“HE WILL BE CALLED…
THE PRINCE OF PEACE”
Isaiah 9:6-7
When I say the word “peace” what is the first thing that comes to your mind? What do you think of?
Like most important words, “peace” has become all things to all people.
One picture some of you might have is a picture of a loving mother looking into the face of her sleeping baby. Notice I said sleeping baby!
Another picture: a poet writing of the serenity of an old cemetery.
There are many pictures for the word “peace.”
“Peace” can mean different things to different people. The problem is that when we say the word “peace” we cannot be sure that we are all talking about the same thing.
This would not be the case for the Old Testament Jew. To him, the word “peace” (“shalom”) meant far more than silence or the absence of way, which is the way that most of us would describe peace. The Old Testament Jew would view peace as a living, vibrant thing made for the well-being of mankind.
Peace, true peace, has nothing to do with the situation on the outside. It has everything to do with the condition on the inside.
A person can be at peace no matter what the situation, no matter what the circumstances are.
How is this possible? Because of Jesus Christ.
The prophet Isaiah prophetically calls Jesus Christ “the Prince of Peace” in Isaiah 9:6-7.
Let’s look together at several aspects of this name
“Prince of Peace” given to Jesus Christ:
We see first of all that Jesus Christ is Prince of Peace in...
I. HIS CHARACTER
When you think of Jesus Christ as “The Prince of Peace” you should think first of all of His Character. Jesus Christ was a man of peace. He was a man at peace with Himself no matter what the circumstances around Him.
Think of how he was sound asleep on the boat in the middle of a storm.
Think of how He was calm, cool, and collected when feeding the 5,000.
Think of how He was not rattled after Jairus’ daughter died and He raised her from the dead. Same thing when He raised his good friend Lazarus from the dead.
Think of how He remained calm and in control during his unjust arrest, trial, and crucifixion.
By His character, He demonstrated to us what true peace is.
This word “peace” is thrown around a lot today, especially in Mennonite churches. Mennonites are known as belonging to a “peace church.” This might get me in trouble with some of you who hear me say this, but say it I must, I really wonder if Christ would take part in much of the modern day “peace movement.” I’m speaking mostly of the “peace movement” of not only the world, but some of the “peace” talk we hear and read about even within the Mennonite church.
Now, before tuning me out, please hear me out...
Why do I say such a thing?
Because righteousness and peace go together.
Isaiah 32:17 “The fruit of righteousness will be peace; the effect of righteousness will be quietness and confidence forever.
Our Lord Jesus Christ’s first concern was not peace, but righteousness. You would not hear the words,
“Peace at any price!” come from the lips of our Lord.
Peace without righteousness is not peace!
The prophet Jeremiah wept over this false kind of peace in Jer 6:14
Jeremiah 6:14
“They dress the wound of my people
as though it were not serious.
’Peace, peace,’ they say,
when there is no peace.”
Peace is more than bringing people together.
Peace is more than bringing families together.
Peace is more than bringing friends together.
Peace is more than bringing nations together.
Think of Herod and Pilate, two enemies who became friends during the trial of Jesus. You could say they had peace, but it was a peace not based on righteousness, not a true peace.
Peace is based on righteousness. Peace is based on the truth.
Isaiah 57:21
"There is no peace," says my God, "for the wicked."
You see, we want to change the circumstances, but God wants to change our character!
We think that peace comes from the outside in, when, in reality, peace comes from the inside out!
Jesus Christ brings peace because He is peace. He is our peace according to Ephesians 2:14. And the more we become like Him, the more we experience peace and share peace.
But being “The Prince of Peace” not only involves His Character, it also involves...
II. HIS CROSS
Please turn with me to Colossians 1:19-22...
“Reconcile”=? “Reconcile”=”to bring together again”
The deepest need for every person today is the need to be reconciled.
You can talk all you want about peace, but...
You will never experience true peace, either within yourself, or with others, until you are first of all at peace with God!
And you cannot be at peace with God until you deal with that which is keeping you from being at peace with God. And what is that thing? =SIN.
You can try to cover it up.
You can try to ignore it.
You can try to overcompensate for it.
But you will never be at peace with God until you get rid of that barrier between you and God caused by your sin.
The Good News is that GOD took the initiative in making a way to eliminate that barrier between you and Him!
Yes, it took His Son, coming to earth, as a man, that enables us to be reconciled to God.
At Bethlehem, God was made flesh and entered the human race.
At Calvary, God Himself took on Himself the sins of the human race in His own body.
Yes, the cross is the great meeting place!
Psalm 85:10 “Love and faithfulness meet together;
righteousness and peace kiss each other.”
It took the blood of His cross to make peace between sinners and God. And the result of this peace with God is peace with one another. Once you have settled the war on the inside, you can begin to settle the wars on the outside.
In Jesus Christ, man is reconciled with God and man is reconciled with fellow man. And it’s because of His dying on the cross for our sins.
Jesus Christ is “The Prince of Peace.” We see this not only in His Character, not only by His Cross, but another factor in Christ’s ministry as “The Prince of Peace” is...
III. HIS COMPANIONSHIP
His presence brings peace.
The peace of Jesus Christ’s companionship is seen especially in John 14 during the hours just before His arrest and crucifixion
(Read John 14:1-4, 24-27)
It was the companionship of the Master that helped to give peace.
You can go to a drugstore and buy tranquilizers.
You can go on a nice vacation spot and buy some rest and relaxation.
But, you know what, YOU CANNOT BUY PEACE!
Peace is a gift. Peace is a Person who is a gift!
And this Person is the Greatest Gift of All!
His companionship brings peace.
It’s quite interesting to me to notice the words Christ spoke to His disciples after His death and resurrection... (Read John 20:19-21)
The gift of peace was purchased by the price of His own life!
For the Christian, peace is not a shallow emotion based on feelings or circumstances. Peace, for the believer, is a deep confidence and joy based on the victorious work of Christ on the cross.
It took His wounds to bring peace to a wounded world!
And because Jesus Christ rose from the dead and returned to God the Father, He makes it possible for us to enjoy His companionship TODAY!
But this companionship, like any friendship, must be cultivated.
Our Lord doesn’t want to be only your lifeguard who is called on only in emergencies.
He wants to be involved in every aspect of our lives!
He wants to walk and talk daily with us in a close and intimate relationship!
“So,” some of you might be thinking here, “so walking with Jesus means I isolate myself from the real world and thereby insulate myself from the needs of others around me. I mean, me and Jesus have a good thing going, and I don’t want to disturb it by getting involved in the needs of others!”
No, no, no! Listen, God did not give us His peace so that we could sit back and enjoy it!
He gives us His peace so that we might be able to share the source of that peace with a needy world.
He gives us His peace so that we might be able to share the sources of that peace with people who are at war, at war with God and with others.
This is called the ministry of reconciliation.
Did you know you’ve been commissioned for this ministry?
Paul talks about it in 2 Corinthians 5:14-21....(Turn there & read)
When The Prince of Peace reigns in our lives,
Then the peace of God rules in our hearts,
And this makes us peacemakers in the ministry of reconciliation!
(REPEAT)
This is a high and holy calling. A calling to which ALL of us are called to!
The ministry of our Lord Jesus Christ as The Prince of Peace is seen not only in His Character, not only in His Cross, not only in His Companionship, but Jesus Christ will complete His ministry as The Prince of Peace in...
IV. HIS COMING AGAIN
The announcement of “Peace on earth” that was made at His birth was a valid one.
God did not fail. Man did. Man rejected His peace.
The people said, “We will not have this man to reign over us!”
And that is why you do not have peace on earth today.
And we will never have peace on earth until Jesus Christ,
THE PRINCE OF PEACE returns to earth and establishes His kingdom.
Look again at Isaiah 9:7
This is a clear reference to His 2nd coming.
It is only when Jesus Christ comes again will we truly have peace on earth. It is only then that the great promises of peace found in prophecy will all be fulfilled.
Nations will beat their swords into plowshares.
Men will no longer train for war. (Read it from Isaiah 2:1-4)
(Then read from Isaiah 11:1-9)
(Staying in Isaiah look next at Isaiah 61:1-3)
Part of this passage (Isa. 61:1-2a) was read by Jesus (Luke 4:18-19) in reference to Himself. What was His mission? of this Anointed One was Jesus’ ministry: to preach good news, to heal and free (Isa. 61:1), to proclaim... favor and... vengeance (61:2), and to comfort (vv. 2-3). When Jesus read from this passage He stopped in the middle of the sentence, after the word “favor” (Luke 4:18-19). By doing this He was showing that His work would be divided into two advents. In His First Advent (His First Coming) He did the things mentioned in Isaiah 61:1-2a;
In His Second Advent He will do the things in verses 2b-3. When He returns He will bring judgment on unbelievers. It will be the day of God’s “vengeance” (Isaiah 63:4). But the Messiah will also “comfort” Israel, for she will have undergone great persecution, the Great Tribulation, in the preceding years.
Instead of working for peace on earth, a false peace, a peace that doesn’t last, let us be working for true peace by sharing with others the Good News of Jesus Christ, whose birthday we celebrate this time of year.
This Jesus Christ is called
WONDERFUL,
COUNSELOR,
THE MIGHTY GOD,
THE EVERLASTING FATHER,
THE PRINCE OF PEACE
He is “Emmanuel” He is “God with us.”
And He will come again bodily to earth,
to rule and reign in righteousness.
Meanwhile...
We love Him,
We labor for Him,
And...We look for Him.
EVEN SO, COME QUICKLY, LORD JESUS!
