For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. (Isaiah 9:6)
Today we will close out our month-long study on the four names given by the prophet Isaiah to this child who was to be born, this son who was given to us.
Prince of Peace – I have been saying throught this series that the four names given to the Cosmic Christ Child were intended to describe his rule, his reign, and the scope of his kingdom, but this fourth and final name bestowed on the coming King perhaps best sums up the person and the work of our Lord Jesus Christ. In a world filled with confusion and chaos, we are first to recognize Jesus as the Prince of Peace, not chaos, regardless of what we see going on in the world around us. Jesus is still on His throne, and He is in complete, sovereign, purposeful control of all things.
God is not a God of disorder but of peace. (1 Corinthians 14:33)
The very next thing we are to recognize in Jesus as the Prince of Peace is that, apart from Him, there is absolutely no peace available to us through anything else in this world.
Peace I leave with you, my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. (John 14:27)
Only with the Prince of Peace can we have the confident assurance that, no matter what circumstances we are facing, Jesus is with us to get us through them. With the Prince of Peace by our side, we need not fear today or tomorrow, for greater is the power that is in us than any power will ever come against us. Jesus has conquered sin, Satan, and the final enemy, death, which means that we are more than conquerors through Christ who loves us (Romans 8:37).
In looking back at the words Isaiah penned for our Prince of Peace (The original Hebrew for the name is Sar Shalom) at the deepest level, we are to see our Lord Jesus as the one who will sustain us through every peace-disturbing circumstance we face in this life. So now, like Peter, we are to step out of our own little boat, regardless of the storm winds that may be howling around us, and walk upon the water with confident assurance that our Prince of Peace has called us to do so. But we also must remember to keep our eyes fixed on the Prize, so as not to be overwhelmed by the winds and the waves. If we shift our focus away from Christ and look anxiously around at our circumstances, we will sink, just as Peter did (Matthew 14:22-33).
But don’t forget the rest of the story! When Peter began to sink below the waves, he cried out to Jesus, who immediately reached out His hand and lifted Peter back to safety. Even when we look away from our Prince of Peace, He will never look away from us. Now, that is a peace worth living for, wouldn’t you agree?
Tomorrow is Christmas Eve. I’m going to do something a little unusual this week and post a fourlth message here for you, one that I hope will help you prepare your heart to joyfully celebrate the birth of the Child who was born, the Son of God who was given to us and for us. He truly is our Wonderful Counselor, our Mighty God, our Everlasting Father, and the Prince of Peace. May we lay aside the cares of this life on Christmas Day, no matter how serious and pressing they may be, and give thanks and praise to God for His indescribable gift!
This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!
Grace for the Race 