Our Valley Santa Clarita November/December 2016 | Page 16

He Will Be Called…Prince of Peace!
By Pastor Dennis Stoneman

S

even hundred years before the
birth of Jesus, God revealed to
the prophet Isaiah that Christmas was coming. Not only
does God tell Isaiah Christmas
is coming, he also tells the prophet what
this promised child, the Savior of the
WORLD will be called. Isaiah 9:6 says,
“For to us a child is born, to us a son is
given and the government will be on his
shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, PRINCE OF PEACE.”
It is quite ironic that when Jesus, the very
son of God, the PRINCE OF PEACE was
born, the circumstances surrounding
his birth were not very peaceful. Think
about it. A young teenage girl named
Mary finds out she’s pregnant and the
Father is God. That’s tough to explain at
the country club. “I’m pregnant, but I’m
a virgin … It’s a miracle!” Tel l me, where
is the peace in that?
Then the pregnant virgin, nine months
with child, traipses across the country on
a donkey with her betrothed husband.
Peace on earth good will to men doesn’t
happen on a donkey!
As the story unravels, we read the weary
couple pulls into Bethlehem only to find
there’s no vacancy. There is no room at
the inn so Joseph negotiates a deal to
stay in a barn. A barn! So the Prince of
Peace can be born in a barn, perfect! The
virgin gives birth. There is no epidural.
Jesus is born. The Prince of Peace makes
his glorious entrance to planet earth in
a barn.
But what does it mean that Jesus, Christmas, will be called PRINCE OF PEACE?
Glad you asked. In Hebrew, Prince of

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Peace is Sar Shalom. Sar means the one
who is in charge. It means captain, Lord,
chief, general. The Romans used the
word Sar and it became Czar, then it became Caesar – it was the one in charge.
Jesus is the one in charge of Shalom – he
is OVER Shalom.
What does Shalom mean? It was actually a greeting that one person would give
to another. Shalom means rest, tranquility, wholeness, completeness. Jesus is
the Sar Shalom. You could say he’s the
Captain of rest, the Lord of tranquility,
the Chief of contentment and as long as
we are under Jesus Christ we can have
his peace.
But there is the rub. We want the peace
of God in our lives, but we’d rather not
have the Prince of Peace over our lives.
As John 1:9-12 says, “The true light that
gives light to every man was coming
into the world. He was in the world, and
though the world was made through
him, the world did not recognize him. He
came to that which was his own, but his
own did not RECEIVE him. (They weren’t
willing to come under the Prince of
Peace and therefore forfeited the peace
of God that could have been theirs). Yet
to all who received him, to those who
believed in his name, he gave the right
to become children of God.” To have the
benefit of peace you have to willfully put
yourself under the SAR of peace. You
must receive him.
When we have received the Prince of
Peace, when we have opened up our
lives to living under him, He gives us
peace. What does that mean?
First of all Christmas, the Prince of Peace,
comforts you. The gift of peace is promised by receiving the SAR, the Lord, of
peace in our lives. The Lord of peace
says, “My peace I give to you.” This isn’t

the index and middle fingers spread in a
“V” saying “peace man.” This is the Lord
over peace, the main man of peace saying, “Your hearts don’t have to be troubled, don’t be afraid. I am with you and I
give you my peace.”
But get this, peace doesn’t mean the
storm doesn’t rage around us. Peace
means we are under the One who redeems and restores our lives in spite of
the storm. We are under the One who
has come to conquer and reign, who has
made peace by defeating death, sin and
the grave. It doesn’t mean things aren’t
hard, it means He is with us.
Second, Christmas, the Prince of Peace,
saves you. Romans 5:1 says, “Therefore,
since we have been justified through
faith, we have peace with God.” Notice
it is not what you’ve done that saves you
but your trust (faith) in what has been
done for you by Jesus—the Prince of
Peace. We have peace with God, not because we are out here trying to do our
own good works, but we have peace
with God through the Sar Shalom, our
Lord Jesus Christ.
Christmas is a time of great tension. The
pretty lights – contrasting extended
nights. Hopeful anticipation of family
and friends gathered to celebrate – contrasted with dashed hearts over loved
ones who’ve been lost. But Sar Shalom,