Isaiah chapter 9 and reading together, verse 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. Amen. May the Lord bless to us this reading from his word.

Here is another beautiful title attributed to our Lord Jesus Christ by Isaiah the prophet. The old prophet calls the child yet to be born in his day, some 800 years before the incarnation of Christ. He calls the child to be born the Prince of Peace.

Now, of course, This is quite a straightforward application concerning Christ's royalty. The Lord Jesus is a prince by reason of being the Son of God, King of all the earth. That's a reference to Psalm 47 verse 7. where God the Lord is called the King of all the earth and the Lord Jesus Christ as the Son of God in his covenant capacity is the Prince of God, the Prince of the King, the Prince of Peace.

In the book of Acts in Acts chapter 5 verse 31 Christ is called a Prince and a Saviour. who is highly exalted at God's right hand in recognition of his covenant accomplishments. And elsewhere in Acts chapter 13, these are New Testament references to the princely role of the Lord Jesus Christ. In Acts chapter three, verse 15, he is called the Prince of Life because God raised him from the dead. And because he gives life, spiritual life, eternal life, to all who come to him in faith.

So calling the Lord Jesus Prince in this way is a means of expressing his rule, his dominion, his power, and his success, his success in his covenant role where he fulfilled all his obligations and accomplished everything required of him in his work as redeemer and mediator of the covenant of grace.

Actually, Another name for the covenant of grace is the covenant of peace or the covenant of my peace. That's what it's called in Isaiah and in Ezekiel and in Malachi. These are all Old Testament prophets. Isaiah, Ezekiel and Malachi all speak of the covenant of grace, the everlasting covenant as the covenant of peace or the covenant of my peace where God is speaking.

And Ezekiel particularly speaks a lot about the coming prince. And as these are all Old Testament prophets writing Old Testament prophecies, we learn by it that the Old Testament believers were well aware of this coming Messiah who would, amongst other titles, carry the name the Prince of Peace. And that they were aware that one of his jobs, one of his roles was making peace between God and man.

Indeed that was his principal purpose. The principal purpose of Christ's coming into the world would be to make peace between God and man. and it would be a measure of the success of the Messiah if he was able to make peace between God and man. If the Messiah was to succeed in his ministry, it would be by making peace between God and man.

Now another word for making peace in this sense is reconciliation. And when these Old Testament prophets looked forward in time under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, They saw that the coming Messiah must make peace with God for men and women and boys and girls who were sinners. They were preaching the gospel. They were preaching the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ before the Lord Jesus Christ came.

Just as we preach the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, albeit with greater information and greater understanding of the success of his work, no doubt, but they were preaching the same Christ before Christ came as we now preach after he has come. They saw that this coming Messiah, the Prince of Peace, must carry man's sin, must bear God's wrath, must satisfy God's justice, and die an atoning death in order to make peace and secure reconciliation for sinners.

And in Isaiah 45, We are told that the prince will prepare the peace offerings to make reconciliation for the house of Israel. Now the house of Israel wasn't, as we've often said, the nation of Israel, Judah or Israel, at that particular time, nor indeed at any time in the history of the world. But rather, he is speaking of the spiritual Israel, those who are the Lord's people in every age.

And what Ezekiel is able to tell us in Ezekiel 45 is that these peace offerings would be made to reconcile the house of Israel. And the writer to the Hebrews tells us what that means. In Hebrews 9, 14, he says, how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal spirit offered himself, there's that offering, without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God.

And so we are both the New Testament writers and the Old Testament writers looking at the same person, the Messiah, and recognizing his role as the Prince of Peace or the one who reconciles his people to God. The Bible calls this covenant of peace, of which Christ is Prince, the everlasting covenant, because it endures from everlasting to everlasting. That's why, just as the Old Testament prophets spoke of it, so the New Testament writers can speak of it as well, as we do today.

It is a covenant that endures from everlasting to everlasting, and it is called the covenant of peace, the covenant of grace, or the everlasting covenant. And we read in Isaiah 54 verse 10, for the mountains shall depart and the hills be removed, but my kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed. saith the Lord that hath mercy on thee.

So when we call, or rather when Malachi calls the Lord Jesus the messenger of the covenant, he is describing the essential work of Jesus Christ to reconcile us to God by his death. and of making peace between God and man by this atoning work, making these people come together, making these people come together with God at one. The atoning work of Christ, the redemptive work of Christ, atoned and brought the people of God's choice together with God through the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Acts 5 verse 31 says this, Him, speaking of Christ, Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a prince and a saviour for to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. That is the very role Christ performed as the Prince of Peace, taking this title from Isaiah so many hundreds of years before and fulfilling it in his life and particularly his death for his people.

At Christmas time, at this time of year, we speak a lot about peace and goodwill. And we should. The angels who announced the birth of the Lord Jesus to the shepherds who watched their flocks by night said in Luke 2, verse 14, Peace on earth is a very desirable thing. We wish to see an end to conflict in Ukraine, for example, and a just peace also. We wish to see a time of peace throughout the world.

The trouble is that the sinful hearts of men like violence. They enjoy fighting. and indeed some people see fighting and violence as a legitimate way to get what they want, even if others get hurt. One thing that is always worth noting about this fact is that while some people think that might is right, that might and strength allows you to do whatever you want, God will hold all men and women answerable for all sin that is not covered by the blood of Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace. and warmongers and bullies of the world take note. There is no peace in hell and God will hold them accountable for the viciousness of the actions that they have perpetrated.

while we wish for worldwide peace and joy at Christmas. The truth is, it is only in the Lord Jesus Christ that lasting peace and joy is found. Peace on earth is the coming of the Lord Jesus in the Incarnation. In the Saviour, there is enduring peace, personal peace and personal joy.

Christ, the Prince of Peace, brings peace of conscience to the brokenhearted in spite of our sin when we seek forgiveness by his blood. He teaches us our sins have been taken away and laid upon our substitute and our saviour. And he gives us peace of conscience, peace of heart, peace of mind.

Christ the Prince of Peace brings peace and prosperity to his people. When he reigns amongst them, when he sets up his kingdom in our hearts, he makes his people peacemakers in the church and in the world. He changes our hearts, our desires, our motivation. He gives us the same passions for peace that he has on our behalf.

And Christ the Prince of Peace established supernatural peace when he gives his church peace that passes understanding. This peace enables us to face the hardships and the temptations of life and of this world. with a sense of calm because we know our Lord is in control of every circumstance and he is committed to doing his people good.

And Christ the Prince of Peace gives us his church a message of peace to preach to the world, a message for individuals like you and me and a message to preach to the nations. It is the message of salvation and peace and reconciliation with God through the death of the Lord Jesus Christ.

You know what Paul calls that message? Well, he calls it the gospel of peace. And the church and pastors and preachers are to declare the gospel of peace and bring glad tidings of good things to men and women and boys and girls through the preaching of the gospel.

That is what I tried to do by speaking to you about the saviour and all his wonderful names and all his wonderful works and all his accomplishments. We've come to the end of this little series of studies on the names of Christ in Isaiah's prophecy about this child who is to be born and the son who is to be given.

Christ is the Prince of Peace. He alone made our peace by the blood of His cross. He alone has established peace forever by reconciling His church to His Father, bearing our guilt, carrying our punishment, bearing our grief and carrying our sorrow.

My prayer for you this Christmas time The best gift that you can have is the gift of God's grace. Grace to know the Saviour's name. Grace to know Him as Wonderful, Counsellor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace, and every other name by which the glories of Christ are revealed to men.

In this season of good wishes, my wish for you is that you put your trust in Him and believe in that Holy One whose name is above every name. May the Lord bless these thoughts to us. Amen.