Peace, Available to You

Grace Under Pressure

Many of us have heard of the terms, “Grace Under Pressure.” They are sometimes used to describe someone who has patience under difficult circumstances. One such person was William Tyndale.

Tyndale was responsible for translating the Bible into English, making it available to everyone. This was a dangerous idea in 15th century England. Tyndale’s novel idea would be found in his own words,

“Christ wishes his mysteries to be published as widely as possible. I would wish even all women to read the gospel and the epistles of St. Paul, and I wish that they were translated into all languages of all Christian people, and that they might be read and known, not merely by the Scotch and the Irish, but even by the Turks and the Saracens. Christians must read the New Testament in their mother tongue.”

Tyndale determined to give the English people a translation of the Bible that even a plow boy could understand.

This would not be accomplished without Tyndale giving his life for the cause. October 6, 1536, he was strangled and his body burned at the stake. His last prayer was "Lord, open the King of England's eyes."

The prayer was answered in part when three years later, in 1539, Henry VIII required every parish church in England to make a copy of the English Bible available to its parishioners. On the day that he was to die a friend was quoted as saying of William Tyndale,

He went to the stake that day as if it was the day of his wedding.[1]

How could one endure such trial and adversity, and yet have peace? How can you and I have more peace in the midst of our daily pressures? This morning, we turn to the last of the four names given to Christ in Isaiah 9:6. He is called our Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father and our Prince of Peace. We learn that…

JESUS, OUR PRINCE OF PEACE, IMPARTS HIS PEACE TO US WHO BELIEVE.

Verse 6 tells us:

For to us a child is born, to 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.

The setting of this verse is before the exile of Judah, the southern kingdom. This was not a time of peace for war torn Judah. As I remarked earlier, King Ahaz had sought an unhealthy alliance with Assyria, in an effort to ward off conflict with the north.

But in a couple of generations, bigger problems would exist in that the Babylonians would come and haul the Jews of that region off to a 40-year exile. This was not a time of peace.

And yet God speaks of peace during this time. Does he do it to be spiteful? Is he provoking Israel? No. It could very well be that God is reminding Judah that her peace is that of a spiritual nature, found only in God. How often do we look for peace in other areas besides God?

The message of Isaiah 9 is that peace is found not in circumstances, but in a person. The child; the son would bring about peace. This child would be the “Prince of Peace. The term for prince is שַׂר (sar) meaning: chieftain, chief, ruler, official, captain, prince.

You remember that when Russia had a monarch before the Bolshevik revolution, the leader of that country was called the Czar. The female name “Sarah,” means princess.

Jesus is the ruler and the bestower of that precious commodity. At the time of His birth, the Magi presented him with gifts appropriate for royalty. Jesus was a prince. But what type of peace is He the prince of?

THE PEACE THAT CHRIST BRINGS IS LIMITLESS AND EVERLASTING.

Verse 7 reads:

Of the increase 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.

The word for peace is the ever-popular Hebrew term שָׁלוֹם (shalom) meaning: completeness, soundness and welfare. Isaiah 26:3:

The steadfast of mind Thou wilt keep in perfect peace, Because he trusts in Thee.

This ruler of peace is the one known as Jesus Christ. As a fulfillment of this prophecy, a futuristic message is given in verse 7:

There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness From then on and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will accomplish this.

Notice that it would not be Judah’s political efforts or its alliances that would invoke peace. Even if peace could be achieved, it could not be maintained. Rather it would be the Lord and Judah’s loyalty to Him.

And notice that the Prince’s government and the peace associated with it would be infinite. There would not come a day when it ceased to exist. Another Messianic prophecy, Daniel 2:44, states that His kingdom would never be destroyed:

…it will crush and put an end to all these kingdoms, but it will itself endure forever.”

This coincides with what Jesus said shortly before He went to the cross. His kingdom is spiritual in nature, and deals with the soul, rather than political entities. Jesus said to Pilate in John 18:36

"My kingdom is not of this world. …not of this realm."

Yet this would not jeopardize the reality of it. The peace that Jesus gives is simply not tied to human institutions or actions. It is attached to Christ Himself. He is the one who bestows it. Before He was to ascend to heaven, Jesus reminded His disciples of His authority on earth in Matthew 28:18-20:

"All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.

That, in itself, ought to invoke peace in our lives. Christ has come and He reigns perfectly from heaven, regardless of the superficial appearance of things on earth.

The specific peace that Jesus spoke of is tied directly to the presence of the Holy Spirit in a person’s life. Jesus promised His peace to the early disciples. We listened earlier to His words found in John 14:27 when He 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 heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.”

What kind of peace would the Savior have brought when He came? The term that John used was εἰρήνη which denotes harmony; often used in invocations and greetings; order (opposite disorder). The peace that Jesus promises affects the heart and transforms a person spiritually. Clearly, this type of peace is related to the presence of the Holy Spirit. It inhibits fear in our lives. By knowing Christ, fear should not have the same effect on you as it may have on the rest of the world. Clearly, it was also related to the Holy Spirit, as Jesus mentions the Helper, the One sent by the Father who guides us into truth.

But let us not be mistaken that this is the kind of peace that means the absence of war or worldly turmoil. It is not an euphoria or a sense of carelessness or lack of concern. Human sin and wrong choices make temporal peace illusive. E.J. Young states:

“…the cessation of warfare in itself does not bring about a desired condition of existence. There must also be removed the cause of war, namely, human sin. When this cause of war is removed, however, there must be a state of peace between God and man. Not only must man be at peace with God, but what is more important, God must be at peace with man.[2]

This is a peace in the conscience; a sense that God has taken away my sin through faith in His Son. He has a plan for my life and I must trust Him, no matter what.

What peace is there in your life? Where are you looking for solitude? Are you looking for other means of solitude and personal satisfaction in things or people? Or are you starved for peace, knowing that you are looking in the wrong places? May I encourage you today to come to Christ again? Confess to Him that you’ve been looking aimlessly for peace and that you know He is its only true source. Confess your sins to Him and receive of His mercy. He will change your life.

A word from our founder

Caspar Schwenckfeld summed up this type of peace, which comes through faith in Jesus. Being a man hounded for his teachings, he is known for stating, Having Christ, I am not sad. John Calvin, a contemporary of Schwenckfeld’s, states, “All who submit to the dominion of Christ will lead a quite and blessed life in obedience to Him. Hence it follows that life, without this King, is restless and miserable.”[3]

[1] Ian Murray, “Reformation Day,” South Hamilton, MA: Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary, October 26, 1994. [2] Young, 340. [3] John Calvin, Commentary on Isaiah, Volume VII, (Grand Rapids: Baker, 2003), 312.