Revival of the King (The Prince of Peace)

Lesson Text Ezekiel 37:24–26 (KJV) 24 And David my servant shall be king over them; and they all shall have one shepherd: they shall also walk in my judgments, and observe my statutes, and do them. 25 And they shall dwell in the land that I have given unto Jacob my servant, wherein your fathers have dwelt; and they shall dwell therein, even they, and their children, and their children’s children for ever: and my servant David shall be their prince for ever. 26 Moreover I will make a covenant of peace with them; it shall be an everlasting covenant with them: and I will place them, and multiply them, and will set my sanctuary in the midst of them for evermore.

Introduction

As we are coming to the end of 2023 some of us my need to be revived or restored in our spirit, our mind and our bodies. We need an awakening. But we need to remember to keep the one that substains our lives revived in us.

Revival of the King (The Prince of Peace)

Ezekiel 37: 3 And he said unto me, Son of man, can these bones live? And I answered, O Lord GOD, thou knowest. *

Ezekiel 37: 21 - 22 And say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will take the children of Israel from among the heathen, whither they be gone, and will gather them on every side, and bring them into their own land: 22 And I will make them one nation in the land upon the mountains of Israel; and one king shall be king to them all: and they shall be no more two nations, neither shall they be divided into two kingdoms any more at all:

Israel had been living in a constant state of vulnerability and fear, surrounded by their enemies.

Fear, Stress, and Anxiety can be one of the most debilitating things that a person or people can experience. And we all have experienced it to an heightened degree over the past years.

Because of the pandemic, the constant news, the levels of sickness and death, we all had to deal with various forms of anxiety, stress, and fear. People who had never experienced anxiety attacks were all of a sudden being gripped by it.

Fear is an intense biological response to immediate danger, while anxiety is an emotion regarding things we think may happen. Both of which can cause stress, defined as any type of change that causes physical, emotional or psychological strain.

Now although these experiences are real, God is very clear on how we are to deal with and handle them.

● 2 Timothy 1: 7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

● Philippians 4: 6 - 7 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. 7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

● Isaiah 26: 3 Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.

The answer to fear, anxiety, and stress is the peace that comes from our Lord and Savior who gives us peace.

Today we will look at getting our peace back by reviving our Shepherd of Peace, our Prince of Peace, and our King of Peace.

Revival of the King (The Prince of Peace) “The Shephard of Peace, the Prince of Peace, and the King of Peace”

The Shepherd of Peace (Direction)

Ezekiel 37:24 And David my servant shall be king over them; and they all shall have one shepherd: they shall also walk in my judgments, and observe my statutes, and do them.

One of the first things we lose, when in a constant state of battle, is our sense of direction. Being hit from every side disorients you. You don’t know if you’re coming or going.

2 Corinthians 4: 8 - 9 We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; 9 Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed;

Every hit shifts you in a different direction; money is hit, your health is hit, your family is hit, your job or career is hit, your ministry is hit, your marriage is hit. And before you know it, you’re totally lost.

We’ve lost our sense of order, our sense of purpose, and our sense of direction.

When lost, stop wandering and revive the Shepherd of Peace!

The Shepherd revives the Order of Our Lives (We have no order, we’re all over the place)

● Psalm 119: 133 Order my steps in thy word and let not any iniquity have dominion over me

● Psalm 37: 23 The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord and he delighteth in his way

The Shepherd revives the Purpose of Lives (We’ve lost our purpose, meaning, drive)

● Romans 8: 28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

The Shepherd revives the Direction of our Lives (We’re heading in the wrong direction)

● Matthew 6: 13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.

David summed this up in the 23rd Psalm.

Psalm 23: 1 The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. 2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. 3 He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. 4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. 5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. 6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.

The Shepherd of Peace (Direction)

II. The Prince of Peace (Promise)

Ezekiel 37: 25 And they shall dwell in the land that I have given unto Jacob my servant, wherein your fathers have dwelt; and they shall dwell therein, even they, and their children, and their children’s children for ever: and my servant David shall be their prince for ever.

The next thing we lose when in constant battle is our promise, our future, and our hope.

Everything about Israel, even from the very beginning, was about promise.

Genesis 12: 1 - 3 Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee: 2 And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: 3 And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.

But the journey to promise is filled with battles, war, trouble, distress, fear, anxiety. And so, our path becomes rocky to our promise.

What do you do when what you see is diametrically opposed to what you were promised? You were promised joy, but all you have is tears. You were promised glory, but all you experience is suffering. You were expecting happiness, but all you see is sorrow.

When dejected, despondent, and depressed, don’t stay down, revive the Prince of Peace!

The Prince of Peace represents the promise.

Isaiah 9: 6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

John 14: 27 Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

The Peace of the Prince is a promise of blessings for you and your children.

Mark 13: 30 - 31 Verily I say unto you, that this generation shall not pass, till all these things be done. 31 Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away.

Numbers 23: 19 God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?

2 Corinthians 1: 20 For all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God by us.

The Prince of Peace (Promise)

III. The King of Peace (Protection)

Ezekiel 37: 26 Moreover I will make a covenant of peace with them; it shall be an everlasting covenant with them: and I will place them, and multiply them, and will set my sanctuary in the midst of them for evermore.

The final thing we lose, but perhaps the most important when in constant war, is our protection.

When everything that you’ve established for protection comes crashing down all around you, it leaves you in a state of vulnerability and fear.

There are no guards in the tower to warn you of approaching danger, there are no walls to protect you from the advancing enemy.

Isaiah 56: 10 His watchmen are blind: they are all ignorant, they are all dumb dogs, they cannot bark; sleeping, lying down, loving to slumber.

When in fear, don’t lose your faith, revive the King of Peace!

2 Timothy 1: 6 - 7 Wherefore I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God, which is in thee by the putting on of my hands. 7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

Psalm 27: 1 - 3 The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? 2 When the wicked, even mine enemies and my foes, came upon me to eat up my flesh, they stumbled and fell. 3 Though an host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear: though war should rise against me, in this will I be confident.

Psalm 27: 5 For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion: in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me; he shall set me up upon a rock.

Psalm 24: 7 - 8 Lift up your heads, O ye gates; and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in. 8 Who is this King of glory? The LORD strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle.

The King of Peace (Protection)

● When lost, stop wandering and revive the Shepherd of Peace who gives direction.

● When depressed, don’t stay down, revive the Prince of Peace who gives promise.

● When in fear, don’t lose your faith, revive the King of Peace who gives protection.