Good morning, church.
It's such a privilege to bring to you guys God's word as we continue on in our Advent series.
Today we're actually going to be taking a break from the book of Matthew.
We're going to open up to the book of Isaiah.
Isaiah in the Old Testament.
We're going to be reading Isaiah chapter 9, verses 1 to 7.
If you are in need of a Bible, please feel free to raise your hand.
One of us would be happy to grab a physical copy of a Bible that you can have and hold.
It's our Christmas gift to you.
Isaiah chapter 9, verses 1 to 7.
Let me pray for the reading of God's word.
Heavenly Father, Christmas is just a few days away.
And we thank you for it.
We thank you for the reminder that to a people in darkness, in deep darkness, you have not abandoned.
To a sinful people you have not rejected.
But you have come.
You have saved us.
You have sent a child.
And so we pray.
Over the next hour, won't you open our eyes, illuminate our hearts, our eyes to see what a glorious child this is.
A child whose name is unparalleled, unprecedented.
The child we long to serve and worship for all eternity.
We want to know this child, this boy, more.
So help us.
Fill us with your spirit.
My words are all for naught unless your spirit falls afresh and fills this room.
So we need you.
We need you, Father.
Father, we humble ourselves before the king.
And ask that you would teach us today.
So do that, Lord.
In Jesus' name we pray.
Amen.
If you would rise, if you are able, for the reading of God's word.
Isaiah 9.
But there will be no gloom for her who was in anguish.
In the former time he brought into contempt the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali.
But in the latter time he has made glorious the way of the sea, the land beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations.
The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light.
Those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shown.
You have multiplied the nation.
You have increased its joy.
They rejoice before you as with joy at the harvest, as they are glad when they divide the spoil.
For the yoke of his burden and the staff for his shoulder, the rod of his oppressor, you have broken as on the day of Midian.
For every boot of the tramping warrior in battle tumult and every garment rolled in blood will be burned as fuel for the fire.
For to us a child is born.
To us a son is given.
And the government shall be upon his shoulder.
And his name shall be called.
Wonderful counselor.
Mighty God.
Everlasting father.
Prince of peace.
Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end.
On the throne of David and over his kingdom to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore.
The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.
This is God's holy and authoritative word.
You may be seated.
It was one of the most miserable nights of my life.
During my summer on missions in Indonesia, I was forced to go on this kayak camping trip.
I spent six weeks at that point in the sweltering heat under the brutal sun in Indonesia.
So I packed lightly for this trip.
Thinking that it would be really just more of the same.
But I didn't factor in that this river that I'd be kayaking on wrapped around the mountains.
Meaning that the temperature would be significantly cooler.
During the day, while kayaking in the sun, that hardly mattered.
But once we pulled up onto the bank to camp for the night and the sun slowly started to set.
I started feeling colder and colder.
And when it came time to sleep, even though I was in a sleeping bag, in a hammock,
I was so cold that I'm pretty sure I didn't sleep more than an hour.
I was exhausted, spent from the day, but I had to curl up in a ball,
shivering, chattering my teeth throughout the night.
When I got up to try to see if there's anything that I could do,
it was entirely pitch black.
I've never seen anything really that dark.
No moonlight, no starlight, no artificial lights.
Just an obsidian black.
I have never waited for the sun as much as I have that one night.
I lost completely all sense of time.
I didn't know if I had five hours to wait or five minutes to wait.
But once dawn broke,
I have never been so happy to see the sun,
to feel its warmth,
to see its rays pierce through the darkness.
It literally sent shivers down my spine.
In just a few short days, we celebrate Christmas.
We watch movies, exchange gifts,
gather around delicious food as we should.
But lest we forget, Christmas is joyful,
jovial, not because of the festivities and the food in themselves,
but because Christmas marks the in-breaking of light.
The first glow of dawn in a world long wrapped in night.
For this weary world waits and waits and waits for hope,
for peace, for light.
Just as I waited for that sun that night.
And our passage this morning teaches us that
dawn indeed is coming.
And it's found in an unexpected source.
In the giving of a child.
Of a boy.
And so, Isaiah exhorts us,
we need to hope in this child
who brings light to a despairing dark world.
That's the main point of my message today.
And in turn, we're going to talk about the darkness,
the dawn,
and finally the deliverer.
First, before we delve into this passage,
it's important to set the context,
to understand its context.
Isaiah prophesied during the 8th century BC
in both the northern kingdom of Israel
and the southern kingdom of Judah.
This time period is not an era of peace,
of abundance,
like King David had ushered in centuries ago.
No, since then,
bit by bit,
battle by battle,
Israel has been bleeding out,
losing its wealth,
its power,
its glory,
to its surrounding nations.
And in particular,
in his life,
Isaiah sees God
raise a prominent superpower from the east
named Assyria.
Because of the threat of Assyria's rising power,
we read in Isaiah chapter 7,
two chapters ahead,
that the northern kingdom of Israel
allies with a pagan nation,
Assyria.
This partnership then leads the southern kingdom of Judah
and her king Ahaz
to ally with Assyria.
So you see the northern kingdom,
Israel with Syria,
and the southern kingdom with Assyria.
And Ahaz promises gold
and loyalty to Assyria
to defend the southern kingdom.
Assyria.
So a vicious military force,
Assyria then goes and conquers Assyria,
conquers Syria entirely,
and inflicts major damage to Israel.
First to the lands that belong to Zebulun
and to Naphtali.
But if you know your Bibles,
you know that Assyria came to conquer
the entire northern kingdom in 722 BC.
Bloodshed, bondage, brutality,
flood the lands of Israel,
plunging them into deep darkness.
And it's this darkness
that our passage speaks about today.
Be aware that this is not the result
of military weakness or faulty strategy.
The problem is not that the northern kingdom
chose the wrong ally.
They chose Syria, not Assyria.
Throughout the Old Testament,
military victory or defeat
is consistently the result
of Israel's right or wrong standing
before the Lord.
Battles that on paper,
they have no battles,
no business fighting in,
they win.
But battles that on paper,
they should have won,
they lose.
So if that's the case,
things don't look good
for either Israel or Judah
because they both turn
to surrounding nations,
spurning the Lord,
rejecting his promises.
They ought to have remembered
all the battles
that the Lord had won
on their behalf.
They should have followed David
when he wrote in Psalm 20,
some trust in chariots
and some in horses,
but we trust in the name
of the Lord our God.
But instead,
they whore themselves out.
They entrust themselves
to idols,
to other nations.
Because of that sin,
Assyria or Isaiah assures
that it's not just Israel
on the chopping block,
but it's Judah too.
He promises that Assyria
will threaten Judah
and devastate her.
Then, even because of Assyria's sin,
she too will be judged.
You see this both
in Isaiah 10, 12,
when he writes,
when the Lord has finished
all his work on Mount Zion
and on Jerusalem,
he will punish the speech
of the arrogant heart
of the king of Assyria
and the boastful look
in his eyes.
Whether it's Syria,
Assyria,
Judah,
or Israel,
all of these nations
will be judged
by a holy,
righteous Lord
because of their sin
and their idolatry.
This is a bleak picture.
Not just for God's chosen people
in Israel,
but really for the whole
of humanity.
Every single one
of these nations,
Jew or Gentile,
will be besieged,
bound,
broken,
banished,
and bereaved
all because of their sin.
No one is righteous.
No, not one.
And that problem
hasn't stopped
with these four nations.
And the American freedom
that we enjoy,
we aren't under direct threat
of enemies
conquering our lands,
pillaging our homes.
But still gloom,
anguish,
darkness,
still plague the lands
today.
Why is that?
When our forefather Adam
committed the first sin
by eating the forbidden fruit,
we were banished
from the Garden of Eden.
And sin came into the world
and death through sin.
And so death spread
to all men
because all sinned.
So life east of Eden
is marked by this gloom,
this anguish,
this darkness.
Suffering,
sickness,
sadness mark
daily life.
And so much so
that we forget
that we actually do live
in this darkness.
That our eyes have grown
accustomed to the darkness.
us.
We forget to realize
that cancer doctors,
police,
divorce lawyers,
military generals,
therapists,
coroners,
social workers,
environmentalists,
security guards,
they only have jobs
because of the darkness
of the fall.
We live in a world
marked by danger.
A world where
women shouldn't walk
the streets at night alone.
Where churches need
to conduct background checks
for children's ministry volunteers.
Where parents should second guess
giving their young child
a smartphone
with unfettered internet access.
We live in a world
marked by scarcity.
A world where the poor
will always be among us.
Where 300 million people today
can be classified
as chronically hungry.
Where people are cut
from their jobs,
miss mortgage payments,
and have to fend
for themselves on the streets.
We live in a world
marked by tragedy,
by heartbreak.
A world where
children's size coffins
are a thing.
Where there are millions
of divorces
this past year
in the states alone.
And as we're sadly
reminded this week
where lives are cut short
by gun violence
and mass shootings.
And it's all too easy
to keep going.
2025,
even with all its innovations
and breakthroughs,
was a painful reminder
that this world
is still shrouded
in darkness.
2026,
without final
divine intervention,
it'll be more of the same.
The darkness
doesn't just affect us
from the outside,
externally,
but internally too.
It settles within us.
What does that look like?
I think one of the
clearest descriptions
is what pastor
and author David Powelson
has called
the anti-Psalm 23.
Many of us know,
love, cherish this psalm.
The Lord is my shepherd,
I shall not want.
Powelson offers
a striking contrast
from that psalm
that captures so well
what this darkness
looks like,
what it feels like.
As I read snippets
of it,
ask yourself honestly,
do you feel
that darkness?
In what ways
am I living out
this anti-Psalm 23?
I'm on my own.
No one looks out
for me
or protects me.
I experience
a continual sense
of need.
Nothing's quite right.
I'm always restless.
I'm easily frustrated
and often disappointed.
It's a jungle.
I feel overwhelmed.
It's a desert.
I'm thirsty.
My soul feels broken,
twisted, and stuck.
I can't fix myself.
I stumble down
some dark paths.
I'm haunted
by emptiness
and futility,
the shadows of death.
Death is waiting
for me
at the end
of every road.
But I'd rather
not think about that.
My cup
is never
quite full enough.
I'm left empty.
Disappointment
follows me
all the days
of my life.
Will I be alone
forever?
Homeless,
free-falling
into void?
It's a living death
and then I die.
Plunged
in thick darkness,
this world
is groaning
all together
for some light
to break.
Groaning
for some sense
of reprieve,
some hope,
some light.
It is to these people
living in this
thick darkness
that God addresses
in this passage.
And here
it's glorious
opening.
But
there will be
no gloom
for her
who was in anguish
to a helpless,
undeserving world.
God refuses
to sit back
idly.
No amount
of sin
keeps God
from manifesting
his light
to us.
The land of
Zebulun
and Naphtali,
which was located
near the Sea of Galilee,
beyond the Jordan,
was previously
held in contempt.
The land that
first felt
the lash
of Assyria,
but by God's grace,
a former time,
gloom.
In a latter time,
glory.
And it's not just
to the Jews,
but to the
Galilee of the nations,
or if you see
in your ESV footnote,
Galilee of the Gentiles.
For these regions
of Naphtali
and Zebulun,
given their location
right next
to the border,
next to these
pagan nations,
it's always been
something of
a mixing pot.
Canaanites,
Arameans,
Hittites,
Mesopotamians,
and the Hebrews,
all just part
of this mix.
And after Assyria
struck
an exiled
part of Israel,
that part even
became less pure,
even more mixed
ethnically,
culturally,
religiously,
but even still
to even
an impure race,
a mixed race,
God does not
hold back
his light,
foreshadowing
that the Lord
will no longer
reserve his light
just for his people,
Israel,
alone,
but that God
will bring the nations
from the north,
from the south,
from the east,
and from the west
all to light.
This is the exact hope
depicted in verse 2
when Isaiah says,
the people who walked
in darkness
have seen a great light.
Not just darkness,
darkness,
but Isaiah piles
on the language.
This is no
ordinary darkness.
Not just normal
darkness
when the sun sets,
but a deep
darkness
that covers
the lands
24-7.
People,
especially in
Boston and
Cambridge,
as you guys know,
can struggle
with seasonal
affective disorders,
even in a place
where the sun rises
every single morning.
How much more
to dwell
in darkness
day after day
with no warmth
of sun on our faces,
no light
to brighten up
our homes,
but just
deep,
depressing,
dreary darkness
all around.
That is our
spiritual condition
without the light
of God.
But yet still
to these darkened
people,
God promises
to shine
his face
upon them
with his
great light.
And notice
the confidence
of Isaiah too.
Many verbs
in our passage,
and in this verse
in particular,
are written
in the perfect tense.
They have seen.
You have
multiplied.
All these events
are manifestly
in the future,
but he speaks
of them
as if they have
already happened.
It's an example
of the prophetic
perfect,
a feature
of Hebrew prophecy
that Isaiah,
by the revelation
of God,
he knows
with absolute
certainty
that these things
will come to pass.
He knows
that darkness
and death
will not have
the day.
No,
it belongs
to God.
On top of that,
instead of
depopulation
and dwindling
away,
under the
threat of war,
the nation
multiplies,
as we read
in verse 3.
In this,
God is fulfilling
his promises
to the patriarchs,
to Abraham,
to Isaac,
to Jacob.
He promised them
hundreds and
hundreds of years
ago that he
would multiply
their offspring
to make them
a great
and abundant
nation.
And the Lord
is faithful
to his promises,
is he not?
Is this not
who our God
is and what
he regularly
does for us?
Because he
keeps his promises,
because of God's
faithfulness,
then joy,
it springs up.
In this one
verse alone,
this idea
of joy,
whether noun
or verb form,
it's repeated
four times.
Two of these
instances
hearken back
to the
happiest of times,
the happiest of times
for the Israelites
via the powerful
effect of nostalgia.
First,
the abundant
harvest was a
richly joyful
time.
As an agrarian
culture,
this time of
the harvest
determined how
the rest of
the year would
go.
If the harvest
was plentiful,
then what a
relief,
what provision.
And to
celebrate,
the Jews
kept the
Feast of Booths,
which was a
week-long
celebration
throughout the
lands.
Imagine if
all of the
state of
Massachusetts,
we collectively
celebrated God's
faithfulness to
us for an
entire week
straight.
We all took
a week of
work off,
and we
celebrated in
our streets,
in our
squares,
recounting God's
abundant
faithfulness to
us.
Or secondly,
they rejoice
like when they
divide the
spoil.
In 2 Kings
7, the
capital of
Israel,
Samaria,
is besieged.
Just when an
enemy surrounds
a city,
cuts it off
so that no
food, no
water, no
help can go
in or out.
And as a
result, the
Israelites, they
live in
absolute brutal
conditions.
They're so
hungry, they're
starving to
death that they
even resort to
cannibalism.
but by the
divine providence
of God, four
lepers, because
they have nothing
else to lose,
they go out of
the city to
the enemy, and
they find not
only that they
have left, but
that they have
abandoned all
their stuff.
Horses, tents,
food, gold,
clothing, all for
the taking.
Can you just
imagine the joy
that pulsated
throughout the
city that one
day?
This is the
kind of imagery
that Isaiah is
invoking.
And notice
too that, again,
many of these
verbs in this
passage, they're
in the passive
form, they're
really the divine
passive, which
are passive
verbs that make
the reader fill
in the blank of
who the actor
is, namely
God.
It says,
light shone
on them.
These will be
burned.
But verse
three makes
the doer of
these actions
explicit.
You, you
have done
this.
The Lord of
hosts, the
God of Israel,
you, you
have done
this.
So it is only
fitting that
Israel rejoices
not before the
stuff, not in
the food and
the riches of
the spoil, but
before the
Lord, from
whom every
good gift,
every perfect
gift comes.
And we do
the same when
our value
systems are
rightly ordered.
We rejoice not
before the
gifts, but
before the
giver, before
the Lord.
And God's not
done.
Isaiah addresses
how God breaks
the chains of
their bondage.
Rather than just
using one image,
in verse four,
he employs three
powerful symbols.
The yoke,
the rod, the
staff, each
hammering home
the inescapable
weight of their
oppression.
Remember, there
are no
internationally
agreed upon
rules of war
back then.
There's no
established Geneva
convention that
protected the
humanity of war
prisoners.
No, the
yoke, the
staff, the
rod, they
were instruments
of forced,
back-breaking
labor.
Instruments of
violent beatings
that forced
them to keep
going even
when they had
nothing left
to give.
Just how
liberating it
would be for
that yoke,
that staff,
that rod to
be shattered
by God.
And he will
do just as
he did in the
past, decisively
on the day
of Midian.
In this
flashback,
Isaiah
hearkens back
to Judges
seven.
There, Israel
is in a
sorry state,
completely
overpowered,
outnumbered by
Midian.
But before
their battle,
God cuts
down the
Israelite army
from 32,000
able-bodied men
to only 300,
less than
1% of its
original size.
Questionable
military strategy
all around,
but yet these
300 men
have victory
before the
Lord.
God promises
in verse 5,
the boot
that trampled
our lands
and our
women and
our children,
the garment
soaked with
the blood
of our men,
symbols of
our enemies'
vicious conquests,
they are used
then as fuel
for fire.
In a great
reversal,
what was once
used for fuel,
for war,
and for death,
and for conquering,
is now used
for fuel,
for fire,
for warmth,
for light,
for life.
So we've seen
the effect
of this great
prophecy,
but how does
this great
reversal come?
So we read
of this
deliverer.
The for
that starts
verse 6
introduces
the ground
clause,
the reason
for this
light,
the joy,
the peace,
and it
comes in
a most
unexpected
form.
It's a
child,
a boy.
Pastor Ray
Orlin once
said,
God's answer
to everything
that has
terrorized us
is a
child.
Again,
just as he
did with
Gideon,
God
delights
in using
what is
small,
what is
weak,
in the eyes
of this
world to
shame the
strong.
He uses
the foolish
to shame
the wise.
In a world
captivated by
grand displays
of power,
by massive
armies and
great wealth,
we're quick
to place our
hope in
human strength,
always scheming
to partner
up with
our
Assyrias,
with our
Assyrias.
Brothers and
sisters,
we ought not
dismiss the
little things,
like your
little church,
or your
little prayers,
your little
service,
your little
witness,
and most
importantly,
this little
child.
God
uses in
big ways.
God
deliberately
chooses this
weakest image,
a child,
to then
conquer
every single
one of our
enemies.
Sin,
death,
Satan.
You know,
it's easy to
think that
Christmas is a
time that is
tame,
domesticated,
safe,
brothers and
sisters,
Christmas is
the start of
the revolution,
the in-breaking
of the kingdom
of God.
And who is
this boy?
I hope it's
obvious to you
here,
but remember,
remember the
longing of the
Hebrews for
this Messiah.
There were at
least 700
years between
the prophecy
that you
read today
and the
birth of
this boy.
With 400
of those
years being
called the
400 silent
years,
God seemed
to stop
speaking to
them all
together.
400 years
of silence.
That was
just five
seconds of
silence.
What about
400 years?
So understand
the momentous
occasion then
when Matthew
breaks this
prolonged silence
when he writes
in his gospel
and the
leaving of
Nazareth,
Jesus went
and lived in
Capernaum by
the sea in the
territory of
Zebulun and
Naphtali,
should sound
familiar,
so that what
was spoken by
the prophet
Isaiah might be
fulfilled.
And then he
proceeds to
quote this
exact passage,
verses 1 to 2,
from this exact
passage.
Matthew is
saying,
make no
mistake,
Jesus of
Nazareth,
this boy,
he is the
child of
prophecy.
And we
learn what
his name
will be
called.
And these
are glorious,
glorious names.
Wonderful
counselor,
mighty God,
everlasting
father,
prince of
peace.
We'll take
each one of
those names
in turn.
First,
Jesus embodied
otherworldly
wisdom.
When I was
12, I was
learning about
decimals and
fractions and
reading Harry
Potter.
When Jesus
was 12, he
was confounding
even the most
learned Jewish
scholars.
Solomon
astounded the
ancient Near
East with his
wisdom and
knowledge.
Jesus declared
something greater
than Solomon
is here.
That word
wonderful is
thrown around in
our daily use so
often that it's
easy for this
title to feel
trite.
But this is more
than just saying
that Jesus was a
good listener and
just gave helpful
advice at times.
Jesus'
wonderful wisdom
inspired worship.
friendship.
Jesus wasn't just
the best of human
counselors, but his
wisdom existed on a
completely different
plane, on a
heavenly, higher
plane.
And it really is,
this really is a
divine title.
For later in Isaiah
28, it says,
the Lord of hosts,
he is wonderful in
counsel.
It's the Lord of hosts
that is called
wonderful in
counsel.
What does that say
about this boy?
But while he is
truly awe-inspiringly,
transcendently
wonderful, he is
also a near,
intimate counselor.
Someone who bends
his ear to you.
Cares for you
tenderly.
Brothers and
sisters, do you
need to make a big
life decision and
you just don't know
what to do?
Do you have a
problem in a
relationship where
you just don't know
what to do?
Friend, do you
know that you have
a wonderful
counselor in Jesus
Christ?
Let not the first
place you turn to be
social media or
AI or Reddit.
I'm sure many of
you have had this
experience this past
year, using AI,
being amazed by its
depths of wisdom.
Be not so easily
impressed.
Jesus has greater
wisdom.
So turn, ask the
Lord Jesus Christ,
sit at his feet and
learn from him.
Study his word, for
in it are the words
of life.
His words are lamps
onto our feet and
light for our paths.
Secondly, this child
will be called
mighty God.
Here is one of the
most explicit
declarations in the
Old Testament that
the Messiah will
somehow be human,
but also divine and
profound mystery.
Jewish commentators
have historically
struggled to make
sense of this
passage.
For to them,
there's absolutely
no way that this
little boy could be
called mighty God.
That would be an
act of blasphemy
deserving of death.
So they resort to
saying that this title
is only metaphorical.
It only refers to his
mission metaphorically,
that he's on a
godlike mission, or
metaphorically about his
character, he's a
godlike hero.
But just in a chapter
later, this same title,
mighty God, El
Gabor, is used
clearly to refer to
Yahweh.
If it clearly refers to
God there, just a
chapter later, we are
hard pressed to keep
the same meaning here.
And so what a
glorious mystery that we
celebrate this Christmas.
How could a brittle
babe be the
omnipotent God?
How could a cradle
contain the
omnipresent Lord?
How can a kid
growing in wisdom
and stature be the
omniscient God?
This is the profound
mystery of Christmas,
and this is the
scandal of Christmas.
Christmas.
Recently, I read a
news article that
follows the Los
Angeles Police
Department and their
work in stopping
prostitution on the
blade, which is a
roughly 50-block
stretch that has
become one of the
most notorious sex
trafficking corridors
in all the United
States.
This area is an
embodiment of the
darkness of the
world.
The lives of these
girls are gut-wrenchingly
tragic.
Terrible upbringings
lead to terrible
decisions, lead to
terrible lives.
And once they get
there, it is so
hard to break them
free.
In fear of
punishment, these
girls again and
again flee from the
people that are
trying to help
them straight into
the arms of the
people that are
trying to exploit
them.
One way that the
police try to catch
these traffickers is
by going undercover
in sting operations.
So, dressed as
these women, female
police officers walk
the streets of the
blade.
Can you imagine the
condescension?
humiliation.
The humiliation.
Not only that, but
the danger.
One pimp attacked
and knocked an
officer to the
ground once she was
caught as police.
Because of that, she
was permanently
injured.
Her life never the
same.
These trained,
educated, honorable
women subject
themselves to the
humiliation to the
danger to save these
girls from their
oppressors.
And of course,
analogies fail when
you press them too
much, but this
captures just a
fraction of the
great condescension
of Jesus Christ.
He is God.
He is Lord of
Lords, creator of
all things, and yet
he took on flesh.
And like these
police officers, he
entered into a
broken, dark
world to save
us.
Not just the
humiliation, but he
knew the danger that
was ahead of him.
But this mighty
God, El Gabor, was
undeterred to come
as a babe to save
us from our
oppressors, to
release us from our
bondage to sin and
death.
Praise be to the
Lord Jesus.
Jesus.
Though unto us a
child is given, the
third title is
paradoxically everlasting
father.
He's a child called
a father.
Now some of you
might be wondering if
Isaiah is calling
God the son, God
the father here.
Is Isaiah guilty of
mixing up the
persons of the
trinity and committing
theological
heresy.
I think this is where
context really is
key.
Isaiah isn't teaching
heresy here because
we have to remember
that in the Old
Testament, the
prophets wrote in a
time not where they
had a developed
understanding of the
trinity.
It wasn't just part of
their daily thinking.
That Trinitarian
doctrine took time for
the church to define
and refine.
And so we need to be
careful not to read a
New Testament concern
into an Old Testament
passage.
What then does this
title mean?
Back then the title
father was a title of
political authority and
of power.
For example, kings would
call themselves fathers
of their nations.
Recall how Ahaz, the
king of Judah, he
covenanted with Assyria.
It was clear that Assyria
was the more dominant
power and so Ahaz submits
himself to him.
And he says that the
king of Assyria would be
his master and father
and that he would be to
him a servant and son.
Ahaz declared his fealty to
the wrong father when he
should have placed his
trust in this everlasting
father.
And so this title challenges
us to trust in no power but
the power of Jesus Christ
alone.
So the simple question is
who do you trust?
Do you know that as Psalm
23 says that he prepares a
table before you in the
presence of your enemies?
If a king invited you to be an
honored guest for dinner, you
were pampered with care and
attention and more importantly
you were under his protection.
Even if you were seated around
your greatest mortal enemies,
people who wanted your very
head, no one could lay a
finger on you.
That is the kind of honor and
protection that you child of
God receive.
So when you are afraid of all
the threats around you, there
is no need to rely on anything,
anyone else, no sources of
strength.
But declare like David in
Psalm 53, when I am afraid, I
put my trust in you.
In God whose word I praise, in
God I trust and am not afraid.
What can mere mortals do to
me?
In the midst of trial, do you
have this kind of simple faith in
the Lord?
And if you do, you will never
regret that trust.
For this Father's rule and
reign will be everlasting.
Of the increase of his
government and of peace, there
will be no end.
We know the adage, absolute
power corrupts absolutely.
We see that time and time again.
That kind of power is like a
mirror.
If a man can do whatever he
wants, whenever he wants, you
can't imagine what kind of
ugliness, selfishness, perversion
comes out of that man's heart.
You can't imagine what kind of
selfishness and evil would come out
of your heart.
But unlike you and me, when Jesus
forever sits on the throne of
David with all power and all
authority, he rules with justice,
with righteousness.
Unlike the tyrants of men, when he
rules, not evil but peace, shalom,
they overflow to his subjects.
Not just to the Jews only.
For Jesus came not to be the
conquering, revolutionary Messiah that
the Jews were waiting for.
No, it is too small a thing for this
kind of king to rule only one
nation.
For he came not to establish an
earthly kingdom, but a heavenly
kingdom like the world has never seen
before.
In which not just the blood
descendants of Abraham will come,
but the spiritual whole of God's
people from every tribe, nation,
and tongue, they will come to
worship the name of the Lord Jesus
Christ.
And they will live in peace forever.
That's exactly why Jesus' fourth and
final title is Prince of Peace.
All of his subjects can confidently,
permanently say, the Lord is my
shepherd.
I shall not want.
He makes me lie down in green
pastures.
He leads me beside still waters.
He restores my soul.
In his kingdom, none of the spirit of
distress, of fear, of loneliness,
embodied by that anti-Psalm 23,
is ever relatable.
All of that will be completely foreign,
alien.
Alien.
And that kind of peace is only
possible because of the peace that he
has made on behalf of sinners like you
and me.
This wonderful counselor, mighty God,
everlasting father, prince of peace,
not only did he humble himself by
permanently taking on flesh, walking
this dark world, but he went as far as
he could possibly go.
He gave up everything that he possibly
could by dying on behalf of sinners.
Isaiah would then go on to predict about
this suffering servant in chapter 53.
He was pierced for our transgressions.
Upon him was the chastisement that brought
us peace, and with his wounds we are
healed.
We were his enemies.
We deserved to be banished to live in
deep darkness.
I fall short of his glory every single day.
But by his death that he endured,
for all those who have put their faith in
him, he spoke, let light shine out of the
darkness.
He spoke those words at the beginning of
creation, and he spoke those words into our
hearts.
No longer are we in the dark, for he has
delivered us from the domain of darkness and
transferred us into the kingdom of our beloved
son, his beloved son, in whom we have redemption, the
forgiveness of our sins.
By his death, Jesus has freed us from the bondage of
sin and defeated our greatest enemy, Satan, and has stopped all of his
accusations.
And we stand justified before him, so we live eternally then with him
forever.
This is the greatest news that we celebrate this Christmas.
And no, this prophecy hasn't yet been fulfilled completely, fully yet.
There are things in this prophecy that Jesus hasn't yet fulfilled at the
first coming.
Advent derived from the Latin means coming or arrival.
The first advent of Jesus then makes us wait eagerly for the second advent.
So yes, today, we are not as we should be.
Yet we know by faith we are not as we will be.
One day when Jesus returns with the clouds,
with his holy angels, and that one day is coming soon.
The government will be upon his shoulders from that time forth and
forevermore.
The son of David will take his rightful place on the throne, and he will rule
with justice and righteousness, and we will be co-heirs with Christ.
How can we be so sure?
We know.
We know the character of our God.
We know that the zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.
The Lord is not begrudging or indifferent to do this,
but he is intensely, fervently zealous to do this very work,
to glorify his name by delivering his people into an everlasting kingdom.
So brothers and sisters, the sun rose today.
The sun will rise again.
The sun came 2,000 years ago.
The sun will come again.
When he does, he will give light to those who sit in darkness
and the shadow of death to guide our feet into the way of peace.
And so we sing.
Oh, holy night.
The stars are brightly shining.
It is the night of our dear Savior's birth.
Long lay the world in sin and error pining
till he appeared and the soul felt its worth.
A thrill of hope.
The weary world rejoices.
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.
Let's pray.
Father, we thank you that you are a God
that doesn't abandon a darkened people,
a depressed people, a lost people.
But you have pursued us.
You have given up everything possible
so that we may come into the light.
Help us to live in the light.
Rejoice in the light.
Sing and dance in the light.
And know that our future
is eternal light with you.
In a place where there will be no need of a sun.
No need of a moon.
For your glory will illuminate all.
We look forward to that time.
Maranatha, Lord Jesus,
come soon.
In Jesus' name we pray.
Amen.