Prince of Peace: Isaiah 9:6-7

We come this morning to the fourth Sunday of Advent, a Sunday we set aside to focus on peace. A common picture in many people’s minds of chaos is the raging ocean. While my dad was stationed in Hawaii, we were able to go to the beach regularly. One of my favorite times was when the waves were big and powerful. They would crash against the beach with ferociousness.

As a result of the fall, that is the sin against God by Adam on our behalf, we have lost peace. I want you to image the serenity in the Garden of Eden prior to the fall. God created everything and all of humanity’s needs, including human beings most important need, the need for God, were fully met. Peace was the way of existence. Perfect harmony and intimacy between God, human beings, and creation existed. It was perfect peace.

However, through Adam’s rebellion against God, human beings lost peace. We lost peace on three levels.

We have lost peace with God.

We have lost peace with each other.

We have lost peace with ourselves.

First, we lost peace with God. Because we have sinned, and because we sin, we do not have peace with God. We have violated His holiness; we have broken His laws. Paul concludes that all, both Jews and Gentiles (which is everyone who is not a Jewish person), condemned before God (see Rom. 3:9-20).

We also have lost peace with one another. The intimacy Adam and Eve enjoyed was complete (see Gen. 2:21-25). They had no shame, nothing to cause division, they enjoyed a harmonious relationships. Now humans suffer from division over every thing conceivable. We see wars, fighting, backbiting, slandering, and other hateful speech. All human relationships suffer from this. Marital relationships, parental relationships, political relationships, and so on.

Finally, we have lost peace with ourselves. We are besieged with anxieties, with depression, with guilt, and with unrest. This is evidenced in the rampant use of drugs, of sex, of shopping, of all sorts of expressions seeking to quiet our souls.

We all want peace. The problem is, peace without God is completely impossible. We have a significant problem that we cannot overcome: sin. But this is where Advent is so wonderful. God, knowing our plight before ever speaking us into existence, planned our rescue through His Son, Jesus.

Jesus came to restore what Adam, as our head, forfeited. His Advent brings many wonderful things, but this morning we are going to look at the peace that comes with His Advent.

We read Isaiah 9:6-7 this morning, in which this Child to come would be called “Prince of Peace.” What I would like to do this morning is to stroll through these three areas in which we need peace and see how Messiah Jesus grants us said peace.

I. Peace with God- Romans 5:1-2

Romans 5:1–2 NIV

Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God.

The Advent of Messiah brought peace with God. We who were estranged from God, have access to God.

We must remember that it is our sins that have separated us from God. Isaiah records these sad words, “But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear.”

Like Adam and Eve, banned from the Garden of Eden, human beings have through their sin separated themselves from God. With that separation comes a lack of peace (among other things). Why? We did we lose peace?

We lost peace because we have been separated from the very source of life. We were created as Image Bearers of God, and now we destroy that image of God. We, through our sins, mar this incredible gift.

We lost peace because because we have been separated from the Truth. Like Adam and Eve, we “know good and evil,” but not the truth. We, in our efforts to dethrone God from our lives, have touted the determiners of truth.

We lost peace because we have been assigned to death. What God warned Adam in the Garden (Gen. 2:17) occured (5:5). More than this physical death, however, came spiritual death (Eph. 2:1).

We lost peace because we lost Him who is Peace.

The Advent of Jesus restores that peace with God. What separated us from God was sin, and Jesus became sin for us. Paul tells us such in 2 Corinthians 5:20-21,

2 Corinthians 5:20–21 NIV

We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

That which separated us became His, and through His death (the punishment we deserved, cf. Gen. 2:17) we were made righteous. Notice how Paul’s imploring, “Be reconciled to God.” That is, through the person and work of Jesus Messiah we can have our relationship restored. Now, no longer living in fear and hiding as Adam and Eve once did (3:8-10), we have peace with God.

Returning to our passage in Romans 5:1-2, we see the instrument by which we have peace with God: justification by faith. Justification is a big word that means made right. When an individual is convicted of a crime and the jury finds him not guilty, they justify him. They declare him to be right.

In a greater scale (perhaps infinitely so), when God declares us righteous, we are made right with God. But this declaration comes not from anything we have done or could do. It comes through Messiah, the Prince of Peace. We simply believe, or have faith. We place our trust for salvation and peace in the hands of Jesus.

We gain access, access that was severed in the Garden of Eden (see Gen. 3:23). We have peace with God, no longer fearful of the righteous Judge, He embraces us on the merits of His Son and we enjoy intimacy with God. We have peace with God.

If all we enjoyed was peace with God, it would be enough. However, the Triune God is a holistic God, and not only does the Advent of Messiah bring peace with God, it also brings peace with others.

II. Peace with Others- Romans 12:14-21

Romans 12:14–21 NIV

Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited. Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. On the contrary: “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

Based on the peace we have with God through Jesus, we can have peace with others. The greatest effect of our sin is separation from God, but closely following this is chaos in our relationships. Cain and Abel, the first sons of Adam, demonstrate the vitriol and hatred found in the human heart. Cain murdered Abel simply because the Lord accepted Abel’s offerings and rejected his own (see Gen. 4:1-8).

Since our fall, human relationships have been strained and lacking peace. I mentioned earlier that our most common relationships, marital, parental, and political, all suffer from a lack of peace. Husbands and wives argue. Parents and children fight. Governments and people oppress or rebel. There is not a human relationship that is untouched by the chaos caused by sin.

Yet, as we have access to God and His peace through Jesus, we also can enjoy peace with others. This in no way implies that every relationship a follower of Jesus has will be filled with peace. We can all, I am sure, attest to difficult relationships. In fact, when we begin the new year, it is my desire to begin studying the book of Acts. We find many persecutions of Christians in that book.

However, the peace we enjoy with God can extend to others, as it depends upon us. This is what Paul is saying in Romans 12:14-21. This passage presents us with the fruitful outworking as a result of the peace we have with God. It changes our relationships.

Observe how it changes our responses to these situations:

persecution (vs. 14)

life experiences (vs. 15)

church relationships (vs. 16)

retaliation (vs. 17, 19-20)

individual responsibility (vs. 18)

overall life (vs. 21)

The Advent of Messiah and the faith in His person and work brings about peace with God and with others. Imagine with me, brothers and sisters, how different this church would be if we continued to practice and grow in these areas. Imagine how different our families would be if we responded this way. Imagine how different our work would be. He is the Prince of Peace, and we are called to be people of peace. Let us remember Paul’s exhortation, “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”

We have peace with God and with others, all as the result of the Advent of Messiah. But we also have peace with ourselves.

III. Peace with Ourselves- Isaiah 26:3; 32:17

Isaiah 26:3 NIV

You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.

Isaiah 32:17 NIV

The fruit of that righteousness will be peace; its effect will be quietness and confidence forever.

The last bastion of chaos is within ourselves. Having believed the Gospel, that is, having accepted the free gift of salvation brought about through the Advent of Messiah, we have peace with God. That relationship that was filled with dread, division, and death, has been reconciled.

As a result, our relationships with others are increasingly ruled by peace. As we learn to trust the Father in every aspect of our lives (including or specifically in our relationships) we enjoy increasing peace.

But we also have a peace within ourselves. Our souls, formerly ridden by guilt, are freed. Our relationships, and our bitter responses, are being addressed. Now we come to our states of being. As children of God, those who have by faith been justified, we can and should and must embrace the peace we have been provided.

Isaiah reminds us how in 26:3. He begins with the result: perfect peace. Rather than the chaos of anxieties, depressions, what-ifs, the believer enjoys perfect peace. Complete peace, all well in the soul.

The question is, How do we get to this point? Isaiah answers our question: “those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.” What does it mean to have a steadfast mind? It is like being on a long hike and finally coming to a bench. You rest on that bench. Our you steadfast on it. You rest. You place all your weight on it, knowing full well that it will sustain you.

One of the reasons so many Christians fail to enjoy peace is because they fail to rest in God. They take everything on themselves. They take God’s job of maintaining the universe. Like Adam and Eve desiring to know good and evil like God, we still attempt to live life in charge.

We place burdens on ourselves that we were never meant to bear. For example, when we worry about our physical health, we are in essence placing ten tons on that park bench. The bench was never meant to carry that much weight, and as such immediately sinks into the earth.

Likewise, when you and I attempt to handle our health, we sink. The same could be said of almost everything: finances, relationships, nations, church, and the list could go on.

Rather, as followers of Messiah Jesus, we are to rest on God. We may be tempted to argue, but I want you to consider for a moment on whom we place our trust: God. It is, after all, in God we trust (or is it?).

In his discourse on God’s power, Stephen Charnock offers four ways, three of which I will present this morning, that God’s power brings comfort, and I think they are apt for our present discussion.

“Here is comfort in all afflictions and distresses.”

Think of how peaceful we can be if our minds are resting on the power of an infinite God. There are no afflictions or distresses outside of His power. Charnock declares, “Our evils can never be so great to oppress us as his power is great to deliver us.”

“It is comfort in all strong and stirring corruptions and mighty temptations.”

The enemies of our soul, within and without, are nothing compared to almighty God. Rest then, as one weary from travel, on the bench of God. Again, Charnock states, “There is no resistance but he can surmount, no stronghold but he can demolish, nor tower but he can level.”

“It is comfort from hence that all promises shall be performed.”

Everything God has promised to do will be completed by the same infinite power that brought everything into existence.

We rest our minds on God. Isaiah says, “You [God] will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.”

We briefly discussed God’s power. Time forbids us to elaborate on God’s righteousness, His goodness, His justice, His wisdom, His perfections, His patience, His grace, and His love.

Would you have peace? Then meditate on God. Make it your business to know, truly know and experience God. Consider Paul’s communication of the same thoughts,

Philippians 4:6-8

Philippians 4:6–8 NIV

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.

Peace with ourselves, or within ourselves, is the fruit of God’s working in our lives, as we learn from Isaiah 32:17.

Isaiah 32:17 NIV

The fruit of that righteousness will be peace; its effect will be quietness and confidence forever.

Peace with God, peace with others, and peace with ourselves are all the result of the Advent of Messiah. The question for us remains, “Do I have peace?”

Each level offers us an opportunity to talk with God to see where we need peace. Perhaps you need peace in every area. Begin with God, and from there work toward yourself. Maybe you need peace with another person. Seek to be at peace with them. You may need peace yourself. The Lord has graciously provided peace to those who rest in Him.