Alba 1-2-2022
PRINCE OF PEACE
Isaiah 9:6
We live in a world that is unable to stay at peace. We hope for it every new year. But every year disappoints, fulfilling our Lord's words that there will always be wars and rumors of war.
Yet, there was in history a moment when the promise of peace came forcefully and wonderfully. Luke chapter two records that moment, it says: 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying: 14 “Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!”
But think back with me how it was in Bethlehem at the time of Jesus’ birth. There wasn’t much that looked peaceful there. Streets crowded, businesses crowded, everyone in a hurry. Sound familiar?
I don't know if one can experience “road rage” when driving a donkey or a camel, but I would think it might be worse than from inside a vehicle! The people you shout at might actually hear you!
Bethlehem was full of strangers due to a census imposed by someone everyone hated. The out-of-towners hate being in Bethlehem, and the local folk hate all the traffic brought by the out-of-towners. And they both hate the Romans. Bethlehem is not a peaceful place.
Isaiah 59:8 states, The way of peace they do not know; there is no justice in their paths. (NIV) These words could be said about Bethlehem in the time of Jesus. And about our world today.
Yet into this world has come the One described in Isaiah 9:6.
"For unto us a child is born, unto 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."
Today we will look at His name, the Prince of Peace. Both descriptions of Jesus, Prince, and Peace, have meaning. Lets examine them. First, Jesus is the...
2. Prince
In Hebrew the phrase Prince of Peace is “sar-shalom.” Say that out loud with me: “Sar-shalom.” Jesus is the sar-shalom.
“Sar” is the word for prince. Normally when we think of a prince, we think of the son of a king. But that’s not what this word is designed to make us think.
This word, Sar, literally means Head Person, the Captain, Governor, or Prince. It refers to the man in charge. The go-to guy.
I have read that a prince was usually more involved in the affairs of a country than the king. The king sat on his throne signing orders, while the prince, the sar, was out in the trenches, governing the people.
The Romans had a very similar word for their ruler, he was called the “C-sar.” They had Julius Caesar, Caesar Augustus, Nero Caesar. That was their head guy.
And, until the Bolshevik Revolution, the Russians adopted the same title for their head of state. They called their ruler the, “czar.”
The word sar, or Prince, especially taken in context of Isaiah 9:6, implies that Jesus is THE supreme ruler, that He is royalty.
A prince commands respect. Jesus, our Prince, commands the greatest respect. He is to be held in the highest esteem. That means we are to submit to His authority under all conditions.
It means are to we honor Him and revere Him above all else, all the time. It means we are to bow before Him in humility and treat Him like the royalty He is. The question is, do we?
Jesus IS a Prince now. And there’s coming a day 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, 11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Phil. 2:10-11)
Jesus rules from a throne on high, and from that throne vast power is at His command. The government is on His shoulders, there is no higher government than Him. His word is above every word, His law above every law.
Everything bows down to Him. He has a Kingdom, a kingdom of unlimited wealth, power and glory. He is sovereign. There is no match to His power, there is no real competition. He is in complete control. Jesus is the Prince, the sar-shalom.
Yes, Sar is the word for Prince, and Shalom is the word for peace. Let's look at that word:
1. Peace
The Greek word in that verse is Eirene (from which we get the name, Irene) Is it really possible? Peace, I mean. Can we really have peace? Or is it just a dream that we cling to around the Christmas season and hope for in the New Year?
I read a story about a man who found himself on a train between two ladies. And unfortunately for him the two ladies were arguing constantly about whether the window should be open or shut.
The lady farthest from the window argued that she would die of a heat stroke if it wasn’t opened. The other said she would certainly catch pneumonia if it didn’t stay closed.
When the ticket taker arrived the ladies begged to him to come up with a solution. But unfortunately he didn’t have a solution.
Finally the man spoke up. "First open the window. That will kill the one. Then close it. That will kill the other. Then we will have peace."
Many people have a concept of peace similar to the man in this story. For them peace is the absence of conflict. However this falls short of the biblical vision.
In scripture it means an inner peace, peace with people, peace with God. Biblical peace is not the absence of conflict, but the presence of love, generosity and grace as the transforming principle of our relationships.
Peace is a frame of mind that we have when we are right with God.
Peace is also a fruit of the Spirit given to those who are fully trusting God. It is not found in the world. But world peace is something that most people want.
The desire for it is so well known that it is now a cliché. Miss America contestants were asked “If you could have one thing what would it be?” Their answer: “World peace.”
Yet as much as it is desired,world peace has also been shown to be impossible. An article in the Personel Journal revealed not too long ago that a study of the last 3,500+ years of recorded history over 8,000 peace treaties have been signed... and broken.
The idea of peace is difficult for us because we seem to have so many mixed messages when it comes to achieving it. Despite the fact that Jesus has already come as our Messiah, we still continue with wars and rumors of war.
Back in March 1863 a seventeen year old native of Cambridge, Massachusetts, slipped away from his home on Brattle Street, hopped aboard a train and headed for Washington D.C. to join Abraham Lincoln's Army in the Civil War.
His name was Charles Appleton Longfellow, and his father was the poet and literary scholar, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.
On November 27, as part of the Mine Run Campaign, while in a skirmish during the battle of New Hope Church, Virginia, Charley was shot through the left shoulder. He missed being paralyzed by less than an inch.
On December 1, 1863, word was received at the Longfellow home in Cambridge of Charles' serious injury.
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and his younger son, Ernest, left at once for Washington, D.C. where they finally met up with Charley and brought him home.
They reached Cambridge on December 8th and Charles Appleton Longfellow began the slow process of recovering. Charley’s wound took considerable time to heal. Over a month after returning home, he still needed help getting dressed. Why do I tell you this story?
As Henry Wadsworth Longfellow sat nursing his son and giving thanks for his survival, he penned the poem: Christmas Bells. Some of the verses are familiar due to the hymn I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day. Here are all the verses of this poem:
I heard the bells on Christmas Day -
Their old, familiar carols play,
And wild and sweet - The words repeat
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!
And thought how, as the day had come,
The belfries of all Christendom
Had rolled along - The unbroken song
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!
Till ringing, singing on its way,
The world revolved from night to day,
A voice, a chime, A chant sublime
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!
Then from each black, accursed mouth -
The cannon thundered in the South,
And with the sound - The carols drowned
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!
It was as if an earthquake rent -
The hearth-stones of a continent,
And made forlorn - The households born
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!
And in despair I bowed my head;
"There is no peace on earth," I said;
"For hate is strong, And mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!"
Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
"God is not dead, nor doth He sleep;
The Wrong shall fail, The Right prevail,
With peace on earth, good-will to men."
You see, that poem ends with the positive realization that though there was a lack of peace due to war, even then, if we trust Him, God is able to give peace.
By the way, Charles Appleton Longfellow was unable to sufficiently recover from his wounds and rejoin the army. He was impatient to get back to his unit and the war, but that would not come to pass. He was discharged on February 15, 1864.
But you see, peace is not the absence of trouble; peace is the presence of God! That’s what this word “peace” means. It does not mean that everything is coming up roses in your life. You may still feel the pain of the thorns more than you smell the sweetness of the rose.
So how can you know peace when the thorns stab you from within? When you are caught in the middle of the war within yourself, there is only one way to peace: Surrender to the Prince of Peace!
In the Hebrew language peace, Shalom means well-being, happiness, peace. Jesus is the Governor of well-being, the Captain of happiness, the Ruler of peace, The Prince of Peace, The sar-shalom.
That's why the angels said when they announced Jesus’ birth: Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace good will to men. Luke 2:16
So how is Christ the Prince of peace? He is the one who makes peace between God and mankind! God’s peace treaty was signed with the blood of Jesus Christ.
Ephesians 2:13-18 tells us, 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ.
14 For he himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, 15 by abolishing in his flesh the law with its commandments and regulations.
His purpose was to create in himself one new man out of the two, thus making peace, 16 and in this one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility.
17 He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. 18 For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.
It was not easy for God to give us Christmas. It was not easy for Jesus. It was not easy to keep loving and coming after a creation that had continually rejected Him and His love.
Especially when we realize what Jesus would have to go through when He came to this world, especially the cross.
A child born to die. A child destined for suffering, abuse and misunderstanding. A child whose life was in danger shortly after His birth.
There is always a price to pay for peace. Through the sacrifice of this Prince of Peace we are reconciled to God.
It is when we put our complete faith in the Prince of Peace, Jesus Christ, and obey Him, that our salvation is settled and we have peace with God.
In John 16:33 Jesus said, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
CONCLUSION:
Gordon McDonald a minister and author of the book, “Ordering Your Private World” told this story:
“A Nigerian woman who is a physician at a great teaching hospital in the United States came out of the crowd today to say something kind about the lecture I had just given.
She introduced herself using an American name. ‘What’s your African name?’ I asked. She immediately gave it to me, several syllables long with a musical sound to it. ‘What does the name mean?’ I wondered.
She answered, ‘It means “Child who takes the anger away.”’ When I inquired as to why she would have been given this name, she said, ‘My parents had been forbidden by their parents to marry. But they loved each other so much that they defied the family opinions and married anyway.
“For several years they were ostracized from both their families. Then my mother became pregnant with me. And when the grandparents held me in their arms for the first time, the walls of hostility came down.
“I became the one who swept the anger away. And that’s the name my mother and father gave me.’” McDonald concluded, “It occurred to me that her name would be a suitable one for Jesus.”
Yes, when Jesus came, He was the child who took the anger away between ourselves and God. God’s wrath melted, and our anger at God was over.
He brought us together. He was the child who takes the anger away — or as we know him: The Prince of Peace. The Sar-Shalom!
Peace on Earth can never start until we surrender one-by-one and let the Prince of Peace reign in our hearts !
