Prince of Peace
Notes
Transcript
Handout
INTRO
Merry Christmas !!
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 Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
14 “Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!”
"I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day" is a Christmas carol based on the 1863 poem "Christmas Bells" by American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. The song tells of the narrator hearing Christmas bells during the American Civil War, but despairing that "hate is strong and mocks the song of peace on earth, good will to men".
Where is this Peace? We live in a world at war!
Africa = 35 < armed conflicts
Ethiopia
Mali
Sudan
Asia = 21 armed conflicts
India
Myanmar
Afghanistan
Europe = 7 armed conflicts
Russia / Ukraine
Moldova
Azerbaijan
Israel
America
war on drugs
war on terrorism
war on poverty
Household War
Divorce
Fathers MIA
Children - POW
Spiritual War!
PRINCE OF PEACE!?
Big Idea of the Message: Isaiah knew that peace was not simply a state of no physical war. Peace had to do with both a physical sense of safety and a spiritual sense of wholeness. Israel needed to be reassured that, that kind of peace was coming… so do we!
PRAYER
A - Almighty, infinite Father we praise your Holy name this day. We thank you for sending us your Son Jesus the Christ. It is in His name we are able to come to you. We celebrate you LORD God.
C - We also come to you to confess that we like Isaiah’s people often neglect to remember who you are. We are led by fear, not hope, by lusts not love. We confess our sin before you and beg your forgiveness and continued patience and perseverance with us.
T - Thank you Father for your steadfast lovingkindness we praise you for your goodness and your long suffering. We thank you for your word with texts such as this found here in Isaiah which speak of hope and peace.
S - Father we pray that you would give us today our daily bread. That you would feed us spiritual food by your word. That you would raise up a revival in your church near and far. Empower us to be bold and zealous for your word in this world and set our hearts firm on the world to come.
It is in your name we do pray… AMEN!
MESSAGE
Sar = rep of king \ official \ commander \ distinct leader \ person of note \ head \ first
Shalom = prosperity \ welfare \ health \ deliverance \ salvation \ “whole”
15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 16 For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. 17 And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. 19 For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross. 21 And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, 22 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, 23 if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister.
Prince
Prince
Representative
15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.
19 For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell,
John 14:7 (ESV) 7 If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.”
John 8:28 (ESV) 28 So Jesus said to them, “When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he, and that I do nothing on my own authority, but speak just as the Father taught me.
Jesus is the exact representation of the father to us…
Jesus did everything God would have done
Jesus did not do anything God would not have done
If you know Jesus you know God
Jesus is the representative of us to God
Jesus speaks on your behalf
Jesus succeeds where you fail
He did everything that you should have done
He did not do anything that you did
Commander
16 For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him.
Matthew 4:3 (ESV) 3 And the tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.”
Luke 8:31 (ESV) 31 And they begged him not to command them to depart into the abyss.
The “Principalities and Powers” of this world knew this
they recognized His authority
tempted to abuse it
begged not to use it
John 15:17 (ESV) 17 These things I command you, so that you will love one another.
He rightly proclaims it
He rightly practices it
Scripture
Spirits
Sickness
Sin
First
17 And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.
Revelation 1:5 (ESV) 5 and from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood
Romans 8:29 (ESV) 29 For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.
First, implies more to come!
firstborn of the dead implies a greater resurrection to come
Head
18 And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent.
Ephesians 5:23 (ESV) 23…Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior.
a
asdf
Peace
Peace
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.
19 For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross. 21 And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, 22 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, 23 if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister.
With His Creation
Colossians 1:20 “20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.”
6 The wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the young goat, and the calf and the lion and the fattened calf together; and a little child shall lead them. 7 The cow and the bear shall graze; their young shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. 8 The nursing child shall play over the hole of the cobra, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the adder’s den. 9 They shall not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain; for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.
With Other Humans
Colossians 1:20 “20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.”
28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
4 He shall judge between the nations, and shall decide disputes for many peoples; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore.
marital unity is ultimately found at the cross
family reconciliation is found at the cross
eternal justice is found at the cross
With God the Father
Colossians 1:22 “22 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,”
12 remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. 14 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 expressed in 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. 18 For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father. 19 So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, 20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, 21 in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. 22 In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.
advent = hope / joy / peace / love
salvation / security / forgiveness
rest / wholeness…
CLOSE
Big Idea of the Message: Isaiah knew that peace was not simply a state of no physical war. Peace had to do with both a physical sense of safety and a spiritual sense of wholeness. Israel needed to be reassured that peace was coming.
Application Point: Jesus is our Prince of Peace. He is the peace we seek, and He provides the peace we need!
We should live in light of that peace in the present as we learn to be shaped by it and prepare for the future when His peace will be all we know.
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 Counselor, 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.
"I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day" is a Christmas carol based on the 1863 poem "Christmas Bells" by American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. The song tells of the narrator hearing Christmas bells during the American Civil War, but despairing that "hate is strong and mocks the song of peace on earth, good will to men".
SING !!!
Group Questions
Group Questions
What is one thing that stood out to you from this week’s message?
When was the last time you completed something that you had invested a lot of time and energy into? How did you feel initially? After the dust settled, how did you feel then? Do you still feel that way about it now?
Read Isaiah 9:1–7 and think about what the hearers might have felt, knowing that the one to come would be considered the “Prince of Peace.” In what ways might a person understand peace?
Read Ephesians 2:13–18. What do we learn about peace from this passage? What does it say to us about the peace that Jesus gives us?
How might this help you when you are facing hardships in life? How could you speak this peace into the lives of others?
How would you explain God’s peace in/through Christ to an unbeliever? How is His peace different from the “peace” of this world?
What is one thing you are looking forward to about entering int our eternal kingdom of peace?