Peace – More than a Candle
The Second Advent Candle
Bethlehem - Peace
By Pastor Dan Kennedy
© December 4, 2016
Many people talk about peace.
God gives everyone an opportunity for peace.
o Peace with God,
o Peace within ourselves, and
o Peace with each other.
If we do not have peace with God and peace within ourselves, then, most likely, we will not have peace with others.
The second Advent Candle is about Bethlehem and about Peace.
What does Bethlehem’s history tell us about peace?
· Bethlehem had a varied and tough history as a little town in Judah.
Bethlehem was an insignificant little Jewish town not far from Jerusalem.
o Jacob buried his beloved Rachel while on his way to Bethlehem, after Rachel died in giving birth to Benjamin. (Gen. 35:16-20)
o During the time of the Judges, Ibzan of Bethlehem led Israel for a short period. (Judges 12:8-10)
o Judges 17-20 tells a rough story about a young Levite from Bethlehem and the sordid condition of the Benjamites during the time of the Judges.
o The book of Ruth tells the story of Elimelek, Naomi and their two sons who left Bethlehem fleeing famine, only to have Naomi experience the death of her husband and sons…but the blessing of Ruth – a precious loyalty and romance, which touched the Nation of Israel, and all who have heard it.
o And then, we are brought to the family of David, the youngest son of Jesse of Bethlehem, who became the marvelous king of Israel, the succession of his line of kings will be eternally finalized through Jesus Christ.
There are several aspects that may direct our minds to peace because of Bethlehem.
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1. Peace through Contentment
Bethlehem was small.
The town was so insignificant King Herod had to ask Jewish scholars and leaders where the Jewish Messianic King was to be born…they came back with their answer: “Bethlehem”. (Matt. 2:1-6)
Micah 5:2
2 “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,
though you are small among the clans of Judah,
out of you will come for me
one who will be ruler over Israel,
whose origins are from of old,
from ancient times.”
The Birthplace of the Greatest Kings has little to do with a prime location of distinction.
o Little Bethlehem was King David’s Birthplace.
o Rural Bethlehem was the heritage birthplace of Joseph.
o Insignificant Bethlehem became Mary’s destination for the birthplace of Jesus Christ; God, the Son, who is the eternal King of kings.
“Though You are Small”…“Out of You Will Come [a Ruler] for Me…”, God says.
o The importance or unimportance of one’s birthplace or status in life does not determine the value of any person. Everyone is made in God’s Image.
o Insignificance becomes an issue of an individual’s heart.
God is searching for a person with a heart for Him…not the significance of “the place” where the person is born, the education they have obtained, the things they have achieved, or the coveted house in which they live.
“Though You are Small”…“Out of You Will Come [a Ruler] for Me…”, God says.
God may allow the most insignificant place to become the birthplace for the Greatest King.
God’s timing also accomplishes His Purposes at the very moment He has ordained the events to take place.
· Noah was born into what had become a grossly depraved historical era. Noah was a righteous man before God. For 100 years Noah and his family worked on building the ark, preaching righteousness to any who would listen, and enduring much distain. Seven days before the flood God told Noah to have everything ready, the flood was coming (Gen. 7:4). The animals came and Noah and his family entered the ark of safety on the very day God sent the flood, and through his family, God saved humanity and the living creatures God chose to be spared.
Genesis 7:11–13
11 In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, on the seventeenth day of the second month—on that day all the springs of the great deep burst forth, and the floodgates of the heavens were opened. 12 And rain fell on the earth forty days and forty nights.
13 On that very day Noah and his sons, Shem, Ham and Japheth, together with his wife and the wives of his three sons, entered the ark.
· Israel, though originally spared from famine in their move to Egypt through Joseph, had, over 430 years grown into a nation of several million, and became slaves in the land of Egypt. Israel’s Exodus from Egypt occurred on the very day God had promised and God’s nation was led to their Promised Land, even though there was a forty-year detour through the wilderness, because of their unbelief.
Exodus 12:40–41
40 Now the length of time the Israelite people lived in Egypt was 430 years. 41 At the end of the 430 years, to the very day, all the Lord’s divisions left Egypt.
Exodus 12:51
51 And on that very day the Lord brought the Israelites out of Egypt by their divisions.
God orchestrates a “process” through which He works out His specific will within the timing He has ordained.
· Joseph was contemplating putting pregnant Mary aside quietly, but the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph instructing him to not be afraid to take Mary as his wife. (Matt. 1:19-25)
· God pressed the Emperor of Rome, Caesar Augustus, to issue a decree, at just the right time, to require Joseph and Mary to go to Bethlehem, just at the time Jesus was due to be born, not too early so they could find a nice place to have the baby, but at the very time where every room available was taken. Jesus was to be born in a stable, so the Lamb of God would be born into the humblest of circumstances. (Luke 2)
“Though you are small”…God says of Bethlehem, “Out of you will come for Me One who will be Ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.”
Simeon and Anna came to the temple…just at the time circumstances brought Joseph and Mary to the temple to have Jesus circumcised, and God’s promise to Simeon was fulfilled and God was glorified.
A proclamation of peace by Simeon
Luke 2:25–38
25 Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. 26 It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. 27 Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required, 28 Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying:
29 “Sovereign Lord, as you have promised,
you now dismiss your servant in peace.
30 For my eyes have seen your salvation,
31 which you have prepared in the sight of all people,
32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles
and for glory to your people Israel.”
33 The child’s father and mother marveled at what was said about him. 34 Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother: “This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, 35 so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too.”
36 There was also a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was very old; she had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, 37 and then was a widow until she was eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying. 38 Coming up to them at that very moment, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem.
· God knows who you are.
· God knows where you are.
· God hears the cry of your heart.
· God will take care of and accomplish His Will for those who seek Him and trust in Him.
God gives His peace to our hearts as we are contented to rest in the accomplishment of His will. We do not gain peace through complacency, but we do gain God’s Peace through Contentment, as we rest in the accomplishment of His will.
Has God told you to do something? Then trust Him to fulfill it. You can have peace in your spirit as you choose to wait for Him. Can seeming “lack of action” on God’s part cause you to lose your peace? Yes. So…wait for Him and “keep your peace”.
2. Peace through Containment
Keep the Peace with “containing” your Speech, and Inherit a Blessing.
Peace is Pro-active: Let your words build up one another, instead of allowing your speech to tear down. This brings peace. God sees. God hears. God repays.
Romans 12:17–21
17 Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. 18 If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. 19 Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. 20 On the contrary:
“If your enemy is hungry, feed him;
if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.
In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.”
21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
Keeping the peace by “controlling” our tongue.
Proverbs 29:20
20 Do you see a man who speaks in haste?
There is more hope for a fool than for him.
1 Peter 3:8–12
8 Finally, all of you,
· live in harmony with one another;
· be sympathetic,
· love as brothers,
· be compassionate and humble.
· 9 Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing,
because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing.
10 For,
“Whoever would love life
and see good days
must keep his tongue from evil
and his lips from deceitful speech.
11 He must turn from evil and do good;
he must seek peace and pursue it.
12 For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous
and his ears are attentive to their prayer,
but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.”
The Power of the Tongue
James 3:2–6
2 We all stumble in many ways. If anyone is never at fault in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to keep his whole body in check.
3 When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal. 4 Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go. 5 Likewise the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. 6 The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.
If you love life, Keep the Peace with your Speech.
Peace through Containment. Keep your speech contained.
3. Peace during Catastrophe…Peace “through” times of testing.
Bethlehem is the center-point and place of focus during a despicable time of jealousy, rage and heinous slaughter by a paranoid king.
Matthew 2:16–18
16 When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi. 17 Then what was said through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled:
18 “A voice is heard in Ramah,
weeping and great mourning,
Rachel weeping for her children
and refusing to be comforted,
because they are no more.”
Bethlehem…and Violence: Bethlehem, a small, peaceful town became a place of violence and great weeping when the baby boys and children up to two years old were slaughtered by a jealous, vengeful and savage king.
What happens to peace when terror and slaughter reigns?
One cannot live life without having periods of peace punctuated ruthlessly with adversity – sometimes very painful adversity. How does a Believer in Jesus Christ find their life sustained during such retching times?
o Hide me under the shelter of your wings.
Psalm 27:5
5 For in the day of trouble
he will keep me safe in his dwelling;
he will hide me in the shelter of his tabernacle
and set me high upon a rock.
Psalm 57:1
1 Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me,
for in you my soul takes refuge.
I will take refuge in the shadow of your wings
until the disaster has passed.
o Give me the Grace to endure the pain of terror and abuse.
o Show me the steps to Your Salvation and Protection.
o Heal me from the tragedy of the scourge of sin.
o Restore my soul.
4. Peace through Contemplation
Thinking about God and His Love for us. Meditating on His Word. Trusting in Him. Turning our minds away from hatred, distrust, anxiety and fear. Turning our minds to God.
Great Peace have they who love God’s Laws
Psalm 119:165–166
165 Great peace have they who love your law,
and nothing can make them stumble.
166 I wait for your salvation, O Lord,
and I follow your commands.
Philippians 4:5–9
5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. 9 Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.
Peace is available for those in any station of life.
Peace is secured in our soul when we rest our hope in “who God is”, as we call out to Him in prayer, rather than anxiously seeing the solution resolved the way we believe it should unfold.
· God knows who you are.
· God knows where you are.
· God hears the cry of your heart.
· God will take care of and accomplish His Will for those who seek Him and trust in Him.
1. I know God loves me, will hear my cry and prayer to Him, and will work out His will for me. I can rest in who He is. I can wait for Him and trust in the accomplishment of His will.
2. I can be anxious…I am that way naturally! But if I live in anxiety, my “faith” is centered in what God is not doing – He is not doing it the way I think it should be done…
3. Instead, I will trust in God and be sustained by His Peace.
Bethlehem was small. How does “timing” and “little/small” fit into God’s plan for Peace and His Blessing?
“Wait on the Lord…be of good courage – wait on the Lord.” (Ps. 27:14)
How are “faith” and “waiting” reconciled?
In the “fullness of time” God sent His Son.
· Peace through Contentment
· Peace through Containment
· Peace during Catastrophe
· Peace through Contemplation
Bethlehem & Peace