Our Prince Of Peace Series

Our Prince Of Peace

A few weeks ago we started a series of sermons based on Isaiah chapter nine and verse six. Let’s go ahead and read our focal passage at this time.

"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." Isaiah 9:6 (NASV)

This prophecy tells us that a child will be born. The child will be unique – the child will be special. The child will be the one we know as Jesus. According to Isaiah chapter nine, He will be called:

Wonderful Counselor

Mighty God

Eternal Father

The Prince of Peace

Today we will look at Jesus as being “Our Prince of Peace”.

We live in a world where there seems to be very little peace – don’t we? I remember growing up and hearing the stories, and watching the movies about World War II. My father and uncles would tell tall tales about serving in the military. Even then the cold war was raging and we would talk about our communist enemies and the threat of nuclear warfare. One of my teachers was a Korean War veteran. In my teen years Vietnam took the center stage. The draft came to an end in my senior year of high school. After Vietnam other smaller conflicts came and went. In 1991 we sent our troops to the Middle East to conduct an operation known as “Desert Storm.” I deployed as a chaplain for that operation. Other countries of the world would call it the Persian Gulf War. On September 11th 2001 our country was attacked by terrorists. Today we are involved in a conflict known as, “The War on Terrorism.” We currently have our military stationed throughout the world but most notability in Iraq and Afghanistan. War and conflict seem to be the natural course of this world. Even Jesus said:

“And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.” Matthew 24:6-7 (NKJV)

Can you imagine what it would be like to live in a world where there is no war, no fighting, no arguments, and no disputes of any kind? None of us can really fathom what a world like that would be like – why? Because we have never experienced it or even anything close to it! People throughout the centuries have talked about peace; but, few, if any, have ever had an actual plan to bring peace to the world! But God has a plan. God has sent us a Prince of Peace.

Here in America the term peace has been clearly connected with the absence of war. If there is no war – there is peace. However, the word that is used in the Old Testament for peace is “Shalom” and it means so much more than the absence of conflict. Shalom is indeed used to describe the end of hostilities, but the word itself also pictures health and wholeness. It denotes harmony and completeness. To have shalom is to have not only a quiet life but also to have a fulfilled life in every way.

When you have shalom there is no feeling of harm or hurt. When you have shalom you are in a state of ease and safety. There is no fearing whatsoever. There is no worry. There is a sense of harmony and oneness. You know your purpose and you have a sense of wholeness and completeness. Everything is exactly the way it should be. Nothing is out of order. Your inner world as well as the outer world is in harmony. This is shalom – this is the peace that Jesus brings for He is – Our Prince of Peace.

Today let’s look at two basic areas that Jesus brings peace into our lives. The first is:

1. Jesus brings peace between me and GOD.

Someone has said, “It is not possible to have the Peace OF God without Peace WITH God.”

It all starts right here. Each of us because of the sin in our lives has a problem with God. Our sin has separated us from God. When we sin we do things He does not like. He wants us to follow His rules. He wants us to do the things He has asked us to do and when we disobey we create a barrier between us and Him.

The Bible says that we deserve punishment for our sin. In the Bible we are told that “God will not leave the guilty unpunished.” (Exodus 34:7) In fact, the Bible often refers to us in our lost and sinful condition, as the “enemies of God”. (Romans 5:10) Our sin separates us from God. Before we can have peace with God – something must be done about the sin in our lives.