The Prince of Peace

Well, good morning. It's good to be with you this morning. If we haven't met, my name is Keith Knowlton.

! It's a pleasure to bring God's Word with you this morning.

As James said, we're starting a brief sermon series as we lead up to Christmas looking at the names of Jesus.

And today we'll be looking at the name, the Prince of Peace, taken from Isaiah chapter 9, verses 1 through 7.

Isaiah 9:1–7

So you can read that on the screen behind me or turn in your pew Bible to page 694.

But by way of introduction, I wonder if how many of us have heard of the Christmas truce.

Going back to December 1914, World War I was raging.

By that time, only five months have passed in the war and over a million men have died.

Many thought going to war that this war would only last a few months.

But now they were entrenched in this trench warfare that had caused them to be locked in this bitter turmoil,

this bitter stalemate, exhausted, and soldiers feeling the fatigue of war.

But on Christmas Eve 1914, near Epers, Belgium, something rather extraordinary occurred.

As the light was beginning to fade, the British soldiers could see off in the distance across from No Man's Land,

in the German trenches, these little lights being lit.

And then slowly over No Man's Land, they hear the sound of Christmas carols being sung in German.

And at first, the British troops thought this might be a trap.

They thought this was very peculiar that this would happen.

But as they continued to listen, they realized this was no trap.

This was true Christmas caroling, and slowly the British forces began to join in in English.

And what happened, even more extraordinary, was the next morning on Christmas Day,

that German soldiers came out of their trenches with hands raised and beckoned the British soldiers to do the same.

And they met in the middle of this No Man's Land.

And soldiers who were just hours before, readying themselves to shoot and kill one another,

were now shaking hands, exchanging pleasantries, small gifts of tobacco and photographs.

Even games of football were breaking out.

These few hours, war had stopped.

Guns were not fired, shells were not dropped, and these young men, weary from war, far from home,

were granted this temporary, rather unexpected peace.

But as expected, by nightfall, command had come down from the generals to say,

there is to be no fraternizing with the enemy.

And by the next day, fighting had resumed.

This temporary truce did not last.

And war continued for four more years, with millions more dying.

The reality is this famous Christmas truth, it didn't end the war,

but I think it shows really a universal truth that human hearts long for peace.

But that as man, we are not able to achieve this permanent peace on our own.

And so as we turn to our passage today, we're looking at this prophecy that anticipates a different kind of peace.

Not a man-made peace, not a temporary peace,

but a peace that is lasting and restorative,

that comes from our one true king, the prince of peace.

And so let's look at our passage together.

Isaiah chapter 9, starting in verse 1.

Isaiah 9 · chapter mention

Nevertheless, there will be no more gloom for those who are in distress.

In the past, he humbled the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali,

but in the future, he will honor Galilee of the nations by the way of the sea beyond the Jordan.

The people walking in darkness have seen a great light.

On those living in the land of deep darkness, a light has drawn.

You have enlarged the nation and increased their joy.

They rejoice before you as people rejoice at the harvest,

as warriors rejoice when dividing the plunder.

For as in the day of Midian's defeat,

you have shattered the yoke that burdens them,

the bar across their shoulders, the rod of their oppressors.

Every warrior's boot used in battle and every garment rolled in blood

will be destined for burning, will be fuel for the fire.

For unto us a child is born, for us a son is given,

and the government will be on his shoulders.

And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,

Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

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

He will reign on David's throne and over his kingdom,

establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness

from that time on and forever.

The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this.

This is the word of God.

Will you pray with me?

God, our Heavenly Father,

we ask that you guide us this morning by your word and by your spirit,

that in your light we may see light,

that in your truth we may find wisdom,

that in your will we may discover your peace.

We pray this in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord.

Amen.

Now I imagine that this passage is familiar to many of us.

It's one of those passages that we easily dust off the Christmas season

for a Christmas sermon or an Advent devotional.

And while I think it's good that we know this text,

it's familiar to us,

oftentimes we can pluck it out of its context

without really knowing where does it fit into this Old Testament narrative.

And so I want us to do when we begin

is trying to figure out what is the context of this prophecy?

What is going on in the people of Israel at this time?

This prophecy was given by God through the prophet Isaiah to King Ahaz.

Now if you know anything about King Ahaz,

if you were to rank the kings of Judah and Israel from best to worst,

Ahaz would be at the very bottom of this list.

Ahaz was a wicked king.

He worshipped idols of other gods.

He sacrificed his own sons to these idols.

He took elements, the riches of the temple,

and he gave them to other kings in order to make alliances with them.

And even as Israel starts to face judgment for having turned against God,

his faithlessness even grows.

He cuts up the vessels from the temple,

he shuts the doors to the temple,

and he sets up idols in every corner of Jerusalem.

And so Isaiah is instructed to go to Ahaz

to encourage him to repent,

to put his trust in God.

He even says,

Go give Ahaz the ability to ask for a sign

that I will show him,

that I will prove that I'm the one true God,

and he'll put his trust in me.

But Ahaz refuses.

So you think,

Well, God has every right just to strike Ahaz dead right there

to end his kingship at that point,

but he doesn't.

Instead, he grants him a sign,

even though he refuses.

He wants to prove his covenant faithfulness to his people,

even when his people have been unfaithful to him.

And so we see earlier on in the book of Isaiah,

this first prophecy of this sign.

A virgin will give birth to a son,

and his name will be called Emmanuel,

God with us.

And so what we see in our passage today in chapter 9

is this same Christ child.

Now, it may seem obvious for us.

We recognize this passage.

It relates to Christmas and the birth of Jesus.

But for these people,

they have no concept of Christmas.

They don't understand when this prophecy

is going to be fulfilled.

And so it's good to ask,

What would the people have thought in that time

when they hear this prophecy of a prince of peace?

Certainly, they long for peace

as the Assyrian army is ready to overthrow them.

They want peace in their lives.

They want peace in their nation.

When will it come?

Well, this wicked king Ahaz, he does die,

and his son Hezekiah comes to the throne.

And Hezekiah is actually a good king.

He repairs and he restores,

and he reopens the temple.

He gets rid of all the idols.

He reorganizes the priests.

He brings the people of Israel,

the people of Judah to repentance,

and they worship God once again.

The thing is that Hezekiah,

even though he was a faithful king,

he couldn't fulfill this prophecy.

Because it says that Hezekiah,

as he amassed this wealth

and this power and his influence,

he too became prideful.

And he died,

and peace did not remain

in the land of Judah.

And so this prophecy,

it points out to us,

there must have been someone greater

who was being prophesied.

Because Hezekiah couldn't fulfill this prophecy.

He is only a shadow of the one to come.

This divine child is to be born.

This only son of the Father,

He alone can forever lift this cloud of darkness

and establish this eternal kingdom.

And so that leads us to the titles we see in this passage.

Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,

Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

It's really this crescendo that we see.

This Prince of Peace being this peak,

this ultimate, this promised leader

who promises to ensure the peace and prosperity

and well-being of His people forever.

And so that title specifically,

I want us to consider today,

this Prince of Peace.

What is this peace

that our leader and king provides?

Three ways I want us to consider this peace.

First of all, this upward peace,

an outward peace,

and an inward peace.

So let's first think about this upward peace.

And I think when we do,

I think it's important to define our terms.

What do we mean when we say peace?

My family and I have been in the UK for over five years.

And while we speak the same language,

we've had to adjust to the vocabulary.

There are certain words that we have meaning for

in the US that have very different meaning in the UK.

So things like chips,

or biscuits,

or a vest,

or trolleys,

or pants.

Right?

All things that we need to make sure

we understand what our terms are.

Even though we're speaking the same language,

words can have very different meanings.

So the same thing when we think about peace.

What does peace mean?

Oftentimes we think,

well, it just means a sense of serenity

or the absence of fighting.

But if we look at what this word peace means

in the Old Testament,

in this word shalom,

which probably many of us have heard before,

it has a much fuller meaning.

It means a wholeness,

a flourishing,

a completeness.

Not simply the absence of fighting,

but the presence of harmony and order.

And so this is exactly what we see

in the creation story in Genesis.

In the beginning,

we have a triune God

who creates all things

in the span of six days.

And he says it is all good.

He creates man in his own image

that he may share in this peace.

He gives man a wife, Eve,

to provide completeness for him.

He gives them a garden

with good things to eat.

He gives them a purpose

that they may take dominion

over creation

and experience this wholeness together.

We have a God

who descends and walks

in this garden

in peace with Adam and Eve.

But unfortunately,

this shalom is broken

when sin enters the world.

Adam and Eve

are tempted by the serpent.

They eat the fruit

of the forbidden tree

and their eyes are open

to their nakedness.

And so rather than walk

in fellowship with God,

they hide in shame.

Rather than enjoy this peace,

they run from God,

fearing his judgment.

But what we see next

is something that's really remarkable

because God could have condemned

Adam and Eve there,

but instead he speaks

these words of shalom over them.

While there would be consequences

for their action,

God comforts his children

with the promise

that peace will come

through one who will crush the head

of this lying, murderous serpent.

Though sin has now separated man from God,

God promises this full restoration

will come

and it's going to come

through the seed of a woman.

And so this is the beginning

of God's rescue plan.

So as we continue on

in the book of Genesis,

we see that God comes

to a man named Abram.

And he chooses to bless Abram.

And he says he's going to make him

into a great nation

that all nations

through him will be blessed.

And as we continue on

in the Bible,

these descendants of Abraham,

they become slaves

in the land of Egypt.

And God proves his faithfulness again.

He raises up Moses

to lead the people

out of slavery,

out of Egypt,

into the promised land.

And on their way there,

he takes them to Mount Sinai

where he again

renews this covenant promise.

He gives them the law

with its blessings and curses.

And so we've heard

this blessing before.

Oftentimes we end our service

with this blessing

of Aaron, the high priest,

to give to his people

the Lord bless you

and keep you.

The Lord make his face

to shine on you

and be gracious to you.

The Lord turn his face

towards you

and give you peace.

And so we may think

that after 40 years

of wandering in the wilderness,

God's going to bring them

into this promised land

and we think,

okay, this is where

this restoration

is going to occur.

This relationship

that had been ruined by sin

will be restored.

God's people will be obedient

and faithful

and they'll experience

this unending prosperity

and blessing.

We know that's not right.

Something we see

very different occurs.

Instead, we see

this repeated cycle

of sin and rebellion

that's followed

by discipline

and judgment

and brief periods

of repentance

and deliverance

and then what happens again?

More sin,

more rebellion.

And so we see

this is the history

of God's people

throughout the Old Testament.

One of brokenness

and chaos

and disorder.

One defined by war

and occupation

and division

and exile.

And maybe

you even experience this

as you read these texts,

this desire to cry out,

when will peace come?

It's obvious

that they are not going

to be able

to save themselves.

When will this Messiah,

when will this rescuer arrive?

And what we see

is a prophecy

like one in Isaiah

that promises

this Prince of Peace,

that points us forward

to the coming

of this Messiah.

And we see that He arrives

in the most unexpected way.

The Son of God

becoming man,

being born of a woman

to a poor family

in a stable.

This is what the angels

announce

the night of Jesus' birth.

Glory to God

in the highest

and on earth

peace

among those

with whom He is pleased.

Jesus,

when He starts

His earthly ministry,

He too quotes

from Isaiah

when He announces

His mission

for coming to earth.

What we see

at the Last Supper

before Jesus' crucifixion

is that He takes

this bread

and He takes this wine

and He tells

His apostles,

this bread

is like My body

that will be broken.

This wine

is like My blood

that will be spilled.

And what does He declare

to them?

Peace I leave with you.

My peace I give you.

And it's within days

that He goes to the cross

to fulfill the promise

and the purpose

for which He came.

What was also prophesied

by the prophet Isaiah

in Isaiah 53,

He was pierced

for our transgressions.

He was crushed

for our iniquities.

Upon Him

was the chastisement

that brought us peace.

And with His wounds

we're healed.

And so again,

it's not a peace

that's simply

this serenity.

It's not simply

a peace

that's the absence

of fighting.

This is full restoration

of our relationship

with God.

And so this is what

we see Paul talk about

in Colossians 1

that Christ restores

all things to God

through His death

making peace

through the blood

of Jesus.

This is what

we read earlier

in the book of Romans

Romans 5 · chapter mention

chapter 5

that since we have

been justified by faith

we have peace

with God

through our Lord

Jesus Christ.

So our relationship

that had been ruined

in the Garden of Eden

has now been restored

and it's not

through the works

of man.

It's only through

this promised Messiah

who is truly

our peace.

And so a question

for each one of us

this morning is

have we been

reconciled to God?

have we experienced

the wholeness

and the restoration

that comes only

through the blood

of Jesus?

Because without

the sacrifice of Jesus

there's nothing

that we can do

to earn God's favor.

There's nothing

that we can do

to put ourselves

in right standing

before God.

Judgment and death

are all that remain

for us.

But we have Jesus

who is our

Prince of Peace

Prince of Peace

who loves

to save

sinners like me

you and me

loves

to supply shalom

between man and God.

And so that brings us

to our second form

of peace then.

Not only an upward peace

but an outward peace.

That upward peace

describes that

vertical relationship

between man and God.

This outward peace

describes this

horizontal relationship

between man

and the world.

These past few months

if you've been with us

we've been going through

in the morning

a sermon series

on the book of Acts.

And so we've been

looking at what happens

to the New Testament church

after Jesus' crucifixion

and resurrection

and ascension

and the sending

of the Holy Spirit.

Well you see the apostles

with the power

of the Holy Spirit

they're preaching

a gospel of reconciliation.

That though you

talking to the Jewish

leaders of the day

though you crucify

this man

he is truly

the Lord and the Christ

and one who offers

peace and life

to each person.

And so recognize

how this message

was received

by the New Testament church

how it benefited

the church.

We read how

the people

of this New Testament church

they devoted themselves

to the teaching

and preaching

of God's word

to fellowship

to the breaking

of bread and prayer.

They held all things

in common

they sold their possessions

and belongings

and distributed the proceeds

to those in need.

every day

attending the temple

together

breaking bread

in each other's homes

they received their food

with glad and generous hearts

and so we see

this beautiful picture

of unity

of God's people

in the early church.

But what we see

is this unity

even goes a step further

as we advance

in the book of Acts.

If we go to Acts 10

we see this vision

that Peter has

this vision

of clean

and unclean animals

and it's God

communicating to him

that this gospel peace

is not simply

for the Jews

it is for the Gentiles

as well.

God offers

his peace

to all men.

So again

this is what Paul says

in Ephesians 2

but now in Christ Jesus

those who are far off

talking about Gentiles

like you and me

have been brought near

through the blood

of Jesus

for he himself

is our peace

he has made

these two groups

one

Jew and Gentile

he has made them one

destroying the barrier

dividing the wall

this dividing wall

of hostility.

His purpose

was to create

in himself

one new humanity

out of two

thus making peace.

He came

preaching peace

to you who are far off

and peace to those

who are near.

This is true

for us today

certainly

I would imagine

most of us here

are of that

Gentile tribe

right?

we have been

grafted into

God's family

so that the issue

is not necessarily

Jew or Greek

today

it is a matter

of unity

between all people

in the body

of Christ.

We are united

in Christ's spirit.

And so this is why

Paul goes on

to talk about

the body of Christ

the church

as the body of Christ

we're equipped

for service

we're built up

in love

we're united

in faith.

So again

a question for us

this morning

does this describe

our church?

are we a church

that loves

to extend grace

to one another

rather than

hold grudges?

We talk a lot

about the value

of community groups

do we desire

to spend time

together

around God's word

in times of prayer

and encouragement

as we put aside

our work

midweek

or are we content

to simply

keep our distance

to show up

on a Sunday morning

and be no further

involved

in the church?

Do we long

to see

to be a part

of the work

of the church

extending the gospel

to our community

and to our city

or do we pack

our schedules

just so full

that we have

no room

to participate

in the ministry

of the church?

I think one

of the greatest

witnesses

that we can have

corporately

as a church

is to demonstrate

the love

of Christ

to those around us.

We want people

to come through

our doors

to experience

the warmth

of fellowship

and friendship.

We want the gospel

to be portrayed

in word

and in deed

in personal

and intangible ways

to those who don't

know Christ.

And we see

it should be

our desire

not only for this

peace to be extended

in our community

in our city

but truly

to the ends

of the earth

because this is

what we see

at the very end

of the Bible

in the book

of Revelation

when every nation

and tribe

and people

and language

come together

and stand

before the throne

shouting salvation

belongs

to our God

who sits

on the throne

and to the Lamb.

And we long

for this day

of peace

when God's people

praise

our Savior

in unity

giving praise

to our King.

This is the peace

that the Prince

of Peace

gives our church.

And finally

this last form

of peace

in inward peace.

Many of you

probably know

that the Princess

of Wales

hosted her annual

Christmas service

just this past week

and as she usually does

she wrote

an open letter

to those who

are attending

the service.

and I read the letter

and I want to read

just a few excerpts

from this letter.

She began

at its heart

Christmas speaks

of love

taking form

in the simplest

most human ways

not in sentimental

or grand gestures

but gentle ones.

These simple acts

of care

might seem small

but they contribute

to the beautiful

tapestry of life

to which we belong.

At a time

when life

can sometimes

feel fragmented

and uncertain

the Christmas season

invites us

to remember

the power

of reaching out

to one another

with generosity

of heart

understanding

and hope.

As the year

draws to a close

I hope this season

will bring moments

of peace

and clarity

and that you

will feel

surrounded

by the same

love and care

that you

freely offer

others.

It's a lovely

sentiment perhaps

but pretty

devoid of truth.

See the Princess

she describes

I think how many

people in our

culture view

Christianity

excuse me

view Christmas

there's this

desire for peace

but people

don't think

about a

divine love

they concentrate

on a human

love.

They recognize

disorder

in our world

but they

think the

simple remedy

to this world

is simply

acts of kindness

toward one another.

The Bible

shows us

something very

different

is that disorder

is not simply

something that is

around us

disorder is

something that

is within us

because of the

fall our

very desires

are disordered

and so we

may long

for wholeness

but we try

to find

solutions of

our own

that maybe

if I can

just get

that job

promotion

then I'll

experience

satisfaction.

Maybe if I

can only

find a

spouse

then I'll

feel complete.

Maybe if I

can only do

well on my

exams

then I'll

be satisfied.

Maybe if I

can only

fill in the

blank

and then

I'll feel

peace in

my life.

And so

for the

non-believer

these

disordered

desires

only bring

about this

constant

striving

and yearning

hoping that

we do

enough good

things

hoping that

we can

collect

enough

things

to make

us

comfortable

hoping that

if we

lean into

the

sentimentality

of this

Christmas

season

with lights

and songs

and presents

then we'll

experience

peace.

But the

Bible again

tells a

different story

in the

book of

James

James 1:14

chapter 1

verse 14

it says

that each

person is

tempted

when they

are dragged

away by

their own

desires

and enticed

and those

desires when

conceived

give birth

to sin

and sin

when it's

fully grown

give birth

to death.

Our

disordered

desires don't

bring us

life they

only bring

us death.

And so

even as

believers we

may

experience

this

tension.

Because of

the fall

we've become

less than

we ought

to be.

Yes we've

been reconciled

to God

but we still

struggle with

the reality

of our

sin.

So we

want to

obey God

we want

to follow

after him

but also

our sin

nature

still pulls

us away

and we're

so often

tempted to

turn away

from God.

And so

often we are

at war

with

ourselves.

but it's

important to

realize that

Jesus when

he restored

our relationship

to God

when he

provided this

means of

salvation

his work

does not

end there.

He gives

us his

spirit that

we may

also continue

to become

more and more

like Christ

in our

sanctification.

So yes he

provides us

in inward

peace

through the

restoration

of our

relationship

with God

but he

also wants

us to

grow in

this peace

through the

grace of

God

working

in our

lives.

And so

looking at

Philippians

Philippians 4:7

4

verse 7

Paul says

this

he says

the peace

of God

which transcends

our understandings

will guard

our hearts

and our minds

in Christ

Jesus.

And so

he encourages

us

whatever's

true

whatever's

noble

whatever's

right

whatever's

pure

whatever's

lovely

whatever's

admirable

whatever's

praiseworthy

think about

these things

and the

God of

peace

will be

with you.

As

believers

we grow

in the

peace

of God

as we

grow in

likeness

to Christ.

But even

so

there is

maybe a

sense of

incompleteness

because though

this peace

is a gift

to us

maybe we

recognize

we don't

experience it

to its

fullest extent

now.

It's because

we live in

this period

of the

already

and the

not yet.

And this

is what we

even celebrate

at this

Advent season.

We celebrate

that Christ

has come

but we're

also looking

forward to

when Christ

will return.

He has

come and

he's brought

us peace

but the

full experience

of that

peace is

still yet

to come.

And so

that is

our hope.

The promised

bodily

return of

Jesus

our Prince

of Peace

who will

establish

a new

heaven

and a new

earth

a better

Eden

where we

will once

again enjoy

perfect

upward

outward

and inward

peace

with our

God.

This is

what's

described

at the

end of

our

passage

in

verse

7

of the

increase

of his

government

and of

the 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 forever

more.

And so

is this

our hope?

because this

is a

prophecy

that is

true

and is

also

coming

true.

Because

Jesus

Christ

our

Prince

of Peace

has come

and he

is coming

again

to bring

full

restoration

full

completeness

full

harmony

between

God

and man.

And so

may this

be something

that we

marvel at

this Christmas

season.

Let's

pray.

Heavenly

Father we

thank you

for sending

your son

as our

Prince

of Peace.

We thank

you though

we are

responsible

for sin

you have

desired to

restore

our

relationship.

And so

we recognize

Father that

is nothing

that we

can do

to make

ourselves

right before

you.

But we

come to

the cross

and we

claim the

blood of

Jesus.

who brings

us

peace.

And so

may the

reality of

that peace

transcend

our lives

and our

relationship

with others

and our

relationship

with you.

A peace

that simply

doesn't come

through sentimentality

at Christmas

but a peace

that comes

in the

confidence

of Jesus'

work on

the cross.

May we

live with

that joy

and confidence

today.

We pray

this in

Jesus'

name.

Amen.

We have

one final

hymn of

praise.

Good Christian

men rejoice.

Please stand

and we'll

sing together.

Amen.

Good Christian

men rejoice

with heart

and soul

and voice.

Give ye

heed to

what we

say.

Jesus Christ

was born

this day.

Walks and

ass

before him

bow

and he

is in

the manger

now.

Christ

is born

today.

Christ

is born

today.

Bluetooth

Bluetooth

this. Christ is born for this. Good Christian men rejoice with heart and soul and voice.

Now ye need not fear the grave. Jesus Christ was born to save. Calls you one and calls

you all to gain his everlasting hope. Christ was born to save. Christ was born to save.

Now hear these familiar words of God's blessing to his people. The Lord bless you and keep you. The

Lord make his face to shine on you and be gracious to you. The Lord turn his face to you and give you peace.