God's Goodwill to Men

13 And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,

14 “Glory to God in the highest,

And on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.”

Luke 2:13-14 NASB

Accuser of the Brethren

Guilt. Shame. Unworthiness. Brokenness. Lacking. Insufficient. Fallen. Defeated.

These are the descriptors that Satan continuously hurls at the born again believers in Christ Jesus. He does it relentlessly, seeking to condemn all those who believe. We have an enemy who the Bible says is the accuser of the brethren:

10 Then I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying,

“Now the salvation, and the power, and the kingdom of our God and the authority of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren has been thrown down, he who accuses them before our God day and night.

Revelation 12:10 NASB

Even though we know that Satan is a liar, we sometimes believe what he says over us. We turn our eyes away from the grace of God through the redemptive work of Christ on the cross, and we start to look at our failures, our guilt, and our shame. If we are not careful, we can start to believe the lies that we are told. At this point, the peace that Christ brought to our lives by reconciling us to the Father can begin to seem like a distant memory.

The passage from Luke that I have noted above for this blog post is quite an amazing thing to think about, and yet, I rarely give it any thought. We all know about the Christmas story with the angels appearing to the shepherds, and we sing the songs of "glory to God in the highest, peace on earth, goodwill to men," but do we really stop and consider what this means? Do we truly understand the impact of this declaration?

Despite this passage declaring peace on earth, when I look around the world today, I do not see peace. In fact, I see a world that is seemingly just as awful a place as it has ever been since God first created it. I see a lack of peace, even though people "say" they want it. I see men of all stripes and colors constantly threatening to war whether it be among nations or simply one individual against another. What I see is a lack of real justice and a continual turning towards a rebuke of the innocent and a glorification of the criminal. Yet, the birth of Christ was clearly a major event in God's story and represented a new era of peace among men. So, how do we reconcile this?

Seated in the Highest

To start, we should consider that there was a "multitude" of angelic beings who appeared with the angel. Although we don't know the exact number, we do know that it was A LOT of "heavenly hosts" and they all declared in unison that there is none higher than God; that He is seated in the "highest" place. Therefore, the message that they are declaring to the shepherds in the field comes from a place that is far above our failures, our faults, and our sin. They have come to declare a "good news of great joy for all people" (Luke 2:10) and that this news will bring peace on earth. The declaration made by the angels is from the highest authority period, any message to the contrary is a lie, or is at least without power. Through the heavenly hosts, God declared peace on earth to those men with whom He is pleased. When the enemy comes at us with thoughts contrary to this message, we should not believe them. The highest authority has already made known our place with the Father and we should remind ourselves and each other of that truth on a regular basis.

Peace on Earth

However, the peace that has been brought with the birth of Christ is a bit misunderstood. It seems like everywhere I go I see written some kind of "peace on earth" statement when the Christmas season comes around. But the peace on earth that came through the cross is intended only for those who are born again; those who believe. The secular world will never know true, lasting peace. Unbelievers will never understand the peace that passes all understanding (Philippians 4:7) because they do not know the Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6).

Christmas and the peace and joy that it brings can only be experienced in any genuine way by turning from our sin, taking up our cross, and following Christ.

Also, peace on earth doesn't necessarily mean that our circumstances will never experience difficulties, hardships, or anxiety. Jesus said that He had not come to bring peace but a sword and that families will set themselves against one another because of Him (Matthew 10:34-36). In this present life, we will have turmoil and we will likely have it throughout our entire lives because of the fall of man. But for those of us who place our faith in the saving work of Christ's death and resurrection, we will have peace with God because Jesus brings reconciliation; something that man has desired since the garden of Eden when our relationship with Him was severed by our sin.

Peace on earth is in the hearts of those who believe.

Men With Whom God Is Pleased

Perhaps all you have really heard in your life are messages which revolve around "sinners in the hands of an angry God." Certainly, God is just and He will judge us by His measure of righteousness. The judgement that He will inflict on those who do not place their faith in Christ will be unlike anything anyone could ever imagine. However, for those of us who have turned our eyes to Jesus for the hope of our salvation, we do not have any fear of the judgment of God (Romans 8:1, 1 John 4:17-18). Understanding this, did you know that God is pleased with you? Do you ever stop to think about that? God is pleased with YOU! Ha! Surely, that could never be! How could God ever be pleased with me?

14 “Glory to God in the highest,

And on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.”

Luke 2:13-14 NASB

Yes, God IS pleased with you, if you repent and place your faith in Him. How do I know it is through faith that He is pleased with us?

6 And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.

Hebrews 11:6 NASB

If it is impossible to please God without faith, then for Him to be pleased with man it must mean that He is pleased with men who believe. Do you believe? Have you repented of your sin and placed your faith in Jesus Christ? If so, then God is pleased with you! The original text that we translate to the English word "pleased" can also mean "satisfied" or "delighted." Yes, God is satisfied and delighted with those who have faith in Christ! THIS is the message of Christmas! As believers we are no longer "sinners in the hands of an angry God" but we are instead the apple of His eye (Psalms 17:8); He delights over us, is satisfied with us, and is pleased with us.

The Creator of heaven and earth is pleased with you! I cannot say it enough; it should be on our thoughts every day. Every time the enemy reminds me of my sin, of my failure, of my guilt and shame, I need to remember that because of Christ, God is pleased with me. And the declaration of His pleasure with me comes from the highest place, meaning any message to the contrary is null and void. He reigns over all.

The Christmas Story

We all have different things we think about when Christmas comes around. There are so many joys and enduring truths that we remember at this time of year, and they are all good and wonderful things to consider. But don't forget that a primary message of Christmas (in fact, the true declaration of angels) is that through Christ, God is pleased with man. This should give you a whole new outlook on your life and how you view your relationship with God. This should impact our view of fellow believers and how God views them and us. For those of you who have turned your faith to Christ, God is pleased, He is satisfied, and he delights over you! Merry Christmas!

God bless!

Matt