The Prince of Peace

Merry Christmas!

This morning, we’re continue our Light of the World series that we’ll conclude this evening at 6pm (*invitation to join us)

But with this message, we’ll be closing out the fourth and final description of the Messiah that Isaiah provides in 9:6 – The Prince of Peace (*please turn there (492))

(*recap previous 3 – Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father)

Let’s begin by reading the passage that’s served as our main text through this series…

Isaiah 9:1-7 – But there will be no more gloom for her who was in anguish; in earlier times He treated the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali with contempt, but later on He shall make it glorious, by the way of the sea, on the other side of Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles. The people who walk in darkness
Will see a great light; those who live in a dark land, the light will shine on them. ³ You shall multiply the nation, You shall increase their gladness; they will be glad in Your presence as with the gladness of harvest, as men rejoice when they divide the spoil. ⁴ For You shall break the yoke of their burden and the staff on their shoulders, the rod of their oppressor, as at the battle of Midian. ⁵ For every boot of the booted warrior in the battle tumult, and cloak rolled in blood, will be for burning, fuel for the fire. ⁶ For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; and the government will rest on His shoulders; and His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. ⁷ There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness from then on and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will accomplish this.

Zeroing in on the final description of this child to be born—the Prince of Peace—we’ll take a look at 3 truths that help us rejoice in the gift of peace

So first, we need to…

I. Understand Peace According to the Bible

(*importance of peace)

(*repeat I.) More specifically, we’re going to narrow the scope of our study to what the Book of Isaiah says regarding peace, since that’s the book we’re in right now

Peace is initially described in the verse immediately following our root passage

Thus…

A. Peace between men = the end of conflict between people and groups

“Peace” is the only concept of all the descriptions that is carried past verse 6

His description of “Prince” is also seen in verse 7…

Isaiah 9:7 – There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness from then on and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will accomplish this.

One thing to make clear before continuing: “peace” will certainly be characterized by the absence of conflict

But the peace the Lord offers is far more than a passive absence of strife—it’s an active agent that is a force of its own

But before discussing the divine peace, let’s look into the peace that is attainable on this side of eternity

Every society that enjoys any measure of genuine earthly peace understands that there’s always a cost involved

According to v7, this “Prince of Peace” will enlarge and maintain His governance through the forces of “justice” and “righteousness”

How does a Prince enact justice?

How does a ruler maintain righteousness?

It takes the assertive and often violent displacement of hostile (or unrighteous) entities in order to attain and maintain peace

You and I both know: peace is fought, not caught

You need to fight for genuine peace—it’s never something that happens in a world governed by entropy, nor is peace maintained through passivity

The pursuit of justice and the conservation of righteousness involves great effort

Another reason why we need a Prince of Peace to govern us—we are often unjust and unrighteous

But this absence of peace is not limited to our relation with one another…

B. Peace between man and nature = the end of conflict with nature

Isaiah speaks to a time in the future when…

Isaiah 11:6-9 – And the wolf will dwell with the lamb, And the leopard will lie down with the young goat, And the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; And a little boy will lead them. Also the cow and the bear will graze, Their young will lie down together, And the lion will eat straw like the ox. The nursing child will play by the hole of the cobra, And the weaned child will put his hand on the viper’s den. They will not hurt or destroy in all My holy mountain, For the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD As the waters cover the sea.

Does this describe our current situation?

Put a young goat with a leopard and see if there’s total peace between the two

We’re in conflict with nature, itself

(*hiking—need bug spray)

(*stilted houses in FL)

But we understand from passages like Isaiah 11 that there will be a time when conflict between us and nature will come to a close

In its place, there be will an abiding peace characterized by friendship and delight between entities that were previously in open and continual hostility towards one another

In other words, leopards don’t have something against certain kinds of goats—they find all goats to be equally tasty (at least, I think they do)

And all goats, as far as I’m aware, are opposed to all leopards for this very reason

But Scripture speaks of a time when peace will replace hostility

The boy will lead out the lion and the leopard on his way to playing with the vipers and cobras

And so far, both of these aspects have been external—we are in open hostility with one another, and we a in continual conflict nature

But we also see that…

C. Peace within ourselves = the end of conflict inside of us

Chapter 26 talks about this as well—almost as if a lack of internal peace is more in line with the norm than inner tranquility

Isaiah 26:3 – You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.

This is a passage that’s often visited when someone is bound up in anxiety (i.e., a lack of peace)

And while that’s good and well, we see the source when Isaiah presents the solution—a matter this is constantly neglected

If it’s true that the mind that is stayed on God—a mind this is actively trusting in Him—is in perfect peace, then what’s the alternative?

The mind that’s peaceless is not trusting in Him; it’s not fixated on the Lord

That’s why Jesus—the Prince of Peace—said…

John 14:27 – Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.

Perpetual internal peace is never the experience of the Christian

There are times when each of us are troubled and fearful

But just because that’s our experience, is that also our expectation?

In other words, is Jesus saying: “Look, you’re gonna be anxious—I get that… I’d simply recommend giving peace a try…”

He’s certainly NOT saying that!

He says, “DO NOT LET your heart be troubled… [DO NOT LET] it be fearful…”

We ought not conflate experience with expectation—we’ll miss the opportunity for peace, altogether…

We have to fight to keep our mind fixated on trusting and loving God—internal peace

We have to fight mosquitoes with bug spray and hurricanes with stilted houses—natural peace

We have to fight to enact justice and maintain righteousness amongst ourselves—horizontal peace

But the origin of “peacelessness” is much more vertical than all of these issues

In order to understand peace, we need to…

II. Acknowledge that All of Our Conflict Comes from Our War with God

Looking forward to where we’re going with this point, sin (which is the breaking of God’s law) brings (1) conflict with God, (2) conflict into our own souls, (3) conflict with creation, and (4) conflict with each other

The argument is—each manifestation of “peacelessness” can be tied directly back to a disjointed (or severed) relationship with our Creator

There were two sections of Scripture that the preaching team wrestled over (not literally, though that would have been pretty cool)

Some thought Genesis 3 would have been the best passage to draw out this severance and the resulting “peaceless” effects

Others thought that sticking to Isaiah would have been more appropriate

The truth is—either are fine

I’m choosing to stay in Isaiah, but you can clearly see each point in the Fall narrative as told in Genesis 3:7-17

Regardless—"peacelessness” is always a result/effect of sin, and we primarily see that…

A. Sin brought conflict with God

Chapter 59 makes this abundantly clear…

Isaiah 59:2 – But your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, And your sins have hidden His face from you so that He does not hear.

I say this quite often: the thing every Christian wants more than anything is fellowship with God

And yet, we know that sin created separation from Him in the garden, just as sin creates separation from Him today

Isaiah BEGINS his lengthy prophetic book with an acknowledgement of this reality

Starting in verse 4, he says…

Isaiah 1:4 – Alas, sinful nation, people weighed down with iniquity, offspring of evildoers, sons who act corruptly! They have abandoned the Lord, they have despised the Holy One of Israel, they have turned away from Him.

Here, the Word of God describes the essence of “peacelessness” to be a direct result of the nation’s sin

And this turmoil finds its origin in their abandonment of God

Therefor it’s safe to say, that peace is reconciliation and right relationship with God

“Peacelessness” is separation or strain in one’s relationship with Him

It all begins here, but makes its way into all other facets of life…

B. Sin brought conflict into their own souls

We saw this in the garden when Adam and Eve’s eyes were metaphorically opened and their saw that they were naked and clamored to cover themselves

Isaiah shows that this effect hasn’t lessened, thousands of years later…

Isaiah 1:5-6 – Where will you be stricken again, as you continue in your rebellion? The whole head is sick and the whole heart is faint. From the sole of the foot even to the head there is nothing sound in it, only bruises, welts and raw wounds, not pressed out or bandaged, nor softened with oil.

Sin always promises to bring joy and life, but it only brings about wounds and brokenness (and eventually death (James 1))

The “peacelessness” that results from our separation from God seeps its way into our own hearts, poisoning our souls, bending us out of shape from the imago Dei that characterized our initial composition

Merry Christmas, by the way…

But the passage doesn’t stop there:

C. Sin brought conflict with creation

Verse 7 says…

Isaiah 1:7 – Your land is desolate, your cities are burned with fire, your fields—strangers are devouring them in your presence; it is desolation, as overthrown by strangers.

God promised in Gen 3 that women would be pained in childbirth and the ground would be near unworkable for men

Isaiah 1:7 shows the extent of this principle carried out

The absence of peace that accompanies our sin can often affect our surroundings

The peaceless home will fall into disrepair

The peaceless city will succumb to decay as justice and righteousness are abandoned

The peaceless nation will fall prey to decay—all its establishments and governing bodies ripe with corruption

And as if that wasn’t enough…

D. Sin brought conflict with each other

The “peacelessness” of this passage is quite obvious:

Isaiah 59:6b-8 – Their works are works of iniquity, and an act of violence is in their hands. Their feet run to evil, and they hasten to shed innocent blood; their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity, devastation and destruction are in their highways. They do not know the way of peace, and there is no justice in their tracks; they have made their paths crooked, whoever treads on them does not know peace.

So we know what peace IS: unity where there was once conflict

More specifically, peace is the result of a right relationship with our Creator

All forms of wandering away from Him creates every manifestation of “peacelessness”

That’s why it’s so essential to…

III. Trust in the Prince of Peace who Makes Peace for You

“For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us…”

That’s how verse 6 of our passage begins

I don’t know about you, but since we’ve been in this text, George Frideric Handel has lived in my head rent-free, playing his oratorio “Messiah” on a loop…

The “Hallelujah” chorus is an obvious favorite—so much so that you’re supposed to stand up when that movement begins

It’s thought that this originated when King George II supposedly stood up when the choir sang “King of Kings” during the premier of Handel’s Messiah in 1743

Allegedly, he’d done this in solidarity to the One who truly reigns—the Prince of Peace

But earlier in the Messiah, there is the second favorite movement entitled “For Unto Us A Child Is Born” and it’s effectively a recitation of Isaiah 9:6

This is the portion that’s been stuck in my head and playing over and over again

But the repetition of that phrase—“unto us a Son is given”—has served as a helpful reminder that we must…

A. Admit that you cannot fix the brokenness yourself

Why would God make a provision if no provision was necessary?

Do you fill your car up with gas if it’s already entirely full?

Do you help a friend off the group who is already standing?

No—because no provision is necessary

If we could attain peace (which we know requires reconciliation with God) on our own, no external means would have been necessary

And yet—unto us, a Son is given…

The mere promise of a coming Messiah decimates any notion that peace is possible apart from God’s intervention

God Himself makes it clear that…

Isaiah 48:22 – “There is no peace for the wicked,” says the LORD.

And we know that each one of us falls into this camp, because none of us have perfectly followed the law of God…

Isaiah 48:18 – If only you had paid attention to My commandments! Then your well-being would have been like a river, And your righteousness like the waves of the sea.

And so, we need a Prince of Peace who is above the fray—One who isn’t affected by sin, which we know brings about all forms of “peacelessness”

Knowing this, “unto us a child is born; unto us a Son is given…”

B. Believe that Jesus is the Prince of Peace and suffering servant who came to make peace for sinners

Was “peace” a specific promise during that first Christmas season?

Absolutely…

Luke 2:13–14 – And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.”

Of course, this is during the angel’s announcement to the shepherds when they were heralding the child that was born, the Son that was given

And one of the results of His birth is reconciliation between God and man, bringing about the peace that we desperately need

But which of the overwhelmed shepherds could have imagined the cost of that peace as they were standing over this child that was born unto us…

I’d mentioned earlier that peace always has a price

To create genuine peace between two warring groups, there needs to be the eradication of unrighteousness

If you were one of the shepherds out in the field that night and I told you this plain fact, what would be your conclusion regarding this child that was born?

Unless you’re utterly deceived regarding your own unrighteousness, you’d likely conclude that this child was born to eradicate the likes of YOU

But God had a different plan in mind for this Son that was given…

The Book of Isaiah is often referred to as “the Fifth Gospel” (*explain)

This is obviously tongue-in-cheek, but the book is so riddled with messianic references that the New Testament is continually recalling Isaiah’s prophesies…

Right after Jesus heals a multitude of people, Matthew recalls…

Matthew 8:17 – This was to fulfill what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet: “He Himself took our infirmities and carried away our diseases.”

This is a call back to Isaiah 53:4—part of (arguably) the most concentrated passage that references the nature of the coming Messiah found in the OT

Peter also transliterates Isaiah 53 in 1 Peter 2…

1 Peter 2:23–24 – and while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously; and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed.

Looking at this passage through the lens of “peace”…

Isaiah 53:4–5 – Surely our griefs He Himself bore, And our sorrows He carried; Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, Smitten of God, and afflicted. But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our well-being [peace] fell upon Him, And by His scourging we are healed.

Unless those shepherds knew their OT incredibly well, this promise of “peace among men” would have sounded like a death sentence

But this child that was born, this Prince of Peace, was not coming to eradicate the unrighteous—He had been given to us in order to BE the cost of peace

And this is attained through one thing only:

C. Enjoy peace with God through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ

What’s the title of this message, derived from the final description of the Messiah? (Prince of Peace)

In this section, the word that is so often neglected is the first… “Prince”

I cut open a bunch of commentaries and read a LOT of academic journal articles on this passage

What did they all talk about?

To be fair to them, what have I spent the entirety of our time talking about? (PEACE)

But in order to enjoy this peace, Jesus must be “Prince” in your life

In other words, He must rule and reign over you…

Romans 5:1 – Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ

Is this “Prince of Peace” your “Lord”?

Have you, by faith, believed in His sacrifice to attain this peace?

**led to the cross (application of unbelievers)

**rest in forgiveness, fight for peace (application for believers)