The Prince of Peace
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2 The people who walked in darkness Have seen a great light; Those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, Upon them a light has shined. 3 You have multiplied the nation And increased its joy; They rejoice before You According to the joy of harvest, As men rejoice when they divide the spoil. 4 For You have broken the yoke of his burden And the staff of his shoulder, The rod of his oppressor, As in the day of Midian. 5 For every warrior’s sandal from the noisy battle, And garments rolled in blood, Will be used for burning and fuel of fire. 6 For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7 Of the increase of His government and peace There will be no end, Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, To order it and establish it with judgment and justice From that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.
Isaiah 9:
1 Nevertheless the gloom will not be upon her who is distressed, As when at first He lightly esteemed The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, And afterward more heavily oppressed her, By the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, In Galilee of the Gentiles. 2 The people who walked in darkness Have seen a great light; Those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, Upon them a light has shined. 3 You have multiplied the nation And increased its joy; They rejoice before You According to the joy of harvest, As men rejoice when they divide the spoil. 4 For You have broken the yoke of his burden And the staff of his shoulder, The rod of his oppressor, As in the day of Midian. 5 For every warrior’s sandal from the noisy battle, And garments rolled in blood, Will be used for burning and fuel of fire. 6 For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7 Of the increase of His government and peace There will be no end, Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, To order it and establish it with judgment and justice From that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.
Introduction:
In our text this morning we have a clear explanation of what Messiah accomplishes in His coming.
But when we look closer at it, we find that not everything was realized in His first coming.
And yet, in Jesus’ first coming He accomplished everything predicted by the prophets, even though we have not yet realized it here on this earth!
This may very well be one of the most profound truths of Christ’s Advent.
Because we know that in the prophetic scriptures concerning Messiah’s coming, both Advents were combined as one.
The Jews looking forward could not foresee this, but we looking back can see and know assuredly that the prophecies concerning Christ’s Advent were actually separated by a few millenniums of time.
Yet, we consider everything as having been accomplished and settled once for all.
A great example of this is found in Peter’s sermon on the day of Pentecost in where Peter is quoting the prophet Joel, and explaining that the phenomenon they were witnessing was in fact prophesied by the prophet.
17 ‘And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, That I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your young men shall see visions, Your old men shall dream dreams. 18 And on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days; And they shall prophesy. 19 I will show wonders in heaven above And signs in the earth beneath: Blood and fire and vapor of smoke. 20 The sun shall be turned into darkness, And the moon into blood, Before the coming of the great and awesome day of the Lord. 21 And it shall come to pass That whoever calls on the name of the Lord Shall be saved.’
You see, verses 19 & 20 have not yet been accomplished and yet Peter makes the argument that it is as much as done.
And so the blessedness for us, is that knowing who He is and just what was accomplished in His first advent, we by faith trust that everything said about His coming is a done deal.
And this is what keeps us going in such a harsh and sinful world.
This is what gives us the will to go on, despite everything we face.
The accomplished facts of His coming:
1. His light has shined and people have seen it. vs. 2
1. His light has shined and people have seen it. vs. 2
“The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; Those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, Upon them a light has shined.”
The Apostle John qualifies the extent of this verse in -
4 In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.
John 1:
The light can be seen by all, but not all can understand it.
So how is it that some comprehend and others do not?
It seems to me as a Christian, that people who have seen the light of Christ would gladly receive Him, but even when all the facts are presented, people still turn away from Him.
Why?
Well, because grace is extended to those whom God chooses through the Holy Spirit.
Paul tells us in Romans -
29 For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. 30 Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified.
30 Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified.
9 That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world.
We see that some kind of an illumination has taken place, but just what does John mean?
For in the next verse, he says...
10 He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him.
Wesleyan theologians see this as a general illumination of mankind, where a degree of faith is given to man enabling him to exercise said faith thereby procuring salvation. Yet, lighteth is properly "bringing to light" rather than illumination. "The light shines in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not." (vs.5) Here, the Lord Jesus is that light which brings to light the condition of fallen man. The fact that man is not illuminated with some divine understanding is evident from the next verse. Verse 10 says, "He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not." If mankind is illuminated as Wesley claims, then how is it that illuminated man does not know him? If the world does not know him in verse 10, then, the world was never illuminated by our Lord's first advent, as Wesley proposed.
But if the Lighting upon every person coming into the world, is a light that illuminates the darkness, then the sins of man are exposed and he recognizes his own sinful condition.
What is even more fascinating, and totally mind boggling, is that all those that embrace the grace, coming into faith in Christ, are the elect of God.
It is they who were predestined, who were called, who were justified, and were glorified (Rom 8:30).
The elect of God are those who receive the gift and by faith embrace it.
We do not know who they are, and so we are commited to share the gospel with all, that those who have an ear to hear, will hear!
2. Mankind enjoys the fruit of His harvest. vs. 3
2. Mankind enjoys the fruit of His harvest. vs. 3
To those in Christ, there is joy unspeakable and full of glory!
To those without Christ, there is the overflowing benefit of good that is present by the body of Christ as we carry out His commands.
The great commandment is to Love God and Neighbor as yourself!
It is in this way that the whole world can enjoy the fruit of Christ’s harvest.
We as His chosen emissaries, manifest the goodness and love of God to all.
3. Although we may be enslaved and oppressed in this world by others, there is complete freedom in Christ.
3. He has broken the chains of bondage and oppression. vs.4
3. He has broken the chains of bondage and oppression. vs.4
Although we may be enslaved and oppressed in this world by others, there is complete freedom in Christ.
Although we may be enslaved and oppressed in this world by others, there is complete freedom in Christ.
This idea is expressed over and over again by the writers of the N.T.
But look at how Paul puts it in 2 Corinthians:
7 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us. 8 We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; 9 persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed—
7 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us. 8 We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; 9 persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed—
4. He has conquered in battle and ushers in everlasting peace. vs. 5
4. He has conquered in battle and ushers in everlasting peace. vs. 5
Every wrong has already been judged.
Every war and ensuing battle has already been recognized and weighed by God.
What Jesus did in His first coming has established Him as the only King and ruler on earth.
On April 9th 1865 near Appomattox Courthouse in Virginia General Robert E. Lee surrendered his sword to Ulysses S Grant, ending the Civil War.
Yet, there were those pockets of confederate soldiers that didn’t know the battle was over, and those that didn’t care.
Fighting ensued and some even died, but the war was over and the distinctive honor belonged to the Union.
And so there on the cross, our Lord conquered sin and death, and sits at the right hand of God waiting for His enemies to be brought to His feet.
I certainly have peace in these things.
Do you?
5. His name is a reminder of His power over these things. vs. 6
5. His name is a reminder of His power over these things. vs. 6
Wonderful
Councelor
Mighty God
Everlasting Father
Prince of Peace
If we ever loose hope, we can think on these names and remind ourselves as to whom it is we serve.
When I feel like the bottom is about to drop out, even if it does, I know that He is wonderful.
If there is no one to encourage me, I know that His name is Counselor, and I’m OK.
He is not just Jesus to me, He is the Mighty God
He is the Everlasting Father.
But, when I’m beside myself and overcome with anxiousness, He is the Prince of Peace.
6. His kingdom has been established and will never end. vs.7
6. His kingdom has been established and will never end. vs.7
Even now, things are working out around the world, designed to put things in order that His kingdom will flourish.
No evil or corrupt government or people can overthrow Him.
He is impeachable!
He is sovereign!
And all things are moving orderly and systematically to the final chapter spoken of in the book of Revelation.
What I am saying to you this morning, and hope that you will constantly remind yourselves, that the Lord Jesus Christ has finished the work which He was elected to, and there is no other work to be done, only to wait for the appointed time of His return.