Isaiah 9:2–7
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 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 Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 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.
Genesis 5:1 says, “When God created man, He made him in the likeness of God.”
This is part of God’s plan for us. We bear His image, and He wants us to be like Him. His call to the Israelites in the Old Testament and to Christians in the New Testament is, “Be holy, because I am holy.”
Paul talks in 2 Corinthians 3 about us being transformed into the likeness of Christ.
And in Matthew 5:9 Jesus says, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.”
Bringing peace into this world through Christ is what the Father has done, and if we want to be like Him, we will bring peace to those around us too.
Peace though, is not just an absence of war. It is about living in harmony with one another, as we live out the qualities of Christlikeness.
It’s about a well-being which goes beyond what we are capable of. It’s about the peace of Jesus being reflected by His church and His people.
Can you imagine a world of total peace? No hatred, no snide comments about each other – just a world of complete harmony.
In the 1960’s the hippies had the right idea – world peace and harmony, but of course they went about it the wrong way. The theory was good, but in practice the whole thing was doomed for one simple reason – human sin.
When something goes wrong, you’ll find the reason in Genesis 3. Because of human sin and greed, our best laid plans are destined to fail. The moment sin entered the world, peace went out the window.
True peace is only to be found in Jesus Christ. CS Lewis wrote, “God cannot give us a happiness and peace apart from Himself, because it is not there. There is no such thing.”
More than 300 years ago the English Puritan preacher Thomas Watson wrote, “If God be our God, He will give us peace in trouble. When there is a storm without, He will make peace within. The world can create trouble in peace, but God can create peace in trouble.”
2 Corinthians 5:17-19 says, “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to Himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.”
It was God who took the initiative in restoring peace in this world. Our only hope for peace is Jesus Christ, and it is God who put the plan into place. He has brought His peace into the world, and through the Cross of Calvary, we are once more at peace with Him. The coming of God into our world was foretold by the prophets, and Isaiah gives the promised Messiah the name ‘Prince of Peace’.
And once the Messiah came into this world, God’s peace was restored. We did have it for a while, in the Garden of Eden, but our sin brought a stop to God’s peace.
When the angel visited the shepherds to bring them the news of Jesus’ birth, he said, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom His favour rests.”
Of course, it’s very hard in today’s world to actually see God’s peace. Just reading the newspaper or watching the news can be very depressing. It’s because of our sin and the way that we are, that peace is hard to find – living in harmony with one another is just not our natural state.
You might be wondering why our text is from Isaiah 9 today. Next week is Easter, not Christmas. The answer is that the world likes Christmas because it’s all tinsel, parties and presents, but it hates Easter, because Easter is about the cross. The cross is offensive to the world, but you can’t have the manger without the cross. Christmas is about Calvary. The peace which Jesus brings us is not cheap – it came at a tremendous cost.
The fact that God, in the form of Jesus Christ shed His blood on a cross for us is offensive to God’s enemies.
For the enemies of God, the Cross of Jesus Christ is a stark reminder that we are sinners who have betrayed the God who created us, and we need a Saviour that only God can provide.
Colossians 1:19-22: “In Him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through Him to reconcile to Himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of His cross. And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, He has now reconciled in His body of flesh by His death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before Him.”
God has made peace with us through the blood of Christ. There is no other way that we can be reconciled to God. It is the sacrifice of Jesus alone which brings true peace and reconciliation with the Father.
Without Christ, we are in conflict with God. Because of our sin, until such time as we turn to Jesus, we belong to Satan. Romans 8:9 says, “Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to Him.”
Whether we like it or not, the natural state that we are in is in conflict with God, and until such time as we turn to Christ, we will never be at peace with Him.
We will remain His enemies. Those who have not accepted salvation through the blood of Jesus, are not at peace with God, and consequently are His enemies.
That is why, above everything else, we need Jesus Christ in our lives. It is only He who brings peace.
Our greatest need is to be at peace with our Creator God - to be reconciled to Him, and that comes only through the atoning blood of Jesus Christ.
Recognise your need. Confess you are a sinner. Repent and receive forgiveness through Christ, and live your life for Him.
Once our lives have been transformed by the power of the Gospel, then (and only then) can we begin to make a difference in our world by being the peacemakers Jesus talks about in Matthew 5.
Then we will be able to take the word of God’s peace into the world. Lost sinners need to know that there is hope for them, that God has indeed provided the Saviour they need.
The peace that Jesus brings is a radical peace. He said in Matthew 5:43-45, “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbour and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven.”
As Christians, we are called to live at peace with everyone – not just other believers.
When last did you pray for someone who has hurt you? Think of someone who has done something wrong to you. Something so bad, that you have every right to never speak to that person again. Will you pray for that person?
Are you prepared to tell them that no matter what it is they’ve done to you, you choose to forgive, because God has chosen to forgive you?
This is how we reflect true peace.
Finally, although some might think it is hoping against hope, hold onto the promise of God’s peace. When it seems hopeless, when your life is in such a mess that the light at the end of the tunnel is just an oncoming train, hold onto God’s promise of eternal peace, because if you have put your faith in Jesus Christ, you have a hope beyond this life. Whatever your burdens and heartaches, know this: These things will pass.
Look at all of the prophecies in the Old Testament, and how, one by one they are confirmed by the birth, life, death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus Christ.
The angels proclaimed to the shepherds all those years ago, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom His favour rests.” Does His favour rest on you? If you are in Christ, a born-again believer, then the best news is that for you, the story does not end here. Something far greater, far more glorious awaits you in eternity.
We close with this wonderful promise in Revelation 21: “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be His people, and God Himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.’ And He who was seated on the throne said, ‘Behold, I am making all things new.’ Also He said, ‘Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.’” (Revelation 21:1-5)
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 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 Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 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.
Genesis 5:1 says, “When God created man, He made him in the likeness of God.”
This is part of God’s plan for us. We bear His image, and He wants us to be like Him. His call to the Israelites in the Old Testament and to Christians in the New Testament is, “Be holy, because I am holy.”
Paul talks in 2 Corinthians 3 about us being transformed into the likeness of Christ.
And in Matthew 5:9 Jesus says, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.”
Bringing peace into this world through Christ is what the Father has done, and if we want to be like Him, we will bring peace to those around us too.
Peace though, is not just an absence of war. It is about living in harmony with one another, as we live out the qualities of Christlikeness.
It’s about a well-being which goes beyond what we are capable of. It’s about the peace of Jesus being reflected by His church and His people.
Can you imagine a world of total peace? No hatred, no snide comments about each other – just a world of complete harmony.
In the 1960’s the hippies had the right idea – world peace and harmony, but of course they went about it the wrong way. The theory was good, but in practice the whole thing was doomed for one simple reason – human sin.
When something goes wrong, you’ll find the reason in Genesis 3. Because of human sin and greed, our best laid plans are destined to fail. The moment sin entered the world, peace went out the window.
True peace is only to be found in Jesus Christ. CS Lewis wrote, “God cannot give us a happiness and peace apart from Himself, because it is not there. There is no such thing.”
More than 300 years ago the English Puritan preacher Thomas Watson wrote, “If God be our God, He will give us peace in trouble. When there is a storm without, He will make peace within. The world can create trouble in peace, but God can create peace in trouble.”
2 Corinthians 5:17-19 says, “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to Himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.”
It was God who took the initiative in restoring peace in this world. Our only hope for peace is Jesus Christ, and it is God who put the plan into place. He has brought His peace into the world, and through the Cross of Calvary, we are once more at peace with Him. The coming of God into our world was foretold by the prophets, and Isaiah gives the promised Messiah the name ‘Prince of Peace’.
And once the Messiah came into this world, God’s peace was restored. We did have it for a while, in the Garden of Eden, but our sin brought a stop to God’s peace.
When the angel visited the shepherds to bring them the news of Jesus’ birth, he said, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom His favour rests.”
Of course, it’s very hard in today’s world to actually see God’s peace. Just reading the newspaper or watching the news can be very depressing. It’s because of our sin and the way that we are, that peace is hard to find – living in harmony with one another is just not our natural state.
You might be wondering why our text is from Isaiah 9 today. Next week is Easter, not Christmas. The answer is that the world likes Christmas because it’s all tinsel, parties and presents, but it hates Easter, because Easter is about the cross. The cross is offensive to the world, but you can’t have the manger without the cross. Christmas is about Calvary. The peace which Jesus brings us is not cheap – it came at a tremendous cost.
The fact that God, in the form of Jesus Christ shed His blood on a cross for us is offensive to God’s enemies.
For the enemies of God, the Cross of Jesus Christ is a stark reminder that we are sinners who have betrayed the God who created us, and we need a Saviour that only God can provide.
Colossians 1:19-22: “In Him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through Him to reconcile to Himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of His cross. And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, He has now reconciled in His body of flesh by His death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before Him.”
God has made peace with us through the blood of Christ. There is no other way that we can be reconciled to God. It is the sacrifice of Jesus alone which brings true peace and reconciliation with the Father.
Without Christ, we are in conflict with God. Because of our sin, until such time as we turn to Jesus, we belong to Satan. Romans 8:9 says, “Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to Him.”
Whether we like it or not, the natural state that we are in is in conflict with God, and until such time as we turn to Christ, we will never be at peace with Him.
We will remain His enemies. Those who have not accepted salvation through the blood of Jesus, are not at peace with God, and consequently are His enemies.
That is why, above everything else, we need Jesus Christ in our lives. It is only He who brings peace.
Our greatest need is to be at peace with our Creator God - to be reconciled to Him, and that comes only through the atoning blood of Jesus Christ.
Recognise your need. Confess you are a sinner. Repent and receive forgiveness through Christ, and live your life for Him.
Once our lives have been transformed by the power of the Gospel, then (and only then) can we begin to make a difference in our world by being the peacemakers Jesus talks about in Matthew 5.
Then we will be able to take the word of God’s peace into the world. Lost sinners need to know that there is hope for them, that God has indeed provided the Saviour they need.
The peace that Jesus brings is a radical peace. He said in Matthew 5:43-45, “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbour and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven.”
As Christians, we are called to live at peace with everyone – not just other believers.
When last did you pray for someone who has hurt you? Think of someone who has done something wrong to you. Something so bad, that you have every right to never speak to that person again. Will you pray for that person?
Are you prepared to tell them that no matter what it is they’ve done to you, you choose to forgive, because God has chosen to forgive you?
This is how we reflect true peace.
Finally, although some might think it is hoping against hope, hold onto the promise of God’s peace. When it seems hopeless, when your life is in such a mess that the light at the end of the tunnel is just an oncoming train, hold onto God’s promise of eternal peace, because if you have put your faith in Jesus Christ, you have a hope beyond this life. Whatever your burdens and heartaches, know this: These things will pass.
Look at all of the prophecies in the Old Testament, and how, one by one they are confirmed by the birth, life, death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus Christ.
The angels proclaimed to the shepherds all those years ago, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom His favour rests.” Does His favour rest on you? If you are in Christ, a born-again believer, then the best news is that for you, the story does not end here. Something far greater, far more glorious awaits you in eternity.
We close with this wonderful promise in Revelation 21: “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be His people, and God Himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.’ And He who was seated on the throne said, ‘Behold, I am making all things new.’ Also He said, ‘Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.’” (Revelation 21:1-5)