Sermon Tone Analysis

Christmas 2019

Tonight I want to look at a word that represents the result of God’s love towards us in sending His only begotten Son Jesus Christ into the world.

That word is PEACE

In the OT the Hebrew word is Shalom.

Shalom has a larger meaning than merely a lack of conflict or war.

Shalom (Peace) has the broader idea of being whole or complete.

There are various aspects or parts of our lives that need to all be complete and in order for us to experience peace.

In fact one of the ideas in the word shalom is to be complete or put together in regards to a person’s health, and that including the spiritual, mental, emotional, and even physical health of a person.

But again the broader idea is for the spiritual, mental, emotional, and physical parts of us being put in their proper working order in our lives.

This is why amongst Jewish people in the OT as well as even today “shalom” is a common greeting.

To say “shalom” is to say “may you be well” or “may all things be well with you”.

The idea of the greeting is to wish for someone that their physical and spiritual needs may be met by the sufficient means or resources.

We also see in the OT the broader theological understanding of peace being lived out in the lives of worship to God through specifically the peace offerings made in the temple, or when an offering was made to commemorate a completed vow made to the Lord.

Shalom also has the idea of the absence of war as stated earlier, but the fuller thought is that because there is an absence of war, there is a peaceful and harmonious relationship with others.

In the most intense sense of the idea of peace within the OT is the promises of God to one day establish an everlasting covenant of (Shalom)peace for His people.

So how exactly can that happen?

We see the declaration in Isaiah 9

And we see this fulfilled in the all to familiar passage that most of us read at least in part found in the NT book called the Gospel according to Saint Luke where we are introduced to the Greek word for peace called Eirene (er-a-na) which has a meaning similar to that of Shalom.

What was His name?

JESUS = Jehovah is salvation

It is the salvation afforded to us by Christ and in Christ that brings peace Shalom/Eirene to every person who will receive it from God.

That Greek word Eirene was also a common greeting in the NT church, and it came from Christ greeting His disciples after His resurrection to reveal Himself to them as risen and alive.

This is why we make such a big deal of Christmas!

Jesus humbled Himself and came as a man (like you and me), He lived a perfect, sinless, holy life.

He taught with His words and His actions what it means to have a relationship with God our Creator.

He then suffered and was crucified on a cross to pay the penalty of our sin against God, so that we could have peace with God.