ptrallan01
12-17-2004, 05:03 PM
10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
12 And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,
14 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.Luke 2:10-14
And thus was the amnesty of grace announced to men.
Have you ever known anyone on death row? Someone who has been tried, convicted and sentenced to die because of their crimes. Someone who has been given over to death? There have been 13 people in the state of Illinois released from death row in the past few years because they were innocent and the govenor commuted the sentences of everyone else a few years back because of the problems with the judicial system here.
But there is no problem with God's judicial system. Being an all knowing, all wise creator and sustainer, he knows all of the guilt that exists, has tried us by the plumbline (see Amos 7) and judged us to be fit for death. You see we were all on death row, destined for the lake of fire and eternal separation from God.
This same self existent God loves us and from before the creation of the world prepared a way for us to be redeemed unto him. He asked His Only Begotten Son to dwell as a mere human being and experience all that we experience, to endure every temptation that we endure, to be cold, to be hungry, to sweat and get tired. To be ridiculed, scorned, laughed at and abused; to reduce Himself from Godhood to manhood and lay aside all the trappings, rights and priviledges of heaven and divinity in order to take up the sin of humanity and pay the price of a debt he didn't owe for a crime he didn't commit.
Peace on earth, do you see any? Soldiers in Iraq, civil war in the Sudan, Ivory Coast, the former Yugoslavia, revolution in Chechnya, Intifada in the Palestinian territories and murder rates in american cities that rival the death toll in each of these conflicts. No the Peace on Earth that is spoken of here is about a cessation in the hostility between man and God. It is about a time that is set aside for negotiating a return to Eden. We are given a period amnesty whereby through Grace we are allowed to approach the father with a simple I'm sorry, I trust in your Son's death as payment for my failure. The enmity between God and man is put on hold until as many as possible sign up to accept the Grace of our Lord Jesus through the power of the Holy Spirit to be reconciled unto God our Father. This is why the declaration ends with Good Will TOWARD men. God has goodwill and patience toward us. He has intentions to do good to us which is exceeding and abundantly above all we hope or ask. It doesn't say good will among men but goodwill toward men.
This is a reason to celebrate the birth of our Savior. That he is the living embodiment and bright shining glory of His Father, declaring that grace and peace flow from heaven to mankind through Him. Celebrate grace this Christmas. Find a friend who doesn't know the true impact of the amnesty and offer it to them on behalf of a loving God, through the Blood of an obedient Son, and the power of Their Holy Spirit.
A fellow recipient of the amnesty of God, released from the death row of sin by the Grace of God.
Love
Peter
11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
12 And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,
14 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.Luke 2:10-14
And thus was the amnesty of grace announced to men.
Have you ever known anyone on death row? Someone who has been tried, convicted and sentenced to die because of their crimes. Someone who has been given over to death? There have been 13 people in the state of Illinois released from death row in the past few years because they were innocent and the govenor commuted the sentences of everyone else a few years back because of the problems with the judicial system here.
But there is no problem with God's judicial system. Being an all knowing, all wise creator and sustainer, he knows all of the guilt that exists, has tried us by the plumbline (see Amos 7) and judged us to be fit for death. You see we were all on death row, destined for the lake of fire and eternal separation from God.
This same self existent God loves us and from before the creation of the world prepared a way for us to be redeemed unto him. He asked His Only Begotten Son to dwell as a mere human being and experience all that we experience, to endure every temptation that we endure, to be cold, to be hungry, to sweat and get tired. To be ridiculed, scorned, laughed at and abused; to reduce Himself from Godhood to manhood and lay aside all the trappings, rights and priviledges of heaven and divinity in order to take up the sin of humanity and pay the price of a debt he didn't owe for a crime he didn't commit.
Peace on earth, do you see any? Soldiers in Iraq, civil war in the Sudan, Ivory Coast, the former Yugoslavia, revolution in Chechnya, Intifada in the Palestinian territories and murder rates in american cities that rival the death toll in each of these conflicts. No the Peace on Earth that is spoken of here is about a cessation in the hostility between man and God. It is about a time that is set aside for negotiating a return to Eden. We are given a period amnesty whereby through Grace we are allowed to approach the father with a simple I'm sorry, I trust in your Son's death as payment for my failure. The enmity between God and man is put on hold until as many as possible sign up to accept the Grace of our Lord Jesus through the power of the Holy Spirit to be reconciled unto God our Father. This is why the declaration ends with Good Will TOWARD men. God has goodwill and patience toward us. He has intentions to do good to us which is exceeding and abundantly above all we hope or ask. It doesn't say good will among men but goodwill toward men.
This is a reason to celebrate the birth of our Savior. That he is the living embodiment and bright shining glory of His Father, declaring that grace and peace flow from heaven to mankind through Him. Celebrate grace this Christmas. Find a friend who doesn't know the true impact of the amnesty and offer it to them on behalf of a loving God, through the Blood of an obedient Son, and the power of Their Holy Spirit.
A fellow recipient of the amnesty of God, released from the death row of sin by the Grace of God.
Love
Peter