The Prince of Peace
Notes
Transcript
“And He Shall Be Called”
Prince of Peace
Scripture Reading: Isaiah 9:6
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.
Message
1. For the past three weeks, we have been listening
to the prophet Isaiah listing characteristics of the
Messiah. And one thing I’m afraid of is that I
have not been able to express in a clear enough
way, just how powerful it is to see the Messiah as
Isaiah is describing Him.
2. The Messiah, Isaiah says, is a “wonderful
counselor”. He knows everything about you. He
knows the good and the bad. And He can tell you
what you need, and what to avoid. He will listen to
your fears and worries and He will lead you in the
right direction, every single time.
3. He is also Mighty God. There is literally nothing
He can not do. There are some things He won’t do
“And He Shall Be Called”
Prince of Peace
because they are outside of His character. But
there is nothing He cannot do. He is Mighty God.
4. He is an everlasting Father. Not only His love but
His presence is everlasting. He will always be
there. I quote it often and I hold on to the
promise, “He will never leave you nor forsake you.”
He has always been there. Is always there. And
will always be there.
5. And today, we come to the fourth characteristic
that Isaiah gives to the Messiah. He calls Him the
“Prince of Peace”. Now, someone said that the
first two titles, “Wonderful Counselor” and
“Mighty God” are descriptors of God’s might and
power and that these second two are descriptions
of how the God of might and power relates to His
creation. As “Everlasting Father” and “Prince of
Peace”.
6. In my years of ministry, I have had to attend
and/or minister at any number of funerals. I have
been with people in a variety of crisis moments,
and I can tell you that there is one significant
difference between those who follow Christ and
“And He Shall Be Called”
Prince of Peace
those who don’t. And that is the peace in spite of
the pain. I’ve noticed that those who follow
Christ, even when difficulties come, have peace.
Watchman Nee, a Chinese minister and teacher
who served in China in the 20th century said, “A
born-again person ought to possess unspeakable
peace in the spirit.” Another great theologian,
writer, and teacher, C.S. Lewis said, “ God cannot
give us a happiness and peace apart from Himself,
because it is not there. There is no such thing.”
Matthew Henry, who wrote a one-volume
commentary of the entire Bible says, “[When]
Christ died He left a will in which He gave His soul
to His Father, His body to Joseph of Arimathea,
His clothes to the soldiers, and His mother to
John. But to His disciples, who had left all to
follow Him, He left not silver or gold, but
something far better - His PEACE!”
7. And I’m sure you have seen the bumper sticker
that says, “No Jesus, No peace. Know Jesus, Know
Peace.” Thomas Merton, an American trappist
monk, in reference to peace said, “ We are not at
peace with others because we are not at peace
with ourselves, and we are not at peace with
“And He Shall Be Called”
Prince of Peace
ourselves because we are not at peace with God.”
And the great evangelist Dwight L. Moody said, “A
great many people are trying to make peace, but
that has already been done. God has not left it for
us to do; all we have to do is to enter into it.”
8. He is one “Wonderful Counselor.” He knows
everything about me. He knows what I need and
what I want. He knows what is right for me and
what is wrong. He is one Mighty God. He can do
anything. There is nothing too hard or difficult
for Him. There is nothing He can’t do for us. The
Messiah is one Everlasting Father. He loves His
children. He watches out for them. He gives them
what they need. He is always there. And He is one
“Prince of peace”. When I live my life in Him, I can
have peace internally regardless of what is going on
externally.
9. On the other side, if I live in rebellion against God,
then I will fight and fight and not know peace. So
I think the question we need to ask ourselves this
morning is, “Do I know peace?”