from the Age of Enlightenment through the bloody revolutions of the twentieth century, ongoing Middle Eastern conflicts, and present-day social evils, the pastor demonstrates that humanity cannot create peace on its own. James 4:1-2 explains that wars originate from sinful desires within the human heart. Second, this peace is also not the psychological tranquility the world offers, which depends entirely on material circumstances.
The central section of the sermon exegetes the angels' proclamation according to its proper biblical context. The pastor notes that Luke 2:14 should be translated 'peace on earth to those who receive God's favor,' not to all people universally. The prophet Simeon in Luke 2:29-31 identifies this peace with salvation. Romans 5:1 and 5:10 confirm that it is reconciliation between humanity and God through the atoning death of Jesus Christ.
The sermon deepens the meaning of this peace through Jesus' own words in John 14:27 and John 16:33. Jesus affirms that the peace He gives is different from what the world gives — it sustains the believer's heart even amid tribulation. The pastor uses the illustration of a baby sleeping peacefully in its mother's arms during a storm at sea: as long as the child remains in the mother's protective embrace, the child is at peace. Psalm 46:1-3 and Philippians 4:7 reinforce this truth.
The sermon concludes by placing a clear choice before the congregation: either choose the world's peace based on money, talent, and beauty — all of which will eventually be lost — or choose the peace God gives through reconciliation with Him. Only those who receive Jesus Christ as Savior can truly experience what the angels declared: peace on earth to those who receive God's favor.