It Really Is A Wonderful Life Series

Classic Christmas

It Really is a Wonderful Life

December 3, 2006

Everyone has seen Jimmy Stewart in “It’s a wonderful life”. I think that this movie is probably one of the most loved Christmas movies of all time.

The one line that stands out more than any other is when “Clarence (the angel) talks to George about the value of his life… let’s watch…

Video clip

Whether we know it or not our lives impact many people around us. In fact, the ripple effect of one person’s life is really quite impossible to measure.

But no matter who you are – small or great – no life has impacted this world, as we know it as much as Jesus has. In fact, there is no way to fully know the effect Christ has on this world – yet it does not surprise us because of who he is – according to the ancient scriptures.

One of these ancient scriptures was written by the prophet Isaiah over 1000 years before Jesus birth. What makes this truly remarkable is that there is in existence today a copy of Isaiah in the Dead Sea Scrolls dated from before 700 BC.

Isaiah tells us about the nature of the one who comes as a gift from God to human kind.

It Really is a Wonderful Life

For to us a child is born, to 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 increase of his government and peace there will be no end.

Isaiah 9:6-9:7

Background: Our text this morning is probably one of the most well known passages in scripture concerning the birth of Christ. It is the predominate Messianic prophecy of the birth of Christ found in the writings of the Major Prophets. It tells of the coming Christ and what he will be when he arrives.

The titles that He is given are impressive in their scope. By Isaiah’s description He is going to be the greatest ruler of them all, encompassing all the attributes one would look for in a person who was sent to lead them.

But what if that event that Isaiah described so beautifully for us never took place, what would our world and even our own personal lives be like.

It goes without saying that the world that we live in would be a much different place if Christ hadn’t come to dwell among us, the first place we want to go is in the area of not only personal, but world wide stability, if Christ had not come we would be a world…

A WORLD WITHOUT PEACE

Nobel Peace Prize

2006: Muhammad Yunus & Grameen Bank – Bangledesh

"for their efforts to create economic and social development from below"

2005: IAEA & Mohamed ElBaradei – Vienna, Austria

"for their efforts to prevent nuclear energy from being used for military purposes and to ensure that nuclear energy for peaceful purposes is used in the safest possible way"

2004: Wangari Muta Maathai – Kenya

"for her contribution to sustainable development, democracy and peace"

2003: Shirin Ebadi – Iran

"for her efforts for democracy and human rights. She has focused especially on the struggle for the rights of women and children."

2002: Jimmy Carter – US

"for his decades of untiring effort to find peaceful solutions to international conflicts, to advance democracy and human rights, and to promote economic and social development"

2001: The UN & Kofi Annan

"for their work for a better organized and more peaceful world"

2000: Kim Dae-jung – South Korea

"for his work for democracy and human rights in South Korea and in East Asia in general, and for peace and reconciliation with North Korea in particular"

1999 – MEDECINS SANS FRONTIERES

"in recognition of the organization’s pioneering humanitarian work on several continents"

1998 – John Hume & David Trimble – United Kingdom

"for their efforts to find a peaceful solution to the conflict in Northern Ireland"

1997: ICBLM & Jody Williams – US

"for their work for the banning and clearing of anti-personnel mines"

World peace is the absence of conflict

Our passage tells us that this promised messiah would be the prince of peace

The one who would bring an end to conflict

Our world has always been enamored with people who were considered peace makers, they even give awards for it

The Nobel is a prestigious award, given to those who propagate the idea of peace around the world

We have always been searching for a way to make the world a peaceful place

The question could be asked, aren’t we now living in a time where peace is absent from the world

It seems that all we hear about are conflicts and war. The images flood our television screens, and radio waves