JESUS BRINGS US PEACE
--Isaiah 11:1-11
Today begins the Season of Advent, the four Sundays that lead up to Christmas Eve. Advent presents us with a twofold ministry. The noun comes from the Latin verb meaning “to come” and points to both the first Coming of Jesus in His birth, crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension and also to His Coming Again as “King of Kings and Lord of Lords.” So in Advent we cheerfully celebrate His birth while we joyfully anticipate His Return.
Our text in Isaiah 11 foretells our Lord’s First and Second Comings. From Bethlehem to Calvary Jesus has fulfilled at least 34 prophecies in his First Coming. With world conditions as they are today, especially when it comes to continued threats of terrorism and conditions in the Middle East, we can be certain He will fulfill those remaining at the right time. God spoke the words of our Text through Isaiah some 713 years before the birth of Jesus. It is clear in Isaiah 11 that Jesus brings peace. Jesus brings World Peace, Relational Peace, and Spiritual Peace.
Jesus will bring world peace when He returns in His Second Advent. The perennial joke in beauty pageants is the desire of all the contestants for world peace. This is especially brought out in the movie Miss Congeniality. With the situation in our world today, this is no laughing matter. Our text affirms that Jesus will reign over the entire world as the “Prince of Peace,” not only over the crowing glory of His creation the human race but over all His creation including all the animal kingdom. Since the fall of humanity into sin, all creation has suffered. Scripture affirms that when the Messiah reigns as “Prince of Peace,” predators will live in peace with their prey: the wolf will live with the lamb; the leopard lie down with the goat; the calf, lion, and yearling will do the same; the cow will feed with the bear; their young will lie down together; the lion will eat straw like the ox; the infant will play near the hole of the cobra; the young child will put his hand into the viper’s nest; and a little child will be their leader. God’s entire creation will be at peace, in unity and harmony with each other.
Then the Lord declares in verse nine and ten that Jesus, who is the ‘
“Root of Jesse,” “will stand as a banner for the peoples; the nations will rally to Him, and His place of rest will be glorious.” Not only will the animal kingdom live together in unity, peace, and harmony; the nations of the world will as well under the reign of King Jesus. People and nations who have rejected Him will “rally to Him.” No longer will anyone fear terrorism, for the Prince of Peace will usher in world peace even throughout all the Middle East, “for they will neither harm nor destroy on all My Holy Mountain.” The Lord’s Holy Mountain is the Holy City of Jerusalem. For
centuries Psalm 122:6 has been the prayer of faithful Jews:
“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem:
‘May those who love you be secure.
“May there be peace within your walls
and security within your citadels’”
When Jesus returns and reigns as the Prince of Peace, this prayer of
God’s people will gloriously be answered. Suicide bombings will be history, and Jesus will reign supreme, “for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea.”
As we prepare for Christmas and the celebration of our Saviour’s birth, we joyfully look forward to His Return to reign over all the nations as Prince of Peace, a time when not only the wolf will lie down with the lamb and the leopard with the goat; but a time when the Arab will be at peace with his Jewish cousin, when under the reign of Jesus, the world will live the reality of Colossians 3:11,”Here there is no Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.”
Jesus brings us personal, Spiritual Peace. Luke shares the anthem of the Angel Choir to Bethlehem’s shepherds: “Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,
“‘Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and on earth peace to those on whom His favor rests’” [--Luke 2:13-4].
Does the peace of God rest on you this morning? One of my Mother’s favorite passages of Scripture was Isaiah 26:3 (NKJV):
“You will keep him in perfect peace,
Whose mind is stayed on You,
Because he trusts in You.”
Jesus, “on the night that He was betrayed,” gave the gift of Spiritual Peace to 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].
Paul testifies of such peace in Philippians 4:6-7, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.”
God keeps us in perfect peace, the peace which is beyond human
understanding, as we keep our minds stayed on Jesus and our
eyes fixed on Him. Such peace is a heart that is trouble free
and unafraid regardless how difficult the trials and circumstances of life
may be. No matter the trouble, hardship, persecution, famine,
nakedness, danger you face, by the power of His Spirit living in you, you
continue to abide in His peace. You can face death, persecutions, the darts
of Satan, present difficulties, and future uncertainties confident of His
abiding presence and sustaining grace.
Do you have such peace? If not, it is yours for the asking today. In
explaining the First Coming of Jesus John says in John 1: ”He came to that
which was His own, but His own did not receive Him. Yet to all who
received Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to
become children of God—children born not of natural descent, nor of human
decision or a husband’s will, but born of God” [--John 1:11-13]. When you
receive Christ as your personal Saviour, you receive His “peace which
transcends all understanding.” That goes with the territory of being “born
again,” “being born of God.” Jesus is here to give such peace to anyone
who will receive Him as their personal Saviour and Lord.
Do you have such peace? Do you long for it this Christmas and
for all eternity? Reach out and receive it as a personal gift from Jesus
this very moment.
