Unto us a child is born…and His name shall be called Prince of Peace! This is part four of a four-part series based on Isaiah’s prophecy about the Messiah. Isaiah says our Messiah is a Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace.

700 years before the birth of Jesus, Isaiah prophesied about a Messiah that would come using four very important names to describe Him. These names would reveal His character, show us how He would relate to us, and tell us what kind of Savior He would be. This prophecy from Isaiah is found in Isaiah 9:6…

“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.”

Prince of Peace

What do you think of when you hear the word peace? The response to that question often yields answers that range from nations of the world laying down their weapons and ending their wars TO relaxing on the beach and watching a beautiful sunset.

Certainly peace is something we all want and need. Yet, peace remains an elusive goal for most people and most nations. The reality is that there is little peace in many peoples lives. Even those of us who follow Jesus, tend to have more stress, tension, and anxiety than we do peace. 

Yet Jesus is called the Prince of Peace! And at His birth the angels declared, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!” So, what is Biblical peace and is it even possible? 

In Christ we have peace with God

Our sin separated us from God and caused our hearts to wage war against God. But God in His love reached our to us through Jesus to offer us peace. And this peace with God is the basis of all true peace. It is the peace we receive when we turn to Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior.

“Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” 

Romans 5:1

Christmas reminds us that God sent His Son into this world to open the door of peace to our hearts, minds and souls. When we receive Christ & put our faith in Him our conflict with God is over. In essence, we wave the white flag of surrender to Jesus & lay down the sword of our sin. He forgives us and removes our guilt and shame thus giving us the peace we have been looking and longing for. 

In Christ we have peace within

Once we have peace with God we are ready for real peace within. Unfortunately, many Christians do not experience inner peace because they do not understand how to activate it.

“You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.”

Isaiah 26:3

Notice that there are two conditions that must be met to experience peace within: 1) our minds must be fixed on Jesus AND 2) we must put our complete trust in Him. 

In other words, to have inner peace we must be under the Lordship of Jesus. We can’t expect peace if there are areas of our lives that are not surrendered to Him.

But the amazing thing is, when we are under the lordship of Christ, He can give us a peace that most people don’t understand.

“And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

Philippians 4:7

In Christ we make peace with others

The third kind of peace God gives us is peace with people around us. In face, as Christians we are called to be peacemakers. This doesn’t mean that we will be able to live at peace with everyone. There are some people who will not let you live at peace with them. But it does mean that we should make every effort to live at peace with others. 

The writer of Hebrews says in Hebrews 12:14–15 “Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no “root of bitterness” springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled;” The Apostle Paul went on to say in Romans 12:18 “If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.”

Our responsibility is to do our part in all of our relationships to live at peace with others. How do we do our part to make peace with others? We begin by remembering that God sent Jesus to redeem us while we were still sinners. Then we extend that same grace to others and learn to love them in spite of their sin. 

Jesus gives us the ability to love others & be at peace with them in the same way God created peace with us.

Jesus is our Prince of Peace

For all of us who know Christ, we can live right now in the peace promised by our Prince of Peace: peace with God, peace within, & peace with others. 

Luke wrote in his gospel, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.” Paul said to the church in Rome, “The God of peace be with you all, Amen.” 

May each of us find favor with God so that peace of God will be with us today!