Prince Of Peace (2)
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Just want to thank by wife she sacrifices allot, being with the kids etc. etc. in order for me to preach and teach.
So if this message is great you can praise God and thank my wife. If its horrible you can blame me.
Thank you to Mama and Papa Witt for there generosity as always there love and commitment to our family , they are indeed in many cases more welcoming then my own.
Thank you to Jared without him this weekend the Brysons would have starved. Thank you for fatting us up. And being hospitable. Thank you to Selah for sleeping on the couch so me and the your aunt can sleep. I promise I didn't go through your jewelry box and give your ear rings to Eliana. So if you see some missing that wasn’t me.
6 For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
So we’ve been speaking about the names of Christ. Man didn’t come up with these names God did.
Typically your name is given before or slightly.
These high names sum up His character, and declares His Person.
The perfection of this King is seen in his qualification for ruling (Wonderful Counsellor) Wonderful: literally ‘a Wonder of a Counsellor
,(Mighty God) speaks of his person and power ,
(Everlasting Father) , his relationship to his subjects
(Prince of Peace) and the society his rule creates
Peace is Gods ideal.
Christ is the PRINCE OF PEACE , The fact That He is a Prince says that He is the ruler, adminstrator of peace. The Wholness of peace
The Jewish concept of Peace salom undergirds the Christian view of peace.
For the early Hebrews Yahweh could be designated Shalom
In other words Yahwehs name was peace.
24 So Gideon built an altar there to the Lord, and called it The-Lord-Is-Peace. To this day it is still in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.
Shalom speaks about the state of being well.
The greeks where very comfortable applying peace to the inner nature of humans.
The problem with that I can do allot of harm just to preserve my peace.
Drugs , murder, suicides, lust all all ways for me to try to gain peace. If peace is up to me .
And if peace is based upon my inner nature solely, I can do I lot of damage in order to preserve my peace . And I would be justified in doing so.
The Hebrews looked at peace primarily for interpersonal or social relations.
When Justice is done its seen as Gods gift to His people.
And prosperity comes when they live faithfully under Gods covenant.
In classical greek three words can be translated peace .
The calm of nature, specifically at sea; of the mind or spirit and even of the conscience.
35 On the same day, when evening had come, He said to them, “Let us cross over to the other side.”
36 Now when they had left the multitude, they took Him along in the boat as He was. And other little boats were also with Him.
37 And a great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that it was already filling.
38 But He was in the stern, asleep on a pillow. And they awoke Him and said to Him, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?”
39 Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace, be still!” And the wind ceased and there was a great calm.
40 But He said to them, “Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?”
41 And they feared exceedingly, and said to one another, “Who can this be, that even the wind and the sea obey Him!”
vs 35 Jesus was possibly bombarded by so many people so He decided to cross over on the other side (east side of the sea of Galilee). Or He possibly wanted to start a new ministry endevour so He crossed over.
But never the less He was surround by His disciples who where on the surrounding boats.
This lake had high winds and narrow valleys that functioned as wind tunnels. so storms on this lake wasn’t uncommon.
This storm was especially dangerous the waves where crashing on the boat and it was entering in. So the boat began to capsides.
So Jesus being exhausted from a full day of teaching He was tired to He fell asleep on a cushion/pillow.
Side note: This how we know it was a eye witness account when they add minor irrelevant details to the story.
vs 38 - SO at this time they called Him teacher but its quite clear that at this time that didn’t know Who Jesus was. Maybe they where just looking for a answer or words of wisdom on how to navigate the storm.
Theres times in our lives where mere words won’t suffice. When we need God to move.
vs 39 Jesus said peace be still. But it was like this soft spoken peace be still it was more so shut up! Be quiet ! Put a muzzle on it and stay that way!
Jesus is revealing His authority.
The way He spoke to the seas it was as if He owned the seas. As if He had all power and authority to control the seas.
He used the same term in Mark 1:25 when Jesus was rebuking the demon.
25 But Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be quiet, and come out of him!”
There could be even demonic powers behind the storm. Thats why He used such language.
The disciples where in fear before during the storm while Jesus was sleeping on the boat. But they where terrified after Jesus calmed the storm.
The Late Tim Keller said it this way the answer to our problem is often more terrifying then the problem itself.
Maybe the answer to our problem is prison time. Some would say just let me keep the problem .
Maybe forgiving a person. But that can be overwhelmingly troubling depending of the size of the offense.
Maybe the answer to our problem is leaving the state of NY.
But the answer is never contradictory to Gods word BTW.
So it is terrifying but then your comforted by the fact that Jesus is with us.
In the OT only God can control the seas .
8 O Lord God of hosts, Who is mighty like You, O Lord? Your faithfulness also surrounds You.
9 You rule the raging of the sea; When its waves rise, You still them.
7 At Your rebuke they fled; At the voice of Your thunder they hastened away.
25 For He commands and raises the stormy wind, Which lifts up the waves of the sea.
29 He calms the storm, So that its waves are still.
2. Another classical greek form of peace is the quality of community life which emerges when people think alike or agree.
Whether political, social, racial, econimcal. Theres a level of peace that emerges from these kinds of relationships.
Thats why we move in the neighborhoods we do. We want to be surrounded by people who think like us.
Thats why you have liberal states and conservative states these people think like me.
But in the house hold of faith this mind set of peace cannot be so.
3. The most frequently used and the most inclusive of the terms. Plato speaks of the “profound peace” which comes to older persons when they no longer need to be concerned about their passions.
They no longer have a dog in the fight
No longer have an axe to grind.
No longer have ambitions in life
Seen it all . Be there done that!
Its almost like he saying once retirement happens there will be a profound peace.
This is how the world markets to us about what peace is. You work to retire.
4. The absence of war.
Peace is seen as a positive value, even as the highest value, and war is seen as a necessary stage and the means by which peace is attained.
These of all the names of Christ in Isaiah 9 “Prince of Peace” (śar šālôm), is less controversial because every king wanted to bring peace and prosperity to his subjects. Peace implies an end of war and is reminiscent of the ideal peace described in the kingdom of God in Isaiah 2:4. It is also comparable to the promise in the Davidic covenant that God’s people will not be oppressed again and that they will have rest from their enemies (2 Sam 7:10–11). No specific examples or illustrations of this peace are included (as in 2:4). In 11:6–9 this ideal is discussed in more detail.
Peace is personal fulfilment (2 Kgs 22:20), well-being (Gen. 29:6), harmony (Exod. 4:18), peace with God (Num. 6:26; 25:12; Isa. 53:5). The verb, šālēm, means ‘to be whole, complete’. Prince corresponds to our idea of ‘administrator’. This Prince, then, himself a whole personality, at one with God and with his people, administers the benefits of peace/wholeness in his benign rule.
You have multiple different kinds of peace
Peace in the sense of personal fulfillment. - Your whole life mission is fulfilled kind of peace.
You have peace as in harmony- Maybe someone who was once in opposition to one now has harmony with that person. Or two people who know and love one another now working together.
Peace with God. Isaiah 53: 5But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed. Numbers 6:26, Numbers 25:12 Salem - means to be whole, complete.
There is to be found nowhere a finer illustration of peace in the Christian life than was manifested in President McKinley. On the last afternoon of his life he began to realize that his life was slipping away. He called his surgeons to his bedside and said:
“It is useless, gentlemen. I think we ought to have prayer.”
The dying man crossed his hands on his chest and closed his eyes.
He prayed, “Our Father which art in Heaven.”
The lips of the surgeons moved. “Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done.”
The quietness was broken by the sobbing of a nurse.
“Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven.”
The sands of life were running swiftly.
“Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors; and lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil.”
There was a brief silence. The surgeons looked at the trembling lips.
“For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory, forever, Amen.”
“Amen,” whispered the surgeons.
A little later he called for his wife. She came in, sat down by his bedside, took his hands in hers and kissed them. As he felt the touch of her lips he faintly smiled and said, “Goodbye! Goodbye, all! It is God’s way. His will, not ours, be done.”
Such is the peace that Christ bids.
—H. M. Woods