Isaiah chapter 9, the easiest way to get across the country is to buy a plane ticket and fly.
! It's not the most scenic way to do it.
If there's a cloud coverage, you won't see anything.
But it is efficient.
And most of us know the routine.
You got the 311 bag and you can leave your shoes on now.
Thank the Lord.
Some love flying and some hate flying and some do it for a living.
For most of her life, my oldest daughter Abby's flights have been unpredictable.
She has an ear condition that sometimes the pressure change causes intense pain.
And sometimes it don't bother her at all.
And if you know Abby, you understand that.
Sometimes it bothers her, sometimes it don't.
But if it does bother her, she'll let you know it.
We were flying together once not long ago and the pain hit hard.
She was sitting at the window and there was a seat between us that was empty and I was sitting in the aisle.
And we were at 30,000 feet.
And she looked at me and said, Daddy, I can't do this.
And I said, Honey, you don't have a choice.
We are going to do it.
And we're going to land this plane.
So the fear that she gets is different than what some other people get when they fly.
Some people dread the takeoff.
They just don't like leaving the ground.
And some people don't like landing.
They don't like rushing toward the ground.
It don't really bother me a whole lot.
But what bothers me the most is turbulence.
Because it comes out of nowhere.
You hit an air pocket and drop.
And what I've learned to do is pay attention to where I look and see what happens.
See, I watch the faces of the flight attendants.
And when they tell them to buckle up and sit down,
I look at their faces to see if they're whispering to one another and those type things.
If they're calm, I'm calm.
Now, I found out since I believe that that they're actually trained to look calm even when they're freaking out.
So that don't really help.
But anyway, I also find comfort in the voice of the pilot.
Because when the pilot comes on and says,
All right, we're going to hit some turbulence.
And there are going to be some air pockets.
And it's going to be a little rough coming in.
But we're steady.
And he sounds confident.
And he sounds instructional on what he tells us to do.
We know what to expect.
And we know what to do.
And it just kind of calms things.
Wouldn't it be nice
if when turbulence hits our lives,
if we had someone to look to for comfort,
someone to look to for guidance?
I'm thankful today that we do.
And that Prince of Peace came to us as a babe in a manger.
He's the reason we celebrate Christmas.
And once again, I want you to listen to the prophet.
Predict the coming of the Lord 700 years before his arrival.
And notice how he introduces him.
Isaiah chapter 9, 6 and 7 says,
For to us a child is born, to us a son is given.
And the government shall be upon his shoulder.
And his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Of the increase of his government and of 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 forevermore, the zeal of the Lord will do this.
This passage is weighty.
It gathers up all that begins when Christ comes into the world.
It encapsulates the totality of what will begin when Christ is born.
It says, for under us a child is born.
That means that Christ is born.
He's human.
A real boy in a real world, he came dependent.
He came limited.
He came human.
But he's also a son that's given.
This didn't start in Bethlehem.
This is the eternal son of God.
Given to us.
He didn't stop being God.
Humanity was added to him.
Only God can bear the weight of sin, but only man can stand in our place.
He's the God man.
Then it says, and the government shall be upon his shoulder.
When a king was enthroned, a royal robe was draped across his shoulders.
It symbolized rule and authority.
But with this king, it's more than just a robe.
He bears the weight of the responsibility that he has been given.
And that is the burden of redemption.
He's bearing the weight of the sins of a fallen world upon his shoulders.
He is our savior.
But he's not only our savior, but he is a wonder of a counselor.
He knows what we need before we ask.
He is the mighty God.
He has power over sin, death, and hell.
And he has the power to save.
He is everlasting father.
He will never leave us.
He knows, can do all things, and remains forever.
Yet with all of those titles, my favorite title appropriates his position is this last one, and that is he's the prince of peace.
I don't know anybody who likes scrapes and squabbles.
I know people who have a tendency to get into it.
Some just learn how to cause commotion.
That's kind of what they do.
But even when they do that, they kind of wish it would stop.
They just want to win.
But peace is a good thing for all people.
We're all in the need of peace.
And the gift of Christmas is, in Christ, is that we have peace.
But that only comes through the prince of peace.
He did everything that he did and does everything that he does so that we can have peace.
So I just want to tell you what we have this morning when we have the prince of peace.
And just look at what scripture teaches us.
As it elaborates on the peace that we can find only in the Lord Jesus.
In him we have a prevailing peace.
In John chapter 14 through John chapter 16, Jesus is in the upper room with his disciples.
He is preparing them for a time when he will no longer physically be present with them.
And he promises them that the coming of the Holy Spirit, he promises them of the coming of the Holy Spirit.
And he assures them that he will be in their presence.
He speaks of his prevailing presence even after his ascension.
And he closes that out by saying in John 16, 33,
In me you may have peace.
In this world you will have tribulation.
But take heart.
I have overcome the world.
Now the tribulation that he speaks of in this passage is not talking about some end time, certain number of year kind of tribulation.
No, no, no.
He's talking about the stuff that we deal with every day of our life.
The pains and the sorrows and the difficulties that we deal with every day of our life.
And sometimes on the worst days of our life.
It's been a rough week.
It really has.
I spent the first part of the week one day afternoon going to a father's funeral.
One lost his father.
A good, godly man.
That went on to be with the Lord.
And he buried his beloved dad.
And the next day I got a call.
That somebody had tragically, quickly lost their son.
And tried to walk through that with that family.
Through their celebration of life for him this week.
It's been a rough week.
There's tribulation.
Trials and difficulties in our lives.
That are tough to walk away.
To walk through.
You can't really walk away from it.
It goes with you.
It hangs out.
And so he tells us.
And he knows this, by the way.
He knows all those things.
Take heart.
I've overcome the world.
And when he says that, he's not only talking about some world power.
He's talking about whatever this world has.
Whatever it throws at you.
He can handle that.
I want you to understand that peace is not an end of conflict.
It's not.
It is his presence in the midst of that conflict.
It is his presence in the midst of that stress.
It is his presence in the midst of that difficulty.
And when he says that he has overcome, that means that he's won through the cross.
And in him, because if we've given our lives to him, in his victory, we find victory.
In him we win too.
The empty tomb is the evidence of our triumph of the Lord.
There's a prevailing peace that he gives us.
But not only that, but scripture also teaches that we have a perpetual peace.
It does not go away.
I mean, listen, we may stray, but God's not going anywhere.
We may not feel his presence in times in our lives.
But he's not went anywhere.
Your feelings are not the basis of the truth of the presence of God.
Understand that.
He's beyond that.
I want you to listen to how Paul closes out the second letter to the Thessalonians.
He's saying, 2 Thessalonians 3, 16, he says,
Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times, in every way the Lord be with you all.
He says, at all times.
Do you know what that means?
In the Greek, that means at all times.
That's what it means.
It means every season of your life, everything that you go through, in every way, in every situation that we find ourselves in, he's always there.
Our peace is not found in the absence of conflict or loss or the absence of hardship.
It's found in the perpetual presence of the Lord.
He's not going anywhere.
He's right there with you.
He's anchored into the believer's life, and we should be anchored into him.
And as unstable as this world is, the Lord is always stable.
He's always steady.
He's always faithful.
He's a perpetual peace.
But not only that, but Scripture also teaches us that we have a poised peace in Christ.
I want you to listen to how Isaiah writes about this in Isaiah 26, verse 3.
He says,
You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you because he trusts in you.
If I were to spin around real fast in this spot right here on this stage, I'd probably fall off.
And the reality is most of you would laugh quicker than you would get up and help.
And that's sad, but that's the truth.
But have you ever seen how fast a ballet dancer or a figure skater can spin and never lose their balance?
They use a technique called spotting.
And when they spin, they fix their eyes on one unmoving point.
Maybe it's a spot on the wall or a mark in the room.
And as they turn their bodies, the head rotates last as their eyes are fixed on that one spot.
And then they keep that fixed as long as possible.
And then when necessary, they quickly snap their head around and find that same spot again.
And good ones do it very effectively.
When life is spinning and times are tough and circumstances are turning fast,
peace does not come from life slowing down to a stop because it don't do it.
It don't.
It comes when we fix our eyes on Jesus in the midst of the turns.
He is stable.
And we can be stable when we look to him.
But not only do we have a poised peace, but we also have a peculiar peace.
Jesus is clear in John 14 that the peace that he gives us is not like the world can give.
If you don't believe that, watch the news.
Because world peace is fragile and it's temporary.
Calm for a time, but built on a false sense of hope.
However, the peace of Christ is different.
The peace of Christ is not just a mere distraction.
Jesus offers rest.
He removes our fears.
He removes our doubts.
Peace comes when he speaks.
When he looked at the raging sea, he said, peace be still.
And all those choppy waters calmed immediately.
And with that same power and with that same voice,
he can speak into our lives of a believer.
In the struggle and in the storms that are overwhelming us.
And somehow give a sense of calm in the midst of that.
But I want to be clear, that does not come for everyone.
I call it a peculiar peace because peculiar is a word that's used twice in the King James Version.
Once it's used in 1 Peter and once it's used in Titus.
And when we think of the word peculiar, it normally means strange or odd or awkward.
Some of y'all may know what that means.
There's even a South Carolina word that when I used this in Mississippi, they looked at me kind of strange.
But some of y'all know what I'm talking about when I say choir.
Just kind of choir, you know.
It's not queer.
Choir.
Just kind of choir.
They say that to you and you're not from here.
It's just strange, awkward.
It's just kind of choir, you know.
Biblically, that's not what it means.
Biblically, it means one's own possession.
Something that's different because it's set apart as a treasure.
You can't have the peace of Christ apart from a relationship with Christ.
You can't.
If he had not come as a babe, there'd be no relationship to have with him.
But he has come.
And because he's come, we have that opportunity.
And that peace is only found in him.
Have no fear.
This peace is not elusive.
Scripture teaches us that not only is it for us who come in Christ, but it is also promised.
It is a promised peace.
John 14, 27.
Jesus said, peace I leave with you.
My peace I give to you.
Not as the world gives do I give to you.
Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
Listen, I try my best to give comfort to those who are hurting.
Try to find the words to say.
Most of the time I spend a lot of time quiet.
Because I've heard a lot of preachers say dumb stuff and I don't want to say something dumb.
I just shouldn't not say anything.
Sometimes presence is the best.
But I want you to know that whatever you go through, whatever you face,
I'm well aware that I,
as good as he is,
Brian,
Jeff,
anybody on this staff,
we can't give you
a real sense
of wholeness and completeness and peace
like the Lord Jesus can.
Matter of fact,
all I want to do is point you to Christ
because he's the one
that provides that
for you
and he promises it.
And so you can rest in that.
There's times that feels shaky,
but I believe you can rest in that.
The word for peace there is shalom
and it means wholeness
and it means completeness.
Augustine of HIPAA wrote this.
He said,
you may,
you have made us for yourself,
oh Lord,
and our hearts are,
is,
and our heart is restless
until it rests in you.
That's where we find our hope.
And,
and when we hope in him,
we find peace.
And it is my prayer for you this Christmas
that you find your peace in Christ.
Now let's go back to the text
and look at verse seven.
It says,
of the increase of his government
and of his,
of the peace,
there'll be no end
on the throne of David
and over his kingdom
to establish it
and to uphold it with justice
and with righteousness
from this time forth
and forevermore.
What,
what began as
Christ's birth
did not stop at his death.
His resurrection
did not stop it.
His ascension into heaven
did not stop it.
Christ rule
and reigns today
in the hearts
and the lives
of believers
and one day
he'll rule
on this earth
and all will know
of his rule and reign
and it cannot be stopped.
It will not be slowed.
It will not be hindered.
It will not be bothered.
It will not be compromised.
It speaks of justice.
He is just
and he displays justice.
It speaks of righteousness.
He is right
and he displays righteousness.
Forever.
forever.
And you say,
preacher,
how in the world
does that happen?
Well,
this is the best part.
The zeal
of the Lord
of hosts
will do this.
This is not something
that we can concoct.
I am thankful
for those who came
after the first of December
and decorated this sanctuary
and this facility
so beautifully.
Thank you
for all that effort.
And I am thankful
for those who help us
to have the fellowships
that we have
and do all the background work
that nobody even sees
to make it all special.
thank you.
And the choir
and the orchestra
and the drama team
and the tech team
and the children
and the youth,
didn't they just
blow us away?
I mean,
just absolutely.
My mom and dad
came Sunday night
and on the front porch
she said,
my mama said,
I'm ready to go to heaven now.
And I said,
not right now,
mama,
go to the car.
It was wonderful.
And I've tried my best
through something
that a man said
about 2,700 years ago
about the hope
that we'd have in Christ
and point you to Christ.
But I want to be clear.
In all our efforts,
we can't concoct.
We can't drum up.
We can't do
what only God can do.
We can't make it happen.
God's plan
is humanly impossible.
And because of that,
many have a hard time
believing it is possible
because they can't see it.
They don't place
their faith in Christ
because they don't
see it happening.
They want to see it.
Well,
it's happening.
And it's not just
coming from us.
Scripture says
the zeal
of the Lord
of hosts
will do this.
Zeal there
means deep,
heartfelt passion.
It's a fervent passion.
It's a focused passion.
It's not always loud.
It's not showy.
It's deep
and it's settled
and it's real.
This is the passion
that God has
as he carries out
his will.
This is the passion
that he has for us.
This is why
he sent his son
to be born of a virgin.
This is why
Christ lived
a sinless life.
This is why
he died
a sinner's death.
That is the zeal
that raised him
from the dead
and the same zeal
that will bring him
back on a cloud
to receive us
to be where he is.
That is why
he is
as we've talked
about
unto us.
There's no need
for you today
to doubt
the zeal
of the Lord.
He is
passionate
for you.
It is
unquestionable.
This is the question.
What about
your heartfelt
fervor
for him?
Do we have
a zeal
for Christ?
I'm talking
about a life-changing
zeal.
Do we have
a passion
for Christ?
I mean,
do we really
want him
to rule
and reign
in our lives?
Not to let us
have it our way
and bless
our efforts
along the way,
but instead
to give up
on our way
and say,
God,
I want to go
your way.
I want to have
a passion
and a zeal
that changes
my life
and my perspective
of how
I look
to you.
Do you
want him
to have
his way
in your life?
Do you
really
trust his
counsel?
He is
a wonder
of a
counselor.
Do you
really stand
not in your
strength,
but in his
might?
He's a
mighty God.
Hard
question.
Do you
trust his
timing?
He is
the
everlasting
father.
He's
already
in your
tomorrows.
Do you
rest in
his peace?
For he
is our
prince.
With
the zeal
that he
has for
us,
my hope
this Christmas
is may
our lives
not just
for Christmas,
but well
beyond that,
may our
lives show
our zeal
for him
because when
we get
passionate
about the
Lord
and ask
him to
rule and
reign in
our lives,
to guide
us and
we'll follow
his direction,
to lead
us and we
won't buck
along the
way.
But we'll
try our
best to
carry out
what God
would have
for us.
Do you
know how
his will
will be
done in
your life?
The zeal
of the
Lord of
hosts
will do
this.
With every
head bowed
and every
eye closed,
has there
ever been
a time
in your
life
when you
asked the
Lord Jesus
to forgive
you and to
come into
your life
and to
save you?
It's where
it all
begins.
And with
that bond,
a precious
bond,
an empowerment
and a
strengthening
that will
carry you.
And sometimes
you won't
sense that
carry, and
I'll tell you,
in hard times
you won't
sense that
carry.
You'll look
back and
you'll see
how God
was with
you all
the way.
The evidence
will be
there.
But it
begins with
a commitment
to follow
him, a
surrender of
your life
to follow
him.
If you've
done that,
have you
ever acknowledged
that publicly?
Have you
ever let
other people
know that?
Is it just
something private
within you?
The Bible's
clear by
Christ's
example and
by his
commission that
we are to
let other
people know
about that
through baptism.
What better
gift to give
at Christmas
time than
your life
to Christ
and your
commitment to
follow him
and his
will for
your life
to publicly
acknowledge
him through
baptism?
Either one
of those
things has
never happened
to you.
I encourage
you to come
during this
invitation.
Maybe you're
here this
morning and
God's leading
you to
Pickens First
Baptist Church.
You're not a
member and you
feel drawn to
be here.
This is the
place that God
would have
you to serve.
I encourage
you to come
and follow the
Lord in that.
God's
love and
for the rest
of us.
What is it
in our lives
that hold us
back from
being as
passionate for
the Lord
Jesus as he
is for us?
Besides our
own fragile
humanity?
are there
hindrances in
our life today
that we need
to lay down
before him
and give
over to him
to be
everything
that he'd
have us to
be?
To live with
a zeal that
only he can
give us?
Whatever that
is today
give it to
him.
Lay it down.
You can do
that where you
stand in just a
moment.
You can do
it at this
altar.
I'll be happy
to pray with
you whatever
it is.
May your
zeal for
Christ mark
your life.
Lord Jesus
lead us right
now to be
obedient to
follow any
way you'd lead
us Father I
pray in Jesus
name.
Amen.