The multitude of angels proclaimed that as a result of Jesus Christ coming into the world, God would receive glory, and the men of God’s good pleasure would receive peace!
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Glory to God – Peace to Men!
Luke 2:13-20
As I told you last Sunday morning, in Luke 2:8-20 we have recorded for us two angelic utterances. Let me remind you of the differences between them:
1 Angel A Multitude of Angels
Utterance directed to men Utterance directed to God
Spoke of Good News Spoke Praise
Witness Worship
In Luke chapter 2, we have the record of the birth of Jesus Christ. Certainly this was the most significant birth that has ever taken place in the history of the world. There can be nothing more significant than God visiting His people! Luke has told us that because of a Roman census, Joseph and Mary traveled the 80 miles from Nazareth to Bethlehem to register. However, while they were in Bethlehem, the time came for her to give birth. The young couple found themselves homeless in Bethlehem, as there was no room anywhere, except either an animal stable or cave. Mary brought forth her firstborn son into the world, apparently without midwife or doctor, without any fanfare or human recognition. However, God would not allow His Son to come into our world without any announcement at all. So, he sent some angels. At first just one angel appeared to some shepherds out on a Judean hillside at night, announcing that that very day in Bethlehem a Savior had been born. This Savior was none other than the Messiah, the Lord! To confirm these shepherds in the truth of this announcement, he promised that they would find this baby wrapped in clothes and laid in a feeding trough for animals, of all things.
As soon as this angel was done with his announcement, a whole host of angels suddenly appeared. This time they were not announcing a message to men, they were ascribing praise and worship to God. As soon as the angels had appeared they vanished. The shepherds decided to go and see this newborn baby for themselves, so after a search, they did find Mary and Joseph and the newborn babe. They eagerly told Mary and Joseph about the angelic appearance, and no doubt Mary & Joseph told them of their own angelic visitations. No doubt there were visitors who had stopped by to see the new father and mother, and the shepherds lost no time telling them of all the angel had told them. Then, they joyfully made their way back to their sheep as they glorified and praised God.
I’m tempted to spend my time this morning focusing on the shepherds. These shepherds really provide a great example of the Christian. 1st, they hear the Word of God from the lips of the angel. 2nd, they respond in faith by journeying to Bethlehem and searching out the baby. 3rd, they become the first evangelists, by telling everyone they see the truth about who He is and why He has been born. 4th, they glorify and praise God for all that they had heard and seen.
1. They Heard a Message about Christ: That’s where everything always starts, isn’t it? “How shall they call upon Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?” (Rom.10:14). Praise God, there was a time for us when someone spoke the gospel to us, and we really heard it.
2. They Believed the Message about Christ: How do we know that these shepherds believed the word of the angel? Because they acted on it! They got up and journeyed to Bethlehem and searched for the baby. Notice they didn’t say, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see whether the angel’s story is true or not.” No, they said, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see the thing that has happened which the Lord has made known to us.” Not only was there a time where we heard the gospel, but there was a time when we responded to it in faith, and acted on it.
3. They Witnessed to Others about Christ: They “made known the statement which had been told them about this Child.” If someone really believes the gospel, he will have a hard time keeping that good news to himself. He will want to share it with others. When the gospel comes home in power, it is infectious!
4. They Worshiped God because of Christ: In fact, these shepherds took the place of the angels. The angels were praising and glorifying God. Now that they had gone back into heaven, the shepherds just took up their job.
They Believed. They Witnessed. They Worshiped. What a wonderful example of what should be taking place in every one of our lives! But… that’s not what I want to talk to you about this morning. Instead, I want to focus on verse 14 – the second angelic utterance in this passage.
Many commentators believe that this was a song, and that the angels were singing. I can understand that. When I read it, I can imagine them singing these words. However, the Bible says they were saying this. So, I imagine these angels all saying or chanting this in unison together. Or perhaps one group of angels spoke the first part “Glory to God in the highest”, and another group responded with “And on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.”
Notice that there are 3 groups of things which are contrasted with one another
Glory is contrasted with Peace
God is contrasted with men
The Highest is contrasted with earth
The big idea is that the outcome of this Savior coming into the world will be two-fold: glory to God in heaven and peace to men on earth.
1. Glory to God In The Highest
What is Meant by “Highest”?
The Greek word for “highest” is a plural adjective. Literally it would be translated “Glory to God in the highest places, or in the highest heavens.” Because God has sent His only begotten Son into the world as its Savior, He is glorified in the highest heaven. The angels are declaring that the Savior coming into the world brings glory to God.
What is Meant by “The Glory of God”?
A simple definition of the glory of God is “the manifestation of God’s perfections.” One day Moses said, “I pray You, show me Your glory!” The Lord replied, “I Myself will make all My goodness pass before you, and will proclaim the name of the Lord before you; and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show compassion on whom I will show compassion. But you can’t see My face, for no man can see Me and live!” Then the Lord directed Moses to stand on a rock and told Him that He would put Moses in the cleft of the rock and cover Moses’ face when He passed by so that he could see God’s back (Ex. 33:18-23). So, when Moses asked God to see His glory, God replied by telling Him that He would make all His goodness pass before Him, and proclaim the name of the Lord, and be gracious to whomever He would be gracious. What is God saying? He’s saying “OK, I’ll show you My glory. I’ll show you My goodness, Name, and sovereignty!” For God to show us His glory is for Him to reveal His attributes to us.
The next morning the Lord passed by in front of him just like He said He would and said, “The Lord, the Lord God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and truth; who keeps lovingkindness for thousands, who forgives iniquity, transgression and sin; yet He will be no means leave the guilty unpunished, visiting the iniquity of fathers on the children and on the grandchildren to the third and fourth generations.” What is God doing here? He’s fulfilling His promise to Moses. Again, He is showing him His glory. What does His glory consist in? His perfections such as compassion, grace, patience, lovingkindness, truth, willingness to forgive, and justice.
When the angels declared “Glory to God in the highest”, in effect they were saying, “Because Your Son has come into the world, You will be glorified!” You will be seen as glorious because of the birth, life, death and resurrection of Your Son! Jesus was born to die. In the life of Christ, but especially in the death of Christ, God’s perfections and excellencies are put on display. Let’s take a look at some of them.
The Wisdom of God: Oh, how wise God was to contrive such a plan! How wise to come up with a plan where God Himself would become a man, represent His people, live the perfect life that Adam did not live, earn heaven by His righteous life, and then suffer in their place, bearing the wrath of God that they deserved. “Oh the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways!” (Rom.11:33).
The Power of God: Oh, what power we see in the saving work of Jesus Christ! He has power to deliver us from the enslaving dominion of sin. He has power to rescue us from Satan. He has power to deliver us from death and hell. He has power to bear the weight of God’s people and bear it away.
The Love of God: In the saving work of Jesus Christ, we see the greatest demonstration of love the world has ever known. Romans 5:8, “But demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” Jeremiah 31:3, “I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have drawn you with lovingkindness.” Calvary’s cross is where the ultimate demonstration of God’s love was manifested.
The Grace of God: Grace is the undeserved, free favor of God. God’s grace was displayed at the cross, purchased at the cross, and flows from the cross. Think about it – if Christ had never come, God could never have put His grace on display. None of His creatures would ever have seen the glory of His grace. Before Christ came God had displayed His power, wisdom, and goodness. He had also demonstrated His holiness and justice in casting out the fallen angels from heaven and consigning them to pits of darkness to await the judgment of the great day. However, there had been no trace of grace and mercy to be seen in any corner of the universe. Glory redounds to God because Jesus Christ has brought the grace of God to sinners!
The Holiness of God: Oh, how the cross displays the holiness of God! God is too pure to look upon sin. He will not allow the sinner access to His presence unless sin is put away. The cross demonstrates God’s spotless character. He must purge away all sin in order to receive sinners.
The Justice of God: It was at the cross, even more than in hell that God justly punishes sin. Sinners will be punished in hell, but justice will never be fully and finally satisfied there, because the sinner will be punished continually there without end. But at the cross, God’s justice was fully and finally satisfied for all who are in Christ. There the curse of the law, and the wrath of God meet on the head of our Representative. There propitiation was made – the sacrifice which averts the wrath of the Almighty.
The Faithfulness of God: From early as Genesis 3 God had made promises that He would send a coming Redeemer who would rescue man and restore him to Paradise. The cross proves that God is faithful to do what He said He would do. He is not a man that He should lie, nor the son of man that he would repent. Has said, and will He not do it? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good” (Nu. 23:19).
Can you see now why this great multitude of angels is crying out, “Glory to God in the highest!” The coming of Jesus Christ into the world redounds to God’s glory. It allows Him to manifest His infinite perfections to all of His creation – His wisdom, power, love, grace, holiness, justice, faithfulness, and all the others as well.
John Calvin said it well. “Let us remember then, that the final cause why God reconciled us to Himself through His only begotten Son. It was that He might glorify His name, by revealing the riches of His grace and of His boundless mercy.”
We’ve seen what the coming of Jesus into the world
2. Peace On Earth To Men
There are 2 questions we need to answer from this text? “What kind of peace is this?” And, “Who receives this peace?”
What Kind of Peace Is This?
OK, I confess. I used to get the warm fuzzies as a kid when I would watch the Peanuts Christmas Special, and at one point in the show, Linus would read the Christmas story. When he read, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men.” As a kid I thought that meant that because Jesus was born, now everyone would be at peace with each other and express good will towards one another. However, that is definitely not what is meant! I strongly encourage you not to base your theology on the warm fuzzies received form animated Christmas programs! Examine the context of this passage. In verse 11, the angel told the shepherds that a Savior had been born. This Savior had come from heaven to earth to bring salvation. Thus, I submit to you, that three verses later we should keep that in mind when we read “peace to men.” I don’t believe this peace is talking primarily about the peace of God (inner tranquility and calmness of soul). Nor do I believe it is talking primarily about peace that men have with each other. The context dictates that this peace is peace between God and sinners. This is salvation peace. This is not a subjective, inward, peace. This is an objective peace. The war’s over, and the battle has ended. Christians are no longer enemies of God. “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Rom.5:1). We have been reconciled to God through the death of His Son (Rom.5:10). We have waved the white flag of unconditional surrender. Ever since the first man sinned and plunged the world into ruin and misery, men have been estranged and at war with God. There is hostility to God. They will not have Jesus Christ to rule over them. Left to themselves, they would all die in this rebellion and enmity, and perish forever. The angels are declaring, that through this Savior that has just been born into the world, God will establish peace with sinners!
Col. 1:20, “having made peace through the blood of His cross.” That which brought war between us and God was our sin, but Christ has made peace through the blood of His cross, by atoning for sin.
Charles Wesley wrote this when he wrote his hymn, “Hark the Herald Angels Sing.” He wrote, “Peace on earth and mercy mild, God and sinners reconciled.”
Who Receives This Peace?
The literal Greek reads, “peace on earth to men of good pleasure (or good will).” But, what does that sentence mean? Let’s look at three possible views.
View #1: Peace with God comes to people who possess a good will toward God. Does it mean that peace with God comes to men who possess a good will towards God? Is it speaking of the fact that because sinners are well-intentioned toward God, He will grant them salvation peace? That view can’t be correct for the simple reason that no unregenerate sinner possess a good will toward God. Paul says in Romans 8:7, “the mind set on the flesh (unregenerate) is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so.” Does that sound like a sinner having good will towards God?! Absolutely not. He’s hostile to God, not well-intentioned toward God.
Also, this view would make the angels’ praise absurd. They would be praising and glorifying God that there were some people out there with a “good will” to God, and that’s why God has rewarded them with salvation peace. Folks, that view rejects the Biblical teaching on man’s inherent depravity and corruption. It also makes our salvation a result of our good will or intentions, which is the exact opposite of the rest of Biblical teaching. And, why should the angels praise God? If this view is true, they ought to be praising and glorifying those people who had the good will that enabled God to save them!
View #2: Peace with God comes to those men who please God. There are only a handful of places where I don’t like the rendering in the NASB, but this is one of them. The NASB says, “on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.” This rendering makes it seem like God grants His peace to those who have pleased Him. Again, it is kind of a reward for righteous conduct or attitude. It would imply that there are some people who, before they are converted, live a life pleasing to God, and that’s why God grants them this peace. Again, this is another version of salvation by works.
Well, if the angels’ words don’t mean either of these, what did they mean? I suggest another view.
View #3: Peace with God comes to those men who are the objects of God’s Sovereign Grace: You see, I don’t think the angels were talking about man’s good pleasure at all. I believe they were speaking of God’s good pleasure. You might be thinking, “Of course that’s what you think, Brian, because you’re a Calvinist!” Hold on a minute, and let me tell you why I have arrived at that conclusion.
1) This Greek word for “good pleasure” is found 8 other times in the New Testament, and 6 times it refers to God’s good will or pleasure. In the great majority of cases, this word refers to God’s good will; His gracious determination.
2) This is how Luke uses the word in Luke 10:21, “At that very time He rejoiced greatly in the Holy Spirit, and said, “I praise You, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You did hide these things from the wise and intelligent and did reveal them to babes. Yes, Father, for thus it was well-pleasing in Your sight.” Well-pleasing is the same Greek word that we have in Luke 2:14, and this well-pleasing describes God, not man. It describes God’s sovereign determination.
3) Paul uses the word in Ephesians 1:4-5 to refer to God’s sovereign pleasure. “just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before Him. In love He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure (or kind intention) of His will.” What was God’s decision to predestine some to be adopted into His family based on? The good pleasure of His will. “Kind intention” speaks of a plan, a decision, or a purpose. If told you, “It is my intention to go to work today”, you would understand me to be saying, “I have made a decision to go to work today.” It is part of my plan for today. I have purposed it. This is exactly the meaning in Luke 2:14. Men of God’s good pleasure are men who are the objects of God’s sovereign grace. These are people God intends to bestow grace upon. They are people God is pleased to save. They are people to whom God has a good will. These are the ones who receive peace with God on earth!
4) Notice the definition of this Greek word in Kittel’s Theological Diction of New Testament words (which is the authority on the Greek New Testament): “This good pleasure is grounded in God alone and influenced by none else. It is His gracious resolution to save. We must understand eudokia as the unfathomably gracious and sovereign good pleasure of God in the sense of His decree as a decree of free grace and favor. Thus eudokia in the angels’ song refers to God’s gracious counsel addressed in free and incomprehensible favor to the people of His elect.”
Let me sum up the meaning of these angels’ declaration on this holy day. “The perfections and excellencies of our God in heaven are displayed because of the birth of this child. Further, God’s salvation peace comes to those people He has sovereignly decided to give it.”
Life Application
Imitate the Angels in Worship! Does Jesus’ incarnation bring glory to God in the highest heaven? Then let’s give Him glory now on earth! Oh, what an opportunity we have at this Christmas season to worship God afresh, and thank Him for sending us a Savior! Do you see how excited the angels were at the birth of Christ? Yet, Jesus wasn’t sent for them. He was sent for us! How much more ought we to joyously sing of our redemption! I encourage you to spend time worshiping as families together. Sing and pray and praise our glorious Lord for bringing peace with God.
Imitate the Shepherds in Witness! Luke 2:17 says, “And when they (the shepherds) had seen this, they made known the statement which had been told them about this Child.” Not only do you have an opportunity to worship God, you have an opportunity to witness to man. These shepherds heard the good news. They believed the good news. They acted on the good news and searched out the baby. And then, they told others of the good news. We all have opportunities at this time of the year to speak a word for our Savior. Snatch them up! Let your love for Christ bubble up and overflow to those around you. Don’t keep your faith bottled up inside. Let it out!
In our lives and in our church may God be glorified as we seek to bring His peace to men of His good pleasure! Amen.
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