The Prince of Peace

THE PRINCE OF PEACE
Isaiah 40:31, But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.
Isaiah described our Savior, Jesus Christ, as the Wonderful Counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father and the Prince of Peace, in Isaiah 9:6. In Isaiah 40 he expounds on each of these aspects of Christ’s life.
This message deals with Christ as our “Prince of peace.” The Bible offers us peace with God and the peace of God. To reject either will bring tragic consequences.
Peace with God comes when we surrender our hearts to Jesus Christ in Salvation. Peace of God comes when we walk with Him daily.
Living for Christ and given Him proper place in our lives, which should be first place will make you peaceful.
So, what is peace?
-It is the assurance a person has, because heaven will be their home.
-It is the comfort one has, because they are in fellowship with Christ.
-It is the contentment one has, because one trust in the Lord.
However, many people will get so busy making a living, they fail to make a life.
Many people will build a house, but will never enjoy their home.
Some will have children, but never enjoy a family.
Some will make money, but never enjoy wealth.
Everybody desires peace or a life free of war within their own souls and their own families. But, a person does not have peace, because he is rich or poor. A person does not have peace because he owns his own company or if he is on welfare. Peace only comes from the Prince of peace.
Isaiah knew this for this happened to his own people. So, he ends this chapter by giving us words that will direct us to a life of peace.

1. FIRST, WE SEE THE PLACE OF PEACE is spending time with God.
28 Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? There is no searching of his understanding.
For thirty-nine chapters, Isaiah revealed that God must judge the nations of the world, as well as His own people, because they had all forgotten Him.
Sadly, Israel came to the place where they were more concerned with making peace with the enemy, than making peace with Him.
Analogy: In America many folks are troubled about the political, economic and moral condition of our country. We must first look within our own homes and ask this question: “How are we running our homes from a Biblical aspect? How are we taking care of our finances? How is the moral condition of our hearts?
Don’t worry and don’t fret about the world until we have peace with the Lord by spending time with Him.
The story is told of a man who had a long day at work. When he arrived home, his little five year old boy came bouncing in and jumped on dad’s lap and said, “Dad lets play?” Well, dad needed a few minutes to just get his thoughts together so he said to the boy, “Hand me my newspaper?” In the newspaper that day was a picture of the world from a satellite. Dad took a knife and cut the picture in about 25 pieces and said to his son, “Let’s play a game, take this tape and when you put this picture together, we’ll play.” Dad was hoping to get about a hour of rest. In about 10 minutes the little boy came bouncing in the room. ‘Here, dad, I’m finished.”
Sure enough the boy was done. “How did you do that so fast,” the dad asked? The little boy turned the picture of the world over and showed his dad a picture of a man. He said, “Dad, on the back side of the world was a picture of a man. I thought if I could put the man back together the world would take care of itself.”

Isaiah says in verse 28, “Hast thou not known,” or don’t you know God?” Don’t you know that the way to peace, in a world gone crazy with sin, will first be a war? We find this in Matthew 10:34.
Jesus said, “Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword (Matthew 10:34).
-Christ came with a two-edged sword to separate good from evil.
-When a person receives Christ, He separates the sinner from sin.
-He separates the saints from the world.
Jesus does not bring peace through compromise. Some think, “Well if God would meet me half way, I would live for Him.” The truth of the matter is God came all the way.
He made us. He gave us life. He provided this world for us to live in. He gives us our air to breath and keeps our heart beating.
We sinned. We rebelled against Him. We ignored Him and walked our way.
Then God sent His Son into this world. Jesus Christ showed us the love of the Father and we nailed Him to a tree. But, He came further. He conquered death after we nailed Him to a tree.
But, He rose again. He made a way for all who will receive Him to obtain eternal life.
We can do God’s will and walk God’s way and have both the peace of God and peace with God or our lives can remain in disorder and disarray. But, remember, Jesus will not compromise.
When He returns to set up His kingdom in this world, He will not sit down with the United Nations or some governmental peace organization and draw up a compromised peace treaty.
When the Lord returns to the earth, all the world will submit to His will and there will then be peace on earth.
But, first, there will be a war. A two-hundred-million man army will organized and fight against the Lord when He returns, in the Valley of Megiddo, in the Middle East. It is called the Battle of Armageddon.
The Lord will destroy those men and governments of the earth that have rejected His Son. Christ will then set up His kingdom. And everything will go according to what “Thus saith the Lord.”
 I tell you that story, because the same thing happens in the life of both a saved and lost man. Before salvation comes, when God’s Spirit convicts and desires to move into a man’s life, the flesh fights God’s Spirit. But, when a person surrenders his life to Christ, God’s peace floods that soul.
If a believer is “waiting on God” he will be joyful and content, but if he is not, he will lack serenity and calmness with
 The nation of Judah, at this time, was weary because of the circumstances that surrounded them. Judgment had come and judgment was coming.
That not only happened in Isaiah’s day and shortly thereafter, but the world today is standing on the verge of God’s judgment falling again.
Now Isaiah reveals how God’s children can have that wonderful peace and not live a wearisome life.
First, God shows us that our He has everything in control. He never faints or grows weary, verse 28 reads.
You get weary and I get weary, but God never grows weary.
The word “faint” means to grow weak. The word “weary” (28) means to feel fatigue. It is the natural result of labor and toil that reduces strength. It can also mean to be disillusioned or dishearten. Many people feel that way today.

How many of you are part of the “fraternity of the fatigued?”
You go to bed weary, you wake up weary and you long for some peace and quiet.
So many believers have allowed the Christian pilgrimage to degenerate into a rat race, and the rats are winning!
A - The Signs of Fatigue:
1) When worship isn’t worship:
Worship brings peace in one’s soul. When I pray, meditate, cry out to God, and give myself to the Lord, I have peace.
Satan has tricked many a Christian to “worship their work. Work at their play. And play at their worship.” That must change if we are to have the peace of God and the God of peace.
2) When our priorities are out of place:
There seems to be so many demands on people today that many folks are pulled in many different directions, but realize that the way to have peace is to have right priorities.
I was knocking on doors one day and I knocked on the door of a Jewish man. I told him who I was and what I was doing. He invited me in. We talked about the Lord and many things, but one thing he said, I won’t forget. He said, “In America, folks are to busy to enjoy life.”
Listen and tell me if this isn’t true. Most folks wake up at the last minute each morning, with just enough time to rush and get ready for the day. They rush and eat breakfast, so they can rush off to work.
Mama rushes and gets the kids ready for school, so she can rush and go to work, or to do whatever she needs to do.
Now, mom and dad both know that after work, they have to rush and get the kids and go to some type of ball practice or event.
After the event, they go out to eat or to a friends house. They rush home, turn on the TV, craw in bed late and start all over again the next morning.
Then Friday night comes. For some reason people think, they can stay up late, late, late. They have a thousand things to do on Saturday, then when Sunday comes, there is little spiritual joy and peace, because most people have neglected time with the Wonderful Counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father and the Prince of Peace.
Many have sold them selves to the American way of living at a breakneck pace.
Many are living in the fast lane, involved in everything that comes their way. And some proudly say, “I would rather burn out than rust out.” Well, my friend, either way you are out!

3) When our desire to live for God is gone, it is a sign of fatigue.
LIVING GOD’S WAY IS NOT A RAT RACE. If God is truly first in our lives, we will enjoy worshipping the Lord in Church. We will love our mates and family. We will spend time with God in the Scriptures.
The signs of fatigue and weariness are easily seen… 1) in married relationships that have gone stale, 2) in churches services that are routine, 3) in jobs that are boring, and 4) in a Christian’s life that is mundane.
A - We looked at the Signs of Fatigue, now look at…
B - The Sources of Fatigue: What are the culprits that weary us?
* Bad eating habits: Most people start their day with a physical breakfast, but not a spiritual breakfast.
While I am here, let me say this, most people don’t eat healthy. If you start your day with pop-tarts, cereal, waffles with syrup, or microwave hot-pockets, you may not feel the best in a couple of hours.
Eat fresh eggs, fresh bread, fresh juice, fresh fruit, and fresh oat meal. You will feel better and live longer.
For lunch eat fresh fruits, salads, vegetables and a lean piece of meat. These are vital to prevent man’s fatigue. Six glasses of water daily, not soda and juices, is vital. Healthy meals are important. Take time to make and eat a healthy breakfast. Micro-wave meals won’t do it!
Analogy: But, wait! As it takes time to slow down and eat a good breakfast or lunch, if we are to not grow weary spiritually, we need a good healthy spiritual breakfast with the Lord. Amen?
* Bad work habits: Another source of fatigue is bad working habits. To get the right job, pray about the right job God wants you to have. If your job wearies you ask God to redirect your life.
If you stay weary and worn out, to the point where your wife and children suffer, ask God to make some changes in your work.
The problem could be your eating habits. It may be your work habits. Remember, God said, to work as unto the Lord.
A first-grader wondered why her father brought home a briefcase full of work every evening. Her mother explained, “Daddy has so much to do that he can’t finish it all at the office.” “Well, then,” asked the child innocently, “why don’t they put him in a slower group?”

* People: People can fatigue you. Hang around the right type of people. Find a good friend that gives you energy. I actually have two friends. Jesus is my best friend, but my second best friend is my wife. She gives me energy. She encourages me and lifts me up.
There will be two types of people that you will meet in the world. There are those who give you energy. They speak kindly, they lift you up and they encourage you. They are like a breath of fresh air. I like those, don’t you?
There are those who will take your energy. They will wear you down with their problems. They are negative and critical. The glass is always half empty and the stars are falling to these folks. Doom and gloom is their life.
You get around them and they start talking and draining energy from your soul. And when they walk away, you think, man am I tired. They are called energy takers. Hey, find a friend that gives energy.
How many of you have someone that every time you talk with them, you go away feeling encouraged. Find someone like that, and…be someone like that.
* Trials: Trials will drain your spiritual energy. You and I are going to have trials. Everyone has trials. Job was a godly man, but he had trials. David was a man after God’s heart and he had trials. Elijah was the great prophet of God and he had trials. Jesus was the son of God and he had trials. Trials can be stumbling blocks of stepping stones. It is all in how you use them. Remember two verses of Scripture:
Romans 8:28, “All things work together for good to them that love the Lord to them that are called according to His purpose. God wants to make you like His Son, don’t fight Him.
I Corinthians 10:13, 13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it. Don’t think for a second that you are the only one experiencing what you are experiencing.

1. THE PLACE OF PEACE is spending time with God. “Thou wilt show me the path of life: in thy presence is fullness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore. (Psalms 16:11).

2. THE POWER OF PEACE is seeking God.
29 He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength. 30 Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: 31 But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.
God offers power or energy or muscle to the weak.
He has a reservoir of power and strength for the entire world. But, like a mighty Dam, all the millions of gallons of water will generate no electricity and give no power to one single household unless the water is allowed to turn the turbine within that Dam.
One must let the waters of God’s word, flow through his soul if he is to experience God’s powerful peace. If God’s light is to shine in one’s soul and if that person is to give energy to others, God’s waters must flow.
Verse thirty makes it clear that it is not one’s youth that gives strength. It is the power of God’s word flowing in our lives, springing up in our soul.
If God holds all the power and peace we need and this world needs, why don’t we have both?
The answer may seem too simple to be true. But, there it is in God’s holy, inspired Word, in Isaiah 40:31. “But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength.” People simply will not wait on God.
Here is what waiting is:
1 - Waiting on God is spending time with God. It is worshipping, fellowshipping and singing with God’s people in God’s house.
2 - Waiting on God is seeking God’s face. Seeking God is pursuing God. It is while you are seeking God, privately, that you will discover His will and walk in His way (Matthew 6:33).
3 - Waiting on God is sitting at His feet. Whereas “seeking God” involves study, research and learning, “sitting at God’s feet,” is an intimate time, where you reveal your soul to God and God reveals His will to you.
4 – Waiting on God is serving Him. The Levites waited on the service of the Tabernacle. As we wait for the Lord to return, serve Him. As we wait for an answer of prayer, serve Him.
This is the well of refreshment that gives us energy level. It is here that one’s life is made new every day.
(Spend time with God, Seek His face, Sit at His feet and Serve Him.)
Look at the Psalms. Psalm 27:14 “Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord.”
In Isaiah 40:31 the word “wait” is a Hebrew word kawvaw that means to wait patiently, to look for, to expect, and to bind together.”
The noun means a “rope.” As we wait on God, our lives become bound together with His life, like a rope twisted together. We get so wrapped up in Him, that He becomes our encouragement and our strength and our life.

You would think we could shut the Bible now and go home. There is the answer, “Wait on God, but how can we learn to does wait?
1 – Learn from a positive standpoint:
Noah waited 120 years. Abraham waited 25 years. Moses waited 40 years. Elijah waited 3 ½ years. Daniel prayed and waited for 3 weeks for an answer. Jesus fasted and prayed for 40 days. It means to spend time with God and never get ahead of God.

A – When Problems come, wait on God.
Get alone with the Lord. Break open His bread.
Drink from His fountain. Lay down in the green pastures.
Stroll by the rippling brook. Turn off the TV. Turn off the radio.
Turn off the computers. Turn off you telephone and spend time with Jesus Christ.
Picture a man going to the doctor and the man says, “Doc, I have the shakes. I don’t know what to do, I just can’t stop shaking.” The doctor examines the man and the Doc says, “Do you want to get rid of the shakes?” “Yes,” the man cries. The doc says, “Every day for thirty minutes, get by yourself read the Bible and open your heart in prayer to God, and your shakes will leave.” Do you think the man would do it? Lots of folks have the worldly shakes. They are agitated, troubled, stressed out by so much going on everywhere. There seems to be so much to do. Doctor Jesus says, “If you will wait on me, if you will spend time with me, I’ll calm your heart, I will relieve your fears, I will reveal to you things you can give up so you can once again, love me, your family and your church.

2 – Learn from a negative standpoint:
Most Christian I know have a serious “wait problem.” No, not a w-e-i-g-h-t problem, but a w-a-i-t problem. And no physical diet or exercise program in this world can remedy it!
You have heard the American prayer, “Lord, give me patience. And I want it right now!” Well that is how many people think and live.
We live in the microwave generation. If we didn’t have microwave and junk food, most people would starve to death.
The Urban dictionary actually describes “Microwave generation” as a generation that wants instant gratification.
It says this generation has become so impatient that they tap their foot saying to the microwave, “Ok, hurry up, it has been 15 seconds.”
We have instant potatoes, frozen dinners in 3 minutes, microwave stuffing in 6 minutes.
We even have micro-wave marriages. That is right. You can drive up to a wedding window in Nevada, and have a wedding ceremony, and you don’t even have to get out of your car. They will play wedding music, present the bride with a rose and the groom with a boutonniere. You will receive 9, 4X6 color photos and a marriage license. The Nevada Sales tax, the minister and the witnesses are included for only $265.00.
Don’t be surprised if one of these days, you can get the same day divorce. It is coming because many in America have lost their mind.
*But, let it be known there is no microwave peace.
*There is no microwave power with God or answers to prayers.
*Peace with God is a life-long commitment.
Now get this straight, waiting is not sitting on the couch, or doing nothing, or simple idleness. It is not wondering around thinking, “Ok, God I’m waiting on you. When are you going to do something for me? When are you going to show me your will?”

1 – THE PLACE OF PEACE is spending time with God (28)
2 – THE POWER OF PEACE is seeking God (29-31A)
3. – THE PRODUCT OF PEACE is the strength of God (31B)
31 But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

We see three thoughts in this passage:
A - Spiritual Rising: “Mount up with wings as eagles.” That’s soaring. God wants to give you strength to soar like an eagle, not simply to be a barnyard turkey. If you have ever been on a turkey farm, you hear “gobble, gobble” all day long. Every turkey is saying the same thing to the point where it is monotonous. All they talk about are the problems around them, taxes, global warming, government, sports, games, and people.
A barnyard turkey is one of the largest of domestic feather fowl. But, nonetheless, it is just a bird that can’t get off the ground. He pecks at the dust and dirt of the world all the days of his life.
On the other hand, the mighty eagle soars above all other birds. He is the mightiest of all the birds of the air.
He can soar as high as 5,000 feet. He can dive at 200 mph. He can fly at speeds over 100 mph. He can spot a rabbit in the grass 2 miles away. He is our national bird and the monarch of the sky in statue and in flight.
Don’t be like other religious turkeys, friend, talking about the world conditions and problems and fretting all the time. They simply chat about non essential trivial matters that have no eternal value.
Be like the mighty monarch of the sky by spending time with the Lord. Soar and live closer to God then you do to this world. And when problems come, just stretch forth your spiritual wings and soar above those problems. (Spend time with God, Seek His face, Sit at His feet and Serve Him.) Engage in prayer. Claim God’s promises. Have faith. Don’t compromise.
An eagle won’t fight with smaller birds, he simply soars higher. You can fuss and fight and argue or you can soar for God.

B - Strenuous Running: “They shall run and not be weary.”
I am getting older and my ability to compete in any type of sport is waning. As I was getting older in life, my boys would ask me to play some ball at the gym. Well, if I had not run in a month, when I played ball with them, I could hardly get up off the couch for a week. I was sore and tired. I would even do a little moaning hoping for a little sympathy from my wife.
But recently, I have started running some. When I get through running a few miles I am tired and weary for a short while. I get the water, food and rest I need and I am ready to go again the next day. It is the resting that gives me strength to run again the next day.
Christians are part of a great spiritual race. It is a rigorous race. It is a distance race, not a dash. It is race for our Lord. It isn’t run just on Sunday, but every day of the week. And every day we need to rest, we need to wait on the Lord and renew our strength.
It is also a relay race. Those before us, prayed, studied and witness for the Lord. They have handed the baton to us.
The instructions are all the same. Before you begin, sit down, pray, study the scriptures and then, go for God. Let me say that again, every day, sit down, pray, study the scriptures and go for God. This is strength to run and not be weary.
Not only is it a spiritual rising and strenuous running but…
C - Steady Routine. “They shall walk and not be faint.”
As we get older we can’t run as we once did for God, physically, now we must go for God spiritually. Walking for God is being faithful. Maybe you can’t sing, teach or preach, but you can be sure, steady and faithful. You can pray and worship.
A man was born in 1788 named Adoniram Judson. He was saved at the age of twenty. He gave up his dream to fortune and fame. He studied for the ministry and in 1812 he left America to go and win the lost to Christ in India, with his wife of seven days.
The India government would not allow him passage into India, so he had to go to Rangoon, Burma and wait on God. He was said to be the first English missionary in Rangoon, Burma. There were actually three before him, but none stayed very long.
God blessed them with a baby boy, Roger William Judson, but eight months later he died.
Adoniram preached for six years and had no converts to Jesus Christ. He continued to pray, study, witness and wait on God. After twelve years, he had but eighteen converts.
A war broke out in Burma and he spent twenty-one months in prison waiting on God. He was tortured and hung upside down with chains and dragged through the desert sands as he waited on God.
When he was released from prison, he went home to a sick wife and an empty church. He prayed and waited on God. There were no members of his church left, and shortly after his release from prison, he buried his wife. Six months later he buried his last son and he waited on God.
As he patiently waited on God, God sent him another helpmeet, name Sarah. God gave them eight children. He continued to serve, pray, preach, witness and wait on God.
His lived by this phrase, “Plan a life to please the Lord.” Adoniram never quit. He never gave up on the people God called him to serve.
He stayed and witnessed and a few were saved here and there. He died at sixty-one years of age. Some years later a survey was taken in this Muslim country of Burma of the religion of the land and one out of every fifty-eight people professed to have put their faith in Jesus Christ. That was 210,000 people. As of 2008, 1.6 million Burmese people profess Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, all because a man leaned to wait on God.