PRINCE OF PEACE
Text: Isaiah 9: 6 “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace”.
Brethren, this week we shall be looking at the difference between the peace that the Lord gives and that which the world can offer. We would be looking at this from the point of view of individuals, communities, nations and the world. To start with, let us remind ourselves of the fact that at whatever level, the peace from the world is definitely not the same as the peace from God. Our lord Jesus Christ made this clear when he states in Jn.14:27 that “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” (NIV).
How is His peace different from world’s peace? One of the ways the Lord’s peace is different from the world peace is the fact that God is unchanging (He would not lie). In Num. 23:19 the bible states that “God is not a man, that he should lie, nor a son of man, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?- NIV. Unlike men, God cannot lie. Experience has shown that men can lie about what they can offer and able to offer. Men may promise knowing fully well that they do not intend to keep the promise. When a man or a woman promises his or her spouse in their marital vow that 'Till death do us part.", it signifies that he/she is promising a peace of mind to his/her partner. But what do we see? In some instances, some of the promises made in marital vows before God and men are made with one or both of the partners fully aware that they do not intend to keep the promise. At other times, change of circumstances of the partner may be the cause of the breaking of vows made. Whatever could be the cause, the breaking of marital vows is typical of human unstableness. So, when any marital partners fail to keep their vows, they fail their partners and in place of the promised peace they create pain, sorrow, heartache, depression and in serious cases can lead to suicide.
We have also seen leaders, both in the biblical times and in the present days, that were supposed to ensure they rule in such a way that their subjects may have peace, adding unto the yoke of their subjects. For instance, in the bible we read of King Rehoboam promising to double the yoke of the children of Israel as compared to his father’s reign. In I Kings 12: 13-14, ‘the king (Rehoboam) answered the people harshly, rejecting the advice given him by the elders, he followed the advice of the young men and said, “My father made your yoke heavy; I will make it even heavier. My father scourged you with whips; I will scourge you with scorpions” – NIV. This is typical of many of the present leaders of nations, particularly in the third world countries, middle –east countries and in the communist countries. Of course, even Western nations are not totally devoid of acts of misrule as evidenced in recent protests across many western nations.
Similarly, global efforts, including the formation of the United Nations, at achieving World peace have not been very successful as desired. The first aim of the United Nations is “to keep peace throughout the world”. Brethren, to what extent has this aim been achieved? For so many reasons, we can see that far from the aim, the world has been at more turmoil now than when the United Nations began. Why? For so many reasons the United Nations have not and can never achieve this objective because of many unforeseen and deliberate selfish actions of members and leaders.
What does this tells us? It is a confirmation that at the individual, national and world levels, the best of human benevolence is often associated with limitations and uncertainties and as such should always be taken with a pinch of salt. Our Lord Jesus Christ as the Alpha and Omega knew His creation and that is why He was categorical in Jn.14:27 that His peace is not as the world gives.
The implication of this is that we must not put our trust in the peace offered by the world; rather our trust should be in our Lord Jesus Christ who has promised and is able to keep His promise. No wonder the bible says in Psa. 146: 3 “put not your trust in princes, nor in the son of man, in whom there is no help” - KJV. Of course, you can only have a trust in whomever, you know. So if you have no personal relationship with our Lord Jesus Christ, it is not possible for you to enjoy the peace that can only come from Him. In which case you are at the mercy of the unreliable peace that the world can offer. However, we have a faithful God who has promised in Jn. 6:37 that “Everything the Father gives me will come to me, and I'll never turn away the one who comes to me” (ISV). If you want to enjoy the peace from our Lord Jesus Christ that is beyond human understanding, then you need to come to Him today and confess Him as your Lord and Saviour.
If you are willing to let Him into your life today and enjoy His peace, then you may want to say this prayer,’ Lord Jesus, I come before you today to confess that thus far I have lead my life without you, but today I confess you as my Lord and Saviour and I want you to rule my life from now on. I pray that you forgive my sins and blot out my sins with your blood and write my name in the Book of life. Help me not to go back to my sins. Thank you Lord Jesus for saving my soul from perishing. Amen’.
If you have prayed this prayer with sincerity, I congratulate you and I know that the Prince of Peace, Lord Jesus Christ would come into your life and grant you His peace.
God bless you.
Shalom.
Dr. Yinka Okude
Pastor – in – Charge
RCCG, Jesus Sanctuary, Northampton.