“The Advent of Peace”
Isaiah 9:2-7
The Big Idea: Last Sunday we transitioned from Thanksgiving
to Advent by focusing on the “Advent of Hope.” We have confidence that God is good,
and that he is working, and that even when we don’t understand we anticipate expectantly
the unfolding of His plan. We believe God. We trust Him. We have hope. This
week our advent celebration turns to the theme of “peace.” In the light of our experience, the angels’
announcement on that first Christmas morning might seem strange in Luke 2:14, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace
among those with whom he is pleased!" Perennial tensions in the mid-east. Saber rattling between North and
South Korea. Violence on the streets of
American cities. Unrest in countries like Haiti and Brazil. Peace on Earth? We see conflict between
nations, struggles in the work place, problems in our homes and families, even
divisions in our churches. Peace on earth? It may not look like it from our
perspective! Even Jesus said in Matthew 10:34, "Do not think that I have come to bring peace
to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword.” How can we
understand the angels’ announcement of “peace on earth” in the light of our
experience?
“Peace” can have several meanings in Scripture. One
is indeed “an absence of war or violence” but that is usually only one small facet
of what is meant by the biblical idea of peace. It is quite obvious that the
day when swords will be hammered into plowshares is an aspect of “peace” that
is still future. We can still have peace, even now. The Hebrew word “Shalom” is
explained by one scholar as “The state of fulfillment that results from God’s
presence.” This is what expressed in the Aaronic benediction in Number 6:24-26:
“The LORD bless you and keep
you; 25 the LORD make his
face to shine upon you and be gracious to you;
26 the LORD lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.”
“Peace” relates to the idea that was expressed
when God looked at His creation, before the fall, and pronounced it “good,” tob. God who is holy and perfect was in
perfect fellowship with his creation, no sin, no separation. There was peace.
That peace was disrupted by the fall, and in the fullness of time the arrival
of the Prince of Peace, according to promise, meant that fellowship can be
restored, reconciliation between God and those who would believe.
The
Big Idea: “Got problems? The Son of
God took upon himself a human nature in order to give his life so that we could
experience true peace.”
I. The PURPOSE of Advent: Peace on earth, peace with God, peace in our hearts,
peace forever (Isa 9:2-5). Humankind was lost, powerless against the darkness.
First
of all the prophet speaks about the great need of humankind (v.2). “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great
light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shined.” Our study in John’s gospel showed the
importance of the theme of “light and darkness.” There was a moral, spiritual
element to it: “And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people
loved the darkness rather than the light because their deeds were evil”
(John 3:19). Why don’t we have peace on
earth? James asked and answered the question when he said: “What causes quarrels and what causes fights
among you? Is it not this: that your passions are at war within you?”
(James 4:1). Conflict starts in the human heart. Jeremiah said “The heart is deceitful above all things, And
desperately wicked; Who can know it?” (Jer 17:9). The prophet is describing a dark place, and
that is the depth of the depravity of the human heart. We are all sinners. Last
week one of our deacons led the devotional at the Wednesday night prayer
meeting focusing on Psalm 53. We read there in the first couple of verses, “… there is none who does good. 2 God looks down from heaven on the
children of man to see if there are any who understand, who seek after
God. 3 They have all fallen
away; together they have become corrupt; there is none who does good, not even
one.” That is pretty clear, how many of us are sinners? Every last one, by
birth and by choice (Paul quotes this passage in Romans 3:10f).
The good news came in the promise of deliverance
in Isaiah 9:3-5. Verse 5 describes a
time when the Light shining in the darkness will bring “peace on earth”: “…For every boot of the tramping warrior in battle
tumult and every garment rolled in blood will be burned as fuel for the fire.” Though
“peace on earth” is not yet our experience, that day is coming, that is our
sure hope, the enemies of Christ will be put under his feet and peace will
reign, at last. Because of His coming,
because of the reality of His presence for those who trust Him we can already
experience peace in our hearts, a peace that passes understanding. Have you got problems? The Son of God took upon himself a human
nature in order to give his life so that we could experience true peace.
II. The PERSON Advent: The Prince of Peace (Isa 9:6). God sent his Son for us.
“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, Prince of
Peace.”
“For unto us a child is born…” The prophet is assuming a physical,
historical, human birth. God the Son
took upon himself a human nature. There
was an early heresy that the church confronted called “Docetism.” The idea was
that Jesus didn’t really take a full human nature, He only appeared to be
human. The Bible makes it clear that the
eternal Son took a human nature, and the divine and human natures were one in
the person of Christ. The technical term
is the “hypostatic union.” Paul
described this act in his letter to the Philippians when he wrote in Philippians 2:6-7 “…although
He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be
grasped, 7 but emptied
Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of
men…” Alfred Edersheim reflected on this when he wrote,
“That on such a slender
thread as the feeble throb of an infant life, the salvation of the world should
hang—and no special watch care over its safety, no better shelter be provided
it than a stable, no other cradle than a manger! And still it is ever so. On
what slender thread has the continued life of the church often seemed to hang;
on what feeble throbbing that of every child of God—with no visible means to
ward off danger, no home of comfort, no rest of ease…”
So we
have a Prince and High Priest who understands, who can sympathize with our
weakness and empathize with our pain. He was tempted in all points as we are,
yet without sin. But peace on earth? Why then did Jesus warn, “In the world you will have tribulation…”?
The promise of “peace” begins in our heart, it is peace with God and the peace of
God. Paul told the Romans 5:1, “Therefore,
since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through
our Lord Jesus Christ.” And then we read in Philippians 4:7, “And the peace of God, which surpasses
all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” We read more about that in Ephesians 2:14-17,
“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 and 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.”
For Jew and Gentile alike the way to
peace is through Jesus Christ.
The prophet Isaiah spoke of the
birth of the Child, and then in the next phrase says “…unto us a Son is given…” A Son, handed over as a gift. This is not
only parallel with the previous phrase, but it expounds on a couple of
elements. One, the child would be a son. (In our day of sonograms that may seem
like a small factor, but God’s plan would be accomplished). Secondly, he was
“given.” The term used in John 3:16 expresses the same idea: in John God gave
His Son, in Isaiah, the passive form, the Son was “given.” As Paul said, “God spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all.” John
in his first letter said, “This is how God showed his love among us, He sent
his one and only son into the world that we might live through him…” (I John
4:9).
The prophet Isaiah, writing 700 years earlier,
goes on to give more information about the coming One: “…and
the government will be upon his shoulders…” He is the Ruler of creation, Lord
of all, and His Kingdom will come. This hope is not exclusively future. Even now we’ve been transported from the
domain of darkness to the kingdom of the Son… (Col 1:13).
The litany of titles that follow express
aspects of who He is: “And his name will be called, Wonderful counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father…”
He
is a Wonderful counselor. The Holy
Spirit is described as our “Parakletos”
in the upper room discourse in John, He is our Comforter, our Helper and
Advocate. In I John 2, the same word is applied to Jesus. He is our parakletos with the Father.
Here He is also described in the
unmistakable language of deity: mighty God, everlasting Father… Think about it:
God is on your side, He is at your side, to help, guide, and protect. So
you don’t need to be overwhelmed or despair: if God is for us, who can stand
against us?
He is finally called the “Prince of Peace”
– The Prince of Shalom. The one who’s
reign would be marked by the presence of God and the blessings of the covenant.
He is Immanuel, God with us. And so we can experience “shalom” because of His
presence. As the Prince of Peace He is
the source of peace. Because of His work we are reconciled to God. Because of
His presence we can have peace in the midst of a chaotic world.
Think again of the words of Paul to the
Philippians: “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer & supplication
with Thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God, and the peace of God,
which passes all understanding…” (Phil 4:6,7). What are the situations that you are facing in
life that cause you anxiety, that would keep you up at night or burden
you? Have you got problems? Remember that the Son of God took upon
himself a human nature in order to give his life so that we could experience
true peace.
III. The PROMISE of Christmas: The Advent of Peace (Isa 9:7). “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.”
Notice that he speaks of an eternal kingdom – One of the issues
that we have discussed in our apologetics Sunday School class is the problem of
evil. If God is good, and all powerful, why is there so much suffering and
injustice in the world? That was not the world as it was created by God. That
original creation was pronounced “good,” it was a setting marked by “shalom,”
the fulfillment that results from God’s presence. He is Emmanuel, God with us. Human rebellion, sin, brought suffering and
death into the world, and believers are not exempt. I put a link to a short
video by Pastor Greg Laurie on my facebook page last week that deals with this
question, reminding us that God isn’t surpised by suffering. Even there He is
present and working, causing all things, even the hard things, to work together
for our good, and for His glory (Romans 8:28).
An eternal kingdom brought about
by God. It can be and will be an eternal kingdom and everlasting peace because
the omnipotent king of the universe will accomplish it. Now listen: “wars and
rumors of wars” will characterize this age until Jesus returns. But “shalom”
is not merely the absence of conflict. We look forward to the day when
fellowship and the presence of God will be restored fully. But even now we can
experience peace: “…The
Lord is at hand [and so the presence of God, the fundamental
requirement of “shalom”] 6 do not be anxious about
anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let
your requests be made known to God. 7
And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your
hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus”
(Philippians 4:5b-7). Have you had the
experience of your child being frightened at night and running to your bedroom?
They can climb into bed and fall fast asleep in about two seconds, because as
long as mommy and daddy are there, there is no fear, no anxiety. Here is the promise: The Lord is at
hand. Daddy is with you. You can rest. Shalom.
What
is God saying to me in this passage? Got
problems? The Son of God took upon himself a human nature in order to give his
life so that we could experience true peace.
What would God have me to do in response to this
passage? Are you feeling overwhelmed
by pressures of the season, trials at work, difficulty at home, uncertainty
about the future? Christmas celebrates hope, and peace, because of the Prince
of Peace, Jesus. What can we do?
1. I would encourage you this month to
make a daily devotional time, focusing on the promises of the incarnation, a
part of your Advent celebration.
2. Don’t allow the pressures of family
get togethers, travel, and shopping to become “Christmas” for you. Remember
Jesus. Look at the Chaos around us and remember why He came: To give us
peace!
3. Look for opportunities this month to
share the promise of Peace with those in your sphere of influence, point them
to Jesus, the One who is the reason for the season.
4. Jesus began and ended the upper room
discourse in John with a promise of Peace: John
14:27 “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to
you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled,
neither let them be afraid.” And then, in John 16:33 “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."
5. Remember the promise, as we lean on Him, His peace
will guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. AMEN.
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