Luke

[0:00] As the Lord should be pleased to help me, I shall call your attention to a subject which you will find in the Gospel of Luke, chapter 2.

[0:19] And a sentence in the 14th verse. On earth peace, goodwill toward men.

[0:36] Chapter 2, the Gospel of Luke, and a sentence in the 14th verse. On earth peace, goodwill toward men.

[0:56] I want you, dear young people, never to forget that this wonderful event with which these words are connected did happen.

[1:14] You will be told in your school life, and by others not at school, older in years, that what is recorded is the equivalent of a fairy tale, a myth.

[1:35] But no, it is what saith the Scriptures, and what is recorded in what saith the Scriptures, will stand for time and eternity too.

[1:53] And it tells us in the context here, and suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God, and saying, glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men.

[2:20] Something had happened. Something had happened. The greatest event that ever did happen in what we call time.

[2:35] Jesus Christ had come down into this world. And according to the Word of God, when the fullness of time was come, God sent forth his own Son, made of a woman, made under the law.

[3:00] And he came down to do love's redeeming work. And when you go to Bethlehem, you see there a little babe, lying in a manger, sheltered in a stable, and you see God.

[3:25] Oh, I do hope you dear young people will be favored ere you die, if not before, to see Jesus, and see in him all your salvation and all your desire.

[3:43] And this great mercy was made known to the shepherds watching their flocks by night.

[3:58] And lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them, and they were sore afraid.

[4:13] All Jews felt afraid if an inhabitant from another world appeared to them. And that is what the angel of the Lord really was.

[4:27] They felt it was to do with their death. But this was to do not with death, but with life. And the angel said unto them, Fear not, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.

[4:52] For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you.

[5:06] Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. How highly favored these godly shepherds were.

[5:19] You can be sure they were godly, and as they were abiding in the field, they may even have been conversing upon the things of God to their own soul's peace and profit.

[5:37] But in accordance with the eternal purposes of God, the angel of the Lord favored them with this wondrous message.

[5:48] passage. And I do like this verse. And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known to us.

[6:15] Dear young people, dwell on those words in your heart and in your thoughts, which the Lord hath made known unto us.

[6:31] God revealed this wonderful knowledge to the godly shepherds. And they acknowledged it, which the Lord hath made known unto us.

[6:50] And our concern for you, dear young people, and we do indeed wish you well, we wish you the blessing of the Lord, and that you might, ere you die or before, have this made known to you, that this little babe that long ago was cradled in the manger, sheltered, in the stable, is verily God and verily man.

[7:25] And if you do not receive the truth of it, the day is yet to come when you will see him, not as a wee babe, you will see him if you do not believe it or receive the truth of it that he was born a babe by birth mysterious, you will see him as your judge.

[7:55] Every eye shall see him. And there is a day to dawn when every one who has ever dwelt beneath the sun will see him. a vast host and those who have scoffed at him while they dwelt on earth and said, we will not have this man to reign over us, depart from us, we desire not the knowledge of thee or thy ways, how will they feel then?

[8:30] No tongue can tell what their feelings will be, but it will be the depths of misery untold with hell at rock bottom of it that they will be the subjects of.

[8:46] But to those who have gone to Bethlehem who have indeed been favored to bow there before this little babe, acknowledge him to be who he is, verily God, verily man, and worship him and seek to live unto him while they live, how glad they will see him as he comes in the clouds when he shall come a second time without sin unto salvation.

[9:28] And they will have a feeling may you each of you possess it if it be the will of God. I say they will have a feeling even so come Lord Jesus.

[9:47] On earth peace good will toward men. And now I want to look at this subject from this viewpoint I am going to give you six characteristics of this peace.

[10:06] You may think and many people do think like it as you look around the world today is there such a thing as on earth peace?

[10:19] yes there is there is no peace if you look at the nations and man at war with his maker no and God said in the word of his grace and do you think of it may you never come on the wrong side of it there is no peace saith my God to the wicked if you live and die wicked you will never know what this peace is but oh if in your heart God should lodge an aching void which this world cannot fill and you follow on to know him and his truth you will find this the soul that with sincere desires seeks after

[11:21] Jesus love that soul the Holy Ghost inspires with breathings from above on earth peace good will toward men and now I'm going to give you six words each beginning with the letter P to describe somewhat of the nature of this peace which is known on earth known by all sinners who have the mercy to be born again God gives to his people a little of this peace from time to time and it is very sweet to feel it when in your mind there is a wondrous quietness when you enter into what you sing in the Christmas carol peace on earth and mercy mild

[12:23] God and sinners reconciled and now it is interesting to remember that it was at Bethlehem where the shepherds were keeping watch over their flock by night and how much the word of God speaks about Bethlehem the fields of Bethlehem what they could tell if their history could be recorded it is recorded in the archives of heaven but oh if it could be recorded in books for you and I to read what wondrous interest there would be to go for walks about the fields of Bethlehem there it was that Ruth came when her half was to light on a part of the field belonging unto

[13:26] Boaz and it was not by chance that she was brought to that field when she gleaned in the fields of Boaz and gathered a wondrous gleaning so that when she went home at evening time she could beat out what she had gleaned and it was about an ephah of barley enough to keep her and her godly mother-in-law nay oh my for several days when it was ground into flour and there it was that David watched over his father's sheep and thought of many of the Psalms which afterwards God enabled him to put down and they are recorded in the word of

[14:28] God the Psalms of David in some of them you can discern references to the days of his youth when he traversed the fields of Bethlehem and now Bethlehem means the house of bread keep that thought in your mind and now first of all looking at these various letter p's and the words they suggest on earth peace good will toward men think of what that is I turn aside to make a comment there good will toward men it is what God feels speaking with great reverence his will is good toward men and in his word he has made it manifest that he has ordained to life eternal a number which no man can number and down through the ages that number has been gathered together and still is being gathered even this sabbath day and the word of

[16:05] God is guaranteed and unto him shall the gathering of the people be and what we desire is that you dear young people might be gathered unto him and that you might find in him all your salvation and all your desire and now the first P stands for promised this peace on earth peace good will toward men this peace is promised peace when was it promised it was first of all ordained in eternity before the world was built her time was born but then when in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth you have heard so often in the pulpit about the

[17:13] Adam fall and what happened then God created Adam and then Eve and instated them in the garden of Eden a garden of which the loveliness and beauty of it can never be set forth by mortal tongues and in that garden they were favored to live and there was peace between them and God as God created them they came from his holy hands as perfect creatures and they possessed a free will whereby they could use their own judgment as to what they would do or not do and God placed them under a law they could do this but they must not do that and alas what they must not do is what they did and the word of God tells us sin entered into the world and death by sin so death has passed upon all men for that all of sins the Adam fall had taken place and Adam and Eve in listening to the tempter and falling a prey to the temptation they found they were deceived but it was too late the matter could never be rectified by them or between them and

[19:10] God if anything is to be done to make the matter right once more between God and man God himself must step in and make manifest what he purposes to do and so the Adam fall took place and I think one of the saddest scriptures to read is where you read in the book of Genesis and the Lord God drove out the man and the woman too and placed an angel with a fiery flaming sword that turned every way to guard the way that led to the tree of life and so Adam and Eve went out from Eden's garden and you see peace was broken between them as creatures and their creator and God had to make manifest how peace could be restored and blessed be his name he was pleased to do so and he gave them a promise which links us right up to Bethlehem's manger the seed of the woman shall bruise the serpent's head all those hundreds of years before

[20:51] Jesus Christ was born God made it plain to Adam and Eve that there was a day to dawn in the fullness of time when he would send down into this world his eternal son and he would be seen among men as verily man you read about that in Psalm 40 and in Hebrews 10 where there is a striking word a body hast thou prepared me and when you read the first chapter of Matthew's gospel which gives the detail somewhat of how Jesus Christ was born you must never argue about it or reason or think your own thoughts or imagine things but just believe it receive it as what saith the scriptures and ask

[21:58] God to help you to believe it humble yourself before the manger bow down before the dear babe who laid therein peace on earth good will toward men was promised then to Adam and Eve after the Adam fall had taken place God made it manifest that the breach could be made up but not by any mortal man not by any descendant from Adam and Eve our hymn book tells us for this there must be one who can from sin and death release us make up the breach to its God and man which none can do but

[23:02] Jesus and as God promised there should be this peace on earth to be known and we do believe that Adam and Eve knew what the peace was for we do believe that they were taught of God as they lived their long lives and that they realized what this peace of God was which he had promised should be known on the earth and all his people should be the subjects of it God made plain to Adam and Eve how he was to be worshipped and he made very plain what was to be the basis of it and it was this without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sins the thing is impossible and so when he ordained how he was to be worshipped under the

[24:10] Mosaic law that was the foundation on which the whole of it the whole fabric of it was built up that was the foundation truth and still is as regards the worship of God and how this peace is to be known by poor sinners who were favoured to be the subjects of it without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sins and so all through Old Testament times there must have been millions of birds and beasts that were slain and their blood was shed and sprinkled but it had no virtue it possessed no value it was only a type of the blood of Jesus Christ which in the fullness of time he would come down into this world and be known as verily man and as verily man he would die in the stead of poor sinners like you and me and it was to be his blood the blood of Jesus

[25:35] Christ God's son cleanseth us from all sin and it may be there are some in our assembly who have known what the application of that precious blood is to their hearts and consciences and it is wonderful the peace it communicates peace perfect peace in this dark world of sin the blood of Jesus whispers peace within and go back a moment to Israel of old on the night when they came out of Egypt when they were sheltered under their own home roofs and God had given Moses instructions what they were to do as they remained in their own homes on the night the destroying angel would pass throughout

[26:40] Egypt the blood of the slain sacrifice was to be sprinkled upon the lintels of the door and the door posts and God said when I see the blood I will pass over you oh it is a wonderful mercy to know a little of the blood of Jesus Christ Jesus blood through earth and skies mercy eternal mercy cries and remember this dear young people the blood of all the millions of birds and beasts that were shed it just coagulated and could not be gathered up again it was just useless but the blood of

[27:45] Jesus Christ God's son is just the same at this evening hour as it was when it was shed on Calvary's cross it still has its wondrous efficacy its wonderful virtue and it still avails in that day and that means even this day in that day there should be a fountain open for sin and for uncleanness and that fountain is open still one one writer says see what you think about it defiled I am indeed defiled throughout by sin thy purple fountain Lord I need to wash a leper clean oh that you might realize that you know the pastor often quotes some verses again and again and it is not vain repetition and this is one sinner if thou were taught to see how great thy guilt thy misery in every thought and act impure the blood of Christ thy soul can cure and now dear young people then this peace was promised it is promised peace the next

[29:31] P stands for provided God had to provide this peace and how it should be made known among men and in Old Testament times you find there was what was called a peace offering and it says and if his offering for a sacrifice of peace offering unto the Lord be of the flock male or female he shall offer it without blemish if he offer a lamb for his offering do listen then shall he offer it before the Lord and he shall lay his hand upon the head of his offering and kill it the man who brought the lamb and offered it kill it before the tabernacle of the congregation and Aaron's sons shall sprinkle the blood thereof round about upon the altar if you look in our hymn book when you get home you will find one hymn writer as a verse like this and it refers to that very thing think if you can of the offerer going up to the priest with his lamb and if it was accepted as a sacrifice and was as much as could be without blemish then the offerer slew it himself and the blood was sprinkled round about the altar and as he confessed his sins he had to put his hand upon the head of the lamb that was to be sacrificed in the hymn writer says my faith would lay her hand on that dear head of thine whilst like a penitent

[31:56] I stand and there confess my sin and now that is what we want you dear young people to know by a gracious experience of it to be humbled before God to enter into that word if we confess our sins he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness and you by the help of God to place your hand your hand of faith upon the head of the lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world and to be able to feel all your guilt is gone your sins are pardoned to be no more remembered against you and you have the peace of

[32:57] God in your heart and conscience which passeth all understanding perhaps you will wonder how it came to be that in this particular instance he who offered that lamb on his own behalf and confessed his sins and placed his hand upon its head why it was that he had to kill it and not as it was usual for the priest to do it well it is a very deep subject and it will be difficult to make it very plain but if you were ever brought down before Jesus feet as a guilty sinner among other things you will learn there is that it was not the nails rough and rude as they were that fastened

[34:00] Jesus Christ to the cross it was your sins not only the sins of all that vast host whom God has ordained to life eternal but it was your sins another hymn writer will help us there listen sinner thou hast done the deed thou hast made the saviour bleed justice do it sword on me pierced my heart and passed by thee and I believe that is the teaching of the offerer having to kill the lamb with his own hands while the sons of Aaron sprinkled the blood round about the altar it was provided and do you remember

[35:04] Isaac with his father going up the hill to Mount Moriah on a wonderful business made known to Abraham which Isaac did not know and he said to his father on his way father you have everything as I observe to offer a sacrifice but where is the lamb for a burnt offering in Abraham's reply is lovely God will provide himself a lamb my son and you remember at length when they reached Mount Moriah Isaac was bound on the altar and Abraham was about to slay his son believing God had given him that command to do so but what it really was was a great test for

[36:08] Abraham's faith and as he was about to plunge the knife into poor Isaac bound on the altar a voice from heaven said Abraham Abraham stay thy hand slay not thy son and he commended Abraham for his behavior and what I like to read is as it comes in that record in Genesis and Abraham lifted up his eyes and beheld a ram caught in a thicket and he went and took it and offered it on the altar instead of Isaac and now that is all to teach us and Abraham was taught it as he did that and as he offered that ram he did behold the lamb of

[37:11] God which taketh away the sin of the world he saw God will provide himself a lamb my son and how often you have heard these words will you ever hear them too often God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whoso ever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life promised peace provided peace and now the third P stands for purchased this peace was purchased purchased by Jesus Christ and the record of it is in the epistle Peter and he says here for as much as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things as silver and gold from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers but with the precious blood of

[38:35] Christ as of a lamb without blemish and without spot who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world but was manifest in these last times for you who by him do believe in God that raised him up from the dead and gave him glory that your faith and hope might be in God and so this third P stands for purchased and I'll not say much more about that but I will come to the fourth P because the time is going so swiftly and now the fourth P stands for proclaimed this peace is to be proclaimed there is a little scripture as regards the words

[39:39] I mean a little scripture in the Acts of the Apostles which I look at and I think it may be if the Lord will help me I shall one day be trying to preach from it and it is just this preaching peace by Jesus Christ he is Lord of all this peace has to be proclaimed and in the book of Isaiah there is a beautiful reference to it how beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings that publisheth peace that bringeth good tidings of good that publisheth salvation that saith unto Zion thy God reigneth you see one of the great mercies and

[40:42] I might say also one of the great mysteries regarding the church of Christ is that God raises up men whom he ordains to go forth to preach is glorious gospel it is not only the gospel of the grace of God it is also said to be the gospel of peace and it is a wonderful privilege to be made a minister of Jesus Christ you remember Paul refers to it more than once whereof I was made a minister a great thing if those of us who try to preach and have been doing it for quite a long while can say before God and man whereof I was made a minister it gives you a great deal of searching of heart but we do humbly hope we are what

[41:46] God ordained we should be as ministers of Jesus Christ and so this peace is to be proclaimed and he said to his disciples go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature and ever since then in every age God has raised up men to do it they are doing it this sabbath eve north south east and west doing it with warm hearts out of the abundance of the heart the mouth is speaking and setting forth the gospel of the grace of God that God is indeed a God ready to pardon proclaiming there is the possibility of peace being made between

[42:50] God and man and here I want to read to you a little illustration which will make this more simple in 1798 when George III reigned there was a rebellion in Ireland men did great wickedness and broke laws and defied the English government at last after much fighting the king who was a good man made an offer to the Irish rebels of a free pardon if they would lay down their arms and meet the commander of the English forces in a certain field at fixed times and many came and found the offer was made good and they became loyal subjects of

[43:54] King George III and that field was always known as the field of the free pardon and now dear young people do listen as you were listening to the gospel this sabbath eve you were at the entrance of the field of free pardon the gospel itself in the proclamation of it the gospel is indeed a field of free pardon and you find looking again in Isaiah how God makes it manifest and how we love to preach the gospel and this is how it is made known and every man ordained to preach the gospel desires so to preach it seek ye the

[44:55] Lord while he may be found call ye upon him while he is near let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts and let him return unto the Lord and he will have mercy upon him and to our God for he will abundantly pardon for my thoughts are not your thoughts neither are your ways my ways saith the Lord you say or at least you think depth of mercy can there be mercy for a wretch like me but I say the gospel is like the field of free pardon and he whose gospel it is is a God ready to pardon and Jesus

[45:56] Christ declares come unto me all ye that labor and a heavy laden and I will give you rest oh it is a great mercy to be found in the field of free pardon to be found under the gospel where that pardon is proclaimed and happy is that people that is in such a case yea happy is that people whose God is the Lord and you will find in the gospels as Jesus Christ preached his own gospel it was so beautifully simple what could be more simple than the word I have just quoted him that cometh unto me I will in no wise cast out none of these poor

[46:57] Irish warriors when they came to the entrance gate of the field of free pardon found it shut no the gate was kept open at the times appointed if to be they would enter there in and they were sure to be made welcome in doing so and sometimes you sing the door of thy mercy stands open all day to the poor and the needy who knock by the way no sinner should ever be empty sent back who came seeking mercy for Jesus sake and oh you should say thank you to God that you were born under the gospel and all your lives hitherto you have been under the gospel and

[47:57] God grant your ears may be attuned to it and that you may enter in through the gate of the field of free pardon and understand and understand blessed is the people that know the joyful sound they shall walk oh Lord in the light of thy countenance and now we come to the fifth P and that stands for pursued this is rather a striking thought the word of God says follow peace with all men follow it you may not easily catch it but follow it and then it says seek peace and pursue it so

[49:00] I have used the word pursued and that means if any of us who are born again are favoured to know what this peace is we do hope some of us hear a little and there a little we have tasted that the Lord is gracious we have known somewhat of the wondrous quietness that is produced by the peace of God which passeth all understanding possessing our hearts and minds but in everyday life we have got to pursue it while we know it by experience we have got to reduce it to practice what did the Saviour say you must listen to that blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called the children of God and you know there are people very glad we are to know them some not so far off either who are peacemakers they lose no opportunity to follow after the things that make for peace it can be done by your actions you can keep silence when if you spoke peace might be broken if you said what you felt and thought angry words are likely spoken in a rash and thoughtless hour brightest links on earth are broken by their deep insidious power but there are two or three things

[50:52] I would like you dear young people to possess and above all to possess them you must pursue them and now if you and I do have this peace wrought in us it will give us a peaceful temper it is a great thing to have a peaceful temper to have quietness within not to get all upset and filled with conflict and emotions if things are not just as you would like them to be and what you are by nature to be seen and not what you should be by the grace of God do pursue after a peaceful temper I'm not fitting any caps on I expect no one in Union Chapel at this time has got a quicker temper than what the pastor himself possesses and I have had much chastening on account of it but do follow after a peaceful temper and that will also include that you will pursue to possess a peaceful tongue how forcible are right words

[52:13] Job said long ago and sometimes a word spoken when it would have been much better to keep silence and not to speak at all can set alight quite a great fire in a community but seek peace and pursue it so think of this P number five as being pursued peace and then the last one number six the P stands for perfect perfect peace and the word of God tells us about that thou will keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on thee because he trusted in thee he is not churned up in his own mind what shall we do here how shall we behave in this matter or that because he is resting on

[53:27] God trusting in in the Lord and he finds in his mind a peace to leave God to order all his ways and trust in him what e'er betide to find him in each evil day an all sufficient strength and guide and remember dear young people this peace is to be known peace in our minds when our circumstances are very trying think of Daniel in the lion's den there they were the lions wandered about and they looked up at Daniel but they could not do anything at all to injure the dear godly man and he himself possessed wonderful quietness of mind the peace of god and he said my god has sent his angel and he has shut the lions mouths that is what that word means there will keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on thee because he trusted in thee god gives us this peace when our circumstances are very trying he says as it were leave it all to me

[54:58] I have the matter in hand and you feel my times are in thy hand oh god I wish them to be there and then there is a peace he gives when we come down to die peace in a dying hour oh there have been many many death beds since this peace was first proclaimed but for everyone who is a sinner born again they know somewhat more or less of this peace on earth good will toward men as they journey on through life but when they come down to die and they are to turn their backs on the things of time and enter into an eternal state as they go down into Jordan swelling they find this peace is indeed perfect peace peace between their souls and

[56:09] God and keep this thought in your mind as you go home in everything by prayer and supplication with thanks giving let your requests be made known unto God and the peace of God which passeth all understanding shall possess your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus and what I desire for you dear young people is that you might be able to feel like Simeon that you will not die till you have seen the Lord's Christ and when he was old and grey headed he went by the Holy Spirit's influence into the temple and there he saw the child Jesus brought in and he took him up in his old withered arms and blessed

[57:12] God and said Lord now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace for mine eyes have seen thy salvation according to thy word and I would just conclude by saying this God grant that great mercy to you and to me Amen