Can’t you just see Charlie Brown and his gang, holding hands around a “Charlie Brown” tree, and singing in perfect unity? My three boys and I watched it every year—the annual Charlie Brown special. I can remember watching it myself as a child. It gave me such a warm fuzzy feeling when, after they had treated Charlie Brown so horribly, they realized the “true” meaning of the “holiday”—LOVE!!! They held hands and sang an inspiring and emotional rendition of “Silent Night, Holy Night.” Ahhhh! Does it get any better than this?
All my life I have been influenced by the world. We all have. The world, even the church, too many times, tells us that “man” is the center of things. When all is well with us, then all is well in the world, right? (Clearing my throat… and ever so gently, but firmly, saying, “Wrong.”)
When we hear the familiar passage in Luke 2:14, we tend to hear it as we want to hear it. We focus on what it means to us. Then, as we watch our beloved “holy-day” specials, we further write the untruth of the world on our hearts and minds. Charlie Brown and his gang are missing the point! They are missing Truth! Are we, as well?
The angels proclaimed that peace and good will are “toward” men, not “between” men. The peace they proclaimed is not accurately pictured as a warm, fuzzy feeling between people. In fact, Jesus told His followers that He did not come to bring peace, but a sword. In other words, to follow Him did not bring a peaceful life with other people. To follow Jesus meant you, too, would be enemies with the world.
Remembering the birth of Jesus is not a time for everyone to hold hands and imagine a perfect world! The truth is → This is a wicked, wicked world!!!
What then, is this peace that the angels proclaimed?
The world and God are enemies. James 4:4. We are born in sin, an enemy of God. Romans 5:10. There is nothing any of us can do about it. We are helpless, absolutely impotent, to become a friend of God. Romans 5:6.
It is God who is offering us (mankind), a way to be reconciled (to have peace) with Him! Jesus is the way that God is offering us! God is announcing through the angels that He is offering peace to mankind through His Son, Jesus. He is extending His good will to us. He is extending His Son to mankind! If we take God up on His offer, if we truly believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and turn from our own ways to His, then we can be at peace with the God of the universe! Wow! What an offer!
The angels proclaimed this fabulous offer to the earth.
It would be received only by those who would believe and repent.
We must still proclaim this offer—no other.
It is still available to those who will believe and repent.
Now, the angels also pronounced that God in the Highest would receive glory from this transaction of the birth of Christ. Exactly how would that happen? I am so glad you asked!
“Glory,” from the Greek word “doxa,” means “to seem.” It means to give a correct estimate, or a correct opinion of something. To give glory to God is to give others a correct opinion of who He is. We need to show the world who God is and what He is like by how we respond to Him—by our obedience.
Man cannot glorify God with his own deeds. Our deeds are filthy to Him. There is only one hope of glorifying Him. Colossians 1:27. That way is to believe and repent, wherein God identifies you with Christ's death, burial and resurrection, letting the Spirit of Jesus Christ, who is the perfect image and representation of the Father, live in you instead. Romans 6:3-7; Galatians 2:20; Hebrews 1:3. With God’s Holy Spirit living in a person, God will conform that person into the image of His Son, Jesus → who is the perfect image of the Father. Romans 8:29. God’s own image alone is pleasing to Him. His own image shows who He really is which brings Glory to Him!
We can be holy, even as He is holy. 1 Peter 1:15, 16. We must, if we are to bring Glory to God in the Highest. And it’s true that we will be holy through His Son! It is His Spirit, His power that conforms us. 1 Peter 1:2. He actually changes us. It’s a process to be sure, but His words are true. 2 Corinthians 4:16. We will be changed if the Spirit of Christ is in us. 2 Corinthians 3:18.
Praise to God in the Highest Who has made a way! Man could not find a way. God brings Glory to Himself when the world, along with its principalities and its powers, sees that God and God alone can make a human being pleasing to Him—when He places Himself inside of that person and sanctifies him. Ephesians 3:8-10.
God is Holy → So He cannot abide with anything unholy.
Man is not holy → So he cannot abide with God.
Man cannot make himself holy → So he remains God’s enemy.
God offers to make us holy → So we can stop being His enemy.
He offers us peace with Himself → His offer is His Son, Jesus Christ.
He is offering to put His Son inside of us → So we can bring Him Glory!
GLORY to God in the Highest!!!
How I wish I could talk to each one of you personally and make sure you understand this precious, precious truth!
It is of no value whatsoever, now or ever, if we are only at peace with one another! We need to be at peace with GOD!
Adapted from "HIStory—From Event To Event The Bible Is One Story"
