“The Peace of Advent”
Isaiah 9:2-7
Introduction:
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!" I am finalizing this sermon on Pearl Harbor Day, enough said? Perennial tensions in the mid-east. Saber rattling on the Korean peninsula.
Violence in schools and on the streets
of American cities. Our country divided politically and socially. 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 then 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. Even
so, 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.” God’s
presence brings “shalom.”
“Peace” relates to the idea that was expressed
when God looked at His creation, before the fall, and pronounced it all “good,”
tob. God who is holy and perfect was
in perfect fellowship with His creation, no sin, no separation. There was
peace. The way life should be! 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 can be experienced between
God and those who would believe.
The Maine* Idea: “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). Humanity was lost,
powerless against the darkness.
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. 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.
First
of all, the prophet speaks about the great need of humans (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.” John’s gospel shows the importance of the theme
of “light and darkness” from the very
first chapter (cf. Jn 1:4, 9, 14). There is 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 rebellious 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. Psalm 53 begins by saying 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 (those verses may sound familiar from Paul’s quotation
in Rom 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. That
was the purpose of Advent. Isaiah 9:6 points us to the One who came…
II. The PERSON
of 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 theological phrase
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…” A Jewish-Christian scholar from the 19th century, Alfred
Edersheim, reflected on this when he wrote in The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah,
“…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…”
Life is hard, and
fleeting, in this fallen world. But take heart, 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 said in 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…” (Isa 9:6b). 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 into the kingdom of the Son… (Col 1:13). And so, He must
reign in our hearts and minds by faith. But He will return to establish His
kingdom on earth—and somehow, incredibly, we will reign with Him!
The
litany of titles that follow express aspects of who He is: “And his name
will be called, Wonderful
counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father…” Each
designation gives us a little more information about the Promised One…
He is a Wonderful
counselor. The Holy Spirit is
described as our “Parakletos” in the
upper room discourse in John 14-16. He is our Comforter, Helper, and Advocate.
In I John 2 the same word is applied to Jesus. He is our Advocate…
Here in
Isaiah 9:6 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 and 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 can cause you anxiety, that would keep you up at night or burden
you? The consequences of the Fall are
all around us, that is why Jesus came!
God is bigger than your problems! Remember that the Son 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 on
Earth (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 come up
from time to time in our Bible Study discussions 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. Sometimes, as we’ve learned from our Jonah series, the storms of
life are linked to our sin, our rebellion against God. God will do what He needs
to get out attention, even send a giant fish! But remember that the men on the
boat with Jonah were not in a crisis because of their sin, but God did use it
to get their attention and to bring them to faith! God isn’t surprised 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. We read in Philippians 4:5-7…
“…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…”
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. The way life should be!
What is God
saying to me in this passage? 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? Christmas can be a time of
high anxiety for many. Are you feeling
overwhelmed by pressures of the season? Trials at work, difficulty at home, concern
about the future? Christmas celebrates hope and peace, because of the Prince of
Peace, Jesus. So…
1. I would encourage you this month to be in
the Word. Make a daily time to read, focusing on the promises of the
incarnation, a part of your Advent celebration. Many start a Bible Reading
program in the beginning of the year… why not get started now? His Word is
truth, let it be a Light to your path…
2. Don’t
allow the pressures of family get togethers, travel, and shopping to become
“Christmas” for you. Remember Jesus. Focus on the fact that the Eternal
Son of God, purposefully took on a human nature – for you… Look at the Chaos
around us and remember why He came: To give us peace!
3. Look for
opportunities to share the promise of Peace with those in your sphere of
influence, point them to Jesus, the One who came to save us.
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."
There will be peace for those who trust Him!
5. Remember
the promise: as we lean on Him, His peace will guard our hearts and minds in
Christ Jesus. You can take God at His
Word! Shalom, the way life should be! AMEN.
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