During the season of Advent, we celebrate the coming of Jesus Christ, the Savior whose arrival was anticipated for centuries by Israel, and whose coming was foretold in the Scriptures. There are many passages in the Old Testament which look forward to Christ, and this morning, I’d like for us to look at one of them, in the book of Isaiah, chapter 9. This is a prophecy of the Messiah as an eternal King; one who would reign forever on the throne of David. You’re probably familiar with this passage from the Hallelujah Chorus of Handel’s Messiah. In fact, if you can’t resist humming along as I’m reading it, I won’t judge you.
6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given:
and the government shall be upon his shoulder:
and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor,
The mighty God,
The everlasting Father,
The Prince of Peace.
7 Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end,
upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom,
to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice
from henceforth even for ever.
The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this. (Isaiah 9:6-7, KJV)
Seven centuries before the birth of Christ, God pulled back the curtain on the future. He gave the prophet Isaiah knowledge about the coming Messiah, the One He would send to save his people from their sins. And this child’s birth is the fulcrum of history; it is the turning point in God’s plan for humanity, so that even today, we date everything that has ever happened by how many years it occurred before or after Christ. He never held public office. He never commanded armies. He never acquired great wealth, or even wrote a book, yet He is the most influential person who ever lived. And so, just as Isaiah and the rest of God’s people looked forward to the coming of their Messiah, so now we look back. We view his birth, and life, and death, and resurrection as the most significant events of all time. Jesus isn’t just the founder of a religious movement. He isn’t just a good man, or a wise philosopher, or an inspirational leader. He is the Savior of the world. He is God in the flesh. He is the One by whom and for whom all things were created. Amen?
This prophecy assigns to Christ several titles, all of which are descriptions of who he would be, and what he would do. And the title I would like us to consider this morning is "prince of peace". Prince of Peace. This is certainly one of the most well-known and well-loved titles by which Jesus is known. As we saw last week, when the angels announced the birth of Christ to the shepherds, they sang, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests." (Luke 2:14). It warms our hearts to think of the newborn babe in the manger, watched over by his loving parents, worshiped by the shepherds.
In our mind’s eye, as we imagine the scene, nothing disturbs their quiet adoration; no noise breaks the silence but the rustling of the cattle in their pens. That vision of peace and tranquility is reflected in the art on our Christmas cards, and in those carved nativity scenes we place on our mantles, and even in our hymns. Take "Silent Night," for instance:
Silent night, holy night
All is calm, all is bright
Round yon virgin mother and child
Holy infant, so tender and mild
Sleep in heavenly peace,
Sleep in heavenly peace.
Sleep in heavenly peace. And yet, tragically, the peace of the babe in the manger didn’t last very long. As the gospel of Matthew tells us, when the wise men told Herod about the newborn king, a potential rival for his throne, he ordered the slaughter of every male child under the age of two in the vicinity of Bethlehem. Mary and Joseph and their infant son barely managed to escape to Egypt with their lives. After that, we don’t know much about Jesus’ boyhood or early manhood. But we do know that once he began his public ministry, conflict and controversy followed him whenever he went. In fact, at times, he seemed intentionally to provoke them. For example, he repeatedly challenged and antagonized the Jewish religious leaders, the Pharisees. He verbally attacked them, calling them "hypocrites," and "snakes," and "sons of hell;" he compared them to "whitewashed tombs filled with dead men’s bones". And on at least one occasion, his attacks weren’t merely verbal; they were physical. When Jesus went to the temple, the center of the Jewish religion, and found vendors and moneychangers there, the Bible tells us in John’s gospel that,
". . . he made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple area, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables." (John 2:15)
That chaotic scene doesn’t seem very peaceful. And listen to what Jesus told his disciples:
"Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to turn a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law--a man’s enemies will be the members of his own household." (Matthew 10:34-36)
What are we to make of all this? Isaiah tells us that he will be the Prince of Peace, and yet he declares that he did not come to bring peace to the earth. What does it tell us? Well, for one thing, it tells us we may need to revise our picture of Jesus. There’s an old hymn by Charles Wesley, entitled, "Gentle Jesus, meek and mild," and that’s how many people see Jesus. Someone who is always kind and gentle, perhaps a bit bland and inoffensive. And there is truth to that picture, but it’s incomplete. Yes, Jesus is the good shepherd, caring for his people. Yes, he is humble, and full of grace and compassion. Yes, He did instruct his disciples to "let the little children come to me." But Jesus was not weak or cowardly. He was not timid. He was courageous, and bold, and strong, and at times even ferocious.
His three favorite disciples were Peter, James and John. Remember them? James and John, whom Jesus nicknamed the “sons of thunder”. And Peter, who boldly challenged Jesus to summon him to walk on the water. And he did it! Peter only got part way there before he began to sink, and Jesus had to rescue him. But nevertheless, he got out of the boat, in the midst of stormy seas, and began to walk to Christ on the water. These three wild men were the disciples who were closest to Jesus, the ones he felt the greatest affinity with; and they were disciples who were bold and courageous, and not in the least timid.
But not only do these passages indicate that Jesus is a different sort of man than some people imagine. They also suggest that the peace he came to bring may be different than we assumed. So this morning, I’d like us to consider what kind of peace Christ brings. Because in order for that Messianic title, “Prince of Peace”, to be more than just a pious slogan, we need to understand what it does, and does not tell us about Christ. We’ll look at five possibilities.
First, did Christ bring peace between nations? No. Obviously not. In fact, he warned us that there would be “wars and rumors of wars” (Matthew 24:6) until the end of time. Historians tell us that in the twenty centuries since Christ’s birth, there has not been a single year, and likely not even a single day, when the earth was completely free of war and bloodshed. So Christ did not bring peace between nations.
Then what about peace between people, peace between individuals? That’s the second possibility. This kind of peace is highly commended in the Scriptures. For example, a benediction of peace is part of the standard opening in Paul’s letters: “Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ”. Paul doesn’t begin his letters by wishing them faith, or love, or joy, as important as those are. He blesses them with grace and peace. Moreover, we are instructed over and over again to seek peace:
“14 Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.” (Psalm 34:14)
“18 If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.” (Romans 12:18)
“14 Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord.” (Hebrews 12:14)
“Seek peace and pursue it”. “Make every effort to live in peace.” In other words, we are not merely to welcome peace, or to desire peace; we are to actively seek it and pursue it, we are to do everything we can to promote it. Because peace is not just something negative; it isn’t merely the absence of conflict. It isn’t just what’s left when you stop fighting. Peace is also a positive force; it involves harmony and cooperation, mutual acceptance, respect, and goodwill. And so when we live in accordance with those values, we are promoting peace.
So did Christ come to bring peace between people? Your neighbors, your friends, your family, people you see at the grocery store, people you work with, people you see at the garden club? Does the gospel of Jesus Christ bring peace between people? Yes. If someone knows Christ, and their character is being transformed by Christ, that will eliminate many causes of interpersonal conflict. Replacing pride with humility; replacing hatred with love; replacing selfishness with grace and mercy—all of that will go a long way toward making your relationships more peaceful and less prone to conflict. For example, let’s look at some verses from Proverbs. What does Proverbs tell us causes conflict and strife?
“Hatred stirs up conflict,
but love covers over all wrongs.” (Proverbs 10:12)
“Where there is strife, there is pride,
but wisdom is found in those who take advice.” (Proverbs 13:10)
“A hot-tempered person stirs up conflict,
but the one who is patient calms a quarrel.” (Proverbs 15:18)
“The greedy stir up conflict,
but those who trust in the Lord will prosper.” (Proverbs 28:25)
What causes conflict? Hatred, pride, harsh words, greed, a hot temper. While the opposite qualities—things like love, and humility, and patience— tend to keep things peaceful. And where do those peaceful qualities come from? They flow from the changes that Christ is making in our hearts:
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.” (Galatians 5:22-23)
The character qualities that Proverbs tells us tend to promote peace are qualities which the Spirit of Christ produces in us as we walk with him in faith and obedience. And so knowing Christ does tend to bring peace with other people.
However, there are exceptions. Remember that Paul wrote, “If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.” (Romans 12:18) “If it is possible.” That caveat is there because sometimes it isn’t possible. Sometimes, despite our best efforts, we can’t achieve peace. Some people are just ornery. They’re quarrelsome, always spoiling for a fight. They thrive on drama and conflict. They are perpetually aggrieved; they seemingly live to take offense. In other words, some people simply don’t want to live in peace, and what Paul is telling us is that we don’t have an obligation to appease them, or to give in to their bullying, in an effort to achieve peace. We aren’t called to be naïve people-pleasers. Some people will try to exploit your desire for peace in order to bully you, or to shame you, into doing what they demand. And we have no obligation to submit to them. In fact, the best option may be to avoid them if you can. We’ll come back to that later.
But even more important, we also know that the gospel itself, the good news of eternal life and forgiveness of sins through Christ, can cause division; even in our closest relationships. People who become followers of Christ are sometimes ostracized and rejected, attacked and ridiculed, even by members of their own families. But this should come as no surprise, because Jesus warned us that this would happen. It’s an unavoidable consequence of the inherent divisiveness of gospel.
“18 “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. 19 If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. 20 Remember what I told you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also. 21 They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the one who sent me.” (John 15:18-21)
Recall again what Jesus said in Matthew:
"Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to turn a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law--a man’s enemies will be the members of his own household." (Matthew 10:34-36)
And so the gospel can bring peace between people, when it changes our character and the way we treat others. But it can also cause division and conflict. And even with our best efforts, it isn’t always possible to achieve peace. So this one is a “yes, but”. Yes, the changes that Christ is making in our hearts and lives will tend to promote peace with other people, and the Scriptures tell us that we should pursue peace. But the gospel that we live by also can produce conflict and opposition from those who reject Christ.
Then what about peace between believers? This is the third possibility, and certainly this is something that God intends for us to have. God desires for those who are part of his body, the church, to live together in peace with one another. I’m going to give you several verses, just to show that this is a consistent emphasis in the New Testament:
“19 Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification.” (Romans 14:19)
"Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful." (Colossians 3:15)
“2 Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.3 Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.” (Ephesians 4:2-3)
“17 But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. 8 Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness.” (James 3:17-18)
We are to be peace-loving, and peace-makers. We are to allow the peace of Christ to “rule” in our hearts; in other words, a desire for peace should govern and control our interactions with one another. And the peace between brothers and sisters in Christ is something that the Spirit of Christ, the Spirit of the Prince of Peace, makes possible. It is a blessing and a gift from Christ. In him, we can love one another by the power of God; our fellowship with one another testifies to the presence and power of the Holy Spirit in our midst. There’s something unique about the way that Christians relate to one another; something supernatural. And that difference is the Spirit of Christ, the Spirit of the Prince of Peace.
Having said that, a superficial peace is not a sign of health if there are unresolved conflicts in a church, or if there is sin or false teaching that needs to be confronted. I don’t enjoy conflict; most people don’t. And we should not be eager to provoke conflict. But neither should we avoid conflict at all costs. We must proclaim and defend the truth, even at the temporary risk of peace. When Paul was battling doctrinal error at Galatia, he asked the Galatians this question: "Have I now become your enemy by telling you the truth?" (Galatians 4:16) Evidently, some in that church had taken offense at his vigorous proclamation and defense of the gospel. But Paul was committed to preaching the truth, even if they considered him to be their enemy as a result. And when it came to sin, he was just as emphatic:
"But now I am writing you that you must not associate with anyone who calls himself a brother but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or a slanderer, a drunkard or a swindler. With such a man do not even eat. . . Expel the wicked man from among you." (1 Corinthians 5:11-13)
Question: Would expelling someone from the church who was guilty of gross sin tend to peace? Ultimately yes, hopefully—but probably not in the short run. If you’ve ever been part of a church that tried to exercise church discipline, you know that it is rarely a peaceful process. People get angry. They take sides. They spread rumors. They leave the church. They threaten lawsuits. They behave badly. Frankly, it’s sometimes enough to make you question the doctrine of sanctification. It would be much more "peaceful" to just ignore the whole problem and hope it goes away. But the Scriptures won’t permit that. They command us to confront sin, even at the cost of temporary disruption. Because holiness and purity in the body is critically important, and sin that goes unchecked will tend to spread, and metastasize, and infect the whole body.
Now, obviously, much wisdom and discernment are needed throughout the process of church discipline; much love and humility. Angry or bitter people shouldn’t be trying to correct or counsel anyone. And if a person is acting out of a judgmental, self-righteous spirit they need to deal with their own heart first. But even with all those cautions, the point is still valid: that preserving the "peace," when that is defined as avoiding all conflict, is not the goal. Honoring Christ is the goal. And so sometimes, we have to say and do things which may disrupt the peace, at least temporarily. That’s true for a church body, and it’s also true of relationships between individuals. We must act out of love and humility. We should carefully plan the time and manner of speaking, so as not to give offense unnecessarily. We must be ready to repent ourselves, before we call others to repentance, to confess our own sin before we confront the sin of others. But in the end, we must be willing to speak the truth. Because that’s the only way to achieve a genuine, lasting peace.
In fact, maintaining peace in the body of Christ is so important that those who repeatedly breach the peace may need to leave. As Paul writes,
“10 Warn a divisive person once, and then warn them a second time. After that, have nothing to do with them. 11 You may be sure that such people are warped and sinful; they are self-condemned.” (Titus 3:10-11)
“17 I urge you, brothers and sisters, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Keep away from them.” (Romans 16:17)
Yes, paradoxically, in order to achieve peace, we sometimes have to risk conflict. So this one is a “yes, but”. Yes, God desires that his people live together in harmony. And his Spirit enables us to do that. But sometimes, holiness and a commitment to the truth requires conflict.
Now, I’d like for us to consider a fourth kind of peace; and that’s peace within ourselves, inner peace. Does being united with Christ by faith bring us inner peace? Yes, it definitely does. As he told his disciples:
"Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. (John 14:27)
"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." (John 16:33)
“6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:6-7)
“7 Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” (1 Peter 5:7)
Those are precious promises. In Christ, we have peace. Peace that guards our hearts and minds, that calms our thoughts and emotions, that takes away fear. Peace that is beyond the world’s understanding. That peace comes from the knowledge that he cares for us, and that he has overcome the evil powers of this world.
Does that mean the world doesn’t offer any kind of peace? No, it does. But it’s far inferior to the peace we have in Christ.
• For example, some seek to quiet their fears, to calm their minds and hearts, through addictive behaviors—drugs, or alcohol, or pornography, or overeating, or turning off their brain and mindlessly streaming one video after another. Activities that temporary sedate them. But those don’t address the root issue, and in the end, they actually make the problem worse, not better.
• Or those who have a fear of illness or death may seek to calm their minds through diet, and exercise, and technology. They track their heart rate and blood pressure; they try different diets—paleo, gluten-free, vegan, raw food, intermittent fasting. They take cold plunges, or saunas, or contrast therapy (which is alternating between cold and hot, just to cover all the bases). They take vitamin supplements, sometimes intravenously. They do yoga and Pilates. Some tech billionaires are even doing blood transfusions with blood from younger people, like some kind of vampire. Now, these aren’t bad things, in fact, many of them are healthy. Probably not the blood transfusions. But as a way to address fear of death or illness, they all have one drawback. They don’t work. They all eventually fail. They are at best, temporary. Because no one is going to live forever. All of us, sooner or later, are going to get sick and die. But in Christ, we can have peace, because we know we have eternal life. We know where we are going when this life ends.
• Or, how about those who have money anxieties? They can work to earn more, save more, acquire possessions. But again, eventually they will lose it all, because you can’t take it with you. And even in the present, there is no way to absolutely protect yourself—against loss, against destruction by “moth and rust”, against financial collapse or theft. So it doesn’t work. But in Christ, we have peace because we have “an inheritance that can never perish, spoil, or fade” (1 Peter 1:4), an inheritance that is laid up in heaven for us. Our treasure, the treasure that each of possesses in Christ, is more valuable than this entire world and everything in it. And it is guaranteed, it is rock-solid, it is absolute. It cannot be lost; no one can take it from us. And that knowledge gives us peace of mind and quiets our hearts.
In fact, whatever someone’s fear or anxiety may be, the world offers a way to address it, usually for a fee. But all of those strategies will eventually fail. Because they don’t deal with the fundamental issue, which is separation from God.
We have an inner peace that the world doesn’t have, and there’s nothing we have to do to earn it. The cost has already been paid by Christ. Does that mean it’s automatic? No. It is our birthright, something that the Scriptures promise to us. But there is something we have to do to receive it. We have to pray. We have to explicitly entrust ourselves to God and turn our concerns over to him. Not just once, but whenever we sense our hearts and minds becoming fearful or anxious. Which for most of us, is probably at least daily. And not just the big things, but “in every situation”. In every situation where we find ourselves starting to worry, or fret, or stew, whenever we realize that we are carrying a burden that we were never meant to bear, we need to go to God in prayer. What did Christ say?
“28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” (Matthew 11:28-29)
“Rest for your souls”. Doesn’t that sound good? That’s the peace we have in Christ. It doesn’t come from a pill or a credit card. And it also doesn’t come from changing our circumstances. Jesus told us, “In this world you will have trouble.” The peace that he gives us doesn’t come from eliminating all sources of trouble in our lives. It comes from allowing our hearts to be still, and trusting in him, committing our cares and burdens to him, even in the midst of the storms of life.
Fifth and finally, there is one more kind of peace I’d like us to consider. The most important peace of all. Peace with God. That peace is full and complete, even now, for those who are in Christ. As Paul tells us:
“1 Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ . . . . 9 Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him! 10 For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! 11 Not only is this so, but we also boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.” (Romans 5:1, 9-11)
Before we knew Christ, whether we realized it or not, we were God’s enemies. We were alienated from God, separated from God, estranged from God. We were under God’s judgement and condemnation. We were under a sentence of death; we were the objects of God’s wrath. But now through Christ, we have been saved, we have been reconciled to God. And so we are at peace with God. The lack of that peace, the lack of peace with God, is at the root of all the world’s fear, and anxiety, and worry, and guilt, and despair. And we pray that God will be gracious and merciful to many, many more and that he will give them that peace, especially at this time of year when we celebrate the birth of our Savior. But as for ourselves, we rejoice and give thanks that through faith, we have peace with God. God is no longer our enemy, and he will never condemn us or reject us. Because of what Christ, the Prince of Peace, has done for us, God is not our judge; he is our Father. And he will be our Father forever and ever. Amen?
