Isaiah’s prophecy called for the people to
a person who would come and bring about foundational hope for the world.
And in Isaiah we have looked at these 4
attributes describing the king who was to come and the kind of king he would be.
The people who walked in darkness
have seen a great light;
those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness,
on them has light shone.
3 You have multiplied the nation;
you have increased its joy;
they rejoice before you
as with joy at the harvest,
as they are glad when they divide the spoil.
4 For the yoke of his burden,
and the staff for his shoulder,
the rod of his oppressor,
you have broken as on the day of Midian.
5 For every boot of the tramping warrior in battle tumult
and every garment rolled in blood
will be burned as fuel for the fire.
6 For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given;
and the government shall be upon his shoulder,
and his name shall be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father,of .
7 Of the increase of his government and of peace
there will be no end,
on the throne of David and over his kingdom,
to establish it and to uphold it
with justice and with righteousness
from this time forth and forevermore.
The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this. —Isaiah 9:2-7
Isaiah knew that peace was so much more than just not being at war. Peace had to do with both a physical sense of
and a spiritual sense of
. Israel needed to know that all this peace was coming.
We all struggle to find peace in our lives and often this stems from our desire to find it on
and achieve it in our own strength.
7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus —Philippians 4:7
“It is appropriate that this title should come as the last of the series, for it is the climactic one (cf. 32:17). What sort of king is this? He is a peaceful king, one who comes in peace and one who establishes peace, not by a brutal squashing of all defiance, but by means of a transparent vulnerability which makes defiance pointless.” —- John Oswalt
from that very moment, God also had a plan for
and to restore the peace that was shattered and lost.
I will put enmity between you and the woman,
and between your offspring and her offspring;
he shall bruise your head,
and you shall bruise his heel.” —Genesis 3:15
Enmity – the state of being actively opposed or hostile to someone or something
7 For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot. 8 Those who are in the flesh cannot please God. —Romans 8:7-8
Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God?
Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. —James 4:4
13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. 14 For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility 15 by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, 16 and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility. 17 And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near. 18 For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father. 19 So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, 20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, 21 in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. 22 In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit. —Ephesians 2:13-22
Reconciliation is another word for Peace. This promised prince will provide a way for peace with
and with
. A renewed and restored relationship.
5 But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed. —Isaiah 53:5
18 I have seen his ways, but I will heal him; I will lead him and restore comfort to him and his mourners,19 creating the fruit of the lips. Peace, peace, to the far and to the near,” says the LORD, “and I will heal him. 20 But the wicked are like the tossing sea; for it cannot be quiet, and its waters toss up mire and dirt. 21 There is no peace,” says my God, “for the wicked.” —Isaiah 57:18-21
13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,
14 “Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!” —Luke 2:13-14
33 I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world. —John 16:33
Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we[a] have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. —Romans 5:1
14 Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord. —Hebrews 12:14
“Happiness and security don’t come from knowing everything but from knowing the One who does. If we don’t believe in an omniscient God, we’ll overestimate our own wisdom and try to become omniscient ourselves. That’s a recipe for foolishness and despair.” —- Thaddeus Williams
Yet in it all—in every place of brokenness, division and fear; God calls us to a life of peace-
, peace-
, and peace-
.
9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God —Matthew 5:9
17 But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. 18 Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness. —James 3:17-18
Jesus is our Prince of Peace. He is the peace we seek, and he provides the peace we need. We live in light of that peace in the present as we learn to be shaped by it and prepare for the future when it will be all we know.
If you would like prayer or to talk with someone aobut your journey with Christ or starting a relationship with the wonderful Counselor we talked about today please contact us. You can email us at info@cityhopeboise.com or you can contact us directly with a connection card here in the app or on our website.
We wnat you to know that you are loved and that God has a plan for your life. We wish you a Merry Christmas and pray that this season and 2024 is a year filled with the Lords Blessings and your continued growth in the Knowledge of who He is and who he has called you to be.
Discussion Questions:
- What is one thing that stood out to you from this week’s message?
- Read Isaiah 9:1–7 and think about what the hearers might have felt, knowing that the one to come would be considered the “Prince of Peace.” In what ways might a person understand peace?
- Read Ephesians 2:13–18. What do we learn about peace from this passage? What does it say to us about the peace that Jesus gives us?
- How might this help you when you are facing hardships in life? How could you speak this peace into the lives of others?