God Desires To Give Us Peace

(This was the Christmas Eve Message given on December 24, 2025)

Luke 2:14 “Glory to God in the highest heaven,

    and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

J.J.

INTRODUCTION:

The most popular Christmas song in the Billboard Top 100 for all time is Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You.”  But the one for all time is Big Crosby’s, “I’m Dreaming of A White Christmas.”

Mariah Carey says, what she wants for Christmas is “you”.  Bing Crosby dreams of a White Christmas.   The Chipmunks sings, “All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth.”

My question today is, “What do you want for Christmas?”  

As we all know, God doesn’t give us what we want.  He gives us WHAT WE NEED.

And do you know WHAT WE TRULY NEED according to God?

PEACE. 

That’s why the angels praised God this way when our Lord was born.

14 “Glory to God in the highest heaven,

    and on earth PEACE to those on whom his favor rests.”

GOD KNOWS WHAT WE NEED IS PEACE.

The angels DID NOT say,

and on earth RICHES to those on whom his favor rests.”

and on earth GOOD HEALTH to those on whom his favor rests.”

and on earth POPULARITY to those on whom his favor rests.”

and on earth  A HAPPY FAMILY to those on whom his favor rests.”

This is the reason why when our Lord rose from the dead, His first greeting was “Peace be with you.”

Translated in Greek as Eirene humin but Jesus being a Jew and speaking in Aramaic or Hebrew, would have said, “Shalom lehkhem” or just “Shalom”

BUT WHAT IS PEACE OR SHALOM?

Why do we need it?

Peace is not the absence of conflict.  Peace is not the absence of danger.  Peace is not the lack of money.  Peace is not the absence of sickness.

SHALOM PEACE IS THE INNER PEACE, IT’S THE FEELING OF BEING WHOLE.  IT’S THE FEELING OF BEING COMPLETE ON THE INSIDE… SPIRITUALLY.

INNER PEACE, that’s what we need.

HOW DO WE GET THIS INNER PEACE?

This kind of peace is not something we earn or something we can produce ourselves.  This kind of peace is something that is GIVEN.

That’s why the angels said,

14 “Glory to God in the highest heaven,

    and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

In the King James Version,

It says … AND ON EARTH PEACE, GOOD WILL TOWARD MEN.

That word “good will” means “desire, pleasure, satisfaction”  eu “GOOD” dokia “OPINION’

GOD DESIRES… IT PLEASES GOD…IT SATISFIES GOD TO GIVE US PEACE.

And THE ONLY WAY WE CAN GET THIS PEACE IS THROUGH JESUS CHRIST!

That’s why the angels said beforehand to THE SHEPHERDS

. 10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

ONLY THE LORD CAN GIVE US PEACE.

Peace with God.  Peace within ourselves.

NOTE : It is not a coincidence that the message was sent to the shepherds.

THIS REMINDS US OF THE MOST BELOVED PSALM OF ALL TIME… PSALM 23

It says there…RIGHT IN THE FIRST FEW LINES

Psalm 23

The Lord is my shepherd,  I shall not want.

The NIV version correctly translates it as THE LORD IS MY SHEPHERD, I LACK NOTHING.

It means, if WE TRUST IN THE LORD… WE FEEL COMPLETE… WE HAVE SHALOM.

That’s why the next 2 verses say :

He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters.

Isn’t this a picture of peace?

And then the Psalmist says:

He restores my soul

Etymology :  restores my soul  “nafshi yeshohev” soul… INNER BEING RETURNED.

Isn’t that what happens when something UNFORTUNATE OR BAD HAPPENS TO US?

Examples:

We lose a job, we become sick, there is conflict in our relationships, whether with close friend of family… WE LOSE OUR PEACE… WE BECOME ANXIOUS.  WE BECOME WORRIED. OR WE BECOME ANGRY…. WE LOSE OUR PEACE.

Illustration :  We know someone who learned she had Stage 4 Ovarian cancer,  one of the things that she mentioned to me is “Nanlambot ang tuhod ko (my knees became weak)…I became so depressed,  I cannot eat.” 

IN short, she lost her inner peace and it’s only but natural to feel this way.

But HOW CAN WE GET BACK THAT INNER PEACE?

 It’s putting OUR TRUST IN THE LORD WHO IS OUR SHEPHERD.

That’s why in Isaiah it says,

Isaiah 26:3

You will keep him in perfect peace, (SHALOM, SHALOM)Whose mind is stayed on You,BECAUSE HE TRUSTS IN YOU.,

Biblical Illustration :  Matthew 14

Again, remember when Jesus was walking on the water and then Peter asked our Lord if He can go to Him, the Lord said, Yes… and Peter started walking on the water because his EYES were fixed on Jesus Christ.  Even though there were BIG WAVES… STORM AROUND HIM…. Peter had peace… Peter can walk on water BECAUSE HE WAS LOOKING AT JESUS…But you also remember the story…WHEN HE STARTED TO LOOK AT THE WIND… WHEN WE START TO LOOK AT THE STORM AROUND US…That’s the time, like Peter, we sink… 

That’s why we need to KEEP AT LOOKING AT JESUS!

IF WE KEEP OUR FOCUS ON OUR LORD, WE WILL HAVE SHALOM SHALOM (PERFECT PEACE)…INNER PEACE.

Let me end with this story :

There was this contest for an art gallery open to all artists.  The theme of the contest is “Peace”.  The artists were asked to paint about “peace.”  Several painters came up with scenes of Sunny days and sky blue clouds.  Some painters painted, greenfields… Some painters painted, a nice quiet beach and looking at the sunset.  But the winner of the contest was this painting, where there was a storm, lightning, in a dark background, where debris was flying all over but the light was highlighted on a tree where there was bird’s nest.  On this nest was a mother bird, protecting her three baby birds from the storm by keeping them under her wings and the baby birds were shown sleeping even in the midst of the storm.  THAT IS WHAT INNER PEACE IS ALL ABOUT.

That’s why Psalm 91 says

1Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High

    will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.[

2 I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress,

    my God, in whom I trust.”

PLEASE REMEMBER, OUR LORD DESIRES TO GIVE US PEACE. IT GIVES HIM PLEASURE AND SATISFACTION TO GIVE US PEACE.

THE ONLY THING HE IS ASKING US TO DO IS TO LOOK AT HIS SON JESUS CHRIST… TO PUT OUR WHOLE FAITH AND TRUST IN HIM.

I wish you and your family not only a MERRY CHRISTMAS… BUT I PRAY THAT YOU WILL HAVE PEACE IN YOUR HEARTS AND IN THE HEARTS OF YOUR FAMILY NOT ONLY THIS CHRISTMAS BUT FOR THE REST OF YOU LIFE UNTIL WE MEET HIM FACE TO FACE.

Have a merry and peaceful CHRISTMAS.

God bless you.

S.G.D.