Sermon

December 12, 2001
Advent # 2
Isaiah 9:6
Pastor Robert Raasch

Jesus is our Prince of Peace

1. He Comes to a World at War
2. He Gives Us the Peace We Crave

(Isa 9:6 NIV) 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.

I have a question. I wonder how many of you here tonight know what your first name means. You know, what's the etymology of the name your parents gave you at birth. I expect that there are some of you who know what your name means. There are probably a number of parents here who could tell me what your children's names mean. In fact, maybe you even took into account the meaning of those names when you selected them for your children. And yet, I expect that most of us parents didn't put a lot of significance in the meaning of the name we selected for our children. I know that my wife and I didn't look at our firstborn daughter and say, "Let's call her Rachel, because the name Rachel means ewe lamb and that's exactly what she looks like." I have to believe the same thing is true of most parents today. These days, parents don't put a lot of weight on the meaning behind the name. I think that's evident in the fact that the most popular name for boys last year was Jacob. Do you know what the name Jacob means? It means "one who holds the heel." Can you imagine any parent looking into the nursery and saying, "Look at that little heal grabber"? Or, "Yes sir, I hope my son grows up to hold somebody's heel some day!"

Obviously, these days the meaning of names don't hold a great deal of significance in people's minds. Names are rather labels we attach to children to have something to call them. Rarely does a name really tell us something about a person's character, or his position in life, or what the future holds for him.

But that was not the case in ancient times. In the Bible, parents often gave their children names for a very specific reason. Names were often designed to tell a story. Moments ago, we spoke of the name Jacob. You probably remember the story behind Jacob's name. When Jacob was born he came out holding onto his brother Esau's heel. Therefore his father gave him the name, heel-grabber. Jacob's name was designed to mean something.

Well, if that is true of Jacob, and Isaac, and the rest of the Old Testament patriarchs, it's even more true of their greatest descendent, the one who bears the name, Jesus. Jesus' name means Savior. And yet, one glance at our advent banner reminds us that Jesus was not the only name ascribed to the Child born in Bethlehem. Jesus was given a lot of names throughout the pages of Scripture. Now, that doesn't mean that all of Jesus' names were used interchangeably. For example, I sincerely doubt that the kids on Jesus' block ever said to Mary and Joseph, "Hey, can the Wonderful Counselor come out to play?" And Mary probably never said, "Immanuel, it's time for your bath now."

And yet, even though every one of those names was not used in every situation, the fact is, every name does mean something. Every name offers us a glimpse into who Jesus is and what he has done for us. In fact, that's why God has chosen to have all those names recorded in his Holy Word. They are here to teach us, to lead us to see and appreciate more fully the one sent to be our Savior and Lord.

And so, during this Advent season, as we prepare for the celebration of Jesus' birth, it's only appropriate that we focus our attention on a few of Jesus' names. Last week we considered the name Immanuel. Tonight we take up another of Jesus' inspired names. Tonight we turn our attention to:

Jesus is our Prince of Peace

1. He Comes to a World at War
2. He Gives Us the Peace We Crave

First, he comes to a world at war. Isn't that the truth? Whether we're talking about the world in Isaiah's day, or the world in Jesus' day, or the world today-ever since the fall of Adam and Eve, our world has been at war. When Isaiah first penned these words, war was looming on the horizon. The nation of Assyria was poised to march into Israel, overrun the capital of Samaria and haul the 10 Northern Tribes into captivity. Not long after that, the Babylonians would be the ones waging war against the Southern Kingdom, conquering the capital and turning the nation into prisoners of war. In the centuries that followed, the names of the countries changed but not the result. After the Babylonians were defeated, then came Alexander the Great, and the Grecian armies, and then the Roman armies. A person doesn't have to know much history at all to realize that in one way or another, in one location or another, for one reason or another some nation is always at war. And as this past week we continue to count the casualties of our current war on terrorism, or as we recounted the horror of that bombing raid on Pearl Harbor 60 years ago, we are painfully reminded that war is not a pleasant experience. War robs us of peace and security. It brings pain and suffering and death. Or as General William Sherman put it, "War is Hell!"

And yet, no matter how bad any war around the world gets, no matter how many casualties it creates, no matter how many sleepless nights it gives us, the fact is, there is no war as terrible as the war that goes on between a holy God and an unholy human race. Now maybe you're thinking, "I've never heard of that war. Is it going to take place sometime in the future?" No, actually, that war is going on right now. In fact, it's a war that started in the Garden of Eden, when our first parents openly declared war on God. When Adam and Eve chose to deliberately disobey God, they were in effect putting themselves into Satan's army rather than God's army. From that moment on, every human being comes into this world with an attitude that says, "God, don't tell me what to do. In fact, the more you tell me how you expect me to live, the more you demand perfection from me, the more I will hate you, the more I will fight you; the more I will regard you as my enemy." St. Paul said it well, when he wrote to the Romans, chapter 8, "The sinful mind is hostile to God."

Well, if that's true, if you and I by nature regard God as our enemy, if we'd just as soon shake our fist at God, if we absolutely detest the idea that God is going to judge us according to his standard of holiness-if all that's true (and it is), then is it any wonder that God says, "There is no peace for the wicked"? (Isaiah 48:22) I mean, think about it. Who can be at peace with God if we're constantly fighting him? How can a person feel good about a God who, because of our sinful nature, we'd rather hate?

And yet, you know what makes this whole situation even more difficult? It's the fact that by nature, we wish we were at peace with God. By nature, I don't enjoy being on the outs with God. We want to be in fellowship with him. We want life in paradise again. The fact is, every human being craves to be at peace with God. Just look at the people in our world. Everyone is looking for a sense of peace with God. Oh, they may call it different things: "to be at peace with yourself, or one with nature, or in harmony with the universe." People are rolling out their prayer rugs, counting their prayer beads, repeating their Hare Chrisna. They're meditating and channeling and practicing Tai Chi-all in an effort to create some kind of harmony in their lives. Whether they realize it or not, they all desperately want to be at peace with God.

The trouble is, the only way for mankind, in and of themselves to achieve that peace between a holy God and an unholy man is by lowering God's standards of perfection (which God does not allow) or by overlooking man's imperfection (which neither God nor our conscience allows). So what's the solution? The solution is Jesus Christ. Jesus is the Prince who, II. Gives us the Peace We Crave.

You see, if the only way to make peace between a holy God and an unholy people was to either lower God's standards or raise our standards, Jesus chose to do the later. But Jesus raised our standards not by saying to us, "Hey, you'd better start living a better life; you'd better stop sinning. Start trying harder to be a good person!" No, religious leaders have been saying that for years, and it hasn't done any good. People may improve their behavior for a while, but they never achieve the level of holiness that God demands for entrance into heaven. So Jesus offered mankind a truly remarkable solution. Jesus said, "Mankind, since you can't live the perfect life that God demands, I'll live one for you. And so that you don't have to suffer for all of the sins you've committed, I'll allow God to punish me in your place. And now because I've taken away your sins and given you my holiness, God has no reason to be angry with you. You're no longer God's enemy. You're God's friend. You're a member of his family. You're on his side and he's on your side-no matter what happens in your life. That means, dear Christian, your heart can be at peace."

How does Paul put it in Romans 5:1? "Since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ." My friends, do you realize what that means-to have peace with God? Having peace with God means knowing that every one of your sins, no matter how big or small they are-every one of them have been washed away in Jesus' blood. Having peace with God means knowing that the word "terminal" can't scare you, because you know that in Christ, your death is the gateway to heaven. Having peace with God means knowing that no matter how badly your classmates treat you, God still says that you're all right in his eyes. It means knowing that even though you don't know what the future holds for you, you do know who holds the future in his hands. It means knowing that your good standing with God does not depend on what you have done for God, but rather what he has done for you in Christ. Having peace with God means knowing that even the most difficult trials you face in life, will ultimately be used by God to serve your eternal good.

My friends, isn't it comforting to know that even though there will always be wars in our world, there is no war between you and God. Dressed in Christ's blood and righteousness, you are one with God. In Christ, you have the true spiritual peace which the world craves. Treasure that peace. Let that peace show in your everyday words and actions. And thank God that your Savior Jesus is exactly what the Bible calls him. He is your Prince of Peace. In his name. Amen

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