Unto Us He Reigns

Isaiah chapter 9, the easiest way to get across the country is to buy a plane ticket and fly.

Isaiah 9 · chapter mention

! It's not the most scenic way to do it.

If there's a cloud coverage, you won't see anything.

But it is efficient.

And most of us know the routine.

You got the 311 bag and you can leave your shoes on now.

Thank the Lord.

Some love flying and some hate flying and some do it for a living.

For most of her life, my oldest daughter Abby's flights have been unpredictable.

She has an ear condition that sometimes the pressure change causes intense pain.

And sometimes it don't bother her at all.

And if you know Abby, you understand that.

Sometimes it bothers her, sometimes it don't.

But if it does bother her, she'll let you know it.

We were flying together once not long ago and the pain hit hard.

She was sitting at the window and there was a seat between us that was empty and I was sitting in the aisle.

And we were at 30,000 feet.

And she looked at me and said, Daddy, I can't do this.

And I said, Honey, you don't have a choice.

We are going to do it.

And we're going to land this plane.

So the fear that she gets is different than what some other people get when they fly.

Some people dread the takeoff.

They just don't like leaving the ground.

And some people don't like landing.

They don't like rushing toward the ground.

It don't really bother me a whole lot.

But what bothers me the most is turbulence.

Because it comes out of nowhere.

You hit an air pocket and drop.

And what I've learned to do is pay attention to where I look and see what happens.

See, I watch the faces of the flight attendants.

And when they tell them to buckle up and sit down,

I look at their faces to see if they're whispering to one another and those type things.

If they're calm, I'm calm.

Now, I found out since I believe that that they're actually trained to look calm even when they're freaking out.

So that don't really help.

But anyway, I also find comfort in the voice of the pilot.

Because when the pilot comes on and says,

All right, we're going to hit some turbulence.

And there are going to be some air pockets.

And it's going to be a little rough coming in.

But we're steady.

And he sounds confident.

And he sounds instructional on what he tells us to do.

We know what to expect.

And we know what to do.

And it just kind of calms things.

Wouldn't it be nice

if when turbulence hits our lives,

if we had someone to look to for comfort,

someone to look to for guidance?

I'm thankful today that we do.

And that Prince of Peace came to us as a babe in a manger.

He's the reason we celebrate Christmas.

And once again, I want you to listen to the prophet.

Predict the coming of the Lord 700 years before his arrival.

And notice how he introduces him.

Isaiah chapter 9, 6 and 7 says,

Isaiah 9 · chapter mention

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given.

And the government shall be upon his shoulder.

And his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Of the increase of his government and of peace, there will be no end.

On the throne of David and over his kingdom to establish it and uphold it with justice and with righteousness.

From this time forth and forevermore, the zeal of the Lord will do this.

This passage is weighty.

It gathers up all that begins when Christ comes into the world.

It encapsulates the totality of what will begin when Christ is born.

It says, for under us a child is born.

That means that Christ is born.

He's human.

A real boy in a real world, he came dependent.

He came limited.

He came human.

But he's also a son that's given.

This didn't start in Bethlehem.

This is the eternal son of God.

Given to us.

He didn't stop being God.

Humanity was added to him.

Only God can bear the weight of sin, but only man can stand in our place.

He's the God man.

Then it says, and the government shall be upon his shoulder.

When a king was enthroned, a royal robe was draped across his shoulders.

It symbolized rule and authority.

But with this king, it's more than just a robe.

He bears the weight of the responsibility that he has been given.

And that is the burden of redemption.

He's bearing the weight of the sins of a fallen world upon his shoulders.

He is our savior.

But he's not only our savior, but he is a wonder of a counselor.

He knows what we need before we ask.

He is the mighty God.

He has power over sin, death, and hell.

And he has the power to save.

He is everlasting father.

He will never leave us.

He knows, can do all things, and remains forever.

Yet with all of those titles, my favorite title appropriates his position is this last one, and that is he's the prince of peace.

I don't know anybody who likes scrapes and squabbles.

I know people who have a tendency to get into it.

Some just learn how to cause commotion.

That's kind of what they do.

But even when they do that, they kind of wish it would stop.

They just want to win.

But peace is a good thing for all people.

We're all in the need of peace.

And the gift of Christmas is, in Christ, is that we have peace.

But that only comes through the prince of peace.

He did everything that he did and does everything that he does so that we can have peace.

So I just want to tell you what we have this morning when we have the prince of peace.

And just look at what scripture teaches us.

As it elaborates on the peace that we can find only in the Lord Jesus.

In him we have a prevailing peace.

In John chapter 14 through John chapter 16, Jesus is in the upper room with his disciples.

John 14 · chapter mention John 16 · chapter mention

He is preparing them for a time when he will no longer physically be present with them.

And he promises them that the coming of the Holy Spirit, he promises them of the coming of the Holy Spirit.

And he assures them that he will be in their presence.

He speaks of his prevailing presence even after his ascension.

And he closes that out by saying in John 16, 33,

In me you may have peace.

In this world you will have tribulation.

But take heart.

I have overcome the world.

Now the tribulation that he speaks of in this passage is not talking about some end time, certain number of year kind of tribulation.

No, no, no.

He's talking about the stuff that we deal with every day of our life.

The pains and the sorrows and the difficulties that we deal with every day of our life.

And sometimes on the worst days of our life.

It's been a rough week.

It really has.

I spent the first part of the week one day afternoon going to a father's funeral.

One lost his father.

A good, godly man.

That went on to be with the Lord.

And he buried his beloved dad.

And the next day I got a call.

That somebody had tragically, quickly lost their son.

And tried to walk through that with that family.

Through their celebration of life for him this week.

It's been a rough week.

There's tribulation.

Trials and difficulties in our lives.

That are tough to walk away.

To walk through.

You can't really walk away from it.

It goes with you.

It hangs out.

And so he tells us.

And he knows this, by the way.

He knows all those things.

Take heart.

I've overcome the world.

And when he says that, he's not only talking about some world power.

He's talking about whatever this world has.

Whatever it throws at you.

He can handle that.

I want you to understand that peace is not an end of conflict.

It's not.

It is his presence in the midst of that conflict.

It is his presence in the midst of that stress.

It is his presence in the midst of that difficulty.

And when he says that he has overcome, that means that he's won through the cross.

And in him, because if we've given our lives to him, in his victory, we find victory.

In him we win too.

The empty tomb is the evidence of our triumph of the Lord.

There's a prevailing peace that he gives us.

But not only that, but scripture also teaches that we have a perpetual peace.

It does not go away.

I mean, listen, we may stray, but God's not going anywhere.

We may not feel his presence in times in our lives.

But he's not went anywhere.

Your feelings are not the basis of the truth of the presence of God.

Understand that.

He's beyond that.

I want you to listen to how Paul closes out the second letter to the Thessalonians.

He's saying, 2 Thessalonians 3, 16, he says,

Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times, in every way the Lord be with you all.

He says, at all times.

Do you know what that means?

In the Greek, that means at all times.

That's what it means.

It means every season of your life, everything that you go through, in every way, in every situation that we find ourselves in, he's always there.

Our peace is not found in the absence of conflict or loss or the absence of hardship.

It's found in the perpetual presence of the Lord.

He's not going anywhere.

He's right there with you.

He's anchored into the believer's life, and we should be anchored into him.

And as unstable as this world is, the Lord is always stable.

He's always steady.

He's always faithful.

He's a perpetual peace.

But not only that, but Scripture also teaches us that we have a poised peace in Christ.

I want you to listen to how Isaiah writes about this in Isaiah 26, verse 3.

Isaiah 26:3

He says,

You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you because he trusts in you.

If I were to spin around real fast in this spot right here on this stage, I'd probably fall off.

And the reality is most of you would laugh quicker than you would get up and help.

And that's sad, but that's the truth.

But have you ever seen how fast a ballet dancer or a figure skater can spin and never lose their balance?

They use a technique called spotting.

And when they spin, they fix their eyes on one unmoving point.

Maybe it's a spot on the wall or a mark in the room.

And as they turn their bodies, the head rotates last as their eyes are fixed on that one spot.

And then they keep that fixed as long as possible.

And then when necessary, they quickly snap their head around and find that same spot again.

And good ones do it very effectively.

When life is spinning and times are tough and circumstances are turning fast,

peace does not come from life slowing down to a stop because it don't do it.

It don't.

It comes when we fix our eyes on Jesus in the midst of the turns.

He is stable.

And we can be stable when we look to him.

But not only do we have a poised peace, but we also have a peculiar peace.

Jesus is clear in John 14 that the peace that he gives us is not like the world can give.

If you don't believe that, watch the news.

Because world peace is fragile and it's temporary.

Calm for a time, but built on a false sense of hope.

However, the peace of Christ is different.

The peace of Christ is not just a mere distraction.

Jesus offers rest.

He removes our fears.

He removes our doubts.

Peace comes when he speaks.

When he looked at the raging sea, he said, peace be still.

And all those choppy waters calmed immediately.

And with that same power and with that same voice,

he can speak into our lives of a believer.

In the struggle and in the storms that are overwhelming us.

And somehow give a sense of calm in the midst of that.

But I want to be clear, that does not come for everyone.

I call it a peculiar peace because peculiar is a word that's used twice in the King James Version.

Once it's used in 1 Peter and once it's used in Titus.

And when we think of the word peculiar, it normally means strange or odd or awkward.

Some of y'all may know what that means.

There's even a South Carolina word that when I used this in Mississippi, they looked at me kind of strange.

But some of y'all know what I'm talking about when I say choir.

Just kind of choir, you know.

It's not queer.

Choir.

Just kind of choir.

They say that to you and you're not from here.

It's just strange, awkward.

It's just kind of choir, you know.

Biblically, that's not what it means.

Biblically, it means one's own possession.

Something that's different because it's set apart as a treasure.

You can't have the peace of Christ apart from a relationship with Christ.

You can't.

If he had not come as a babe, there'd be no relationship to have with him.

But he has come.

And because he's come, we have that opportunity.

And that peace is only found in him.

Have no fear.

This peace is not elusive.

Scripture teaches us that not only is it for us who come in Christ, but it is also promised.

It is a promised peace.

John 14, 27.

Jesus said, peace I leave with you.

My peace I give to you.

Not as the world gives do I give to you.

Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

Listen, I try my best to give comfort to those who are hurting.

Try to find the words to say.

Most of the time I spend a lot of time quiet.

Because I've heard a lot of preachers say dumb stuff and I don't want to say something dumb.

I just shouldn't not say anything.

Sometimes presence is the best.

But I want you to know that whatever you go through, whatever you face,

I'm well aware that I,

as good as he is,

Brian,

Jeff,

anybody on this staff,

we can't give you

a real sense

of wholeness and completeness and peace

like the Lord Jesus can.

Matter of fact,

all I want to do is point you to Christ

because he's the one

that provides that

for you

and he promises it.

And so you can rest in that.

There's times that feels shaky,

but I believe you can rest in that.

The word for peace there is shalom

and it means wholeness

and it means completeness.

Augustine of HIPAA wrote this.

He said,

you may,

you have made us for yourself,

oh Lord,

and our hearts are,

is,

and our heart is restless

until it rests in you.

That's where we find our hope.

And,

and when we hope in him,

we find peace.

And it is my prayer for you this Christmas

that you find your peace in Christ.

Now let's go back to the text

and look at verse seven.

It says,

of the increase of his government

and of his,

of the peace,

there'll be no end

on the throne of David

and over his kingdom

to establish it

and to uphold it with justice

and with righteousness

from this time forth

and forevermore.

What,

what began as

Christ's birth

did not stop at his death.

His resurrection

did not stop it.

His ascension into heaven

did not stop it.

Christ rule

and reigns today

in the hearts

and the lives

of believers

and one day

he'll rule

on this earth

and all will know

of his rule and reign

and it cannot be stopped.

It will not be slowed.

It will not be hindered.

It will not be bothered.

It will not be compromised.

It speaks of justice.

He is just

and he displays justice.

It speaks of righteousness.

He is right

and he displays righteousness.

Forever.

forever.

And you say,

preacher,

how in the world

does that happen?

Well,

this is the best part.

The zeal

of the Lord

of hosts

will do this.

This is not something

that we can concoct.

I am thankful

for those who came

after the first of December

and decorated this sanctuary

and this facility

so beautifully.

Thank you

for all that effort.

And I am thankful

for those who help us

to have the fellowships

that we have

and do all the background work

that nobody even sees

to make it all special.

thank you.

And the choir

and the orchestra

and the drama team

and the tech team

and the children

and the youth,

didn't they just

blow us away?

I mean,

just absolutely.

My mom and dad

came Sunday night

and on the front porch

she said,

my mama said,

I'm ready to go to heaven now.

And I said,

not right now,

mama,

go to the car.

It was wonderful.

And I've tried my best

through something

that a man said

about 2,700 years ago

about the hope

that we'd have in Christ

and point you to Christ.

But I want to be clear.

In all our efforts,

we can't concoct.

We can't drum up.

We can't do

what only God can do.

We can't make it happen.

God's plan

is humanly impossible.

And because of that,

many have a hard time

believing it is possible

because they can't see it.

They don't place

their faith in Christ

because they don't

see it happening.

They want to see it.

Well,

it's happening.

And it's not just

coming from us.

Scripture says

the zeal

of the Lord

of hosts

will do this.

Zeal there

means deep,

heartfelt passion.

It's a fervent passion.

It's a focused passion.

It's not always loud.

It's not showy.

It's deep

and it's settled

and it's real.

This is the passion

that God has

as he carries out

his will.

This is the passion

that he has for us.

This is why

he sent his son

to be born of a virgin.

This is why

Christ lived

a sinless life.

This is why

he died

a sinner's death.

That is the zeal

that raised him

from the dead

and the same zeal

that will bring him

back on a cloud

to receive us

to be where he is.

That is why

he is

as we've talked

about

unto us.

There's no need

for you today

to doubt

the zeal

of the Lord.

He is

passionate

for you.

It is

unquestionable.

This is the question.

What about

your heartfelt

fervor

for him?

Do we have

a zeal

for Christ?

I'm talking

about a life-changing

zeal.

Do we have

a passion

for Christ?

I mean,

do we really

want him

to rule

and reign

in our lives?

Not to let us

have it our way

and bless

our efforts

along the way,

but instead

to give up

on our way

and say,

God,

I want to go

your way.

I want to have

a passion

and a zeal

that changes

my life

and my perspective

of how

I look

to you.

Do you

want him

to have

his way

in your life?

Do you

really

trust his

counsel?

He is

a wonder

of a

counselor.

Do you

really stand

not in your

strength,

but in his

might?

He's a

mighty God.

Hard

question.

Do you

trust his

timing?

He is

the

everlasting

father.

He's

already

in your

tomorrows.

Do you

rest in

his peace?

For he

is our

prince.

With

the zeal

that he

has for

us,

my hope

this Christmas

is may

our lives

not just

for Christmas,

but well

beyond that,

may our

lives show

our zeal

for him

because when

we get

passionate

about the

Lord

and ask

him to

rule and

reign in

our lives,

to guide

us and

we'll follow

his direction,

to lead

us and we

won't buck

along the

way.

But we'll

try our

best to

carry out

what God

would have

for us.

Do you

know how

his will

will be

done in

your life?

The zeal

of the

Lord of

hosts

will do

this.

With every

head bowed

and every

eye closed,

has there

ever been

a time

in your

life

when you

asked the

Lord Jesus

to forgive

you and to

come into

your life

and to

save you?

It's where

it all

begins.

And with

that bond,

a precious

bond,

an empowerment

and a

strengthening

that will

carry you.

And sometimes

you won't

sense that

carry, and

I'll tell you,

in hard times

you won't

sense that

carry.

You'll look

back and

you'll see

how God

was with

you all

the way.

The evidence

will be

there.

But it

begins with

a commitment

to follow

him, a

surrender of

your life

to follow

him.

If you've

done that,

have you

ever acknowledged

that publicly?

Have you

ever let

other people

know that?

Is it just

something private

within you?

The Bible's

clear by

Christ's

example and

by his

commission that

we are to

let other

people know

about that

through baptism.

What better

gift to give

at Christmas

time than

your life

to Christ

and your

commitment to

follow him

and his

will for

your life

to publicly

acknowledge

him through

baptism?

Either one

of those

things has

never happened

to you.

I encourage

you to come

during this

invitation.

Maybe you're

here this

morning and

God's leading

you to

Pickens First

Baptist Church.

You're not a

member and you

feel drawn to

be here.

This is the

place that God

would have

you to serve.

I encourage

you to come

and follow the

Lord in that.

God's

love and

for the rest

of us.

What is it

in our lives

that hold us

back from

being as

passionate for

the Lord

Jesus as he

is for us?

Besides our

own fragile

humanity?

are there

hindrances in

our life today

that we need

to lay down

before him

and give

over to him

to be

everything

that he'd

have us to

be?

To live with

a zeal that

only he can

give us?

Whatever that

is today

give it to

him.

Lay it down.

You can do

that where you

stand in just a

moment.

You can do

it at this

altar.

I'll be happy

to pray with

you whatever

it is.

May your

zeal for

Christ mark

your life.

Lord Jesus

lead us right

now to be

obedient to

follow any

way you'd lead

us Father I

pray in Jesus

name.

Amen.