Advent Peace | Paul Spilsbury | Dec 7, 2025

Devotional

Day 1: Christmas embedded in cosmic spiritual warfare

The birth of the Messiah is portrayed not as a private, sentimental moment but as an event set within a cosmic contest between God's purposes and a violent usurper. The narrative of a woman and a dragon shows how the arrival of the true heir provokes the dragon's attempt to destroy God's plan, yet the child is preserved and destined to rule. This larger frame invites confidence: though darkness strikes, the story moves toward the child's enthronement and ultimate victory. [09:51]

Revelation 12:1-5 (NIV)
A great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head. She was pregnant and cried out in pain as she was about to give birth. Then another sign appeared in heaven: an enormous red dragon with seven heads and ten horns and seven crowns on its heads. Its tail swept a third of the stars out of the sky and flung them to the earth. The dragon stood in front of the woman who was about to give birth so that it might devour her child the moment he was born. She gave birth to a son, a male child, who "will rule all the nations with an iron scepter." And her child was snatched up to God and to his throne.

Reflection: Where in your life do you habitually imagine the birth of Jesus as a private, comforting scene rather than an act that disturbs entrenched powers? What would it look like for you this Advent to hold both the tenderness of the manger and the reality of spiritual conflict in prayer and witness?

Day 2: Angel declares Messiah brings peace to God's people

The heavenly proclamation links the Messiah’s coming directly to peace—peace that rests on God’s favor rather than mere human calm. This peace is not simply inner tranquility but a promise tied to God's redeeming action in the world for those on whom his favor rests. Hearing the angel’s song during Advent is an invitation to hope in that divine peace even amid present chaos. [05:53]

Luke 2:13-14 (NIV)
Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,
"Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests."

Reflection: Identify one persistent unrest in your life (anxiety, broken relationship, fear of injustice). In light of the angel’s declaration, how might you reframe that unrest by looking for where God’s favor and redemptive action might already be at work?

Day 3: Simeon sees salvation and departs in peace

Simeon’s prayer models the personal fulfillment of the promise: having seen God's salvation, he can be dismissed in peace. His hope had been sustained through long waiting, and seeing the child confirms that God's purposes are unfolding beyond his own timeline. This peace is not oblivious to suffering but rests on witnessing God's saving work made visible in the Messiah. [06:43]

Luke 2:29-32 (NIV)
Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you may now dismiss your servant in peace.
For my eyes have seen your salvation,
which you have prepared in the sight of all nations:
a light for revelation to the Gentiles,
and the glory of your people Israel.

Reflection: What long season of waiting in your life needs reorientation—so that, like Simeon, you can root your peace in seeing God's faithfulness rather than in the immediate removal of hardship? What small, concrete step can you take this week to look for God's saving work?

Day 4: Jesus' arrival brings division as well as peace

Jesus’ own words remind that the coming of the Messiah will expose and divide loyalties; the gospel unsettles existing orders and can bring conflict. The sword Jesus names points to the inevitable disruption the kingdom causes in relationships, institutions, and the hearts of people. Advent is therefore a time to prepare both for the peace God promises and for the cost of living faithfully in a world often opposed to that peace. [08:38]

Matthew 10:34 (NIV)
"Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword."

Reflection: Where might following Christ in your relationships or community require choosing a different loyalty than the one that currently keeps peace? What tangible step toward that costly fidelity could you take in the coming week?

Day 5: Spiritual forces wage war beyond earthly sight

The struggle surrounding the Messiah is not merely political or personal but spiritual; Scripture warns that unseen powers work against God’s purposes. Recognizing this reality calls for spiritual vigilance and dependence on God’s provision rather than mere human strategies. Such awareness undergirds the Advent hope that God, who acts in heaven and history, will bring final peace. [13:32]

Ephesians 6:12 (NIV)
For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

Reflection: In what ways do you try to address spiritual problems with only human effort (worry, overwork, isolation)? What one spiritual practice (prayer, Scripture reading, confession, communal intercession) will you commit to this week to engage the deeper realities Paul names?

Sermon Summary

Advent begins the church year by turning our hearts toward expectation, hope, and preparation. This week I focused on peace—not the thin version of inner tranquility we often chase, but the deep, costly, and ultimately victorious peace God is bringing to the whole creation. Scripture gives us that larger horizon. The angels promised “peace on earth,” and Simeon held the child Jesus and said he could depart “in peace.” Yet in the same breath Simeon foresaw the falling and rising of many and a sword that would pierce Mary’s soul. Jesus himself later said he did not come to bring peace but a sword. These tensions push us to see that the arrival of Christ provokes conflict because his kingdom confronts the powers that fracture the world.

Revelation 12 pulls back the curtain: a woman gives birth; a dragon stands ready to devour the child; the child is kept safe and destined to rule. Christmas isn’t merely a quaint manger scene; it is the contested beachhead of God’s invasion of a hostile cosmos. Paul reminds us that our struggle is not against flesh and blood but against spiritual powers, which is why we need the armor of God. That conflict shows up in history. Matthew’s account introduces Herod—the dragon’s agent—whose fear unleashes atrocity. The star that guides the Magi echoes Balaam’s prophecy of a ruler with a scepter; Herod’s massacre mirrors Pharaoh’s cruelty; the flight to Egypt and the promise “Out of Egypt I called my son” signal that Jesus replays and fulfills Israel’s exodus story. God preserves the Savior, so the Savior can finally save.

So where is peace? It is promised, but it is not passive. The cross becomes the ground of every kind of peace—peace with God, peace across hostile communities, and finally, cosmic peace. The God of peace will crush Satan under our feet. Revelation sings that the kingdom of the world becomes the kingdom of our Lord and of his Messiah. Advent invites us to live in that hope now—to see beyond our anxieties into the wider battlefield where Christ has already secured the decisive victory, and to prepare our lives to receive the Prince of Peace who will finish what he began.

Key Takeaways

1. Advent peace begins at cosmic level This season points beyond personal calm to God’s campaign to heal a broken universe. Without the Messiah’s victory over the powers, our inner quiet can never be more than temporary. Advent trains us to read our lives within that larger, hope-filled story. [05:02]
2. Opposition intensifies when Christ advances The nearness of Jesus exposes allegiances and awakens resistance, sometimes sharply. Peace is not the absence of conflict but the presence of God’s reign confronting what dehumanizes. Expect disruption—and discern Christ’s work through it. [07:58]
3. Matthew’s nativity echoes Exodus deliverance Herod’s rage, the star’s witness, the flight to Egypt, and Hosea’s promise weave Jesus into Israel’s rescue story. God preserves the Savior as he once preserved Moses, signaling a new and greater exodus. Our hope rests in the God who keeps patterns of deliverance. [23:36]
4. Peace secured through cross and kingdom The cross disarms the powers, creating true peace with God and among peoples; the risen King will complete this peace at his coming. Advent faith holds both the “already” and the “not yet” without surrendering to cynicism or sentimentality. [26:50]
5. Live Advent with armored hope Since our struggle is spiritual, we put on truth, righteousness, faith, and prayer—not to escape the world, but to stand within it. Armored hope is active, patient, and courageous, rooted in Christ’s sure victory and God’s unfailing promises. [13:32]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[02:29] - Remembering shared history
[02:49] - Advent begins: preparing for peace
[05:02] - Peace on a cosmic scale
[05:53] - Angels’ promise of peace
[06:43] - Simeon’s peace and warning
[07:58] - Jesus’ unsettling words on peace
[09:15] - Revelation’s woman, child, dragon
[13:32] - Our struggle and God’s armor
[14:28] - Herod, the dragon’s agent
[18:31] - Balaam’s star and true King
[21:46] - Herod’s atrocity in Bethlehem
[22:46] - Flight to Egypt; echoes of Exodus
[26:50] - The cross as ground of peace
[29:11] - The kingdom becomes the Lord’s

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

Revelation 12:1–6 — 1 And a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. 2 She was pregnant and was crying out in pain as she was about to give birth. 3 And another sign appeared in heaven: behold, a great red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads seven diadems. 4 His tail swept down a third of the stars of heaven and cast them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, that he might devour her child when she brought it forth. 5 She gave birth to a male child, one who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron, but her child was caught up to God and to his throne, 6 and the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God, in which she is to be nourished for 1,260 days.

Observation Questions

What are the principal images and actions in Revelation 12:1–6 (the woman, the dragon, the male child)? How does each image function in the scene?
What does the dragon attempt to do to the newborn child, and what does the text say actually happens to the child? (vv. 4–5)
The angels declare “on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.” How does that promise sit alongside the vision of attack and pursuit in Revelation 12? "on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests." [05:53]
Simeon declares, “now dismiss your servant in peace…,” but also warns that “a sword will pierce your own soul.” Where do these two notes—peace and piercing—meet in the story of the infant Messiah? "now dismiss your servant in peace… a sword will pierce your own soul." [06:43]

Interpretation Questions

How does the image of a contested birth in Revelation 12 change the congregation’s understanding of what “peace” means at the coming of the Messiah?
What is the theological significance of the claim that “our struggle is not against flesh and blood” for how the church names its real enemies and chooses its strategies? "our struggle is not against flesh and blood" [13:32]
How should the statement “I did not come to bring peace, but a sword” be interpreted in relation to the promises of peace given by the angels and Simeon? "I did not come to bring peace, but a sword." [08:38]
How does linking the infancy of Jesus with Israel’s Exodus (flight to Egypt; “Out of Egypt I called my son”) shape the group’s grasp of God’s pattern of deliverance and preservation in history? "Out of Egypt I called my son." [23:36]

Application Questions

The promise of “peace on earth” is cosmic and forward-looking rather than merely private inner calm. How will you change the way you pray or hope this Advent because peace is tied to God’s larger work in the world rather than only to personal tranquility? (Consider the contrast between seeking internal tranquility and focusing on cosmic peace.) [05:02]
Peace does not always look like quiet avoidance of conflict. When has conflict or disruption in your life pointed to God confronting injustice or falsehood? How can you discern whether a disruption is a sign of God’s kingdom advancing or merely personal trouble? "I did not come to bring peace, but a sword." [08:38]
The struggle is described as spiritual, which is why believers are urged to take up the armor of God. What specific daily habits (prayer rhythms, Scripture memory, confession, acts of justice, peacemaking conversations) will help you “put on” truth, righteousness, faith, and prayer in the coming weeks? "our struggle is not against flesh and blood" [13:32]
The cross is presented as the ground of peace—with God, among peoples, and ultimately across creation. What is one relationship or local conflict where you could practice cross‑shaped peacemaking in the next month (a humble conversation, a public act of reconciliation, a sacrificial service)? [26:50]
Matthew’s nativity shows God preserving the Savior through patterns of deliverance (like the Exodus). What personal or communal memories of God’s past deliverance can you bring to mind this Advent to strengthen hope? How will you share or mark one of those memories with someone else this season? "Out of Egypt I called my son." [23:36]
Advent calls for “armored hope”—patient, active waiting that trusts Christ’s decisive victory while still living courageously now. Where do you need to practice patient courage this Advent (in witness, in choosing mercy, in resisting despair)? What concrete first step will you take this week? [26:50]

Sermon Clips

today, my thoughts turned kind of naturally towards our quest for internal tranquility. That's often what we think of when the topic of peace comes to mind. We live in an age of anxiety. It's a time when we all have so many worries. There's so many distractions. But that's not what I ended up preparing. Ultimately, I went on to think in a very different direction, focusing instead on peace on another level, peace on the cosmic level of the work that is going on in the grand scheme of God's purposes. Because without that bigger work, any possibility of peace that we might hope for is just never going to come about. [00:04:40] (52 seconds) #PeaceBeyondTranquility

And so it ever is that Satan attempts to destroy the work of God in the world and not surprisingly, he was very much involved in trying to destroy the Messiah on Christmas morning. The dragon tries to devour the child as soon as he is born, but fails to do so. And because of that, as we learn later in Revelation, the dragon turns his hatred on those who follow Christ. [00:12:38] (31 seconds) #SatanStrikesAtBirth

And for those of us who know the gospel story in its entirety, there's also a resonance that is doubly ominous. Because we've heard this title the king of the Jews used in this story. And the next time that phrase will be used will be in the stories of the trial and crucifixion of Jesus. And so, already at the birth of Jesus, the shadow of the cross has fallen across the story, which reminds us that the diabolical opposition to Jesus didn't start at Easter, but has already begun. [00:20:24] (40 seconds) #ShadowOfTheCross

So, gripped by fear, Herod immediately begins to plot the murder of this newborn king, summoning the chief priests and scribes to find out more about this promised Messiah. When these experts of the law search the scriptures, they learn from the prophet Micah that a ruler who is to shepherd Israel will be born in Bethlehem. Perhaps Herod would have heard in this depiction of the king as a shepherd, a kind of indictment of his own exploitative and corrupt rule. But as it is, the information turns out to be the death knell for the little town famous for its associations with King David. [00:21:05] (42 seconds) #BethlehemShepherdKing

So while Luke's story tells us of the songs of angels, Matthew's Christmas story has the more earthy soundtrack of desolation. In the meantime, of course, Joseph, Mary and the child have preempted the king. Having been warned in a dream, they have already pulled up stakes in the night and have fled to faraway Egypt. And Egypt, of course, is a place with many biblical associations that come to mind. Indeed, it's a place in the Hebrew Bible that perhaps more than anywhere else, stands for and reminds us of God's deliverance from troubles of all kinds. [00:22:28] (42 seconds) #FlightToEgypt

You'll recall that Abraham went to Egypt to escape from famine in Canaan. And so too did the family of Joseph and his brothers generations later. And this is the place where the Israelites saw the mighty acts of God that set them free from slavery under Pharaoh, yet another of the Bible's great villains and agents of the dragon. And so we note that Matthew wants us to see that the story of Jesus' birth is a kind of replay of the theme of salvation that runs all the way through even the remotest parts of the biblical past, all the way to the arrival of Jesus. [00:23:10] (45 seconds) #EgyptEchoesOfDeliverance

The coming of Jesus is a part of God's ongoing story of God's love and God's determination to rescue his people from illegitimate rulers and corrupt leaders in the world. So we notice that Herod's actions in this story remind us grimly of ancient Pharaoh who also tried in vain to kill the infants. Remember, tried to kill the infant Hebrew boys in Egypt. [00:23:55] (32 seconds) #MessiahVsTyrants

So we see here a vast story, a story that takes us all the way back into the deep reaches of the past. It's not a one-off story. It's not a story that just tells us about the birth of Jesus as if it's a stand-alone event. It's a part of God's ongoing story of salvation. And Matthew tells us the story in this particular way to show us all of these connections. It's an episode woven into the biblical story and it's filled with echoes of the story of salvation that run all the way up to the story of Mary and Joseph and Jesus. [00:25:08] (41 seconds) #WovenIntoSalvation

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