Glory and Peace (12/18/16 Advent #3: Luke 2:14)

ATTN: We’ve heard freedom isn’t free. And it’s true. The freedom that we enjoy in this country is because men and women have sacrificed their lives to earn for us, from the pilgrim’s time to the civil war to WWII. Something as simple as being able to hop in my car in the middle of the night and going to Walmart to grab a loaf of bread is possible because people have died to earn it for us. The Christmas season is like that. There is so much celebration and joy in this advent season but the very first Christmas was anything but dreamy and celebratory. Mary and Joseph couldn’t even find an inn to spend the night and so they spent the night in a smelly, moldy, and dirty manger and they laid Jesus in an animal feeding trough. And then soon, Herod was looking for this baby Jesus who was to be king and feeling threatened, he ordered all baby boys under the age of 2 to be murdered. So, Mary and Joseph had to travel long to Egypt to keep the baby safe. It was dark, gloomy, and ominous. Nothing like the shopping mall during Christmas time. Jesus, the Son of God, sacrificed His life so that we can enjoy freedom forever.

For the last couple weeks, we have been observing advent – the coming of the Messiah. And two sundays ago, I preached about what Christmas is about – that it’s a good news of great joy for all the people. Last week, I preached how He brought about that joy – 1) by becoming one of us, 2) saving us, and 3) owning us. Today, I will preach on why God would do that for us when He didn’t have to. Just two things: 1) To glorify God, and 2) To bring peace among men.

 

1. Glory to God in the highest.

The ultimate reason for Jesus’ coming is to glorify God. Yes, Jesus came to save us. But that is not the ultimate reason. The ultimate reason that Jesus came is to glorify God. Jesus’ absolute commitment was to God even before His commitment to us. Ultimately, His coming to earth to as a baby, identify with us by living here for 33 years, and then dying the most horrible death on the cross was so that God may be glorified. God must have determined that it is more glorifying to God that He shows mercy and grace to sinners like us and save us from hell then let us all perish and suffer forever in hell. And I am so glad that God has decided to do that. I am so glad that Jesus was dead-set on glorifying His Father but we are the beneficiaries of that. We get grace and mercy because of Jesus’ commitment to glorify God. So, once we become God’s children through Jesus, we also become committed to glorifying God. That is what God’s children do just like Jesus, God’s Son.

Now, many people stumble over this point. That, God is committed to glorifying HImself. God tells us not to be self-centered. But He Himself is self-centered. The way it should go is – We become god-centered, and God becomes man-centered. Give and take. But He wants us to be god-centered, and he Himself remains god-centered. Isn’t that just selfish of Him? Again, many people stumble over this point including Oprah who walked away from her church when she heard the preacher say that God is a jealous God. He is jealous for his name.

C.S. Lewis stumbled over this point as well. But this is what he says and you will see why I love C.S. Lewis. I modernized it to fit our time. He said that it used to bother him when the Bible said to praise Him, to glorify Him. That to him sounded like a dictator or a schoolmaster who was so full of himself that he wanted everyone to be about him all the time. But with his brilliant mind, he noticed this fact about praise. He said, the most oviously fact about praise escaped me and that is all enjoyment spontaneously overflows into praise. For example, a young girl incessantly praising how cute a certain boy is, seahawks fans going wild in praise when Russel Wilson throws a touchdown, a new mom posting her baby’s picture on Facebook and instagram for the world to see and delights seeing comments of praise such as “how cute, how adorable, so precious,” teenagers praising a certain popular song or a movie, praising about a certain trip, praising about a certain gadget – “I love my iphone!” The world rings with praise! And c.s. Lewis continues by saying, “I had not noticed before that just people spontaneously praise whatever they value, so they spontaneously urge others to join them in praising it: “Wasn’t that a great game? Isn’t he the cutest thing? Don’t you think that song is the bomb?” We get so much delight in praising somethihng we value and especially when we find others who see it the same way.

I think we delight to praise what we enjoy because the praise not merely expresses but completes the enjoyment. It is not out of compliment that lovers keep on telling one another how beautiful they ae: the delight is imcomplete till it is expressed. That is why God tells us to glorify, or praise Him. In commanding us to glorify Him, God is inviting us to enjoy Him.

When these angels shouted out “glory to God in the highest, they were expressing and completing their enjoyment. Not that they were ordered to say it even though they didn’t mean it.

APP: How can we praise more? How can we be happier? By praising that which is the source of all good things. So, the next time you say, “He is a dream! How can he look like that and sing like that at the same time..” think “praise God for making him so beautiful. It was God’s idea. If god’s creation is so fine, how much more God? Next time you drive by Mt. Rainer early in the morning and you see hues of pink and blue around the majestic snowed capped mountain that takes your breath way, again, praise HIm, “Oh how great an artist God is..” next time you read a good book or watch a good movie, think “how good of God to give people minds to come up with such heartfelt stories.

Glory to God isn’t he highest…

 

2. And on earth peace – shalom.

peace,” is here the OT שׁלום, šālôm. It is not simply an inner disposition or the absence of war, but evokes a whole social order of well-being and prosperity, security and harmony.

We translate it “peace,” but in the Bible, shalom means universal flourishing, wholeness, and delight. It describes a rich state of affairs in which natural needs are satisfied and natural gifts are faithfully and fruitfully employed, all under the arc of God’s love.Here’s an illustration of shalom: If I threw a thousand threads onto the table they wouldn’t be a fabric. They’d just be threads laying on top of each other. Threads become a fabric when each one has been woven over, under, around, and through every other one. The more interdependent they are, the more beautiful they are. The more interwoven they are, the stronger and warmer they are. God made the world with billions of entities, but He didn’t make them to be an aggregation. Rather, He made them to be in a beautiful, harmonious, knitted, webbed, interdependent relationship with each other.

Isn’t that the world we want to live in? It doesn’t matter which ethnic make up, age or language, we would all come under the headship of christ and love one another and care for one another like family?

I believe these two concepts go together. God is glorified when there is peace love and joy among men who are otherwise very different and do not mix.

ILL: visiting a tomb of a saint, pastor Son. He lived during a tumultuous time in Korea. His son had been taken by North Koreans and were murdered. But he never retaliated and rather forgave and was kind. And eventually winning the young man that killed his son and adopting him as his son to replace the very one that he killed. When the world hears such a story, they will think God is real. They won’t think God is real when Christians prosper and gain health, wealth and prosperity. The worldly have those things too. But the world will wonder when there is a man or a woman who loves when he should retaliate, who forgives when he should revenge, who loves when he should hate. They will ask: Why? And we tell them it’s because of our God. We killed his son and yet he forgave us and not only that he loved us and made us his children. The world will glorify such a god who loves as such.

If you love those who love you, what credit is there to you. But love your enemies. Why? Because that is what God has done. He wants us to be like him. Why? Because that is when God is most glorified, and when God is most glorified, us his children, will also be happy. It’s like you love and adore your dad and when your dad is praised, it gives you such joy and satisfaction.

Our shalom, true shalom cannot happen apart from god. WwI was thought to be the war that ended all wars. They thought with so many dead, and so devastating for many, the humanity will get along and never have another ward. But only a few years ago, another war breaks out that was even more devastating – with 60 million dead. The bible speaks of the final battle that will end all wars and in that battle, God Himself will wield the sword and cut off evil for good. Death will die and sin will be done away with. God alone will rule and true shalom will be upon us. What we see a glimpse of during Christmas season will be true in its full realization for all eternity. There will be no more injustice, poverty, death, disease, discrimination, loneliness, etc. And we will be happy glorifying God and singing praises to Him for all things.

 

CONC: this upcoming year, think to yourself. What would glorify God more? How can I enjoy God more?(The word, worship, people, nature, arts/music) What will make much of HIm? How can I make much of Him? How can I show the world as He is – good and kind and gracious. And then, promoting the shalom – well being of fellows around us so that they will in turn give glory to God.