Intro

• Christmas has a tone of peace...
  1. Oh little town of Bethlehem “oh little town of Bethlehem, how still I see you lie”
  2. Silent night - “All is calm, all is bright”
  3. Oh holy night “Truly He taught us to love one another, His law is love and His gospel is peace
• In our world we experience a paradox
  1. Christmas doesn't seem peaceful
  2. The world isn’t peaceful
• It doesn't matter how advanced we become, we will always have this lack of peace

Shalom

• Perfection, Wholeness, Complete - Nothing missing, nothing broken
  1. Eaten slice of pie - no shalom
  2. Cracked iphone screen - no shalom
• God created our world to be in shalom - perfect order, nothing missing, nothing broken
• Sin has caused our world to lose it’s shalom
  1. Man lost shalom with God
  2. Man lost shalom with one another - nation against nation, person against person
  3. Man lost shalom in himself - no rest, no peace
  4. Nature has lost shalom - there is no peace in the animal Kingdom, in the climate

The prophecy about Jesus

• Isaiah 9:5–7 (NLT) — 5 The boots of the warrior and the uniforms bloodstained by war will all be burned. They will be fuel for the fire. 6 For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7 His government and its peace will never end. He will rule with fairness and justice from the throne of his ancestor David for all eternity. The passionate commitment of the LORD of Heaven’s Armies will make this happen!
• Luke 2:13–14 (NLT) — 13 Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others—the armies of heaven—praising God and saying, 14 “Glory to God in highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.”

Here’s the message - Jesus has become our peace

I want you to see Jesus in four ways

1. He is the Gift of Peace
   1. Diplomatic gifts
      1. 1881 - The statue of liberty
      2. In World war 2 the royal family of the Netherlands gifted Canada 100k tulips
      3. 1972 - China gave Ling-Ling and Hsing-Hsing
   2. Verse 6 - “A son is given to us”
   3. Jesus is the PROOF that God wants peace with us
   4. God didn’t send an angel, a tree, He sent His only Son
   5. We have to see Jesus as God’s token or gift of peace to us
   6. PERSONALIZE THIS THOUGHT - God wants peace with you, his gift is Jesus
2. He is the Prince of Peace
   1. I want you to see Him on the throne and His NAME IS PEACE
   2. Verse 7 - “The government will rest on His shoulders... Prince of Peace.”
   3. He will embody peace - PEACE BE STILL
   4. He will broker peace - Ephesians 2:14 (NLT) — 14 For Christ himself has brought peace to us. He united Jews and Gentiles into one people when, in his own body on the cross, he broke down the wall of hostility that separated us.
      1. Blessed are the peace makers
      2. Shalom can be a verb... Jesus shaloms situations
   5. He will rule with peace - Isaiah 60:17 (NLT) — 17 I will exchange your bronze for gold, your iron for silver, your wood for bronze, and your stones for iron. I will make peace your leader and righteousness your ruler.
      1. His very presence is going to create peace between nations
      2. His peace will come from his perfect wisdom, and omniscience
   6. He will enforce peace
      1. He is not going to tolerate division and strife
      2. He will rule with peace
3. He is the Giver of Peace
   1. John 14:27 (NLT) — 27 “I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.
   2. Jesus often said “Go in peace”
   3. He stepped into fearful moments with the word of peace
      1. On the boat
      2. In the upper room
   4. If you need peace, come to Jesus and ask Him for peace
4. He is the Sacrifice for Peace
   1. When you look at the cross, you see the cost of our peace.
   2. Isaiah 53:5 (NIV) — 5 But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.
   3. Peace has a price
   4. When you look at the bloody and broken body of Jesus, you are seeing the price for peace. Drop your swords, let go of your bitterness, let go of your distance from God, he became our peace.

Peace is not the absence of problems, it is the presence of prince of peace.

If He is with you, it will all be right! 

Isaiah 26:3 (NLT) — 3 You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you!

• Shalom Shalom
• Fixed thoughts on Jesus