Well, good morning. It's good to be with you this morning. If we haven't met, my name is Keith Knowlton.
! It's a pleasure to bring God's Word with you this morning.
As James said, we're starting a brief sermon series as we lead up to Christmas looking at the names of Jesus.
And today we'll be looking at the name, the Prince of Peace, taken from Isaiah chapter 9, verses 1 through 7.
So you can read that on the screen behind me or turn in your pew Bible to page 694.
But by way of introduction, I wonder if how many of us have heard of the Christmas truce.
Going back to December 1914, World War I was raging.
By that time, only five months have passed in the war and over a million men have died.
Many thought going to war that this war would only last a few months.
But now they were entrenched in this trench warfare that had caused them to be locked in this bitter turmoil,
this bitter stalemate, exhausted, and soldiers feeling the fatigue of war.
But on Christmas Eve 1914, near Epers, Belgium, something rather extraordinary occurred.
As the light was beginning to fade, the British soldiers could see off in the distance across from No Man's Land,
in the German trenches, these little lights being lit.
And then slowly over No Man's Land, they hear the sound of Christmas carols being sung in German.
And at first, the British troops thought this might be a trap.
They thought this was very peculiar that this would happen.
But as they continued to listen, they realized this was no trap.
This was true Christmas caroling, and slowly the British forces began to join in in English.
And what happened, even more extraordinary, was the next morning on Christmas Day,
that German soldiers came out of their trenches with hands raised and beckoned the British soldiers to do the same.
And they met in the middle of this No Man's Land.
And soldiers who were just hours before, readying themselves to shoot and kill one another,
were now shaking hands, exchanging pleasantries, small gifts of tobacco and photographs.
Even games of football were breaking out.
These few hours, war had stopped.
Guns were not fired, shells were not dropped, and these young men, weary from war, far from home,
were granted this temporary, rather unexpected peace.
But as expected, by nightfall, command had come down from the generals to say,
there is to be no fraternizing with the enemy.
And by the next day, fighting had resumed.
This temporary truce did not last.
And war continued for four more years, with millions more dying.
The reality is this famous Christmas truth, it didn't end the war,
but I think it shows really a universal truth that human hearts long for peace.
But that as man, we are not able to achieve this permanent peace on our own.
And so as we turn to our passage today, we're looking at this prophecy that anticipates a different kind of peace.
Not a man-made peace, not a temporary peace,
but a peace that is lasting and restorative,
that comes from our one true king, the prince of peace.
And so let's look at our passage together.
Isaiah chapter 9, starting in verse 1.
Nevertheless, there will be no more gloom for those who are in distress.
In the past, he humbled the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali,
but in the future, he will honor Galilee of the nations by the way of the sea beyond the Jordan.
The people walking in darkness have seen a great light.
On those living in the land of deep darkness, a light has drawn.
You have enlarged the nation and increased their joy.
They rejoice before you as people rejoice at the harvest,
as warriors rejoice when dividing the plunder.
For as in the day of Midian's defeat,
you have shattered the yoke that burdens them,
the bar across their shoulders, the rod of their oppressors.
Every warrior's boot used in battle and every garment rolled in blood
will be destined for burning, will be fuel for the fire.
For unto us a child is born, for 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.
Of the greatness of his government and peace, there will be no end.
He will reign on David's throne and over his kingdom,
establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness
from that time on and forever.
The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this.
This is the word of God.
Will you pray with me?
God, our Heavenly Father,
we ask that you guide us this morning by your word and by your spirit,
that in your light we may see light,
that in your truth we may find wisdom,
that in your will we may discover your peace.
We pray this in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord.
Amen.
Now I imagine that this passage is familiar to many of us.
It's one of those passages that we easily dust off the Christmas season
for a Christmas sermon or an Advent devotional.
And while I think it's good that we know this text,
it's familiar to us,
oftentimes we can pluck it out of its context
without really knowing where does it fit into this Old Testament narrative.
And so I want us to do when we begin
is trying to figure out what is the context of this prophecy?
What is going on in the people of Israel at this time?
This prophecy was given by God through the prophet Isaiah to King Ahaz.
Now if you know anything about King Ahaz,
if you were to rank the kings of Judah and Israel from best to worst,
Ahaz would be at the very bottom of this list.
Ahaz was a wicked king.
He worshipped idols of other gods.
He sacrificed his own sons to these idols.
He took elements, the riches of the temple,
and he gave them to other kings in order to make alliances with them.
And even as Israel starts to face judgment for having turned against God,
his faithlessness even grows.
He cuts up the vessels from the temple,
he shuts the doors to the temple,
and he sets up idols in every corner of Jerusalem.
And so Isaiah is instructed to go to Ahaz
to encourage him to repent,
to put his trust in God.
He even says,
Go give Ahaz the ability to ask for a sign
that I will show him,
that I will prove that I'm the one true God,
and he'll put his trust in me.
But Ahaz refuses.
So you think,
Well, God has every right just to strike Ahaz dead right there
to end his kingship at that point,
but he doesn't.
Instead, he grants him a sign,
even though he refuses.
He wants to prove his covenant faithfulness to his people,
even when his people have been unfaithful to him.
And so we see earlier on in the book of Isaiah,
this first prophecy of this sign.
A virgin will give birth to a son,
and his name will be called Emmanuel,
God with us.
And so what we see in our passage today in chapter 9
is this same Christ child.
Now, it may seem obvious for us.
We recognize this passage.
It relates to Christmas and the birth of Jesus.
But for these people,
they have no concept of Christmas.
They don't understand when this prophecy
is going to be fulfilled.
And so it's good to ask,
What would the people have thought in that time
when they hear this prophecy of a prince of peace?
Certainly, they long for peace
as the Assyrian army is ready to overthrow them.
They want peace in their lives.
They want peace in their nation.
When will it come?
Well, this wicked king Ahaz, he does die,
and his son Hezekiah comes to the throne.
And Hezekiah is actually a good king.
He repairs and he restores,
and he reopens the temple.
He gets rid of all the idols.
He reorganizes the priests.
He brings the people of Israel,
the people of Judah to repentance,
and they worship God once again.
The thing is that Hezekiah,
even though he was a faithful king,
he couldn't fulfill this prophecy.
Because it says that Hezekiah,
as he amassed this wealth
and this power and his influence,
he too became prideful.
And he died,
and peace did not remain
in the land of Judah.
And so this prophecy,
it points out to us,
there must have been someone greater
who was being prophesied.
Because Hezekiah couldn't fulfill this prophecy.
He is only a shadow of the one to come.
This divine child is to be born.
This only son of the Father,
He alone can forever lift this cloud of darkness
and establish this eternal kingdom.
And so that leads us to the titles we see in this passage.
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
It's really this crescendo that we see.
This Prince of Peace being this peak,
this ultimate, this promised leader
who promises to ensure the peace and prosperity
and well-being of His people forever.
And so that title specifically,
I want us to consider today,
this Prince of Peace.
What is this peace
that our leader and king provides?
Three ways I want us to consider this peace.
First of all, this upward peace,
an outward peace,
and an inward peace.
So let's first think about this upward peace.
And I think when we do,
I think it's important to define our terms.
What do we mean when we say peace?
My family and I have been in the UK for over five years.
And while we speak the same language,
we've had to adjust to the vocabulary.
There are certain words that we have meaning for
in the US that have very different meaning in the UK.
So things like chips,
or biscuits,
or a vest,
or trolleys,
or pants.
Right?
All things that we need to make sure
we understand what our terms are.
Even though we're speaking the same language,
words can have very different meanings.
So the same thing when we think about peace.
What does peace mean?
Oftentimes we think,
well, it just means a sense of serenity
or the absence of fighting.
But if we look at what this word peace means
in the Old Testament,
in this word shalom,
which probably many of us have heard before,
it has a much fuller meaning.
It means a wholeness,
a flourishing,
a completeness.
Not simply the absence of fighting,
but the presence of harmony and order.
And so this is exactly what we see
in the creation story in Genesis.
In the beginning,
we have a triune God
who creates all things
in the span of six days.
And he says it is all good.
He creates man in his own image
that he may share in this peace.
He gives man a wife, Eve,
to provide completeness for him.
He gives them a garden
with good things to eat.
He gives them a purpose
that they may take dominion
over creation
and experience this wholeness together.
We have a God
who descends and walks
in this garden
in peace with Adam and Eve.
But unfortunately,
this shalom is broken
when sin enters the world.
Adam and Eve
are tempted by the serpent.
They eat the fruit
of the forbidden tree
and their eyes are open
to their nakedness.
And so rather than walk
in fellowship with God,
they hide in shame.
Rather than enjoy this peace,
they run from God,
fearing his judgment.
But what we see next
is something that's really remarkable
because God could have condemned
Adam and Eve there,
but instead he speaks
these words of shalom over them.
While there would be consequences
for their action,
God comforts his children
with the promise
that peace will come
through one who will crush the head
of this lying, murderous serpent.
Though sin has now separated man from God,
God promises this full restoration
will come
and it's going to come
through the seed of a woman.
And so this is the beginning
of God's rescue plan.
So as we continue on
in the book of Genesis,
we see that God comes
to a man named Abram.
And he chooses to bless Abram.
And he says he's going to make him
into a great nation
that all nations
through him will be blessed.
And as we continue on
in the Bible,
these descendants of Abraham,
they become slaves
in the land of Egypt.
And God proves his faithfulness again.
He raises up Moses
to lead the people
out of slavery,
out of Egypt,
into the promised land.
And on their way there,
he takes them to Mount Sinai
where he again
renews this covenant promise.
He gives them the law
with its blessings and curses.
And so we've heard
this blessing before.
Oftentimes we end our service
with this blessing
of Aaron, the high priest,
to give to his people
the Lord bless you
and keep you.
The Lord make his face
to shine on you
and be gracious to you.
The Lord turn his face
towards you
and give you peace.
And so we may think
that after 40 years
of wandering in the wilderness,
God's going to bring them
into this promised land
and we think,
okay, this is where
this restoration
is going to occur.
This relationship
that had been ruined by sin
will be restored.
God's people will be obedient
and faithful
and they'll experience
this unending prosperity
and blessing.
We know that's not right.
Something we see
very different occurs.
Instead, we see
this repeated cycle
of sin and rebellion
that's followed
by discipline
and judgment
and brief periods
of repentance
and deliverance
and then what happens again?
More sin,
more rebellion.
And so we see
this is the history
of God's people
throughout the Old Testament.
One of brokenness
and chaos
and disorder.
One defined by war
and occupation
and division
and exile.
And maybe
you even experience this
as you read these texts,
this desire to cry out,
when will peace come?
It's obvious
that they are not going
to be able
to save themselves.
When will this Messiah,
when will this rescuer arrive?
And what we see
is a prophecy
like one in Isaiah
that promises
this Prince of Peace,
that points us forward
to the coming
of this Messiah.
And we see that He arrives
in the most unexpected way.
The Son of God
becoming man,
being born of a woman
to a poor family
in a stable.
This is what the angels
announce
the night of Jesus' birth.
Glory to God
in the highest
and on earth
peace
among those
with whom He is pleased.
Jesus,
when He starts
His earthly ministry,
He too quotes
from Isaiah
when He announces
His mission
for coming to earth.
What we see
at the Last Supper
before Jesus' crucifixion
is that He takes
this bread
and He takes this wine
and He tells
His apostles,
this bread
is like My body
that will be broken.
This wine
is like My blood
that will be spilled.
And what does He declare
to them?
Peace I leave with you.
My peace I give you.
And it's within days
that He goes to the cross
to fulfill the promise
and the purpose
for which He came.
What was also prophesied
by the prophet Isaiah
in Isaiah 53,
He was pierced
for our transgressions.
He was crushed
for our iniquities.
Upon Him
was the chastisement
that brought us peace.
And with His wounds
we're healed.
And so again,
it's not a peace
that's simply
this serenity.
It's not simply
a peace
that's the absence
of fighting.
This is full restoration
of our relationship
with God.
And so this is what
we see Paul talk about
in Colossians 1
that Christ restores
all things to God
through His death
making peace
through the blood
of Jesus.
This is what
we read earlier
in the book of Romans
chapter 5
that since we have
been justified by faith
we have peace
with God
through our Lord
Jesus Christ.
So our relationship
that had been ruined
in the Garden of Eden
has now been restored
and it's not
through the works
of man.
It's only through
this promised Messiah
who is truly
our peace.
And so a question
for each one of us
this morning is
have we been
reconciled to God?
have we experienced
the wholeness
and the restoration
that comes only
through the blood
of Jesus?
Because without
the sacrifice of Jesus
there's nothing
that we can do
to earn God's favor.
There's nothing
that we can do
to put ourselves
in right standing
before God.
Judgment and death
are all that remain
for us.
But we have Jesus
who is our
Prince of Peace
who loves
to save
sinners like me
you and me
loves
to supply shalom
between man and God.
And so that brings us
to our second form
of peace then.
Not only an upward peace
but an outward peace.
That upward peace
describes that
vertical relationship
between man and God.
This outward peace
describes this
horizontal relationship
between man
and the world.
These past few months
if you've been with us
we've been going through
in the morning
a sermon series
on the book of Acts.
And so we've been
looking at what happens
to the New Testament church
after Jesus' crucifixion
and resurrection
and ascension
and the sending
of the Holy Spirit.
Well you see the apostles
with the power
of the Holy Spirit
they're preaching
a gospel of reconciliation.
That though you
talking to the Jewish
leaders of the day
though you crucify
this man
he is truly
the Lord and the Christ
and one who offers
peace and life
to each person.
And so recognize
how this message
was received
by the New Testament church
how it benefited
the church.
We read how
the people
of this New Testament church
they devoted themselves
to the teaching
and preaching
of God's word
to fellowship
to the breaking
of bread and prayer.
They held all things
in common
they sold their possessions
and belongings
and distributed the proceeds
to those in need.
every day
attending the temple
together
breaking bread
in each other's homes
they received their food
with glad and generous hearts
and so we see
this beautiful picture
of unity
of God's people
in the early church.
But what we see
is this unity
even goes a step further
as we advance
in the book of Acts.
If we go to Acts 10
we see this vision
that Peter has
this vision
of clean
and unclean animals
and it's God
communicating to him
that this gospel peace
is not simply
for the Jews
it is for the Gentiles
as well.
God offers
his peace
to all men.
So again
this is what Paul says
in Ephesians 2
but now in Christ Jesus
those who are far off
talking about Gentiles
like you and me
have been brought near
through the blood
of Jesus
for he himself
is our peace
he has made
these two groups
one
Jew and Gentile
he has made them one
destroying the barrier
dividing the wall
this dividing wall
of hostility.
His purpose
was to create
in himself
one new humanity
out of two
thus making peace.
He came
preaching peace
to you who are far off
and peace to those
who are near.
This is true
for us today
certainly
I would imagine
most of us here
are of that
Gentile tribe
right?
we have been
grafted into
God's family
so that the issue
is not necessarily
Jew or Greek
today
it is a matter
of unity
between all people
in the body
of Christ.
We are united
in Christ's spirit.
And so this is why
Paul goes on
to talk about
the body of Christ
the church
as the body of Christ
we're equipped
for service
we're built up
in love
we're united
in faith.
So again
a question for us
this morning
does this describe
our church?
are we a church
that loves
to extend grace
to one another
rather than
hold grudges?
We talk a lot
about the value
of community groups
do we desire
to spend time
together
around God's word
in times of prayer
and encouragement
as we put aside
our work
midweek
or are we content
to simply
keep our distance
to show up
on a Sunday morning
and be no further
involved
in the church?
Do we long
to see
to be a part
of the work
of the church
extending the gospel
to our community
and to our city
or do we pack
our schedules
just so full
that we have
no room
to participate
in the ministry
of the church?
I think one
of the greatest
witnesses
that we can have
corporately
as a church
is to demonstrate
the love
of Christ
to those around us.
We want people
to come through
our doors
to experience
the warmth
of fellowship
and friendship.
We want the gospel
to be portrayed
in word
and in deed
in personal
and intangible ways
to those who don't
know Christ.
And we see
it should be
our desire
not only for this
peace to be extended
in our community
in our city
but truly
to the ends
of the earth
because this is
what we see
at the very end
of the Bible
in the book
of Revelation
when every nation
and tribe
and people
and language
come together
and stand
before the throne
shouting salvation
belongs
to our God
who sits
on the throne
and to the Lamb.
And we long
for this day
of peace
when God's people
praise
our Savior
in unity
giving praise
to our King.
This is the peace
that the Prince
of Peace
gives our church.
And finally
this last form
of peace
in inward peace.
Many of you
probably know
that the Princess
of Wales
hosted her annual
Christmas service
just this past week
and as she usually does
she wrote
an open letter
to those who
are attending
the service.
and I read the letter
and I want to read
just a few excerpts
from this letter.
She began
at its heart
Christmas speaks
of love
taking form
in the simplest
most human ways
not in sentimental
or grand gestures
but gentle ones.
These simple acts
of care
might seem small
but they contribute
to the beautiful
tapestry of life
to which we belong.
At a time
when life
can sometimes
feel fragmented
and uncertain
the Christmas season
invites us
to remember
the power
of reaching out
to one another
with generosity
of heart
understanding
and hope.
As the year
draws to a close
I hope this season
will bring moments
of peace
and clarity
and that you
will feel
surrounded
by the same
love and care
that you
freely offer
others.
It's a lovely
sentiment perhaps
but pretty
devoid of truth.
See the Princess
she describes
I think how many
people in our
culture view
Christianity
excuse me
view Christmas
there's this
desire for peace
but people
don't think
about a
divine love
they concentrate
on a human
love.
They recognize
disorder
in our world
but they
think the
simple remedy
to this world
is simply
acts of kindness
toward one another.
The Bible
shows us
something very
different
is that disorder
is not simply
something that is
around us
disorder is
something that
is within us
because of the
fall our
very desires
are disordered
and so we
may long
for wholeness
but we try
to find
solutions of
our own
that maybe
if I can
just get
that job
promotion
then I'll
experience
satisfaction.
Maybe if I
can only
find a
spouse
then I'll
feel complete.
Maybe if I
can only do
well on my
exams
then I'll
be satisfied.
Maybe if I
can only
fill in the
blank
and then
I'll feel
peace in
my life.
And so
for the
non-believer
these
disordered
desires
only bring
about this
constant
striving
and yearning
hoping that
we do
enough good
things
hoping that
we can
collect
enough
things
to make
us
comfortable
hoping that
if we
lean into
the
sentimentality
of this
Christmas
season
with lights
and songs
and presents
then we'll
experience
peace.
But the
Bible again
tells a
different story
in the
book of
James
chapter 1
verse 14
it says
that each
person is
tempted
when they
are dragged
away by
their own
desires
and enticed
and those
desires when
conceived
give birth
to sin
and sin
when it's
fully grown
give birth
to death.
Our
disordered
desires don't
bring us
life they
only bring
us death.
And so
even as
believers we
may
experience
this
tension.
Because of
the fall
we've become
less than
we ought
to be.
Yes we've
been reconciled
to God
but we still
struggle with
the reality
of our
sin.
So we
want to
obey God
we want
to follow
after him
but also
our sin
nature
still pulls
us away
and we're
so often
tempted to
turn away
from God.
And so
often we are
at war
with
ourselves.
but it's
important to
realize that
Jesus when
he restored
our relationship
to God
when he
provided this
means of
salvation
his work
does not
end there.
He gives
us his
spirit that
we may
also continue
to become
more and more
like Christ
in our
sanctification.
So yes he
provides us
in inward
peace
through the
restoration
of our
relationship
with God
but he
also wants
us to
grow in
this peace
through the
grace of
God
working
in our
lives.
And so
looking at
Philippians
4
verse 7
Paul says
this
he says
the peace
of God
which transcends
our understandings
will guard
our hearts
and our minds
in Christ
Jesus.
And so
he encourages
us
whatever's
true
whatever's
noble
whatever's
right
whatever's
pure
whatever's
lovely
whatever's
admirable
whatever's
praiseworthy
think about
these things
and the
God of
peace
will be
with you.
As
believers
we grow
in the
peace
of God
as we
grow in
likeness
to Christ.
But even
so
there is
maybe a
sense of
incompleteness
because though
this peace
is a gift
to us
maybe we
recognize
we don't
experience it
to its
fullest extent
now.
It's because
we live in
this period
of the
already
and the
not yet.
And this
is what we
even celebrate
at this
Advent season.
We celebrate
that Christ
has come
but we're
also looking
forward to
when Christ
will return.
He has
come and
he's brought
us peace
but the
full experience
of that
peace is
still yet
to come.
And so
that is
our hope.
The promised
bodily
return of
Jesus
our Prince
of Peace
who will
establish
a new
heaven
and a new
earth
a better
Eden
where we
will once
again enjoy
perfect
upward
outward
and inward
peace
with our
God.
This is
what's
described
at the
end of
our
passage
in
verse
7
of the
increase
of his
government
and of
the peace
there will
be no
end.
On the
throne of
David
and over
his kingdom
to establish
it and
uphold it
with justice
and with
righteousness
from this
time forth
and forever
more.
And so
is this
our hope?
because this
is a
prophecy
that is
true
and is
also
coming
true.
Because
Jesus
Christ
our
Prince
of Peace
has come
and he
is coming
again
to bring
full
restoration
full
completeness
full
harmony
between
God
and man.
And so
may this
be something
that we
marvel at
this Christmas
season.
Let's
pray.
Heavenly
Father we
thank you
for sending
your son
as our
Prince
of Peace.
We thank
you though
we are
responsible
for sin
you have
desired to
restore
our
relationship.
And so
we recognize
Father that
is nothing
that we
can do
to make
ourselves
right before
you.
But we
come to
the cross
and we
claim the
blood of
Jesus.
who brings
us
peace.
And so
may the
reality of
that peace
transcend
our lives
and our
relationship
with others
and our
relationship
with you.
A peace
that simply
doesn't come
through sentimentality
at Christmas
but a peace
that comes
in the
confidence
of Jesus'
work on
the cross.
May we
live with
that joy
and confidence
today.
We pray
this in
Jesus'
name.
Amen.
We have
one final
hymn of
praise.
Good Christian
men rejoice.
Please stand
and we'll
sing together.
Amen.
Good Christian
men rejoice
with heart
and soul
and voice.
Give ye
heed to
what we
say.
Jesus Christ
was born
this day.
Walks and
ass
before him
bow
and he
is in
the manger
now.
Christ
is born
today.
Christ
is born
today.
Bluetooth
this. Christ is born for this. Good Christian men rejoice with heart and soul and voice.
Now ye need not fear the grave. Jesus Christ was born to save. Calls you one and calls
you all to gain his everlasting hope. Christ was born to save. Christ was born to save.
Now hear these familiar words of God's blessing to his people. The Lord bless you and keep you. The
Lord make his face to shine on you and be gracious to you. The Lord turn his face to you and give you peace.