Well, good morning everyone. It's great to be back for, as I also said, a little introduction to what we're going to be doing over the next few weeks in church as we build up to the 25th.
But to get us thinking this morning, I wonder if everybody could hold up nine fingers. Nine fingers. Here's the challenge to get us thinking this morning.
I want you to turn to your neighbour, or anybody sitting around you if you're on your own, you can do it yourself.
I want you to try and describe yourself in nine words. Describe yourself in nine words.
Now, let me just clarify the rules so there's no cheating.
Because remember, Santa, he sees if you've been bad or good.
So let me just clarify the rules. If you're Scottish, that is one word.
If you're Northern Irish, that is two words.
If you're from the Democratic Republic of Congo, then all the best.
So have a go, 30 seconds to your neighbour. Can you describe yourself in nine words?
Okay. Are we all set?
So I must say, from the front, from the front, I heard an awful lot of laughing.
So I don't know what you were saying in those nine words, but it was great to hear, just as having some fun,
getting us thinking about how we describe ourselves.
Because here's what we're going to do, is we're going to build up to the 25th over the next few weeks.
We're going to think as a church about nine words.
Nine words, okay. Nine words.
Nine words that we often, frequently, we read and we think about at this time of year.
Nine words that God spoke through the prophet Isaiah to a people in despair and darkness.
Nine words that described the saviour that he would send them.
Nine words that God spoke to a troubled and doubting people about the king who would come.
And these are nine words that if we could grasp them in this time of year, if we could grasp them just that little bit more,
if we can mine the depths of them just that little bit more, it would have the power to radically transform our lives.
Because these are nine words that God uses to describe the bairn who would be born.
These are nine words that God uses to describe who his son, Jesus Christ, is.
Here they are. Let's get them on the screen.
Wonderful counselor.
Mighty God.
Everlasting Father.
And Prince of Peace.
Nine words to describe the Lord Jesus Christ.
As we're going to see over the next few weeks, nine beautiful words.
That help us understand who he is.
So if you've got a Bible there, then Isaiah chapters 8 and 9, this is where we're going to be this morning.
Margo's going to come in a minute and just read the verses to us.
Chapter 8, verse 11 through to verse 7 of chapter 9.
That's going to give us the context that we'll consider this morning in which we find these nine words.
Margo's going to come and read them to us.
The band are going to perform a song to help us think about Jesus.
And then we're going to get thinking about the first couple of these nine words.
So I'll hand over to Margo now.
Well, thank you so much, band.
That's a great modern Christmas carol.
It is.
That's a great one that hopefully we're going to see linked so well with what we're going to be seeing in Isaiah this morning.
But to begin, I had a funny moment a few weeks ago that reminded me of just how brutal it is in Scotland at winter.
So I went to wake my two-year-old daughter from sleep in the morning.
And the first thing that she said to me with all sincerity and with such optimism was,
Daddy, is it summer yet?
And I didn't have the heart to tell her that our one month of summer, June, is an awful long way away.
I mean, it's hard, is it not, to live here in wintertime.
You wake up in the morning, it's dark.
You go to work and it's dark.
You're at work and it's dark.
There's a little bit of sun.
And then you come home and it's dark until it goes round and round again.
It's difficult.
Is it not living in darkness?
But if you find that difficult, if you find it difficult living here,
then thank your lucky stars that you don't live in Reykjavik in Iceland.
Because at this time of year, the sun rises close to half eleven.
Imagine that, half eleven.
And it sets just after half three, which means there are just over four hours of sunlight a day in winter.
That is difficult.
Is it?
Darkness is difficult.
But this morning, as we dive into Isaiah chapters eight and nine, we meet a people who will soon find themselves living,
not just in, well, not in physical darkness, but in spiritual darkness.
Here are Isaiah's words prophesying to this little kingdom of Judah.
The two tribes that are in the south where Jerusalem is located,
who had become distinct from the ten tribes' big brother in the north, Israel.
And these are trying times for the little nation of Judah.
Isaiah eight and nine.
Trying times.
But the thing about Judah is that in their trying times,
and this is what we need to see here, in their trying times,
they're searching for saviors in all the wrong places.
All the wrong places.
And this is the first thing that we see.
Judah are a people, verses 11 to 22 of chapter eight,
they're a people in need of light.
So externally, they're searching for saviors in all the wrong places.
At the time, the king on the throne in Judah, his name is King Ahaz.
Now, he is a young, he's an intelligent king,
but he lacks experience and he lacks wisdom.
And he is being politically bullied by the northern kingdom of Israel and by Syria
to join forces against the superpower of the day,
who is Assyria up, way up in the north.
And Ahaz is making the foolish mistake of thinking that the security of his nation
is to be found in the brokering of a deal.
So this is what he thinks.
That if I can somehow secure an alliance,
if I can do that, then the nation of Judah will be okay.
Now, if you want to turn back to chapter seven and verse nine,
you'll see God's words to this king Ahaz, who's on the throne.
This is what God says, chapter seven and verse nine.
Really simply.
Stand firm in your faith.
Ahaz be a king who builds his life on my words
and who leads based on my promises,
especially the ones that I have made to David,
about the king who was set on his throne.
Now, the only reason that you think the political powers of the day,
the only reason you think that they are superpowers
is because you've taken your eyes off me,
who is the superpower of superpowers.
And in case you hadn't noticed, I am your covenant God.
I am for you.
I'm not against you.
I am for you.
You are my people and I am your God.
You see, externally, Judah are all over the place.
They are searching for saviors in all the wrong places.
And internally, Judah are searching for saviors in all the wrong places.
You see it there, verse 19 of chapter eight.
In search of answers, where are the people going?
They are going to mediums.
They are trying to get in contact with the dead
because they think that somehow that will be the channel
that will help me understand and explain the questions of my life.
Judah are a people searching for saviors in all the wrong places.
Here's what they're doing.
They're looking out.
They're looking in.
They're looking down.
Do you know where they're not looking?
They're not looking up.
That is the problem for Judah.
He has his problem.
And the people's problem is that in their minds,
God is too small for this.
He's too small.
As J.B. Phillips once said,
your God is too small.
Your God is too small.
That's Judah.
So let me ask you this morning,
is your God too small?
Is he too small?
Can you fit him in your top pocket?
Can you put him on the dashboard of your car?
Is he simply an icon on the desktop of your life?
I mean,
how big is your God?
If you're struggling with that this morning,
if you're thinking,
I need to get a bigger picture of God,
do you know what I recommend?
I recommend you watch Blue Planet.
Right?
You get yourself down,
you get a cup of coffee,
you get on BBC iPlayer,
and you have a date with Uncle Dave.
At and Brissetta again,
and Blue Planet is absolutely incredible.
I love the show.
Love the show.
And as I watch it,
as I see the glory of the world,
I'm reminded of two things.
Firstly,
isn't God big?
You see it.
Isn't his creation magnificent?
Isn't his design unparalleled?
Isn't God big?
Second thing I think,
I'm an eye small.
As I see Attenborough,
as I see him describe the oceans
that we've not even begun to understand the depths of,
as I see him discovering creatures,
that we're still discovering creatures,
even as I looked at the supermoon the other night,
did you see it?
The supermoon?
I thought,
how big is that moon?
And yet,
how many thousands of miles am I between that and that moon?
How big must that moon be?
And I started thinking,
if that moon's big,
then just think how big the God who created it is.
And you sit there and you think,
wow,
isn't God big?
And am an eye small?
How often is it the other way around in our minds?
And I read in scripture,
the seamless ease at which God spoke
and things just came into being,
they just happened.
You'll see it there as an afterthought.
He created the stars.
It was no problem for him.
And as I read
that the nations
are a drop
in the bucket to him,
then surely we're moved to sing in our hearts,
O Lord my God,
when I am awesome wonder,
consider all the works thy hand have made.
Then sings my soul,
my Saviour God,
to thee,
how great thou art.
As you hear this morning,
and your God is too small.
He's too small.
Do you see,
Judah's problem is that their God,
their view of God,
their grasp of God,
in their minds,
he is too small.
And God gives his opinion
on the nation's Saviour search
at verse 13 of chapter 8.
Here's what he says.
The Lord Almighty
is the one you are to regard as holy.
He is the one you are to fear.
And he is the one you are to dread.
Do you see,
God's summons to the king
and to the people
is trust me.
Trust me that I'm big.
Trust me that I'm bigger
than you think I am.
Trust me.
And God's challenge to the king
and to the people
is will you?
Will you?
Well, some of them will.
But on the whole,
Judah won't.
Israel in the north,
their day will soon come.
Judah's day
will follow not so long after
at the hands of another superpower
called Babylon.
But you'll see it
in verses 21 and 22
describing Judah in exile.
Distress,
gloom,
anguish,
all of this to show
that God,
holy God,
he takes sin and rebellion
against him seriously.
He takes it seriously.
It's a theme that runs
all the way through
the Bible story,
all the way through Scripture,
beginning in the garden
with Adam and Eve.
And since then,
the sin and rebellion
against God
comes all too naturally
to all of us.
And it's the reason behind
not just our own
individual darkness,
our own individual brokenness,
it's the reason behind
the world's brokenness.
See,
Christmas,
as we look at the baby
in the manger,
it screams to us
that we need saving.
We need saving.
And so,
as we look at this
little nation of Judah,
let me ask you,
if you're here this morning
and you're looking for saviors
in all the wrong places,
are you looking for them
in all the wrong places?
Are you just like Judah?
Are you looking out?
Are you looking in?
Are you looking down?
Are you looking up?
Now,
will God do anything
to lift his people
from their sin and darkness?
Will this be the end
of the story for Judah?
No,
it won't be the end
of the story.
Not because they deserve it,
but rather because
he will move to save
simply because of who God is.
Right at the heart
of who he is,
he is gracious
and he is full
of unending
and steadfast love.
We read verses 1 to 5
of chapter 9
of a God who sends light.
You see,
on this people
living in great darkness,
God's great light
is going to supernaturally
and it's going to surprisingly
break in.
And when this light
breaks in,
when God's light
breaks in here,
look at what it will mean
for the faithful people
of Judah
who have put their
lives
in the hands of God
and his promises.
It will mean joy.
like when there is
an abundant harvest.
You see him try
to describe it,
Isaiah?
Like when spoil
is divided
after a great victory
over an enemy.
You see,
God's light,
when it comes,
it will cause the people
to rejoice
like they've never
rejoiced before.
The yoke
that burdened them
smashed.
The rod
that we use
to oppress them
broken.
And how will God
do this?
How will God
do this?
Well,
he will do it
like he did
at Midian.
It's a reference
back to the book
of Judges.
We were there
over the summer
to a time
when God's people
were in slavery
to their enemies.
What did God do
out of his grace
and compassion
for his people?
He raised up judges.
Raised up many
saviors,
if you like,
to save his people.
One of which
was Gideon.
It's the story.
Gideon is set
on marching
against the Midianites
with his army.
He's got 32,000 men.
God says,
no,
that's too many.
You make it 10,000 men.
So Gideon
gets 10,000 men.
He's ready to go
and God says,
no,
that's still too many.
You make it 300 men.
And what happens?
Gideon and his army,
they march against
the Midianites.
They win.
Why do they win?
What's the message?
The message is
that the victory
was the Lord's,
not Gideon's.
The message is
that the victory,
the glory,
goes to God
and it doesn't go
to Gideon.
So here is the same promise.
In the same way,
God is going to break in
and he's going to bring you
a quite unexplainable
and a quite unexpected victory.
This is what God's going to do
for his people.
And how is God going to do it?
Verses 6 and 7.
We read of a king
who is light.
Now I love this here.
Will God pick the brightest?
No.
Will God pick,
choose the strongest?
No.
Will God select
the bravest?
No.
Because here's what
I would have done
if I'm God
and that's a phrase
that I use far too often
in my sinful heart.
Here's what I would have done.
I would have fashioned
Superman out of clay.
So I would have done,
there's your saviour.
But here's how God works.
But he doesn't pick
the brightest.
He doesn't pick
the strongest.
He doesn't pick
the bravest.
He gives the smallest.
It's incredible.
His means of salvation
will come in the form
of a helpless baby.
His agent of transformation
will come in the shape
of a son
and he will be a king
who will be the ruler
of all rulers.
He will be a king
whose reign
will be the reign
of all reigns
and this baby
will be the invincible figure
that spans the ages
and his kingdom
that he establishes
will never be toppled
and the throne
that he occupies
will never be vacated.
This is God's king.
An incredible thing
is that Isaiah
is speaking roughly,
give or take,
eight centuries
before Jesus
was even born.
And he's declaring it.
Doesn't he even see it there
like it's already happened?
How does that work?
Well, here's the wonderful truth.
Is that that's what happens
when God speaks.
When God declares
something to be true,
when God says
he will do something,
there is no speculative
word for the future,
it is a cast iron guarantee
for these people
that they can live
in light of
what God has said
is going to happen
and they can live
in light of the fact
that it's a done deal.
800 years
before Jesus
is even on the scene,
these people are told
they can stake
their lives on it.
And what will this
king of light be like?
Well, it states this
to the first few words
that we see in verse 6.
God's king of light
will be called
wonderful counsellor.
Be called
wonderful counsellor.
Now, like me,
I wonder if you've been
to many Christmas services
down the years
and you've heard
these words
read countless times
before.
But have you ever
stopped to ask yourself
why God uses that word,
those two words?
Why does God call
his son
the wonderful counsellor?
But here's two things
that I want us to see
this morning,
two truths
that I think
are so brilliant
for us to see.
Here's the first truth,
that he is a king
in whom you can trust.
He's a king
in whom you can trust.
See, this Judah generation,
what are they doing?
They're searching for saviors
in all the wrong places.
All the wrong places.
Why are they doing that?
Well, a big reason
is because they've got
so many voices
competing for their attention.
So many voices.
Who should they listen to?
Well, here is God saying
that I'm sending you
the wonderful counsellor.
I'm sending you
him
and his words
will be flawless,
his counsel
will be unfailing,
his wisdom
will be perfect
and his judgments
will always be righteous.
And you can confidently
place your hands,
place your life
in the hands
of my wonderful counsellor.
I remember when I was
a young lawyer
and I walked into the office
every morning
to my desk.
One of the things
that put me at ease
every morning
was the fact
that there was a library
just down the corridor.
Now, here's why
that put me at ease
for three reasons.
One, because I knew
people would ask me questions.
Two, because I knew
I didn't have the answers
to those questions.
And three,
I knew that the books
did have the answers
to those questions.
Somewhere,
somehow,
the answer was in the books.
Now, I had that
beautiful plan worked out
until one day
somebody rang me
from another side
and he challenged me
on a point.
So I did my three things.
I thought,
I don't have the answers
but the books are the answers.
I went to get to the books
and it turned out
the guy on the other side
had written the book.
But here's the thing
as we read about Jesus
in the Gospels,
as we encounter him
in the Gospels,
he's never reaching
for the books.
He's never reaching
for the books.
Why is he never reaching
for the books?
Because
there's no problem
that he needs
to study up on.
There is no question
that he needs
to outsource.
There is no issue
in which he needs
to consult an expert.
There is no person
that he does not know.
Why?
Because Jesus
is wisdom personified.
He is wisdom personified.
He is wisdom,
God's wisdom,
in flesh.
Later on in Isaiah,
we'll see Isaiah
speak of him
as the spirit
of wisdom
and understanding
and counsel
is upon him.
Here is Jesus.
That's exactly
what we'd expect
from one
through whom
the cosmos
was created
and in whom
all things hold together
and for whom
all things exist.
Jesus Christ
is wisdom personified
and here's what
that means.
that means
if we're told
in scripture,
if we know
that this wonderful
counselor holds
the world
in his hands,
surely that means
that you and I
can trust our todays
to his hands
and we can trust
our tomorrows
to his hands.
You see,
the baby in the manger,
the arrival of whom
we celebrate at Christmas
doesn't just come
to give us the answers.
He is the answer.
He doesn't just come
to show us grace.
He is grace.
He doesn't just come
to say
that he is the way
and the truth
and the life.
He is the way
and the truth
and the life.
Do you see?
God's wisdom
in flesh.
Jesus Christ.
He is the answer.
Here's the second thing
that he is a king
to whom you can turn.
He's a king
in whom you can trust.
He's a king
to whom you can turn.
When we're going
through difficult times
in our lives,
what is it we pray?
What is it we long
for more than anything else?
We long for somebody
who understands.
We long for someone
who understands
and can do something
about it.
We long for somebody
who can help.
And this takes us
to the staggering truth
right at the heart
of the Christian faith.
And it's a truth
that sets it apart
from all other religions
and it's a truth
that comes into sharp focus
at Christmas time.
And it's this.
That God took on flesh.
That Jesus took on our humanity.
That Jesus,
while not ceasing
to be fully God,
became fully man.
The incarnation,
that's what that's called.
Friends,
if you think the Pacific Ocean
is deep,
get your trunks on
and go swimming
in that truth.
The incarnation
that God became human.
The words of that song
that the band
performed for us,
who would have dreamed
or ever foreseen
that we could hold God
in our hands?
It's incredible.
You see,
Jesus didn't just look on
from a distance
at our darkness.
He didn't just dip a toe
in our brokenness.
He got involved.
I was in Glasgow on Friday
and took a walk down
Buchanan Street.
I wonder if you saw this
in the news the other day.
There's a statue
that's just gone up
by a Canadian Christian
called Timothy Schmaltz
and it's called
The Homeless Jesus.
Basically what it is,
it's just a little bench
and there's a figure
on the bench
in a hood,
cloaked,
shivering away
and you can just see
his feet
and in the feet
are the two holes.
Here is Jesus.
Now it's deliberately
provocative.
It's meant to get us
to think about
how we treat those
who are less fortunate
than us at Christmas time
but it strikes
at the heart
of a wonderful truth
that Jesus knew
the brokenness
of our world
and that's why
we can sing
Yes he walked my road
and he felt my pain
Joys and sorrows
that I know so well.
Later in Isaiah
you see it spelled out
more clearly
that Jesus
he was a man of sorrows
and he was acquainted
with grief.
Now what does that tell us?
As we look at
the baby in the manger
what does that tell us?
It tells us
that Jesus knows
and above all else
it tells us
that God loves
God cares.
Like he knows
Jesus knows
he knows what it's like
to be abandoned
that Jesus knows
what it's like
to be betrayed
by those closest to you
that he knows
what it means
to lose a loved one
that he knows
what it means to suffer
that he knows
what it means to be mocked
that he knows
what it means to die
and notice that
he's not just
a counsellor
he is the wonderful counsellor
he in fact
if you want to put it like this
he is the counsellor
of counsellors
that's what is trying
to be conveyed there
because he is not one
who simply sympathises
with us
in our darkness
you see Jesus
didn't just come
to pat us on the back
and say
there there
keep on going
actually
he is
a counsellor
a wonderful counsellor
who has come
to save us
from our
darkness
his life
his life of service
his life of obedience
that would be
given voluntarily
and freely
would see him
end up where
on a cross
because he loved us
too much
to let us wander
in our darkness
that he loved us
too much
to see us stay
in our sin
and he gave his life
his perfect life
so we were singing earlier
he became
a curse for us
so that our curse
he would reverse
to redeem us
from our darkness
friends you see
the wonderful
truth about the baby
in the manger
here it is truly
he is a wonderful counsellor
it's difficult
living in darkness
is it not
it's difficult
living in darkness
Rejavik in winter
no thank you for me
but
here's the thing
about Rejavik
it's a different story
in June
different story
in June
looked it up
this week
the sun rises
before three
in the morning
three in the morning
and it sets
just after midnight
so in the summer
there are 21 hours
of sunlight
in Iceland
it's incredible
21 hours
I think it's the
coolest thing
I love about living here
in the summers
it's great
but if you think
that is cool
then let me
take you to the city
that John describes
in Revelation 21
just the words
on the screen
don't worry
about looking it up
you can look it up
later
Revelation 21
this is what
John sees
I did not see
a temple
in the city
because the Lord
God Almighty
and the Lamb
are its temple
the city
does not need
the sun
or the moon
to shine in it
why?
for the glory
of God
gives it light
and the Lamb
is its lamp
the nations
will walk
by its light
and the kings
of the earth
will bring
their splendor
into it
on no day
will its gates
ever be shut
for
there will be
no night
there
here is God
dwelling with his people
where?
in the city
of unending light
why?
because the darkness
has been banished
forever
sin is a distant memory
all oppression
has ceased
every tear
has been wiped
from every single eye
and all of it
has been replaced
by all out worship
of the God
who is eternally
worthy of all praise
this is his city
of light
this is God's city
we should read
Isaiah 9
rightly
we should look
back
today
and see its
wonderful fulfillment
in the king of light
who came at Christmas time
Jesus Christ
but we also need
to read Isaiah 9
and look forward
to its complete
fulfillment
on that day
when the rain
of Jesus Christ
the victory
of this returning king
the reign
of this wonderful
counselor
will be seen
by all
and of the greatness
of his government
and peace
there will be
no end
praise God
friends
that God
sent us
the wonderful
counselor
the words
that we're going
to finish with
in a moment
beautiful savior
wonderful counselor
clothed in majesty
lord of history
you're the way
the truth
the life
star of the morning
glorious
in holiness
you are the risen one
heaven's champion
and you reign
you reign
over
all
let me pray
for us
as we close
and maybe
as we've been
hearing God
speak through
his word
this morning
you are here
and you think
I've never really
thought about this
stuff
you're sitting here
aware of your own
darkness
and God
would invite you
to reach out
to the king of light
Jesus Christ
this morning
dear father
thank you
for the privilege
that we get
at this time
of year
to remember
and to thank you
for sending
your son
Jesus
to earth
to be our
savior
and our king
and to be our
wonderful
counselor
father
and so dear
lord
whatever we are
at this morning
with you
we ask
that you would
help us
to leave here
this morning
and to walk
in light of
a bigger picture
of who you are
and a more
beautiful picture
of who your
son Jesus
Christ really
is
father thank you
that you are
the god of all
grace
and we pray
these things
through Jesus
name
amen
T
so
thank you