Sermon Central
-
The God Of Peace
Contributed by Anthony Zibolski on Mar 5, 2015 (message contributor)
Summary: These words carried the weight of the world and brought the savior of mankind. You cannot love the baby Jesus and not accept the risen savior. You cannot have one without the other. You cannot have peace, true peace without Jesus.
The God of Peace
Introduction-
As you are turning there, I want you to know the story of Christmas never gets old. In fact we should be spreading the message of Christmas all year long. Each year I try to look at Christmas with fresh eyes, but I should not have to. It should not get old because a dying world lost in sin with no way of escaping itself is in a dilemma-die in our sins or find someone else to take the punishment.
For believers Christmas time is a reminder of a God who cares deeply for each one of us.
He is not caught by surprise that we are lost and has by choice come into this world and die for us.
Jesus Christ the Messiah, the Savior of mankind started in that manger but has completed the redemption process at the cross.
We cannot have one without the other. You cannot love the baby Jesus and not accept the risen savior.
You cannot make light of all the Scriptures that give us direction on salvation and cling to an idea of a God who overlooks sin.
Isaiah 9:6-9:7 Text
“To us a child is born”- The Savior of mankind.
“A Son is given”- From God the Father.
The weight of the world, the weight of sin is on his shoulders. No one else could ever come and redeem mankind.
In Hebrew, the 4 throne names of the messiah carried a lot of weight for those looking for Him.
Wonderful Counselor
Mighty God
Everlasting Father
Prince of Peace.
From the bloodline of David has come a mighty God and a mighty counselor.
A royal that will cause the world to marvel, a redeemer who will do marvelous things, fulfill prophecy, and He will be powerful, enduring, compassionate and protector of God’s people.
The Jewish faith is still waiting for Him, some have believed and there is a messianic move of God.
The Christian community which hinges salvation completely on the completed works of Christ on the cross has lost a lot of its zeal because to follow such a savior involves changes in our lives and we don’t handle change very well.
Some have watered it down and made it a Christmas story that does not get lived out in our lives.
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace are words to a familiar song we sing a couple times a year.
Isaiah prophecy about the coming messiah has to be more than words we read and sing, it has to be lived out in our lives.
This world we live in keeps crying out for peace.
We say that we want to get along.
We say and have cute sayings but we will never have peace without the prince of peace. (repeat)
In a world filled with war and violence, it is difficult to see how Jesus could be an all powerful God who acts in human history and be the embodiment of peace.
Physical safety and political harmony does not reflect the peace that God the Son is talking about.
In our sinful state, the reason Jesus came was to restore us to a relationship of peace with God.
“But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”
Christ came in the form of a baby to die on the cross so that we can have a restored relationship with God that was broken at the fall of man.
“Therefore since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Phil. 4:7
“And the peace of God which transcends all understanding will guard your hearts and your mind in Christ Jesus.”
You cannot buy the peace of God, you cannot read it in a book written by man, because the peace the God comes to us as we trust in Him.
It transcends all our understanding.
“For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength.” (1 Cor. 1:25)
A fool sees wisdom in himself
A fool says in his heart, there is no God
A fool mocks God
A fool is right in his own eyes, but laughs at God.
“For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are saved it is the power of God.”
The peace of God is a God-thing! It comes from trusting God.
No longer in that manger is a baby dependent on Mary and Joseph. As much as Satan tried to stop what God the Father had put in to motion, no longer are evil kings pawns to be used to stop Jesus from delivering mankind.
