CHRISTMAS INTERLUDE

Resting In Christ's Christmas Messianic Titles

IV. Resting In The Prince Of Peace

(Isaiah 9:6; 7:1-16)

Introduction: (To show the need . . . )

There is a concern today over increasing threats to our national security:

(1) Clifford May's piece, "Cold war with China has begun" (Republican-American, December 14, 2020, p. 8A), reported on the U. S. State Department's "50-page document (with 22 pages of footnotes) issued last month" titled "'The Elements of the China Challenge'" that explained, "The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) . . . aims to 'fundamentally revise world order, placing the People's Republic of China (PRC) at the center and serving Beijing's authoritarian goals and hegemonic ambitions.' In addition, 'The party today wields its economic power to co-opt and coerce countries around the world; make the societies and politics of foreign nations more accommodating to CCP specifications; and reshape international organizations in line with China's brand of socialism. At the same time, the CCP is developing a world-class military to rival and eventually surpass the U. S. military."

(2) Besides China, Russia is allegedly an increasing menace: Ben Fox's story, "Feds warn cyber strike perils U. S. networks" (Ibid., December 18, 2020, p. 1A) claimed, "Federal authorities expressed increased alarm . . . about an intrusion into U. S. and other computer systems around the globe that officials suspect was carried out by Russian hackers . . . Thomas Bassert, a former Trump Homeland Security adviser, said . . . that the U. S. should now act as if the Russian government had gained control of the networks it has penetrated." He added that the "actual and perceived control of so many important networks could easily be used to undermine public and consumer trust in data, written communications and services." (Ibid.) Reacting to the news, "(m)embers of Congress said they feared that taxpayers' personal information could have been exposed because the IRS is part of Treasury, which used Solar-Winds software" that the hackers utilized to make their intrusion, Ibid.

(3) However, the biggest threat to our national security may well exist within our country itself in the form of entities that try to control public opinion by promoting false narratives: possible evidence surfaced when President Trump recently tweeted: "'The Cyber Hack is far greater in the Fake News Media than in actuality. I have been fully briefed and everything is well under control.'" (Martin Pengelly, "Trump downplays government hack after Pompeo blames it on Russia," December 19, 2020; theguardian.com)

This possible internal threat showed up in the battle over the results of the November election: the Associated Press report, "Hearing elevates claims of election fraud" (Ibid., December 17, 2020, p. 13A), told how "Jesse Binnall, an attorney for Trump, testified" before the "Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee" that "'our evidence has never been checked, only ignored.'" A reader of this AP report and of the AP report, "Trump campaign files new petition with Supreme Court" (Ibid., December 21, 2020, p. 8A) can wonder why no government agency or court has not at least examined the evidence that the Trump team claims to possess in the form of "sworn statements, video footage and other hard evidence that backs up their claims of widespread election fraud." (Ibid.)

Need: So we ask, "How should we respond to the concern over increasing threats to our national security?!"

I. Messiah's Isaiah 9:6 KJV title, "The Prince Of Peace" in Isaiah's day addressed the terror that Judah and her king Ahaz faced over the threat of an invasion by the Aramea-Israel coalition, Isaiah 7:1-2:

A. In the days of Judah's king Ahaz, Resin king of Aramea and Pekah king of Israel joined forces and approached Jerusalem to wage war against the city, but they initially could not conquer it, Isaiah 7:1.

B. Aramea and Israel had rebelled against their overlord, Assyria, and wanted to force Judah to join their alliance even if they had to depose Ahaz and set up their own puppet king, the son of Tabeal (Isaiah 7:6), so this alliance and its plan terrified Ahaz and Judah, Isaiah 7:2; Ryrie Study Bible, KJV, 1978, ftn. to Isaiah 7:1-2.

C. God then sent Isaiah to Ahaz with Isaiah's son "Shear-jashub," whose name meant, "a remnant shall return," what name illustrated Isaiah's message to Ahaz that Judah would not be destroyed by the Aramea-Israel coalition. (Isaiah 7:3-7 ESV; Bible Knowledge Commentary, Old Testament, p. 1046-1047)

D. Indeed, Isaiah added that Aramea and Israel would soon be crushed (Isaiah 7:4, 7-9), and he gave the sign that before a virgin conceived and bore a son named "Immanuel," meaning "God Is With Us," and before that boy was old enough to make moral distinctions, the lands of both the kings of Aramea and Israel would be laid waste [by Assyria], ending the coalition's threat to Judah. (Isaiah 7:10-16 NIV; Ibid., p. 1047)

E. This prophecy had two applications (as follows):

1. A man in Isaiah's day would wed a virgin and by her have a son who he would name "Immanuel" as an illustration, and the boy would not be able to make moral distinctions before the coalition was destroyed.

2. The virgin Mary would conceive and bear "Immanuel" Himself, Jesus, Matthew 1:18-23; Ibid., p. 1048.

II. Thus, "Immanuel," the "God" Who "Is With Us" to help His people, is Jesus Christ, the "Prince of Peace" in Isaiah 9:6. As that "Prince of Peace," He provides "a safe socio-economic environment for his people," establishing "peace through military strength . . ." (bible.org/netbible, Isaiah 9:6, ftn. 31)

Lesson: To handle a grave threat to Judah's national security, God called Ahaz and Judah to trust His prophetic promise that He, "Immanuel," the "God Who Is With Us" in Judah, would cause the threatening Aramea-Israel coalition to be destroyed, and "Immanuel" Himself is the "Prince of Peace," Messiah, Jesus Christ!

Application: (1) May we trust in Christ Who died as our Atoning Sacrifice for sin that we might receive God's gift of eternal life, John 3:16; 1 Corinthians 15:1-11. (2) May we trust God's prophetic promises to US TODAY regarding OUR concerns over our national security, relying on our "Prince of Peace," "Immanuel," Jesus Christ.

Conclusion: (To illustrate the message . . . )

Christ gave a prophetic promise regarding national security for our era that we believers do well to apply:

(1) As we before noted, Christ will grant the Revelation 3:21 "overcomer" in our era of Church History to sit IN (the Greek preposition en, U. B. S. Grk. N. T., 1966, p. 845) His earthly Davidic throne, alluding to great influence on the earth, like Christ overcame and sat down IN (en again, Ibid.) His Father's heavenly throne.

(2) Revelation 7:17 then teaches that Christ Who is IN His Father's throne will use Bible exposition in the Millennial Kingdom to nurture believers who come out of the future Great Tribulation, and the wording in Revelation 7:17 heavily cites Isaiah 49:10 where Messiah after the Great Tribulation nurtures survivors of that difficult time.

(3) Today's Revelation 3:21 "overcomer" overcomes what Christ overcame, and only John 16:33b in all of Scripture states the only thing that Christ is recorded as saying He overcomes, and that is the "world." Thus, what occurs with Christ in Isaiah 49:1-13 in His overcoming the "world" applies in principle to the "overcomer" today!

(4) We thus study Isaiah 49:1-13 to discern the process and rewards of today's "overcomer's" overcoming the "world" (as follows): (a) Christ like Jeremiah (Jer. 1:4) was called by God the Father to serve as Messiah from His mother's womb, and today's "overcomer" will likely have God's signal given to a witness(s) at his birth of God's setting apart this "overcomer" for the Lord. (b) God the Father would then make Christ's tongue so sharp in critiquing the sins of the Hebrew people that they as a nation would reject Him (Isaiah 49:2-4a). Similarly, today's "overcomer" as God's messenger like Christ will be rejected by many ungodly evangelicals over his Biblical teaching that sharply critiques their worldliness! (c) However, just as Christ committed His ministry to God the Father to bless it though Israel rejected Him (Isaiah 49:4b), today's "overcomer" will similarly need to commit to God the validity of his own ministry and not cease ministering simply because he faces rejection from unbiblical evangelicals. (d) As a result, just like God the Father then broadened Christ's ministry after His rejection by Israel into a worldwide outreach in reward for Christ's Biblical efforts (Isaiah 49:5-6), Christ will likewise give today's afflicted "overcomer" a worldwide ministry. (e) From this worldwide ministry will flow vast, global influence by the "overcomer," and (f) the "overcomer's" Bible exposition will nurture people oppressed in a Mini-Great Tribulation like Christ will nurture by His teaching believers who will come out of the future Great Tribulation, Isaiah 49:8-10. (g) As a result, God's people in Christ's future ministry worldwide will mobilize to meet together and greatly rejoice (Isaiah 49:11-13), what will also similarly occur relative to the "overcomer's" ministry in our era of Church History!

(5) A key blessing the "overcomer" in our era will receive relates to our sermon issue of national security. It is clarified in Isaiah 49:7 ESV where, speaking of the Messiah, Isaiah wrote, "Kings shall see and arise [from their thrones in homage]; princes, and they shall prostrate themselves [in homage]; because of the Lord, who is faithful, the Holy One of Israel, who has chosen you." (J. A. Alexander, Com. on the Proph. of Isaiah, 1974, p. 229) God will cause world rulers to submit to the influence of the "overcomer," suggesting he can thereby protect vulnerable people.

[(6) The "overcomer" may be one man, several men or many believers, we are not told, so we present this information to the whole congregation in the event that God may want to use the entire congregation as overcomers!]

May we trust in Christ Who died as our Atoning Sacrifice for sin that we might receive God's gift of eternal life. May we handle concerns over our national security by trusting God's applicable prophetic promises for our era. May we yearn to be used of God as "overcomers" by choosing not to love the godless world system (1 John 2:15-16), regardless of the cost of rejection for doing so even if it rises from other professing but unbiblical evangelicals. May we then anticipate God's rich blessing and protection.