The Prince Of Peace. Isaiah 9:6 Christmas Series:

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Jodie Mills
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1 Isaiah 9:6 Christmas Series: The Prince Of Peace Isaiah 9:6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Intro This morning, for one final time we are going to look at Isaiah 9:6. For the last several weeks we have been studying the attributes of Jesus as given through the names that the prophet Isaiah pronounced upon him. We have discussed him as the Wonderful Counselor, The Mighty God, and The Everlasting Father. Most of these titles have identified who he is, they have revealed to us the Mighty God in Christ. This morning, however, as we look into this verse one more time, we see him not just for who he is but for what he came to do. Prince of peace speaks as much to purpose as does to identity. Peace Lets talk for a few moments about peace and the biblical implications of the word. We hear a lot about peace these days. o Right now the UN security council and various Middle Eastern nations are clamoring for peace in Gaza. o Peace is a good thing and everyone wants it and needs it. o But the real question this morning is, What is peace? How do you define it? o To terrorists or tyrants, getting peace means eliminating those who stand in their way but that s not really peace, that s control. o To followers of Eastern religions, peace comes from being one with the universe and having no awareness of self but that s not really peace, that s serenity. o When you determine to sleep in on a Saturday morning but the kids get up at the crack of dawn, you may lay in your bed and wish for peace but what you really want is quiet, not peace. Webster s dictionary defines peace as (1) a state of tranquility, (2) freedom from disquieting or oppressive thoughts or emotions, (3) harmony in personal relations and (4) a state or period of mutual accord between governments. o These definitions can be broken down into two major themes: the cessation of hostilities, and peace of mind. The English word "peace" came from the Latin pax.

2 o To Romans, pax meant the cessation of hostilities between the conqueror and the vanquished. o This was always a temporary peace as it was interrupted by changes in the balance of power. o In our western mind peace is an elusive fragile thing that is difficult to obtain and nearly impossible to maintain. o Just look at Webster s definition: Tranquility is always temporary it is not a lasting condition Freedom from disturbing or oppressive thoughts or emotions may be had for a space of time like when we sleep but that mental refuge is always fleeting. Even our sleep is interrupted from time to time by some unpleasant or worrisome thought. How many times have you woken in the dead of night to find yourself wrestling with some problem or situation that has arisen in your life. This mental peace that Mr Webster has defined is at best elusive and in reality almost non-existant. Peace may arise from harmony in personal relationships but that peace is temporary as well for even the closest of human relationships have their struggles and disputes that disrupt the peace that exists. And finally we all know that peace between governments is a fragile thing. It is a peace that is made possible by our military strength and prowess. Peace between nations is built upon fear and distrust. It is held together by that certain knowledge that mutual destruction and devastation will be the certain result of broken peace. However, the biblical concept of peace is rooted in the Hebrew word "shalom" which implies wholeness, completeness, soundness, safety, health and prosperity. o Most importantly though, it is a condition that is arrived at by being in right standing with God. o It is the end result of a covenant relationship or a friendship with God. o This is peace. There are vast differences this morning between our cultural concept of peace and the biblical idea that is conveyed b Shalom. o Peace, as we know it, is the absence of calamity, chaos or commotion. o Shalom, however, is a condition that exists regardless of what is going on around us. Worldly peace can be shattered by a storm or the outbreak of hostilities between two warring parties.

3 o Biblical peace remains peace, regardless of the storm winds that may blow or the enemies that might purse our lives. Worldly peace is the result of a temporary agreement that seems to totter on the brink of collapse almost from the moment it comes into being. o Biblical peace, however, is founded on a right relationship with God it is the result of a covenant relationship with God and nothing in this world can intrude upon it. I want you to understand this morning that when Isaiah calls Jesus the Prince of Peace he s talking about a peace that passes all understanding. o He s talking about a peace that results from a friendship with God. o It s a peace that isn t subject to the conditions around you. The peace that Isaiah is talking about is peace in the storm, it is peace through the trials, it is peace in spite of the struggles and difficulties of life. o It is peace that flows from our relationship with God. o It s the kind of peace that enables you to stand at the grave of a dear loved one and know that all is well in your soul. o It s the kind of peace that enables you to lay your hand upon the fevered brow of your child and whisper the name of Jesus taking confidence in the fact that he is in control. o It s the kind of peace that can look upon the impending economic crisis in our world and take comfort from the fact that God provides for his own. o I m talking about peace in chaos, peace in hard times, peace in seemingly peace-less situations. Jesus Christ is the Prince of Peace. o This morning, by virtue of a relationship with him, that peace can be loosed into your life. The earliest biblical example of peace is the condition that existed in the garden of Eden. o Adam and Eve were at peace with God, with the creation and with each other. o All their needs were supplied. o There was no disease or discomfort. o They were surrounded by beauty. o They weren't lonely because they had each other. o More importantly, they had an intimate relationship with the One who created them. o If any people ever experienced peace, it was Adam and Eve. But peace, even in the Garden of Eden, was founded on a right relationship with God. o Peace only existed so long as Adam and Eve maintained a covenant relationship with God. o Adam and Eve, when they allowed sin into their lives lost so much more than the tranquility and safety of the garden. o Peace was lost in the Garden of Eden.

4 Man lost his right-standing with God. o That covenant relationship with God was sacrificed in the Garden. o From Adam we inherited sin, strife, toil, sickness and calamity. o All of that can be summed up as being the opposite of peace. o The reason peace is such fleeting, fragile concept in our world is because peace is what was lost in the Garden of Eden. o In Adam we lost our peace. Nowhere was the concept better understood than in the mind of a Hebrew teacher or prophet. o Isaiah understood what was at stake when you discussed Shalom, or peace. o Any Hebrew could tell you how that God brought Israel into a promised land and promised them peace through obedience to God. In Deuteronomy 28, God promises that blessing will come with obedience. o The description of God's blessings in this chapter cover every area of life imaginable. o In response to Hebrew obedience, as a result of a covenant relationship, God promises wholeness in the family, wholeness in the environment, wholeness in relationship to the surrounding nations. o The promised land bore the promise of being another Garden of Eden, a land that truly flowed with milk and honey. Yet the same passage that promises blessing and peace for obedience declares a curse, violence and strife for disobedience. o There would be environmental crisis. o Drought would plague the land. o Strife would occur in the family. o Violence would be a characteristic of society. o The very safety and security of living in the land would be jeopardized by disobedience to God. o And any Hebrew could tell you that, when that covenant relationship with God was broken in the promised land, their peace was shattered. So, when Isaiah spoke of the Messiah as the Prince of Peace he was talking about more than just a negotiator that would foster a fragile truce. o He was saying that he child that was to be born, the son that was given, would be the Prince of Peace. o He would be the One that could restore men to a right relationship with God. o He would be the One that could establish again a covenant relationship between God and man. This man Christ Jesus, this child that was God manifest in the flesh, came to restore to humanity true peace. o You see, this morning, Prince of Peace is about more than just identity. o It s about more than just telling who the child is. o The title Prince of Peace delineates what He came to do. o Jesus Christ came to re-establish peace in or lives.

5 The Jewish sages taught that when the Messiah came, there would be peace in the world. o The phrase "when the Messiah comes" was a synonym for "when peace comes." o The long-held hope for peace would be fulfilled in the person of Jesus Christ. o He would be the One who bridged the chasm between us and God; o He came to restore to us what Adam lost for us. o He came to return to us peace. o Not peace that flows from tranquility or serene circumstances but peace that passes all understanding, peace that flows from our relationship with god. o This is the peace that Jesus came to restore to us. He told the disciples, just prior to his death on the cross, in John 14:27 o Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you... o Jesus said, I came to give you peace, but not peace like the world gives! o I came to give you peace that flows from a covenant with God. o The world s peace is contingent on circumstance and surroundings. o Human peace can be shattered in a moment by trial, disaster or chaos in our lives. o But the Peace that God gives, the peace that Jesus bought at calvary, is a Peace that passes all understanding. o It is peace in the chaos of the storm. o It is Peace when it is not humanly possible to know peace! o It is not a peace in the absence of trouble, but it is a peace in spite of trouble. I want to join my voice with Isaiah this morning and declare to you that the Prince of Peace has come! o There is a peace that defies human understanding. o There is a peace that will carry you through difficult times. o There can be found in Jesus Christ a peace like no peace this world has to offer. It is a peace not based on outward circumstances but on the reality of a restored relationship with God. o In that child that was born, God himself became one of us in order to pay the price that would restore us to peace with him. o He made a way for us to have peace in our lives. This is what Isaiah meant when he called him the Prince of Peace. o He redeemed us out of sin, he purchased for us eternal life and he established a way for us to enter into a right standing with God. o At the cross of Calvary he established the way for us to know true, lasting peace. Sometime in the next month or so they are going to reach a peace agreement in Gaza but it will be a temporary peace.

6 o With the passage of time more terrorist rockets will be fired into Israel and the IDF will respond with further violence. o This fragile, tenuous, peace isn t what I m talking about this morning. Jesus made a way for you to know a peace that is, in his own words, different from the peace that the world knows. o This is a peace that remains peace no matter what you face in this life. o This is a peace in the midst of adversity and struggles. o This is a peace that overshadows trials and chaos. o The only way to establish that peace in your life is through the death burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Jesus paid the price for sin, he re-established a covenant relationship with God. o But he told all who would listen that he was the door into that relationship. o Jesus said, in John 14:6 I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. o The only way to restore a right relationship with God is to come through Jesus Christ. o How do you come to God through the sacrifice of Jesus? You die with him in repentance. o Altars, throughout the bible, are places of death. o What happens at an altar is you die out to sin. o When you come to the alter to repent of your sins the old man dies, o That sinful nature that controls you and holds you captive bound to your past can t survive genuine repentance. o When you repent of your sins, it dies. The bible goes on to teach that we are buried with him in baptism. o When we go down in the water, in the name of Jesus, we are buried with him. o We lay the old man to rest. o We bury our sinful past and we sever the bondage that has held humanity captive from Adam to now. It doesn t stop there. o Jesus died, and he was buried, but then he rose on the third day. o His resurrection is the vital component of salvation. Paul said in 1 Chorinthians 15:14, if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. o The resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead is the centerpiece of our faith. o Likewise, it is the centerpiece of our salvation. Romans 8:11 tells us that the same spirit that raised Christ from the dead must dwell in us also. o We are identified with the resurrection of Jesus Christ when we receive the baptism of the Holy Ghost. o That same spirit comes to live within us.

7 This is how Jesus restored our peace, through his death, burial and resurrection. o This is how we come into peace with God, through repentance, baptism and the infilling of the Holy Ghost. o This is what Jesus meant when he said, I am the way, the truth and the life! o This is the key to experiencing the lasting Peace that Jesus bought with his own blood. Isaiah concluded this great passage in which he identified our savior with the most powerful attribute yet. o Jesus is the Prince of Peace. o As such he did what o man could ever do. o He made a way for you and I to enter into a covenant relationship with God. o He made a way for us to know true peace, biblical peace, a peace that arises from a friendship with God. o This is the power and the wonder of this final title: Jesus is the Prince of Peace! Close One man said Peace is the brief glorious moment in history when everybody stands about reloading. o Another man spoke of the futility of human peace when he said Washington has a large assortment of peace monuments. We build one after every war. o Still yet another, famed author H.G. Wells said, near the end of his life, The time has come for me to reorganize my life, my peace I cry out. I cannot adjust my life to secure any fruitful peace. Here I am at sixtyfour, still seeking peace. It is a hopeless dream. Can I tell you this morning that the human pursuit of lasting peace is, indeed a hopeless dream. o There exists no lasting peace in this life outside of a right relationship with God. o But, by the same token my friend, there is a peace of mind a spiritual peace that can be obtained today that none of the affairs of this life can alter. o There is hope. o In Jesus Christ, there is peace! There is a peace, that you can tap into this morning, that flows from a right relationship with God, that nothing in this life has the power to change. o As long as you walk with him and maintain your relationship with him there will be a lasting peace in your life. o Not the absence of troubles but the presence of peace. Perhaps you are here this morning and you ve allowed anxiety, stress and fear to get the best of you.

8 o Perhaps you ve lost sleep at night over circumstances and situations in your life. o There is no more certain indicator of the fact that you need to restore and renew your relationship with the one that is the wellspring of peace in your life than stress and worry and fears. o There is a peace that flows from our relationship with God that says, I don t know what tomorrow holds but I don t have to because I know He holds tomorrow. o If you re struggling with peace in your life this morning, why don t you find a place of prayer this morning and let the peace speaker speak peace into your troubled life? Perhaps you are here and you haven t ever known that peace that I m talking about, or perhaps you once had a relationship with God but somehow it s been broken. o I want to encourage you this morning to come to the altar and establish a relationship with God. o Let it start with repentance, let your heart break in his presence, you will discover, this morning, a peace that passes all understanding. Perhaps you know God this morning and by virtue of your relationship with him, you know peace. o I would ask you to come as well to this altar for the next few moments and spend some time in his presence. o Let s allow that wellspring of peace just to bubble over in this house this morning. o

Upon This Rock. Upon This Rock 1

Upon This Rock. Upon This Rock 1 Upon This Rock Matthew 16:17-18 And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. And I say also