Peace, honor, there's something we hear a lot about at Christmas time.

But what is a baby born in a manger 2,000 years ago have to do with the peace about which the angels sang?

Well today on Truth for Life we'll find out what true peace is and how it changes our lives.

Alistair Begg is teaching from the opening verses of Luke chapter 2.

The announcement, so what do we read? Well somewhere in the fields of Bethlehem where David many centuries before had also kept sheep, these men were going about business as usual.

They were watching over their flocks at night and an angel of the Lord appeared to them, the glory of the Lord shone around them and they were terrified.

There is something downright scary about the unknown. Natural men and women have no conception of the spiritual world.

We don't understand what it is that's up there that's dark and difficult and perhaps dangerous and if for a moment some manifestation of this world were to come and make a dramatic appearance, I think we would be honest enough to say we should be terrified too.

Don't be afraid he says I bring you good news, great joy for all the people.

Incidentally, our friends and our neighbors and some who are present today who are living with great fear and would love to make a discovery of great joy,

need to be told in a kind and straightforward manner that you cannot move from great fear to great joy without a discovery of the good news.

I know you're greatly terrified you shouldn't be because I want to tell you something and it's good news. In fact it's the best news and this news is so good it'll put all your other news in perspective.

Don't you think we would agree this morning that we would like to hear again this kind of news? Don't you think that this would have a compelling impact on the culture of our day in a society that is be deviled by a continual stream of bad news, sad news, horrendous news?

We need to get it in perspective. We say to ourselves as we read our newspapers as we face our lives, is there no good news around here? I feel an Ann Murray coming on but we sure could use a little good news today, right?

That's what the person says.

Bombs here and chaos there and disappointment on this hand and pain here and if we're honest about our lives this morning many of us are not coming to worship out of the fullness and enjoyment of a job well done and of life well lived but we are frankly in trouble.

And we're wondering if there is any possibility of getting perspective on the framework of our lives and here we discover out of the angelic message this wonderful story good news great joy.

The love of God is greater far than tongue or pen can ever know that God has a plan for the world that he has made and that God has a plan for you this morning as an individual God knows you made you and purposefully brought you to this place and in the face of all that you are experiencing he comes by his spirit through his word to put your life in perspective and to bring you good news.

The best news.

Now hardly surprising in light of the content of the announcement that God should then choose to illuminate the night sky by the provision of these celestial beings and also by the striking miraculous phenomenon.

Unto you is born this day a savior and he is Christ the Lord he is the Messiah.

Now in the arrival of Jesus a savior has come who knocks into a cockpit all the other pretenders a

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